Big Business and National Governance

Peter Martin had a great article in the Age yesterday about how the multinational mining companies don't intend to negotiate over the RSPT because they are trying to limit the government's power - and increase their own.

After I read this the light bulb immediately went on - with 100% luminance. It has been on ever since.

This explains a heckava lot about what has been going on.

The first thing that the miners are worried about if the RSPT gets up is that it will spread to other jurisdictions. And they will hate that because some of the big multinational miners are actually defacto governments in some places. We definitely can't have tin-pot regimes instigating a new resource rent tax in places where the miners are already more powerful than national governments. That wouldn't do at all.

The second thing is that this is about to become a mighty battle over governance and power. Power of a national government to rule and regulate and look after the national interest - versus the power of big business to ride roughshod over national governments. If this RSPT is defeated then the multinationals will have won and they will be able to do pretty much what they like - not just with mining. If the government wins then excessive corporate power will have been moderated - at least for a little while.

The real problem for the monk and the Coalition is that they have already declared their hand and fallen in with the multinational miners. So they will have a bit of explaining to do to the Australian people if the miners win and ride roughshod over the nation. How will they justify that?

Those rusted on Coalitionists should think about that for a moment. If the miners win this battle with your help - then you will be responsible for destroying a good part of the power our national government has to look after the national interest. What then? Some of you will think that is OK - because you don't understand the consequences but some will be horrified - along with the rest of us.

The coming election will be a monumental battle - and the outcome will determine whether we remain a democracy or end up under the control of multinational big business.

That is the 64k question to ponder - Virginia. I just hope our people are prepared.