POLITICAL PROSTITUTION

Despite all the bullshit about 'small business is the engine room of our economy' the big banks, supermarkets and oil companies continue to dominate the decisions of our government. Even Golden Showers Shire has its share of self-interested bureaucrats who just want to please the Chardoney-end of Bannockburn and not the normal powerless residents of its smaller villages.

The supposed advantages of mega-mergers that have taken place over the last thirty years in drug companies, airlines, banking conglomerates and mining magnates have supposed to have been to make the economy and the country more robust, save money and bring down prices. Rather than see to it that Australia looks after its own economy our companies, more than likely owned by overseas concerns want to take on the world with the crazy belief that they are God's gift to the world and our 25 million can compete toe-to-toe with the other 5 billion pairs of feet on our planet (apologies to any one-footed residents).

The reality is we end up with near monopoly power by a few companies willing to spread their money into other peoples businesses and exert pressure on our governments any which way they can.

Alphabet is one such company only intent on controlling our every move to their profitable advantage.

Take the spurious example of the CSG miners warning that Australia is likely to run out of gas in the next twenty years but failing to mention that we are selling it overseas in quantities that in one year we sell about ten years supply of our own consumption, and might we add, at prices that we could only dream about.

I don't see the point of our politicians saying the country is not cost-effective (the constant blame on wages and not on compliance costs) or efficient enough to make our own stuff at competitive prices when they could halve the cost of energy tomorrow and allow our home-grown businesses to succeed.

Big chains beat out string every time. The large companies don't need to be competitive they just buy out the competition and maintain prices they want. I know of no example where prices have gone down because a company has merged and become more efficient. We'll keep the analogies coming by saying that the big fish are constantly gnawing on the vitals of the smaller fish all the way down the food chain.

The bigger is better complex does not hold true either, Dunbar numbers disprove that theory, and companies these days certainly don't put the welfare of their customers first. More and more the corporate circus calls out to us 'come in suckers!'.

Unless governments put in place protections for the electors, the spate of naughty banks and finance companies, insurance, aged care and the death industry will continue to run amok with millions in customers funds when financial protections for the customer are removed in return for big political donations, Deregulation actually promotes efficiency and competition is a myth that our politicians fall for every time an industry wants to increase its power and profits.

Bigger business doesn't always provide bigger returns for the owners either, as Board members and CEO's share management fees in the millions every time they make a decision to spend our money. Selling off your own arse in big business is more common than rent boys along 'the Wall'. (Sydney joke)