As a progressive and a democrat, I remain a strong believer in government providing core services, whether they are electricity, water, defence, roads, access to universal health and good state education all the way to tertiary level.

However, for the last 30 years, there has been a savage attack by the radical Right on the state. Pretty much every good, or service, that can be privatised has been done so and at the expense of service and quality.

Lots of PR mind you and great new television ads.

But once the bottom fell out it was the state again that pumped trillions to prop up a dysfunctional financial market.

Governments have gutted essential public institutions for an injection of quick cash yet have had no qualm in taxing cigarettes, targeting Alco-pops, and now there is talk about taxing processed fast foods.

I’m no libertarian nut-job but governments in my view should exist to provide services to all members of the community and not to act as Orwellian spin merchants telling us what to eat, how many sexual partners to have, why we should not smoke or eat fast and processed foods.

Or they can tell us, but leave us to make up our mind, that is how the market works afterall, right?

Incessant and wasteful government spending on attempting mass social behavioural changes belongs in a Stanley Kubrick movie.

I want the restitution of meaningful and practical institutions and services that allow citizens to live what Aristotle called the Good Life.

I’d rather have governments engage in the rebuilding of our common wealth by allowing equality of opportunity for all kids to education higher and technical school on the basis of ability and not the ability to pay. And, to invest in universal health care.

Thatcher, Reagan, Howard, and other misguided politicians essentially engaged in class warfare.

In the United States as any reader of the political economist, Paul Krugman, will know, the most recent Bush-Cheney administration not only destroyed the working class, but virtually obliterated the middle class.

John Howard’s “relaxed and comfortable” Australia forced families to extend their credit and take out second mortgages, to provide their kids with access to education.

Insurers are always seeking justifications to hike up their health insurance levies. Rely on Medicare, and you may remain on a stretcher in a corridor for 18 hours or, alternatively, earn frequent flyer points, while an ambulance vainly attempts to find a public hospital with a vacant bed.

Enough public relations! Give us back our community and our accessible and affordable, institutions.

Nanny state invocations telling us how many drinks to have, or not to have trans-fats, are simply a well-worn ruse to divert the masses from what really matters.

Governments need to get back to the business of looking after their citizenry.

Stop banning drinks, foods, hiking up levies on cigarettes et al while clocking up revenues from the explicit encouragement of casino culture, whose riches simply go to the BRW Top 100 and to the hypocritical governments of all hues.

It may be fast food today, but next they’ll hike up the price of coffee. If they dare, I say bring back the guillotine.

Theo Giantsos is a fleelance writer and a regular contributor to NKEE