Trust and respect is something that must be earned through one’s behaviour, and is not something you can just expect to be given, unless of course you come from privilege.
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A large part of the recent election campaign and the fallout from the result seems to have a consistent theme of trust.
Many voters on the streets of Bega before, during and after the election said they don’t trust politicians, especially career politicians of any kind.
Bill Shorten has admitted text messages regarding the privatisation of Medicare were sent from Queensland Labor headquarters in Brisbane before election day, meaning many voters communicated they want their health system kept in public hands.
The Prime Minister and Treasurer also did some scaremongering of their own over economic management.
There were constant threats from Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison that Labor couldn’t be trusted with an economy with an uncertain future.
Scare campaigns may be effective politically, as they hit hard at the lack of trust the public already has in politicians, but do they work in the long term?
Tony Abbott’s scare campaign on the carbon content of fuel’s levy during the last federal election has left Australia in a position where nothing is being done in terms of tackling climate change.
Using economics to scare the public is nothing new and it will continue to happen as most people struggle to understand the ins and outs of the complexities of modern economies.
One just has to look at the government’s drive to cut the amount of tax companies pay as as simple way of understanding their idea of the economy and economics.
It’s known as the corporate tax cut and quite simply put means the more money in the hands of the rich will lead to a higher standard of living for the poor.
It is commonly known as the trickle-down effect, but does this ideology actually work in the long term?
In May this year even the International Monetary Fund admitted neoliberalism, in other words, the opening of an economy to foreign money and a reduction in government debt burdens, might’ve been too much of a good thing.
The research says the benefits of increased growth are hard to measure and inequality increases, so why isn’t either side of politics talking about this revelation?