TBC hold on to some thing, tightly,
I agree with every word.
A UNION OFFICIAL caring for his members more than lies should be talking to the in coming government.
In truth the out going one is deaf dumb and blind to its workers needs.
This election tests your mob too.
ALP will sit on its lowest ever vote in history, modern that is.
Greens should make its hight water mark here.
If not you need to be concerned, but I think you will be pleased.
Once Labor was the product of the union Movement and its best bet.
In truth no party can give the unions every thing but not one in my life time has turned on us as badly as this state after Dela Bosca left.
Any honest and fair person, from any political party, would cringe to see Forrest's parks and RTA workers bound hand and foot by inflexible management who then blame its victims for lack of results, sponsored by NSW alp MINISTERS WHO SHOULD ONLY BE IN THE HOUSE MOB BUCKET OR BROOM IN HAND.

Comrade, we can see the woods AND the trees, working together.

Go easy on the Greens, I think you will find you do have ideas in common with them, and they have some in common with the National Party too, as do the old style ALP and early unionists.

The common thread, not seen in recent years, is the old notion of agrarian-socialism.

Much maligned, but it's what allowed agriculture and country areas to keep going.

It's what established many things here in Qld, during the long reign of the ALP.

It's one of the forces behind Red Ted, before he took off and became a squillionaire with Packer (pretty sure it was Packer anyway).

The modern ALP, as you know, is merely a toned down version of the Tory party and a 'mates' clearing house.

Tell me, have you ever read the old English working class novel, 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' by Robert Tressell?

If not, I think you'd enjoy it.

First published 1914, and never out of print since.

Have a look on Oz Amazon: http://www.booktopia.com.au/ragged-trousered-philanthropist-the/prod9780141187693.html

TBC I will find and read it, my self education came after school reading is still an obsession.
Remember please ,I was a young Communist, then Socialist.
Still thought of myself as Socialist in 1975.
But politics is about numbers and that we must never ignore.
Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, all bought me to understand my position is,, in the heart of your worst nigh mare, my comfortable home center unity, NSW right.
I came from hungry ground, not pulling your leg bloke it was hard, dad 5ft 4 inches tall , worked himself to death at age 54 16 kids eight of us lived to grow up, hungry.
Cow turnips some days pumpkin and potatoes others and the skins for breakfast.
Yet the lefty family got its education from both mum and dad ,we had the ALP and 23 years of failure.
Our only other education from them was get a job work hard join Union save your money so you will never be hungry again.
You know, I not long ago handed out greens HTV in 2007 in the other hand to Kevin's.
Bob Brown lost me weeks after he entered Parliament but my party's wish came first Brown changed that forever
continued

It is true many former ALP voters are now greens.
Mourning for an ALP that once was.
But also was in opposition for 23 years.
Success came only after the big fella and the Hawk and Keiting bought about change.
Woke up one morning and looked around,that house on the hill? its once owners son had built a two story home, he no longer knew what kero was was as a middle income blue collar worker had different dreams.
Labor had to change to rule, even then as the only true party of change it had to fight some who would rather be the best opposition than have a chance at governing.
I know greens have some policy's I agree with, but I know my party must not pander to them they are no Friend of mine.
After march the implosion will force Labor to be better, not in my lifetime will we get this bad again.
I see only promise for the future, of interest in this mornings press Obed has said he will go, if he can appoint his successor.
GEE any one out there? get the goose out, please.

The book will be easy to understand, with your family background.

As you read it, just remember that it was written well before the Russian Revolution.

It suffers from being written in the colloquial style, but it's not hard to understand.

It wouldn't be hard to imagine the character being in the shearing strike, and part of the formation of the ALP. An AWU member, no less.

You'll probably find a copy in your local library.

Politics is about numbers, but that singular focus has also brought the NSW ALP (and Gillard) undone, has it not?

Politics is also about ideas, and alliances.

There is room enough to have a loose alliance between the ALP, Greens and intelligent independents who have ideas held above gold passes.

No one is asking you to convert to being a Green, and no one would expect a Green to become an ALP member either, but there is an objective to reach, preferably together, while we can share similar, albeit not the same, ideas.

Let me know what you think of the book, it should be required reading in the NSW ALP (and Gillard should have read it if she wanted to pretend to be a left wing politician).

It will be a while things get hectic around here soon.
But TBC I will read it feel I know what its about all ready, have read 100,s of books like what I think it is.
Times change those warriors who gave birth to unions did much for us.
Todays workers often would not measure up, unless they too had the near slave like life those first unionists had.
Watched lock out ten times would watch it now if I had a copy one tin of camp pie for a family's Christmas, we thought camp pie was gold.
Once had rich stew and dumplings in golden syrup for Christmas over a ton on the old scale,we loved it and it was one of our best.
Greens will be at the peak after March, lets see what you do with it in the upper house.