In a move that had been widely speculated about today in Party circles, the Victorian ALP’s two major factions, the Socialist Left and Labor Unity have concluded a deal designed to share preselections in a manner consistent with peace, love and harmony. Not everyone’s happy but we’ll come to that in a moment.
Left bosses Senator Kim Carr and Alan Griffin negotiated out the arrangements with Labor Unity senior figures including convenor Bill Shorten and Cabinet minister Steve Conroy. The Socialist Left executive formally resolved to approve the arrangement this evening.
The deal was prompted by a desire for party stability in what looms as an incredibly challenging couple of years for both state and federal governments.
AGGRESSIVE MOVES CAUSED GREAT PANIC
Last year, the Victorian ALP descended into crisis just prior to Christmas when the NUW boss Charlie Donnelly and junior ally Michael Donovan unilaterally and without any discussion among his own factional colleagues moved to neck highly regarded Party secretary Stephen Newnham. It had also been destabilised when the party’s rules were ignored in filling a prized vacancy in the usually safe Labor seat of Kororoit. We note the candidate then went on to righteously triumph against nasty ultra-leftist Les Twentyman.
Donnelly ultimately backed off on the state secretary issue after the Left indicated they wouldn’t attend the meeting but, for many, the damage was done and their intentions for future carnage very clear.
There was little serious question that Donnelly had more targets in mind with some of the uber-ambitious even talking up Tim Holding’s leadership prospects as the ultimate destination of their plans.
Sources tell VEXNEWS that as a result of what the Labor Unity leadership saw as extremist and destructive behaviour by Donnelly that he and his supporters were not consulted on the deal but will be encouraged to support it and party stability going forward.
The details of the arrangements are not widely known but are believed to protect incumbents in line with directives to do so from the highest levels of Labor’s parliamentary leadership.
Many see the deal as a triumph for Labor Unity negotiators Shorten, Conroy and state MP Fiona Richardson who faced the prospect of being governed by an increasingly unruly, ambitious, savage and vengeful group led by Donnelly.
A NEW WAY FORWARD
And while a victory for them, there was little mood for boasting this evening, one senior source saying “We have set a standard for how the party should be governed, we don’t and won’t be acting in the way we have strongly reacted against with grotesque displays of hostility and stupidity like we saw in the Kororoit snatch and grab and the attempted lynching of Newnham.”
“There is peace now between the Left and Labor Unity and we can hope there can also be peace among everyone in the Victorian Right.”
Others aren’t sure about this with a leading player usually opposed to Shorten telling VEXNEWS that he was critical of both sides of the Right:
“Hubris and arrogance from the leadership and broken promises led to the Kororoit preselection debacle where the NUW and SDA attempted to impose a candidate without opening nominations. That led to the December madness (where Newnham was nearly ousted) and that has led to this treason from the faction leadership where they’ve done a deal with the Left.”
While displeased with the deal because he saw it as giving Right assets to the Left, he believed it was the inevitable consequence of the behaviour led by the NUW last year.
Another senior player who was involved in the lengthy negotiations had a slightly difference perspective:
A global deal between the right and left of the party is clearly a good thing and was always going to happen anyway in some form or another. That it also shafts the NUW and teaches them a big lesson not to mess with Shorten and Newnham without fear of massive reprisals is just icing on the cake really. There’ll be no blood on the carpet just no prospect of us having to pull out the prayer mat at appointed intervals and grovel to the bloke you called the Momentary Majority Mullah (Charlie Donnelly)…
VEXNEWS (Archive) 
Deal also means sitting MP’s will not face a challenge at the next election or the one after
Fiona Richardson is a superb negotiator. She beats the rest of the faction hands down. Great work Fiona.
You beat the Greens in Darebin. You skills at the state level ensure the Greens will not be a threat to the ALP in Victoria in the immediate future.
So who are the losers out of this deal?
Unless the Victorian Government get’s its act together it will be in opposition after the 2010 election.
Can I be called patriot now?
* Kaye Darveniza
* Marlene Kairouz
* Robin Scott
* Adem Somyurek
* Martin Pakula (to get a lower house seat)
Bullshit
Thelmo Languillar? Danielle Green? LRA? Where do they stand?
Amazing effort by Shorten. Once the gutless prima donna who just wanted everyone to love him he has now shown himself to have a big hairy donger.
And not afraid to use it…
Add George Seats for Life to that list.
