I fully agree Daggett. Well said.

From your previous post:

“Let's not get fooled again in 2007.”

But who else is there to vote for, who is any better than Howard?

“…but, at the moment, there is no other way forward except through the election of a Federal Labor government.”

In their current form, we wouldn’t be moving forward very far at all. In fact, we would continue to move backwards just about as rapidly, as Labor is just another mob of manic pro-growth high-immigration anti-sustainability future-destroyers.

However, I would like to think that there is hope of convincing Labor of the mutual need for society and for them, to make a huge fundamental paradigm change to ‘sustainability first’. See my posts on this at http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=4423#40685 and http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=4423#41382

From your post on John Quiggin’s site:

“In fact, the choice between Labor and Liberal is very important.”

Sorry, but I can’t see why.

“If Labor does end up becoming little better than a pale imitation of this current Government, we don’t have to take it lying down.”

Well, I think basically we would. What alternative would we have? You and I could scream blue murder, but it wouldn’t help very much, unless we had a very large section of the populace onside.

I think Labor has learnt alot in the last 10yrs and are finding there roots again. I dont care who you all vote for next year but just remember Howard and his puppet government is screwing us all, right now, today and Labor isn't. That includes all workers all the way to senior management because the pay cuts start at the bottom and slowly work there way up. I have spoken to senior management in a large corporation and they aggree.

There is also many good reasons why work choices is not good for small bussiness so don't kid yourselves. I plan on starting my own business some day and I am TOTALLY AGAINST WORK CHOICES.

I seldom speakout on issues but this is one I have studied in depth
and I am quite ashamed that an Australian Government could intenionly
hurt there own people. This work choices bill is very serious and I and many of yoy can only hope the High Court find the bill unconstitutional and that the Judges rule by the laws and morals of our forefathers.

Sly ,I like most Australians are doing a lot better under Howard than the Keating Govts.We need more talent in Labor to keep the Coalition on their toes.

Aussies aren't stupid and there is no way we are going to vote in the present no talent,visionless rabble at the next election.

Labor had better start fast tracking more talent like Bill Shortnan and catch up to the new entrepreneurial culture that has evolved,who want to be free of big Govt and regulation that suffocates the middle and working class.

Haveing a break, from my union activitys printing of about 30 pages times 40 copys of news for lunch rooms around my construction run, workers online actu page and others.
Today I am down a bit some truely beleave Labor doe,s not deserve to win?
That a vote for Howard and workchoices mk11 is ok?
A unionist till death I live each day the wrong the unfairness of workchoices the lie of its name a habbit our cabinet has used in runing Australia lieing!
Do you know how hard it has already hit workers?, lower paid, so low paid they have never been in unions, are now even worse of.
Unions ALL unions could increase membership by massive amounts! if they became brave enought to reduce fees for low paid workers.
Till we do we lessen our real reason for existing! protection of workers rights.
Some we ask to pay over $400 a year in union fees can not EVER! spend that on the kids at Christmas.
Waste my vote? turn on Labor? never have a chance to kill workchoices?
NEVER!

I became involved in the union movement during my factory days. The work was repetitous and physically demanding. We worked under a collective agreement that was always being tested by management who at times would attempt to sneak in some cost cutting measure that had the potential to rip off workers and undermine the snactity of the collective agreement. Thank god for the AIRC who ruled against the company four times. That's all gone now! I work in an office now, covered by a state award. It's when I move to my next job that I'll experience first hand the process of individually negotiated contracts. I fear that even my experience as a union delegate for three years won't be enough to sustain a fair negotiation process. Howard talks about democracy as (listen to him in relation to iraq) if it should be defended at all costs, yet in the same breath he TAKES the democratic rights of workers and throughs them down the drain. Howard only likes democracy if it's his democracy. Food for thought: When we think in terms of democracy we cannot afford to visualise the concept as a given. We must appreciate the fact that there are many different definitions and forms of such. Howard has just made us less democratic.

I became involved in the union movement during my factory days. The work was repetitous and physically demanding. We worked under a collective agreement that was always being tested by management who at times would attempt to sneak in some cost cutting measure that had the potential to rip off workers and undermine the sanctity of the collective agreement. Thank god for the AIRC who ruled against the company four times. That's all gone now! I work in an office now, covered by a state award. It's when I move to my next job that I'll experience first hand the process of individually negotiated contracts. I fear that even my experience as a union delegate for three years won't be enough to sustain a fair negotiation process. Howard talks about democracy as (listen to him in relation to iraq) if it should be defended at all costs, yet in the same breath he TAKES the democratic rights of workers and throughs them down the drain. Howard only likes democracy if it's his democracy. Food for thought: When we think in terms of democracy we cannot afford to visualise the concept as a given. We must appreciate the fact that there are many different definitions and forms of such. Howard has just made us less democratic.