There is nothing less than the most extreme hypocrisy inherent in Nuttall's condemnation.

For as long as we have a regime of donations from big business to political parties - that is: a chronic and glaringly obvious favour-buying paradigm that biases government decisions towards the wishes of the big end of town... then it is just superhypocritical to clobber and ruin any individual who uses his/her position for personal monetary advantage.

Ah Ludwig, you miss the point.

Nuttall's mistake was getting caught, and exposing the true purpose of the big business & politics nexus, which is seriously close to 'organised crime'.

He let the cat-out-of-the-bag it seems, when he was apprehended and found guilty.

Terry Lewis and his chums in the Qld police force called their little earner 'the joke'.

And how right they were!

The joke, as your comments highlight, is on us, the mug-punters who diligently believe in 'democracy' and shuffle faithfully to the election booth, like the good gormless law abiding drones we are.

Maybe he should have just offered to 'pay it back' like all the other politicians do when they get caught fingering the till, here and everywhere else?

The sad thing about Nuttall is that he suffered under the Joh era, and was forced from his job, and a major court case ensued, where his innocence was clearly established.

One brush with serious court activity should have been enough, one would have thought

All the details can be found in a slim volume by Mark Lynch, secretary of the old Australian Bank Employees Union, entitled 'Against All Odds: A Working Class Victory'.

Worth a read if you can get a copy.

<< The joke ... is on us, the mug-punters who diligently believe in 'democracy' and shuffle faithfully to the election booth, like the good gormless law abiding drones we are. >>

Well, I'm not sure about all of us being faithful gormless voters. We don't have a lot of choice, do we?? There is a whole lot of disillusionment out there.

But yes Blue Cross, you are essentially correct.

And ain't that the pits!

What a crying shame it is that the Nuttall case hasn't highlighted the desperate need for reform to the despicable regime of political donations, that so profoundly CORRUPTS our supposed democratic system!

We do agree on donations.

That NSW ex left wing power broker that Adams interviewed also raises another aspect of corruption, that of the small number of people engaged in all political parties, but particularly the ALP, and the involvement of trades unions in the ALP.

I left the ALP years ago, once I had finally persuaded myself that to remain was to be part of the problem of 'corruption'.

There is absolutely no one within the ALP, or the unions, ready, willing, able, to reform our political system, starting within their own corrupt internal machinery.

As for 'choice'...we do all have a choice, but most prefer not to take it up.... hence the increasingly disillusioned voting public.

I see no reason why we should fund political parties for their votes either.

If they had to rely on membership fees, with no public funding, and no donations, then they might have to start responding to peoples needs.

And they should be taxed too, so their books are open.

I would hope we do not stray too far from reality here.
Yes media has always been about profit, and self interest.
In Adelaide, years ago, history tells us of the father of our once Australian, now American media power house, had prime ministers call him Sir, hat in hand.
Nutal by the way, is not about fund raising he was found guilty of excepting a bribe,do not confuse the issue.
It was unions, remember that, who formed the ALP not in secret,not an evil act.
A far different world existed then.
As big business funded conservatives, in the name of self interest, workers funded Labor for the same reason.
It is true, shamefully, that NSW Labor made funding a dirty word self interest a filthy one.
Some within that lost mob want now to look to be interested in workers rights, any true look at the current state vs federal OHXS thing would come down on the side that will not win,NSW it is however a constructed effort from a self interested tribe that has been at best indifferent to workers for 4 years.
TBC just a reminder, the thugs and mugs, those who so dreadfully blacken the name of unionism, are reliving the 1970,s trashing bosses offices putting the black sock over their heads and ,well breathing the death rattle, this country will be better for it.
That southern cross belongs in better hands.

Oh Belly.. I know you belong to Australia's Worst Union, but I do agree that the 'run through' merchants from the esteemed Can't F..k Much Else Up crew should have been sacked, drummed out of the trades union movement and expelled from the ALP.

This was also the mob that voted for Howard in Tasmania wasn't it?

The 1880s was different, and the trades unions were a welcome relief from the Bunyip Aristocracy of shopkeeps and land-theft merchants.

But their conservatism has also withheld opportunity here, and supported crass stupidity, be that in NSW, Qld or anywhere else.

If I were a unionist still, I'd cast my union free of the clutches of the ALP immediately, and organise the union to badger and harangue the worthless slobs in Canberra and the state/territory capitals.

There remains a solid role for trades unions, but they have yet to work out what it is.

It is not a stepping stone to red/green leather, and then total silence as the super mounts and the work remains untouched.