Can we now have matching seats like Kelvin & Marsha???
I look forward to a comfortable retirement…
I can’t believe Newnham has turned an ambush against him into a massacre of his enemies. What a legend…
Once we were big swinging dicks, now eunuchs…
Labor Unity is dead now. Well done Shorten, you can join the SL now and pick up those chicks too…
* Christine Campbell
* Hong Lim
* Candy Broad
* Evan Thornley
We are scared now…
Is this a secret deal?
* Jaala Pulford
Mark Madden is cactus too.
What has Kristyn got to do with any of this, 23.36?
Nick Rees can’t be State Secretary no more…
The Hongster must go. Punishment for providing stacks for Crean.
i hear the new alliance is called the “shorten left”
FFS does this mean that the Ugly greek Vamvakinou is there for life.
Any deal that Shorten and Richardson have their fingerprints on can only be about their personal benefit, and have nothing to do with the long-term interests of their faction, let alone the Party.
Nothing they – or Kim Ill Carr, for that matter – have ever done has ever been about anything other than their own ambitions and their own obessesion to dominate and control.
The Party will be beter off when these miniature Simon Bolivars disappear into the cesspool of contemptuous self-interest and narcissism from which they came.
* Lisa Carey
*Tim Pallas
I think I need new advisers…
No incumbent MPs and ministers will be rolled.
Victoria Right, Left in poll deal
Paul Austin
January 16, 2009
PREMIER John Brumby’s right-wing faction of the Victorian ALP has split in a dramatic realignment of the party designed to prevent internal instability wrecking the Government’s chances at next year’s state election.
The Age believes Mr Brumby’s key backers in the Right struck an extraordinary deal with their traditional rivals, the Socialist Left, at a secret meeting at left-wing faction chief Kim Carr’s Lygon Street office on Wednesday.
Under the arrangement, which has the blessing of Mr Brumby and the senior federal ALP member from Victoria, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the new Right-Left alliance will work together on preselections for the next Victorian and federal elections, both due next year.
The meeting took place without involving the majority forces of the Right, including party president Charlie Donnelly and his National Union of Workers (NUW), the socially conservative shop assistants’ union, the Health Services Union, and controversial north-western suburbs state MP George Seitz.
Key players in the new alliance are Senator Carr, the long-time leader of the Victorian Socialist Left, senior right-wing federal MPs Bill Shorten and Stephen Conroy, the right-wing Australian Workers Union and the Transport Workers Union, and smaller left-wing subfactions associated with Ms Gillard and with outspoken Electrical Trades Union boss Dean Mighell.
A meeting of the Socialist Left executive last night endorsed the arrangement, saying it was in the best interests of maintaining Labor governments in Canberra and Spring Street.
Senior figures involved in the deal said last night the new alliance had control over about 70 per cent of the party and would end what they described as the dangerous instability evident since the NUW and its associates snatched control of the Right last year.
“This is a good deal for the state and federal Labor governments, because without it, it looked like things were spiralling out of control in Victoria,” an insider said.
But key players in the rebel right-wing group excluded from the deal warned that an alignment between parts of the Right and the Socialist Left was inherently unstable, and excluding other parts of the Right from the negotiations could cause lasting bitterness in Mr Brumby’s faction.
“How long does anyone seriously think the Right and Left will stay in bed together? This could blow up in all our faces,” another source said.
Senior party figures, including Mr Brumby and federal ministers from Victoria, have been concerned about divisions within the Right since last year’s byelection for the safe state seat of Kororoit.
The Right split over preselection for Kororoit, with Mr Seitz and the health services and shop assistants’ unions combining to defeat the preferred candidate of Mr Shorten and Mr Conroy, the faction’s traditional “leaders”. The newly dominant grouping in the Right then flexed its muscles again just before Christmas, when party president Mr Donnelly called an extraordinary meeting of the ALP’s administrative committee in a bid to depose state secretary Mr Stephen Newnham.
Mr Newnham, a member of the Right and close to Mr Brumby, was granted a stay of execution only when the Premier put his leadership authority on the line by demanding that Mr Donnelly cancel the meeting.
ALP insiders involved in this week’s realignment said many senior party figures were appalled at the way the newly dominant group in the Right had handled the attempted coup against Mr Newnham, and were worried that it could lead to a culture of “thrill kills” during this year’s potentially divisive preselections.
