What has caused the dramatic political shift to the Right in Australia and elsewhere since around 1980?

The conventional answer would be that we all realised free markets really are the best organising principle for society. However, that does not explain the rise of xenophobia and racism and a pervasive unease in our societies — an unease that seems only to increase as our material wealth also, supposedly, increases. Nor is there any basis in performance or theory for the claimed superiority of free markets, although you’d never guess that from mainstream commentary.

It is not true that free markets have been economically successful. The actual record is of mediocrity leading to disaster. The disaster was the Global Financial Crisis that started in 2007 and is not over yet. It was a direct result of neoliberal deregulation of financial markets and it has visited immense harm on much of the world, with depression conditions existing in much of Europe and parts of the US. Even before the GFC, the neoliberal record of growth (2-4%), unemployment (5-7%) and inflation (2-3%)never matched the post-war decades, during which governments were much more involved in markets:  GDP growth 5.2%, unemployment 1.3%, inflation 3.3%.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/the-rise-of-the-radical-right-part-two-false-economics/

Gus"s view is simple and possibly wrong: the rise of technological comforts that nave encourged the rise of selfish individualism in which we as individuals dream of carrots but get hit by sticks on the head instead... But the dream, constantly cultivated by the media (in bed with the right wing), wins the minds of most of the voting public over and over... with crap.

All in all, one should be amazed that a Labor Party should still exist.

Most of the social structure has shifted from a society made of workers who toiled like slaves under bosses to one where everyone is now encouraged to be "their own boss" while being flogged... In this shift, the primary hard industrial dirty jobs have been lost overseas and replaced with tertiary occupation from hairdressers to public servants, from entertainers to stock-traders. Of course there are exception, such as in the mining industry where primary workers are now in a good seat. The job of breaking stones with axes and picks in mine shafts have been replaced by driving air conditioned trucks the size of  two blocks of flats with power steering. Even women can do this caper... 

So the Labor Party, once a party of train engine-drivers, has lost its base NOT BECAUSE IT HAS IGNORED ITS BASE but because the base has upwardly shifted. More people have entered into "liberal" professions. Only the ideal of Laborism could collect more people than Liberalism in this framework... To some extend, Labor has been too successful at bringing workers to a decent level of living... 

Thus people numbers in our social fabric have shifted from the ideal of a genuine sharing society to a what's-in-it-for-me syndrome.  The structure of capitalism has turned most of us into selfish greed-grabbing delusionists — or selfish-individualistic sociopaths even at the lowest levels... From advertising to the biased media, from the religious mob to traffic roundabouts where one has to give way to the right — everything in our society is geared to make us vote for the Liberals (conservatives) — Look at the point of sales, the money market, the ideals of wealth, law and order, etc... all add to this impulsive push to "become" rich quick with the minimum of effort... or by robbing someone discreetly.

We've also noticed that the greater effort we put in, the less value we might get in return, as often it's not what we do that is important but how one manipulates others to give us our wealth and worth. 

We need to concentrate to still feel Labor's social values in our heart. 

... Because on the other side, we earn a few quick bucks by selling our second-hand car — we're happy to see the back of — and we feel like a million dollars capitalist. Most of us might value our relationships like a second-hand car to be sold for the best offer... This is capitalism. This is divorce. This is getting a new job. This is carpe diem as long as the road is paved with the illusion of money. But the reality is often far from being rosy... The illusions persist as if we're addicted to gambling... and we are. 

The rest of the social equation has now become side issues such as health, education and understanding... 

One could feel cheated should one be a smoker and our hard earned taxes are used to tell us to stop smoking... The swines... That's a restriction of our freedom and under a Liberal (conservative) framework our freedom to kick someone's arse is sacrosanct as long as we don't hope for gay marriage or abortion. Under this conservative umbrella, one does not need to understand the trauma or feel the true compassion of difficult relationships should one decide to become a rich bum (charity can take care of our compassionate side), one only needs to know how to manipulate relationships in order to extract the most for oneself, politically or financially — usually — if not  all the time — to the detriment of others... There can be only one winner at the post... That's life in the jungle... and we all know short cuts to the winning post...

Thus in today's media-driven hopes and illusions, a Labor Party is an anachronism... The glue that holds it together is very thin, except in the desire by some people to make the community work better... But the toxic attractive greedy environment of capitalism, makes it difficult to maintain. 

Some people have criticised the Labor Party for not having looked after its roots and at the same time we blame the alliance of the Labor party and the unions for this "demise". I sense a conflict here...

The base of the Labor Party was never the shop-keepers circles apart from a few panel-beaters or mechanics (such as Howard's dad)... Sure, a few shop-keepers maintained the faith in a social Labor decorum but most never questioned the origin of where money to buy their goodies came from... For example there is no qualms in selling oodles of stuff to a communist country as long as the money comes in like a swollen river... In days gone by, ideals might have been different, though in most instances, ideology is always beaten into a pulp by capital, no matter what. Ask uncle Bob... or was it pig-iron Bob...

Thus while we all bathe in a "capital rules" ideology, the Labor party has to adapt and convince enough people that, hang on, we cannot leave some people in the lurch, cannot be unhealthy or destroy the planet for a buck...

So, do we still need a Labor Party since some of us think and promote the idea that there is "little difference" between "them" and the Liberals (conservatives)?...

It has been my simpleton observations that despite "her faults" Julia Gillard has tried harder than any other Labor Prime Minister to steer this difficult ship away from complete avaricious greed... She has tried to and succeeded at some protection of the environment. But of course, some of us, rabid Greenies, will chastise her for not having done it 100 per cent... Same with other policies. Meanwhile all the crap we throw at her, only encourages the mugs on the other side to become bolder in their confidence that pushing a stick up our bum is what we want... and will get.

It's not.

But the media is part of this greater con to encourage us to bend over and prepare for the final indignity of being done over by the Liberals — by promoting the illusion the selfish individualism and "freedom" (to be a sociopath) will make us free and rich ...

It won't.

One of us could get richer like when one wins Lotto, while all the others will pay for the prize.

read also: http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/business/who-owns-corporate-australia/