State of Inertia

I am on my usual pilgrimage back to South Australia - to catch up with family and to do some boat building during the holidays. My trimaran is progressing well and I am hoping to get it in the water later this year. Don't you just love the smell of epoxy and sawdust in the mornings ;-)

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about my home state. Each visit here reinforces for me the slow and relentless decline of the place. But many locals don't seem to notice - I suppose it is the "Frog and boiling water" analogy. The export performance of the place is in serious decline while manufacturing continues its slow melt. As usual the farmers and small business are whingeing and the population is declining as job seekers move interstate. Those who are locked in with local assets or family just commute across a border or two. And the state government chases revenue everywhere.

But not to worry because *mining* will save the state - or at least that is what the local politicians tell us. But then they have been telling us that for well over a decade. They have clearly run out of ideas because now all they talk about is how Olympic Dam will save the state and bring riches for all. As if.

There are clearly huge structural barriers to growth and progress in the state - but that is not helped by B Grade politicians who often talk crap. And a mediocre media that makes stuff up as it attempts to stay relevant.

Take the Leader of the Opposition - Isobel Redmond. She was doing much better when she had a small target strategy and was nearly invisible. Recently she said that when the Liberals win the next election that they will *sack* a bunch of public servants. Brilliant idea Isobel - your strategy of appealing to all those small minded business people with "job envy" will win you lots of kudos.

Doesn't that just demonstrate the calibre of SA business people and their political representatives? "You want to sack lots of public servants because they have job security and tenure and you don't".

Never mind that these public servants spend their meagre earnings in the state - usually buying stuff from small businesses. Hell no we'll just sack a bunch of them and that will make us feel much better. It's called "cutting off your nose to spite your face" and it's dim-witted.

One big reason why the place is in decline is because of this sort of thinking. But I have given up worrying about it - these days I just get a good laugh out of it.