Under the new arrangement, the factional bosses involved in the alliance have agreed that sitting MPs in state and federal parliaments will be protected from preselection challenge, except in rare cases where there is cross-factional agreement for change.
“Basically this is a deal for stability,” a key player said last night.
Party strategists said the economic downturn caused by the global financial crisis, combined with the fact that the State Government would be more than a decade old by the time of the 2010 election, meant Victorian Labor faced a tough task winning a historic fourth term.
“Brumby doesn’t need a restive backbench,” a source said last night. “He wants and needs a bit of order around the place.”
I think Bill has proved himself to be a serious player now.
He must now heal the Right.
John Brumby allies join Socialist Left faction
Nick Higginbottom and John Ferguson
January 16, 2009 12:00am
JOHN Brumby’s power base split dramatically yesterday in one of the biggest Labor Party shake-ups in a decade.
Allies of the Premier yesterday joined forces with the Socialist Left faction in a move designed to head off a group that tried to seize control of the party.
The split in Mr Brumby’s faction, Labor Unity, has effectively left state Labor with an additional grouping and hands significant power to the Socialist Left, raising questions about the direction of economic policy.
In December, younger elements of Labor Unity had tried to orchestrate the removal of state secretary Stephen Newnham, a close ally of Mr Brumby’s.
Some Labor Unity members have referred to this group, which includes MLA Robin Scott, MLC Adem Somyurek and newly appointed Industry Minister Martin Pakula, as the “extreme Right”.
But disgruntled members last night told the Herald Sun the move was really about Left-wing elements taking control, and would mean “all-out war”.
“The Marxists are now running Victoria at a time of economic uncertainty,” one said. “You’ve got (Senator) Kim Carr, (union boss) Dean Mighell, the Maritime Union of Australia — these are the guys who were responsible for the Cain-Kirner years.”
The split involves federal MPs Bill Shorten and Senator Stephen Conroy joining forces with their former enemies, the Socialist Left.
“In a desperate grab for power, Conroy and Shorten are now the lapdogs of Kim Carr,” the source said.
Senator David Feeney said the factional split demonstrated a complete disregard by both sides for Labor Unity rules and customs.
“The split . . . is a terrible misfortune, and represents a failure of leadership, and a breakdown in trust among our factional leaders,” he said.
ahhhhhhhhhh is this great!!!
this means…
LRA = GONE
SEITZ(BITTER OLD FART) = GONE
TELMO = GONE
ROBIN = GONE
ADEM = GONE
HONGO = GONE
MARLENE = GONE
THEO = GONE
NOW PISS OFF YOU THUGS!!!
hahahahahaha
Andrew,
Can you now talk about me with a little respect. I am offically a patriot.
Kind regards,
Senator Carr
but how????
Theo “what about me?”
I like how brave Feeney is being is slamming both sides.
He makes me chortle.
It is Feeney who has failed to lead for years after I stole his Senate spot from him and made him cry.
What I’m trying to work out is whether I can get the #1 Senate position and the #3 for my horse under this new deal.
But what if Feeney does the dirty on the SDA? Where does that leave me?
I hate politicks.
I am not very impressed the Herald Sun didn’t consult me on this important question of the split. I am the senior senator after all. Feeney carries my bags on to the plane, as part of our Senatorial customs.
Shut up Jacinta you witch.
Feeney is pwned
Is Feeney now preparing to become like Nick Economou, a commentator.
How can he be critical of both sides when he is on the NUW side and has been for months.
Self-indulgent wanker.
Faction X-Treme
After consulting marketing experts this is our new brand.
By Order,
Charles Donnelly – Patriot.
If Feeney had cared more about the crisis in Labor Unity, this probably wouldn’t have happened.
He’s been too busy putting out the bushfires lit by pyromaniac Jeff Jackson.
The deal protects sitting MPs…
So Feeney’s spin is that Labor has lurched to the left because Left and Shorten/Conroy have done a deal.
Isn’t it just that Shorten/Conroy have rejected the thuggish tactics of the group of which Feeney was part (or at least was voting with).
Feeney is not and does not get to be an independent commentator. He’s a Senator for chrissakes!
Instead of handwringing and navel gazing what about sending little boys bad Robin and Adam to the naughty corner and managing Jeff Jackson’s death with dignity.
Is this the same David Feeney and Robin Scott that ran a ticket against Michael Danby’s ticket in internal ALP elections in Melbourne Ports???
Failure of leadership can be seen everywhere – in Feeney’s mirror too.
