Blame Falling Wages -

[Redneck]

The real reason politics has 'gone mad' - blame falling wages, not Muslim immigration, says Labor's Jim Chalmers
James Massola


Politics has "gone mad", and Australian politicians shouldn't blame a rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment or opposition to multiculturalism as the main reason.

Instead, according to Labor finance spokesman Jim Chalmers, it's because of a "deeper disillusionment" in society, linked to low wages growth and falling living standards.

And it's that same fall in wages and living standards that has driven the rise in popularity, on the right of politics, of Pauline Hanson, Donald Trump and the successful Brexit vote while on the left, it has driven the rise in popularity of Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn in the US and UK, respectively.

In a fiery behind-closed-doors speech to the Transport Workers Union, Dr Chalmers argued that the Australian economy - despite strong headline growth figures - was simply "not delivering for most people".


He also warned against any move to tack towards a more populist approach to politics, arguing Labor "shouldn't fish in the same waters as Pauline Hanson".

In the Australian context, Dr Chalmers argued that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull "can't even go to the bathroom, let alone finalise a tax or super policy, without checking with [National Party firebrand] George Christensen first".

"Many are tempted to try to explain it socially and culturally, by pointing to a rejection of Muslims and multiculturalism. That's part of it. The poll last week, which had 49 percent of Australians supporting a ban on Muslim migration, certainly gave that argument succour. And yes, Hanson and others are more likely to stoke controversy and coverage by adding fuel to that particular fire," he said.

"But I think what's going on here is overwhelmingly economic rather than social or cultural, or at least has economic foundations. It goes to a deeper disillusionment in our country; not just about the state of the economy, but despair over ordinary people's place in that economy."

Dr Chalmers singled out one statistic - record low wages growth - out of an "avalanche" of evidence as the best-supporting his thesis.

Lower wages growth had, he said, "severed link between effort and reward" and that, in turn, had caused a loss of faith in the value of hard work.

And in a speech that developed a similar theme to that explored by Labor treasury spokesman Chris Bowen last week, the finance spokesman argued Mr Turnbull and the Coalition "treated workers as peripheral to national prosperity" and as such, could not "stitch back together that link which has been severed, between hard work and getting ahead".

"We have a chance of building another quarter century of continuous growth on top of the one just finished...[but] the next one won't be achievable with trickle-down economics."

[IQS.RLOW]

says Labor's Jim Chalmers

Stopped reading there.
Chalmers is a retard.

[Redneck]

Re Op

Yes this is true in my opinion one only has to look at the dissatisfaction among the working class with the status quo throughout the Western World.

Brexit in the UK

Trump in the USA

Hanson in Oz

Falling wages and loss of jobs to places like China, the workers are starting to rebel and are looking for alternatives to the current parties.

[Redneck]

says Labor's Jim Chalmers

Stopped reading there.
Chalmers is a retard.

Takes one to know one tool!

[IQS.RLOW]

Re Op

Yes this is true in my opinion one only has to look at the dissatisfaction among the working class with the status quo throughout the Western World.

Brexit in the UK

Trump in the USA

Hanson in Oz

Falling wages and loss of jobs to places like China, the workers are starting to rebel and are looking for alternatives to the current parties.

All part of a push back against the evil Soros and his unelected left wing politics of flooding sovereign nations with refugees to try and collapse the social welfare structure and advance Marxism.

[Neferti]

James Edward "Jim" Chalmers (born 2 March 1978) is an Australian politician. He is the Labor Party member for Rankin in the Australian House of Representatives.

Chalmers holds a PhD in commerce from the Australian National University and was chief of staff to Wayne Swan as Treasurer from 2010 to 2013. In 2013, he left his position as chief of staff to the Treasurer to become the Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre.[1] He left that role in July 2013, when he was preselected to succeed Craig Emerson as the Labor candidate for Rankin, and he won the seat at the 2013 election.[2]

He is the author of Glory Daze, a book about the disconnect between the Australia's strong economic performance and popular discontent with government.[1]

[Rorschach]

Rubbish!!!

These pollies wouldn't know up from down... they acknowledge the real reasons then deny them in one breath.

Politics has "gone mad", and Australian politicians shouldn't blame a rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment or opposition to multiculturalism as the main reason.

Yes, these are some of the reasons the major parties are failing.
Importing the enemy through immigration and forcing a flawed settlement policy on a society that didn't want it and if asked honestly still don't.

As long as they refuse to listen and consider top down decision making by elites the way to go, the undercurrent will build and build until we really do have problems here.

[lisa jones]

Re Op

Yes this is true in my opinion one only has to look at the dissatisfaction among the working class with the status quo throughout the Western World.

Brexit in the UK

Trump in the USA

Hanson in Oz

Falling wages and loss of jobs to places like China, the workers are starting to rebel and are looking for alternatives to the current parties.

What woud you know about EARNING a wage?

You've never worked a freaking day in your pathetic dole bludging life!

[Black Orchid]

Mop to aisle 5 please.