Magic pudding production in full swing

Depressing as it seems, ‘fake news’ has become a feature of our lives and will play an increasingly spoiler role in the democratic process — the current Australian election being no exception.

Already one newspaper has been caught, headlining the results of a poll favouring an independent candidate that turned out to be false.

What can’t be faked are the official pronouncements of the major parties. Here it’s not what is said, but rather what isn’t.

The incumbent Liberal-National Coalition is running a campaign based on “sound economic development” with the delivery of tax cuts and the promise of more to come.

Opposition Labor advocates spending increases in a range of areas including, health, childcare and older Australians.

For both parties it’s all about the upsides, and not a mention of the downsides.

Economics 101: If you reduce the tax take you have to reduce spending; if you increase spending you need higher taxes.

You won’t hear Prime Minister Scott Morrison laying out the details of where he wants to cut spending at this election other than some airy-fairy comments about “greater productivity” or “reducing waste”.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been slightly more honest by flagging tax increases in certain areas, but nothing like the amounts needed to finance his ambitious spending plans.

Both leaders are guilty of producing magic puddings which always seems to have something left, no matter how many slices are taken.

Neither have the qualities of leadership to say: “I can give you lower taxes, but some services we provide are going to be abolished or reduced.”

Or: “You will have the better services you crave, but you will have to pay more for them.”

As a result there is never a proper debate over what kind of economy Australians really want.

Should it be high tax, with increased services like many of the Scandinavian countries?

Or low tax with individuals looking after themselves as best they can such as exists in the United States?

Both major parties try to suggest we can have the best of both worlds. Australia has often been described as the Lucky Country, but it isn’t that lucky.

In the end whichever party is in power is forced to make compromises on its promises, leading to disgust and disillusionment among those who voted to put it there.

That has led to the rise of the far right, the ultimate magic pudding manufacturer, harvesting the naivety vote with their simple answers to all the complexity of the nation’s and the world’s problems.

And heaven help us all if any of that crowd ever got a taste of power.