In social constructs, the balance of individual freedom and social necessity has always been tricky.

We, humans, are individuals in search of individualism in a framework that demands a social conscience in order to achieve a better comfortable and secure outcome for most. 

Without teamwork, which involves the combination of individual skills, decision making and decided purpose, nothing much would be achieved. We know this. 

We also know the need to "defend" our space, our crops and our purpose against an array of threats, some naturals, some from other tribes, some from within and some from our selves - including our imagination that let us see angels. 

While teamwork is most of human's salvation, some of us may not wish to pull our weight. We loaf... Some of us want to lead or decide no-matter-what what is best for the group — including jumping off a cliff. The various levels of individual ability will often help us slot into a purposeful participation as defined by the evolution of the group till the present — but at any stage, demand is made on the level of rewards for our individual efforts in the social context... And, personally and socially, we have individual and social aspirations, dreams, incompetence, successes, robbery, accidents, treachery, diversions, illusions, whinges and lack of knowledge that complicate the social equation. 

So far, most greater social groups (countries) in the world have achieved a certain level of skewed balance, in which one of the primary characteristics is order. 

Without order, little can be achieved. Too many threats from within would crop up... and no trust can develop. No "common" purpose can prosper. Everyone ends up gunning for all others and we'd be stealing from each others... Thus, rules (including morality) have been established to control the threats from within, while communities developed moats, fences, weaponry to fend against invaders. Little has change since this pre-history full of broken pottery, except for the management of much larger communities and bigger weapons. Too much "order" implementation can lead to oppression and loss of social freedoms.

In this context, the two main ideologies in the Australian society are poised at different angle from each other. 

On one hand, the Liberal party (conservatives) is more inclined to let individualism rule the roost. In such a present Liberal (conservative) system, the sociopath have a better chance to succeed to the top. The Liberal (conservative) ideals — which are pretty thin at most times — have been jettisoned for sheer access to power. One can only admire the unrestrained cunning ability of some people who walk over other fellow humans in order to reach their goals. And there is nothing wrong in this power game, as the successful candidate is judged by one's ability to be more ruthless than others, all with a strong determination to reach the top. 

The conservatives often refer to this as the "law of the jungle", especially in business, which is a total misnomer because in the jungle, there is a natural necessity of balance between aggressor and aggressed as survival depends on all to exist for the system to survive within its limits. In the present conservative framework, there are only court case challengeable limits to the true damage one can inflict on a competitor or a workforce, but in general conservatives place little value on the planet — except for one's hard-fought for, little (not so little) castle and gardens with a view. 

In conservatism, the jungle also needs a minimum entity of slaves, a subservient portion of the population being kept underfoot by various means. This has been the domain of kingdoms, dictatorships and some forms of democracy where the main enterprise is to create a domination of a few over others, that will fill coffers — filling coffers being the end game.

In modern times, in order to maintain order, this conservative system relies heavily on the stick or whip, while creating and maintaining the sick illusion that paupers can marry a prince or vice versa... This dreadful illusion is designed to keep a never-reachable dream cultivated in gullible people's mind to minimise the resentment of the underclass that toils for the rich. Of course the dream is spread by most of the media, itself complicit with the conservative ideal.

Not all of what is expressed here is as clear cut as this. There are degrees of strength and various levels at which the Liberal mind will mitigate its ruthlessness with charitable enterprises, which to a great extend are run like businesses that do not pay taxes.

Tough individualism is prized, individual skills are more in tune with the born to rule dictum — and have little to do with ability. There is a certain condescending attitude towards the lower classes, where their "individuals" are often described as "dole-bludgers". They are perceived as low class victims of their own stupid choices and/or non-ambitious souls who are not prepared to fight dirty at the ruthless jungle level, where cunning and leading bands of thieves, rather than personal brute force, is the key for a win...  Of course, conservatism strongly cultivates station in life and those under-foot are tamed by religious dictum that make them happy to be poor and down-trodden...

On the other side, in the Labor camp, the system from the start by its construct is full of contradictions... It is designed to entice workers to rule... or to create a system where workers are as important as the "bosses" — a society where everyone is valued with more equity. This can lead to loafers being valued as much as (or more than) hard workers, especially when the loafers are cunning lazy bums or conservative thiefs. The social justice, egalitarian ideals bring difficulties in the structure as in order to control such a system one has to borrow some challenging sections of the conservative rule book. 

Even the most efficient of communist system has to structure itself in a pyramidal fashion, with the deciders at the top. Here, even some clever "businesspersons" could get away with privatising some of the common loot. Sometimes this can be "tolerated" by the system as an interface with the full-blown conservative outfit that one is dealing with, for development purposes only.

The illusions between labor and the conservatives are different. In Labor, the dreams of prince and princesses are modified into the great hope of wearing a drab green narrow-collared shirt with a red star... or marry an academic.

