Foxy, I've been thinking about this some more. It occurs to me that the coalition made their plans for the GST very clear to the electorate in an election but were unable to get it past the senate in it's intended form. I don't recall any moral outrage from the left at labor trying to block a policy that the government had taken to the electorate.

On the other hand the coalition later gained control of the senate and the democrats are not travelling very well (some would say dead). I doubt that moral outrage over not passing the GST was the cause of either (although it put a big hole in the democrates talk of keeping the bastards honest).

Ethically I don't think that this is clear cut, politically it would seem suicidal to cling to workchoices at this point in time. Let labor ditch it and if the unemployment rate spirals out of control.

R0bert

RObert your post is spot on it is true that we blocked GST in the senate.
It is also true that we wanted it first, and that we won an election because of it.
Workchoices how ever is a far different thing, I truly honestly doubt some from your side of politics understand it at all.
No debating tool, I think John Howard did not completely understand its impacts.
I think he had targets in mind and openly wanted to stop union funding of the ALP how? kill unions.
Why is it ok for farmers federation to fund his party?
100 Such questions but in truth no conservative party in this country will introduce such as workchoices in the next 50 years.
My wish is that our mandate be ignored! that both houses be dissolved .
That voters get a chance to remind conservatives this election was about workchoices too, and that right wing Medea polls held only yesterday are saying Rudd must fix it first.
32% say workchoices first less than 20 environment, 28%education.
The first victims of workchoices had been non unionists kids and mums.
I fear an Australia that requires such as those to suffer in the name of world trade, to never own a home , to not get a foot on the ladder truly I do hope the unfairness of workchoices was based on not understanding it.
A union plot? ask Joe Hocky, his remarks when not in public are more telling than you would believe.
No union plot, a union victory over a miss used and dreadful crime against low income workers, and a destroyed government in historical shattered defeat

The Facts on Brendan Nelson
Brendan Nelson is out of touch with working families on workplace laws
The Liberals' extreme and unfair WorkChoices laws pushed the balance in the workplace against working families.

WorkChoices laws have allowed a cut to overtime, penalty rates, holiday pay and other conditions.

Brendan Nelson was a big supporter of the laws - he voted 20 times to ensure the laws were introduced.

On the Sunday program on 25 March 2007 while discussing WorkChoices with reporter Laurie Oakes, Brendan Nelson, said ;

"Well, firstly the Work Choices legislation is about Australia's future......."
"So it's extremely important for the average, everyday Australian that likes a bit of balance in this country, to make absolutely sure that the Howard Government is returned at the end of the year and, we, of course, will have a forward agenda further developed to present to the people by the time we go to the polls."

This is yet another example of where the Liberals appear to signalled an intention to go further with WorkChoices.
In a speech to the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University on 11 December 2006, well before the Liberal's softened their WorkChoices laws by introducing the so described Fairness Test, Brendan Nelson said,

"Through reforms to workplace relations, we have made it easier for employers and employees to step outside a combative union versus employer dichotomy and a one size fits all award system, to negotiate the arrangements that best suit them."

Brendan Nelson made the above comments in full knowledge that in May 2006 Government statistics showed that their centrepiece of the WorkChoices laws, Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs), had cut:

at least one ‘protected award condition’ in 100% of AWAs
penalty rates in 63% of AWAs
shiftwork loadings from 52% of AWAs
overtime loadings from 51% of AWAs
annual leave loading from 64% of AWAs
allowances from 48% of AWAs
public holiday pay from 46% of AWAs
rest breaks from 40% of AWAs
any wage rises in 22% of AWAs - some for 5 yearsrnment.

We are an extremely formidable team we must hold firm with work choice. We still hold the Senate unfair dismissal is fair Multi Nationals do stil have to have the right to contract individuals for them to negotiate with individuals that is their perogative freedom for the individual. Small business is a different issue all the more reason to keep those tresspass laws intact. We have worksafe to monitor rights for those in the workplace making union reps redundant. The Greens can never be counted on to support Labor after all maverick ex Labor MP wife of Kevin Reynolds will have the support of the Greens under the guise of due process. Greens, Liberals, Nationals coalition in Western Australia.

Julie you indeed are a troll you could not be anything but, the truth is the ashes of conservative Australia are for all to see.
WA did not flock to Liberalism, it may well be they ran as fast as they could away from one brand of unionism.
A brand that seems to think you have to be fat, loud mouthed , maybe extreme left, and have an IQ lower than some house hold pets.
Ever thought of becoming a WA union official Julie?
Should the house hold pet leave home in some union homes in WA the average IQ would drop 50 points.
Labor , as it has throughout its history is hampered by sections who have no pride in themselves, our extremist union Wil Robinson's , lost in space.
We however will rarely see the greens vote with the wreckage of conservative government.

You're right Julie. Somebody needs to stand up for the powerless multinationals.