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The Forum > Article Comments > The irony of the ACTU's defence of the ALP > Comments

The irony of the ACTU's defence of the ALP : Comments

By Jo Coghlan and Scott Denton, published 18/5/2012

Bob Hawke's rendition of 'Solidarity Forever' to the ACTU conference is rife with irony.

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I would like just one piece by one person about the supporters of the liberal party - you know them, big tobacco companies, pokies clubs, billionaire mining barons and the corrupted MSM.

I guess because you could fit them in a kitchen doesn't make them worth talking about so the media all navel gaze over the ALP.
Posted by Marilyn Shepherd, Friday, 18 May 2012 3:01:23 PM
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It's ironic that we can even think that today's union movement has anything at all in common with NEW Labour! Or indeed, that the union movement is still relevant?
I see a future where the union movement will struggle against a tidal-wave surge of change? That change being cooperative capitalism that makes everyone on the factory or shop floor virtual profit-sharing shareholders in the enterprise, with a vested interest in its success or failure; and or, willing to share the profit or the pain.
Given this is the only probable economic future that will likely survive and or prosper, in the near and mid term future?
Bob can sing all the one note sambas he can lay his ancient tonsils on, but that will likely just hasten the change toward pragmatic compromise, and the only possible future for unions, who will morph into contract Labour hire firms?
Which is what they will need to become, to retain any real control over wages and conditions; or indeed, remain financially viable organisations? Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Friday, 18 May 2012 3:16:52 PM
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Yeah, well the conservatives have been saying that since the first union ever got formed.
Posted by Marilyn Shepherd, Friday, 18 May 2012 4:30:15 PM
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I'm not convinced there is an ALP anymore. I can see lots of evidence of a PUP,(Parliamentary Union Party)however, from a branch level representation perspective there is little if any evidence, of what most of us would recognise as the ALP.
Posted by spindoc, Sunday, 20 May 2012 1:18:45 PM
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How can you say that? The ALP was started by the unions to protect their jobs from the Chinese or any other outsider of colour.

The racist bigotry has simply never gone away.
Posted by Marilyn Shepherd, Sunday, 20 May 2012 3:33:47 PM
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Marilyn, I think you may have missed my point.

There is much discussion by respected ALP personalities that the ALP has progressively closed out their traditional support base and values. The trade unions no longer seem satisfied with having MP’s to represent them from their traditional working class base, the trade unions now want to do the representing themselves.

As a result the parliamentary Labor Party is now the exclusive domain of the trade unionists, there are now very few root and branch MP’s and no ministers who are non union officials.

I personally don’t care much how the ALP goes about solving its problems as we are just about to solve them for you. All I’m asking you to do is have a little peek at reality before you go hissing off looking for someone else to blame.

You might do well to head the words of one of your own, Bill Kelty?
Posted by spindoc, Monday, 21 May 2012 7:24:33 AM
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