Yes, the individualistic dream is somewhat lacking on the tinsel front, but it can shine from the idea of "social justice", or of sharing achievement in a more equitable society where everyone should (and could) be happy...

Things have changed, mind you. Working conditions have improved, after years of union demands, a large swab of the workforce has benefited greatly, thus the workers are now individualistic and have forgotten the unions, and the bosses have delegated the real dirty work to the Chinese... So the Aussie workforce has gone from primary and industrial production to cafe hospitality and fiddling with the grease for the poles: money. The workers have become bean-counters, stock traders, spin doctors, analyst of banks entrails and porkyist of the month for the lying sheets of the press... In this environment, the number of con artists has grown sky high.

Meanwhile, too many people have used the labor platform for personal gain. In a Liberal outfit, robbing people within the limits of the law, is more or less expected... and lauded in conservative circles, while being justified morally to the general public, as a given right. In general the Liberals NEVER make mistakes... If a cock-up is made, it will be said to be Labor's fault or the cock up will be designated a plus... In the Labor Party, people agonise on trying to do the right thing, and a small misdirection — a molehill — will be described as a mountain chain in the media and piloried by the conservatives, who by the way NEVER EVER make mistakes... If the conservatives lie, it is for our own good... If Labor changes tack to readjust to new global parameters, it's a capital sin.

Unless one has strong ambition and some well anchored idealistic dreams of leading such a conflicted Labor outfit — plus some serious leadership skills or management intuition, one won't be fit to lead. From the onset the Labor party, or the party of the social conscience for most, suffers from the conflict between dreams of equality and placing an individual in charge of rule...

The Liberals (conservatives) on the other hand do not have such qualms. It is the party of personal gains and of capturing the princesses, while being able to show that one is a perfect sociopath to become the optimum leader of such. 

To manage the Labor Party, one has to make sure the profiteers are "controlled" — within and outside the Party. The Obeid saga is a sad case in point... and started to go overboard when the democratic vote became too cosy...

Meanwhile there is need to tell the Labor story properly. The media is crap on this score. Most political commentators have lost the centre pin of the purposes of both party and are more interested in finding rats in the Labor kitchen rather than show the clean dishes being prepared.

The media, from the ABC to the merde-och media is also in love with the coalition... It's the hub of individualism gone mad. And they all hate to see Labor win, because of course in order to achieve an equilibrium of social justice, the bottom of the barrel may be promoted to half-wits, while the top clever conservative sociopath would have to be brought down a few notches.

Labor, as John Faulkner pondered, needs to reinvent itself tactfully...  in more equitable ideas and develop a stable structure as well as being able to promote its message. This is one of the keys. Promoting the value of Labor... In this country, there is not a proper lefty media outlet. Nothing, nada, zilch. All general media is leaning to the right while some like the merde-och media is ultra-far right, in line with Tony Abbott who is desperately trying to regain the emotional female vote by trying to appear "sensible" in his religious extremism...

A major problem in the Labor party is there are a few too many cynics within. Let the cartoonists do the damage or make the silly comments... There are also ambitious egos that have been rubbed the wrong way and these people should know to put the lid on it. Be gracious like the Clintons have been, once Obama got the gig. Rudd, so far, has appeared as a petty vindictive over-ambitious little man. Should he affirm his unreserved support for Gillard despite his gnarly despise, the stakes of the Labor party would soar — more proper results could be achieved.

Policies need to be worked through very carefully and explained... It is in the details and the repetition of purpose washing into the brains of the people that the day will be won. Repeats is the way the slanted media is doing it to promote the ritewingnut Lib outfit (conservatives)

We need a lefty media... The ABC is not — it lost the plot a long time ago, by becoming balanced... People need to know proper reality, not the lies as well, especially in the scientific arena... The average punters out there only read The Daily Telegraph, which is an atrocious paper, scientifically ignorant and slanted: Tony Abbott is the poster boy of the merde-och press. Emotions rule...

Communication needs to be tailored on several levels: Intellectual complex, middle class and lower class without being condescending.

---------------------------------

The Sydney Morning herald points to 10 issues that could decide the election. I disagree. In fact I believe there is only one issue that will decide the election: that of the media being slanted to the far-right.

Comments from the SMH in italics, Gus' short statements in bold

1 Economic management
The stand-first issue in any election, economic management encompasses the grand themes of trust and competency, as well as the small, lived experience of voters' everyday. Most voters don't read the budget papers but they can count the number of zeroes on their electricity bill and they know if their mortgage is unmanageable.
Labor has managed the economy with better skill and better purpose than the conservatives (Liberals), despite the Liberals (and the media) claiming that the government is incompetent. Bollocks. 
Thus, the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media, except a few websites...


