04-01-2016, 10:40 AM
Robert Gottliebsen should look at the "big picture" when it comes to "big business" and "big politics" combining to destroy "small business".
The clasic case is the good old "corner shop".
I have lived in the same house since 1962, that is 54 years.
When I was a kid, in the 60's, there were 6 corner shops, which between them stocked "everything" you needed to run a family home, with never a need to even consider going to a "supermarket" (all were family run - the people lived upstairs, on-site), two servo's (with mechanics workshops), one butcher, one chemist, two doctors (GP's) and one vet (animal doctor) all within a 500 metre radius.
Today:-
(a) there is only one corner shop, with a very limited range of "daily needs" high turnover stock items, run by a Chinese family who live upstairs. The woman and her daughter run the shop 7 days a week, open 6am to 8pm, whilst the husband and the son drive a cab 24/7.
(b) both the servo's are long gone. One is now a cafe, the other had a block of flats built on it.
© both the doctors (GP's) are long gone, with both places knocked down and rebuilt as "mansions".
(d) amazingly, the butcher, the vet, and the chemist have survived (I get my blood pressure and cholesterol pills there these days).
Now, where do the "supermarkets" fit in this story ?
Answer, centre stage.
First, the supermarkets "killed" the corner shops through the 60's & 70's.
Second, the supermarkets "screwed" the farmers through the 70's & 80's. Most "food" in Coles and BigW is not grown here now, and a lot of it comes from dubious places with dubious health standards, how many "contamination" related "recalls" have we had in recent years Mr Gottliebsen ? How many were "local" produce, how many were "imported" produce ?
I won't even raise the subject of the ludicrous, deceptive, dishonest, packaging and labelling regulations (but CASA is no doubt studing them intensly for any "useful" = evil ideas).
Third, the supermarkets "screwed" the truckies through the 70's & 80's & 90's and are still doing it, job almost done, as per the post a few above.
The point is "big business" ALWAYS gets what it wants from "big government", either directly, or by subterfuge, (they are very smart).
"Institutionalised collusion, graft & corruption", between big business (duopololy or cartel), big government (duoploy), and big unions (ACTU - cartel), is indemic in this country, as poor little independent Senator XENOPHON is about to have driven home to him re the next shafting of a "little independent" band of "business brothers", the looming independent owner-driver truckie crisis.
Now, what happened to the GA charter industry ?
What is going to happen to the Liverpool Plains ?
Hey you !! Mr Robert Gottliebsen, perhaps it is time for somone with your years of experience, to step back from "the story of the day", get your head out of the weeds, see the trees, the forest, and vast food bowl plains beyond. Look at the "big business - big politics" story of the last 50 years, see the bigger picture, "connect the dots", and write a "blockbuster".
Come on mate, step up to the plate mate, you know you want to !
The clasic case is the good old "corner shop".
I have lived in the same house since 1962, that is 54 years.
When I was a kid, in the 60's, there were 6 corner shops, which between them stocked "everything" you needed to run a family home, with never a need to even consider going to a "supermarket" (all were family run - the people lived upstairs, on-site), two servo's (with mechanics workshops), one butcher, one chemist, two doctors (GP's) and one vet (animal doctor) all within a 500 metre radius.
Today:-
(a) there is only one corner shop, with a very limited range of "daily needs" high turnover stock items, run by a Chinese family who live upstairs. The woman and her daughter run the shop 7 days a week, open 6am to 8pm, whilst the husband and the son drive a cab 24/7.
(b) both the servo's are long gone. One is now a cafe, the other had a block of flats built on it.
© both the doctors (GP's) are long gone, with both places knocked down and rebuilt as "mansions".
(d) amazingly, the butcher, the vet, and the chemist have survived (I get my blood pressure and cholesterol pills there these days).
Now, where do the "supermarkets" fit in this story ?
Answer, centre stage.
First, the supermarkets "killed" the corner shops through the 60's & 70's.
Second, the supermarkets "screwed" the farmers through the 70's & 80's. Most "food" in Coles and BigW is not grown here now, and a lot of it comes from dubious places with dubious health standards, how many "contamination" related "recalls" have we had in recent years Mr Gottliebsen ? How many were "local" produce, how many were "imported" produce ?
I won't even raise the subject of the ludicrous, deceptive, dishonest, packaging and labelling regulations (but CASA is no doubt studing them intensly for any "useful" = evil ideas).
Third, the supermarkets "screwed" the truckies through the 70's & 80's & 90's and are still doing it, job almost done, as per the post a few above.
The point is "big business" ALWAYS gets what it wants from "big government", either directly, or by subterfuge, (they are very smart).
"Institutionalised collusion, graft & corruption", between big business (duopololy or cartel), big government (duoploy), and big unions (ACTU - cartel), is indemic in this country, as poor little independent Senator XENOPHON is about to have driven home to him re the next shafting of a "little independent" band of "business brothers", the looming independent owner-driver truckie crisis.
Now, what happened to the GA charter industry ?
What is going to happen to the Liverpool Plains ?
Hey you !! Mr Robert Gottliebsen, perhaps it is time for somone with your years of experience, to step back from "the story of the day", get your head out of the weeds, see the trees, the forest, and vast food bowl plains beyond. Look at the "big business - big politics" story of the last 50 years, see the bigger picture, "connect the dots", and write a "blockbuster".
Come on mate, step up to the plate mate, you know you want to !