Show me the money

When people scoff and wave their hands at talk of politics, it is often in a dismissive response to the notion that any of them may be different from the other. 

One of the first things I learnt about the right side of politics was that they cared a lot about money. Not to say the left didn't care about money, but the right seemed a bit more focused on accumulating it. Some time in my youth, I started hearing the phrase "The Liberals are better money managers" which was interesting, as when I began paying attention to politics, the Liberals weren't in power. So for me, it was a bit like playing a computer game and having the person next to you saying "You're doing it wrong!"

Red vs Blue, how convenient!

There's always been a problem with the position taken by the LNP in Australian politics. When they're in opposition they regularly claim "We'd do it better" than the ALP, and when the LNP are actually IN power, the claim becomes "You couldn't do it as well as we are!" You simply can't prove either of these assertions, yet a large percentage of the population seems to blindly parrot the claims. Clearly if you say something often enough, it sticks.

Anyway, that's my usual preamble. Liberals think they're better with money and that we should all believe it. They also think that this notion of always being "better money managers" flows across the country at every level, with every decision. And what's important to realise once we reach that stage of their claim, is that it's actually not about money anymore. It's simply about their desire to control things. Control and manipulate. 

We are the cliched 1950s housewife being given our allowance by our Government husband. It's what HE thinks is necessary, given at HIS discretion and for some reason, the majority of us respond with gratitude! "Thank you, Sir. Thank you for your generous assistance."

Wanting to control other people isn't a new concept, but there are definitely varying degrees of how overt the Liberals are in doing it. We're all familiar with the full on aspects of it, the obvious example being Same Sex Marriage, something for which many of them were dragged kicking and screaming to the table, and even then a few of them left that table before dinner was served (special hello to my local member Michael Sukkar), but at a more local level, there are activities that are ignored because they're not worthy. 

So what about all this "worthy" spending?

Sportsrorts? Regional Swimming Pools? Regional Growth Funds? Urban Congestion Funds? Drought Communities Program? Regional Jobs and Investment Package? Millions cut from the ABC but given to Foxtel? All supposedly merit-based programs, yet in the best of rorty goodness, targeted at marginal seats OR ignoring eligibility requirements OR allocated after the 2019 election was called AND most strategic in their political advantage for the Government. There are far more extensive lists than this one that detail just how appalling the Government has been in its willingness to do whatever the hell it wants in order to prop itself up politically.

Here is but one such list by Carrick Ryan on Twitter.

Carrick Ryan's List

Remember, we are the 1950s housewife waiting for the handout.

llama

@SirWonderLlama