The PPP has always been anti-establishment, from the day of its inception to the present. Even when Mr Bhutto was president and then PM, his behaviour was that of anti-establishment. His daughter Benazir, nurtured this posture very carefully, both father and daughter carried the 'Peoples' brand successfully, always addressing the people as the fountain of their strength. Even their deaths were regarded as a supreme sacrifice for the sake of the people. President Zardari has been very carefully keeping to the same vein through his statements so that the thread of continuity runs true. This worked for a while, but when, with the outages growing unbearable, the power riots started becoming a threat to the country, the KESC chose a bad moment to try and raise the electricity rates. The Supreme Court stepped in and by a court order struck down the proposed hike. Similarly the Supreme Court moved to stop the proposed fuel price hike. Both these actions were applauded by the public, and the people interviewed in the streets were unanimous in their praise for the CJ This has sparked a debate on whether the Supreme Court is exceeding its constitutional authority in setting aside an executive order of the Parliament. It was also obvious that the added tax was well against the wishes of the people. The parliamentarians are very lucky that they are not dragged out of their bulletproof limousines and thrashed. Even the defence mounted on the TV talk shows were hollow, and even embarrassed the speaker. Only 2.5 billions dollars would have made us self-sufficient in power. The effect on industry is staggering with 80 percent of Faisalabad shutdown. This is the industrial heart of Pakistan and also it is the engine that drives our export. For the last eight years, of Musharraf's misrule power was completely ignored, and our manufacturing industry is now at a miserable 50 percent of production. What is not realised by our wizards of 'finance' is that once an industry shuts down it is almost impossible to restart. A prime example is the Nationalisation of Shipping by Bhutto. Today our Shipping sector is non-existent, and it is impossible for anyone to even consider setting up a shipping line. But that is in the distant past, however it is not too distant to miss the lessons to be learned. The biggest loss was in the confidence of the business sector. This group of people has still not recovered, and a quick look at the most heavily populated sector is the stock market. This of course has the advantage of being the most mobile. You can liquidate and leave, even your briefcase is not necessary if you have to leave in a hurry. You can make all your transfers online. There is no factory, no inventory, no building. No commitment. Like our Slippery Shaukat. Just slide on to a plane and away. The damage he did was to make the stock market fashionable. Allowing the manufacturing sector to be ignored into oblivion. The gifts he took were not important. It was the lack of any important industries in manufacturing. The petroleum industry is another very lucrative sector. Instead of taxing the refiners, they added on another tax, but with a new name. We already have the most expensive fuel in the region, and to further burden the poor was the proverbial straw. The Supreme Court struck down the price rise to jubilation, and dancing in the streets. The judiciary has in taking these two steps won the hearts of the people for they will now consider them as taxes of an oppressor, and the judiciary as being on the side of the oppressed, a truly populist judiciary. The government must move quickly, as it risks losing the people's brand, and find itself being looked upon as an exploiter of the masses and horror of horrors. It should make it clear - no more taxes. There is no room for any more punishment for the people. The IMF and World Bank should be told that the war against terror is an expensive business, and cost must be underwritten by the West. We are not going to war on borrowed money - like the British did, and took them 50 years to repay. If we cannot have the creature comforts of the 21st century, then it may be time to move into the barbaric embrace of the militants, where these comforts do not exist, so they cannot be missed. The writer is a political analyst