By Kevin Healy
A week when the future of the working class hinged on one vote, between Stephen Loosely-a-socialist and Barry Pick-a-box, all because someone didn't pick a box, or picked the wrong box, or whatever. Having got that piece of critical ideology out of the way, they proceeded to agree that the most important thing for the working class was to win the hearts and minds of the employing class — much more critical than doing anything to ease the plight of the bludging unemployed class, for instance, other than to make it a whole lot harder for the bludging unemployed class to retain their fabulous public income.
But how despicably clever these communists are! That left wing taker-over of the deputy prime ministership, Brian Hoo, devilishly voted with new treasurer John Carin-for-them and agreed that profits were far more important than helping the unemployed. They just won't show their true colours — fooling all of the people all of the time!
In a real dilemma for the Victorian government, oil giant Mobil wants to make locals at Altona a little less mobile by closing their railway line. It seems Mobil wants to expand itself across the rail line. Mobil said the closure of the railway would guarantee locals a much better public transport system: it's really because they care — a responsible corporate citizen.
Our contest this week is, as usual, a tough one. Faced with a choice between Mobil and public transport in a working-class area, which way do you think the government will go? First correct entry opened wins a free ride on the last train to Altona. As a clue, the state is about to announce major slashes to private bus services across Melbourne — and guess which suburbs will copy the most severe cuts. Right: Footscray and Brunswick, two well-known elitist suburbs.
The Logic of the Week Award has been won in a hand canter by the Trade Practices Commission, which has to approve business takeovers where the danger of a monopoly and cornering of the market might lead to a few problems for the poor old consumer. This week the TPC approved a BTR Nylex takeover which gives it 97% of the $600 million a year glass packaging market. The reason: it would be a public benefit. So, as you pay more for goods in glass, remember the benefits.
And it was exposed publicly, although we'd known it for a long time, that the people of Bougainville have been enjoying the benefits of Aussie military aid to PNG. The minister for going overseas all the time and being a perfectly good if occasionally irascible little prefect, Good Evans, said it mustn't
be allowed to affect our relations with PNG, particularly — he didn't say — the rights of good old True Blue Aussie mining companies to help the people of PNG by digging up their fabulous mineral wealth.
Good Evans managed to say all that between moving a motion congratulating himself for trying to pick up a Nobel Peace Prize — perhaps he should add his contribution to peace on Bougainville as a further recommendation.