RSPT

Mammon votes for Abbott

How universal suffrage entrenches vested interests, and what to do about it — by Gavin R. Putland.

Does Tony Abbott expect to win votes by promising to give away Australia's mineral resources more cheaply than Kevin Rudd? No, he expects to win material support from the mining industry, which in turn will help him to win the election on other issues, with the result that the mining industry gets the policy it wants.