2 And how are you planning to pay for that? The funding of promises
With a continued budget deficit looking likely at the end of this financial year, we can expect a suitably austere election campaign, with large-scale spending promises either delayed or offset by savings measures.
The funding of "promises" is not so much an issue, but present a real desire to improve the social equation. At any stage, say when an economy grows by 3 per cent, the said country is "allowed" to print 3 per cent extra money. Considering the conservative times of George W Bush have basically screwed all the economies of the world by printing lots of money he could not afford (or borrowing beyond the US means), Australia has faired reasonably well. Under a conservative government Australia would be in the same predicaments as the US, the UK and Yourp... The conservatives screwed up everywhere else.
As well, the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media, apart from a few websites.


3 Education
Education, along with health, are the two big-ticket, service-delivery, social policy jewels in the Labor policy chest, according to Di Lollo. "This is one of the fundamentals of federal politics in Australia," he says. "Health and education are natural Labor territory, and defence and border security are natural Liberal territory."
The Liberals (conservatives) are silly and selective in the education department. Most education is for the rich in private schools, but paid for in a large part by the public purse. Beyond this, the Libs (conservatives) are under the influence of idiotic denialists and of history revisionist such as Windshuttle. 
As well, the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media apart from a few websites. 

4 Health
Health, together with education, is consistently named in polls as the issue of most concern to voters. Simon Banks, a director at Hawker Britton, believes that in healthcare, particularly when it comes to reforms such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Labor has a natural advantage because it is the party of big(ger) government.
As soon as the Labor federal government is trying to fix health, the liberal (conservative) states are sacking nurses and doctors... Meanwhile the rich pharmaceuticals aligned with the Libs (conservatives) jack up the prices of medications, either leaving the government or the patients to pay more...
As well, the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media apart from a few websites. 


5 Asylum seekers/ border protection
According to the Liberal Party's internal polling, border protection is still a strong concern for voters. Lower-income voters and new migrant communities tend to be the most worried about it.
There is no easy solutions here and mixing the two issues is crap.  The emotional debate is loosing the purpose and compassion of being human. The Liberal solution is as bad or worse than the Labor government solution. The point here being that most of the population wants to reject the asylum seekers, which cannot be done. 
As well, the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media apart from a few websites. .


6 Carbon pricing/cost of living
Anyone who hasn't been in a coma for the past three years will have noticed Abbott has manacled his political fortunes to the carbon tax and his promise to repeal it.
Tony Abbott is a comatosed iddiott. His solution to solve this difficult problem (which he does not believe in, by the grace of god) is like pissing in a violin to make music. Even Malcolm said so, but Malcolm has been forced to tone his tune down...
As well, the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media apart from a few websites. .


7 Infrastructure
Roads, Textor says, are an important election issue because they have a "direct and meaningful" impact on people's lives. "People don't think in terms of policy portfolios but in terms of services and physical freedoms," he says."Yes, Australia is doing well, but if it takes you 40 minutes to deliver one kid to school, what's the point?"
Tony Abbott does not have a clue... He lives in dreamland and says things we know he cannot deliver. The idea of the Liberals (conservatives) in New South Wales is to shut down the schools so that the transport problem does not exist... Smart!...
As well, the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media apart from a few websites. 


8 Gender
Abbott's confrontational and hyper-physical style turns off many women; Labor knows it and will seek to exploit it. Abbott's best defence against these attacks is a passive one (not generally his style).
Abbott is letting other clowns, such as Pyne and Credin rewrite his poor track-record on this issue. Yes Tony Abbott is as sensitive as a brick with a pink bow crashing through your window pane.
As well, the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media apart from a few websites. .


9 Queensland cuts
When Campbell Newman won the Queensland state election in March, it was one of the worst Labor defeats in Australian history. The Labor opposition was reduced to a shadow cabinet so small (seven MPs) they could literally caucus around a kitchen table.
But Newman has shown to be an old man... A return to the Jo days... of 30 years ago... Though this situation should be helping Labor,... But...
... the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media apart from a few websites. 


10 Industrial relations
Industrial relations is a tricky election issue for both parties, because while it is not a top-agenda item for either side, it has the capacity to embarrass each in different ways. The government will use every opportunity to sow fear about a "return to Work Choices" under Abbott.
We know that peter Reith and a few other doozies like Amanda Vanstone are paving the way for a return to the Work Choices era which is like a non-negociable shit brick wrapped up in a pink bow for workers...
As well, the Labor party has to fight Uncle Rupe and all other media apart from a few websites. 
-----------------------


In conclusion:

Individuality versus individualism... In general, media focuses on selling individualism (selfish position, culture of stardom) while education fosters individuality (unique skills), though Liberal (conservative) education is geared to slant one's view of the world with social class, race and creed...
Often the media (mostly as a conservative outlet) force people into a position where individuality is meshed with individualism and the common good is lost. It is for Labor to regain the common good ground and promote such perception in the media... The media is where the Labor party may have to perform miracles... Good luck... and please no stupid stunt like those of Jenny Macklin... She knows better...

Labor should protects the common good and be the white knight fighting the media for it. 
This country cannot afford to be misled by Tony Abbott... Let's see...

Gus Leonisky