The only significant countries in the Western World with a nominally socially democratic government are Canada, NZ, Spain, UK and Germany. Virtually all the countries in the EU are currently governed by conservatives, often in a coalition with the ultra-right.

Looking at the above few shining lights, the UK Labour Party is virtually a Thatcherite clone, and it has under Bliar eliminated virtually all elements of a social democracy. It may as well be called the New Tory Party.

Gerhard Schroeder’s red-green coalition is certain to be deposed by the CDU later this year and the latter’s leader is reportedly as bad as Thatcher – she’s not called Germany’s Thatcher for nothing.

Canada’s centrist Liberal government holds on to minority government by the most tenuous of margins as a corruption enquiry threatens to derail their upcoming election campaign, and are likely to be replaced by the Conservative Party which aims to decimate gay rights, abolish the Kyoto protocol and adopt a new precedent of US-GOP style policies.

The New Zealand Labour Party is in danger of being thrown out of office by September after not offering tax cuts in their upcoming budget. A racist, homophobe, neoliberal, anti-union coalition between the conservative National Party and Winston Peters’ New Zealand First seems to be a likely outcome.

In Spain, the left were only elected after a wave of anger following the Madrid bombings, hence their presence is a mere aberration. Barring an Act of God the Tories would still have an iron grip there.

So that’s the world trend – conservatism rules all around. They thrive on the fear, negativity and apathy of the people. And whilst the overall direction last century was forward, I seriously have cause to believe that the world is headed for a new millenium of regression, just like what happened in the Middle Ages.

“It is with a heavy heart that I realise I may have to forsake Oz forever and spend my remaining days in Cuba. “

Just don’t say anything bad about Castro while you are there Max!

When asked whether this was fair for them, they reply that this was out of control of the employers and they seem resigned about this as a fact of life. And I reckon they probably vote Liberal.

And therein lies the rub: the fabric of society WILL be damaged, in the eyes of progressive people like us, but mainstream society will see this as an accepted fact of life, just like death and taxes. Look at China where to pay $200K for your child’s degree is seen as something normal and a reality in people’s miserable lives.

It is like a progressively fibrosing disease where, once you reach a certain stage, no amount of treatment will repair the damage because the damaged state is now considered “normal”. And with the current state of the federal Labor Party, I doubt that anything can change for the better in my lifetime. It is with a heavy heart that I realise I may have to forsake Oz forever and spend my remaining days in Cuba.