competing with China

Out stupid "leaders" have this insane belief that we need to compete directly with China and that the way to become competitive is to reduce working conditions and wages of workers to those of third world countries. That is plain crazy though, as just a moment's thought will show.

We have many advantages here that the people in China and India don't have and the very reason they are willing to work in lousy conditions and low wages is to gain access to a similar level of lifestyle and wealth. Why in heaven's name would we abandon that? Why would we abandon progress?

We should be working to maintain and improve our lifestyle, not deliberately wrecking it. We should be increasing the level of education, improving working conditions, increasing leisure hours. These are the very things that the third world want and are working towards. We should also be working in that direction and maintaining our lead. We can never hope to compete with China and India on their terms -- low wages and godawful cheap working conditions. To attempt it is economic and social suicide.

The unimaginative bean-counters tell us that we have no choice. They tell us that money is flowing out of our country into the third world countries too fast. That we will have to tighten our belts and get ready for lean times ahead. But reducing wages and destroying working conditions here won't affect that in the long run, and will actually worsen it. Our only hope is to build upon what we can do best and sell that to the rest of the world. For a long time tourism has been Australia's biggest money-earner, but politicians still treat us as just a primary producer -- mining and farming. We have some of the best medical researchers in the world; our solar research is among the best on the planet; we need to expand on our intellectual and creative capital, which is up there with the best anywhere. As Richard Florida points out, the biggest potential for the future is in the creative classes. But our blasted government keeps strangling our learning and research opportunities and making those sectors less and less competitive.

Can we please get someone in government that knows how to lead and govern, not simply lie, cheat, and line the pockets of their wealthy and powerful pals?