Medicare, competition and privatisation: The Australian way

Says it all...the greedy stealing from the needy...good onya socialist alternative!

Grumble, grumble...to quote Laughing Lenny "I ache in the places I used to play*". Its a booger getting' awld! Not helped by Sydney Trains going into their rolling decade of weekend train disruption for that euphemism "track work".  So buses into city were a car park experience meaning we missed Bill "the Inspirer" Shorten's speech for which he was justly heckled. Think about growing a pair of balls Bill man. Nippers in detention is just wrong! Wrong! WRONG! I know you struggle to find a moral compass from fence sitting in case you lose red neck votes boot! Until you stop sounding' like a carpet salesman at a real ale convention, people are going to see you as, well... space filler with positional sound bite syndrome. In case your folk are not tellin' you, people are not listening, boot they are paying attention to the Greens instead. Socialists should be worried. In whatever way you want to peer at it the Greens are not a party of the left, they have left leanings and are taking a lead in areas where Labor has frozen into paralysis. The Greens may morph and are showing' signs of doing' so, into a movement (particularly the younger ones) where they will capture what is often dismissed as a radical agenda. -A party of the people, for the people, focussed on basic issues such as social justice, indigenous rights, universal access to health care, education, housing, refugees and internment etc. And a movement wanting to break the chains free of the influence of capitalism's latest stalker-Trojan Horse 'privatisation is good' 'privatisation does it oh so much better!' And how do we know? Because every day we are told this despite the stories of yet more private providers going arse up having spent public cash to achieve bugger all. But some how we still all believe the mantra 'Competition, any competition is good'. Government services and the Unions are just Soviets waiting the opportunity to take over etc...It is a sad day union numbers are dropping in Australia when working conditions are being gradually pulled back because we need a more flexible work environment. Bullshit on that one!

A Green speaking to rapturous reception

So on a sunny, hot and humid Sydney Saturday afternoon 600 plus people turned up outside the Town hall to register their opposition to yet another version of opportunity assets strips. Medibank sold off and already showing profit but looking at numbers for that pipe dream you have to take note of the job cuts...and I'm picking it was front line staff-not salary rich senior managers. Now the current governing mob want to pass on further costs of pathology tests on to the consumer (me and you) and if we can't afford it, too bad as the pollies and the richer folk have private health insurance. (Be warned-not that this has been effective for the middle classes in the USA-of which we seem hell bent on taking their most disastrous economic experiments such as casual labour, call centres, uber competition-and although demonstrated as failures for growing a cohesive society-hey, it makes someone a shit load of money before turning belly up and sinking. Keep em lean and starving and they will work for a few dollars an hour says President Trump!)

Ken Canning speaking from the heart again

But as the Ken the passionate indigenous speaker said let us be clear of where these cuts will have the most damaging effect. On the poor. And who are the poorest people in Australia? The indigenous people. This does not address closing the gaps but rather is yet another plank of genocide because as a consequence of the changes people will die. Unnecessarily die. Yes, we can all point to being given tests we didn't need. God knows, I have gone through a few speculative, fishing trip type tests recently but like doctors visits, if people stop using them (or going) because of cost-they will get sicker and when they need intervention it will be expensive, maybe not possible or too late. I can put my hand heart and say this won't make a fart on the lives of white middle class men across Australia (the representative body who control most of what we do one way or t'other-if you disagree look at who holds meaningful power here in business, politics and sporting codes). But women (pap/cervical), indigenous and those expected to keep working in crap jobs past seventy, past reasonable health expectations - to make ends meet-they will bear the brunt despite the sanctimonious twaddle of the health minister et al -who will niver ha' ta face choosing payin' for a test or payin' a bill or buying food. This is nineteen thirties stuff and it freezes me marrow we are back to this pre welfare state, blame the poor and grind them down while increasing their numbers.

Eee oop, its the wee lass from CPSU

It were good to see in this rally's turn out all ages and a fair number of unions making themselves seen and heard. Impassioned speech as we arrived from the nurses union-go you good things-given you are at the coal face-you deserve to be heard and listened too. The fact the speaker was an old fashioned rabble rouser helped lift spirits after what most who saw Mr Shorten speak said was a media refined, defined and sucked dry piece of piffle.  Then there was an impassioned call to union arms by the very competent Nadine Flood whose union CPSU is involved in a royal battle to keep the Federal Public Service honest and from turning into John Lloyd's just vote yes poodles. And there were a sprinkling of MUA-good on the lads and lasses who demonstrate time and time again that social justice is a broad agenda. There was, as has been the case recently on a number of marches significant visibility absences such as Fireys, Ambos and police (other than those sent to keep an eye on things). Likewise, although socialist alternative were out in force (as with the Greens)-I didn't clap me eyes on the usual contingent of dressed in black anarchists.

Of course Sydney Wanderers sent their reps along

So, the guts of this is this is the thin edge of privatising Medicare by stealth. Medicare is the Australian system which makes medical care in Australia accessible to all but particularly those who don't fit private health care models. Cuts in pathology tests will lessen the effectiveness of health care allied professionals to do a consistent, comprehensive assessment of people's health-removing the ability to diagnose early and treat cheaply. It will also lead to job losses by the use of the crudest equation-less tests ergo less jobs. This will lead to a loss of experienced and trained staff and limited access to specialised services. Then if this gets through, the next step is to privatise! Privatise-giving business and profit model driven buccaneers public tax vote monies to fuck it all up.
And of course today Sunday 21 February 2016, 10 to 12 thousand people marched to protest the "Lock Out" laws. Self interest anyone? I mean, good on you for getting out and protesting summat you have a passion for. But reflect. The biggest supporters of the lock out are nurses, doctors, hospitals, ambos, police-in other words- those cleaning up your mess. And think of the finger of big business (the alcohol trade and clubs) who have their finger up your bum. The reality is alcohol fuelled violence was not lessening, so come up with a solution and for fucks sake not its the Australian way/right to get bladdered and behave, well badly as I heard one muppet say on the telly when asked why they were out protesting.
So well done one and all who turned up on the Stop Cuts to Medicare marches across Australia on Saturday. Follow up on www.nswnma.asn.au/get-involved/save-our-medicare and www.unionsnsw.org.au about that radical leftie agenda called 'Build a Better Future'. Enjoy the pictures.
* Leonard Cohen from"Tower of Song"

What a rabble! Kia Kaha!