I’m so pleased my young Robin is doing so well.
Kaye Darveniza safe
* Marlene Kairouz safe
* Robin Scott safe
* Adem Somyurek safe
* Martin Pakula (to get a lower house seat) wrong
Christine Campbell safe
* Hong Lim safe
* Candy Broad safe
* Evan Thornley already gone
LRA = GONE split
SEITZ = safe
MARLENE = safeTHEO = GONE already
Thelmo Languillar? safe
Danielle Green? swapped sides and is now with the shorten left
LRA? Where do they stand? all over the shop
Tim Pallas safe but why?
Wouldn’t Jacinta Collins be headed for the rack under this new alignment?
shorten left rocks
But it can’t be the Shorten Left if he’s still convenor of Labor Unity. I decree he must be expelled while I still have the numbers.
But I want to expel Feeney, not Shorten. I’m confuse-ed
yes, they tried an ambush in melbourne ports, and found out that the danby isnt just another MP but one schooled in the art of Mossad tactics and so he dispensed with Comrade Feeney and Scott’s feeble attempts of interference.
Where does this leave us?
I am ready to return to lead the faction I love.
I find it highly amusing how the leadership of the Labor Unity doing a deal with the leadership of the Socialist Left is called a split by David Feeney, a man I usually respect.
David Feeney split Labor Unity already when he supported Michael Donovan and George Seitz in depriving Natalie of even the chance to legitimately contest a seat she’d been working on for Labor Unity for years.
In her place they put in Michael Donovan’s personal friend (is it too unkind to say [deleted]) in the form of Marlene Kairouz.
They did it without a vote in Labor Unity, without a discussion with us at all.
Believe me, while Marlene is an OK person, she is the beneficiary of intra-factional theft. And there’s bitterness about it.
Did anyone from the thieves sub-faction talk to us even afterwards? No. They just installed the person who lived on the other side of the city and gave her a Melways and wished her luck. No consultation, we were just expected to cop our anal rape quietly.
Since then, emboldened by the fact the NUW/SDA/Feeney got away with it they have continued to boast of their majority and had many more Kororoits in mind against people who’d worked hard for the faction in their local areas like Natalie had.
Being ambitious is one thing but being perceived as insanely greedy and secretive in approach is what has alienated this extreme group from mainstream Labor Unity members.
Feeney’s willingness to go along with their bullshit does nothing less than shame him and discredit all the good work he has done.
He now seeks to criticise both sides but he can’t credibly do that unless we all forget we was very much part of the problem. He was meant to lead people like Robin Scott and Kubilay Somyurek. He failed to do so. Those two have spent 99% of their time plotting and scheming to punish their enemies using the cobbled together majority.
So do we believe Feeney’s spin that the Socialist Left are in charge or do we believe Premier John Brumby and Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Bill Shorten when they say that this is a good deal for the party.
I’ve known Feeney for a long time and cried for him when he was sacked by the NUW extremists years ago. But he needs to distance himself from them and also from other extremists who have nothing to do with the NUW, like Robin and Kubilay.
They have been playing with matches and now complain they’ve been burnt. They should have known better.
None of this deal gives Natalie Suleyman her seat back, we are realistic about that. But believe me when I say we are very, very pleased with this deal because it delivers justice to a bunch of outlaws and fascists.
That’s all very well and I agree with you about Feeney [who is the devil] but what about my Senate preselection, I think we need to stay focused on that plz.
Whatever Robin and Adam did, what they didn’t do is a deal with the Socialist Left at the exclusion of their factional colleagues.
Jacinta baby, you better hope theres no double dissolution cuz your ass is grass.
No unless you count their constant little chats with SL Secretary Andrew Giles and encouraging his opposition to Newnham on Admin and elsewhere.
Hear Hear. Natalie Suleyman Supporter
I hope my boy has more than 70% locally. I really don’t want him moving back home.
Whatever Robin and Adam did, what they didn’t do is a deal with the Socialist Left at the exclusion of their factional colleagues.
Posted by get real | January 16, 2009, 10:18
Yeah they did do a deal with SL!!
My love-child would never do a deal with the SL without my permission.
come·up·pance (kmpns)
n.
A punishment or retribution that one deserves; one’s just deserts:
1) Do you support this deal with the SL ? Sounds like you do support it so should members of the Left laugh or cry ?
2) Does this mean Newnham and Samaras are safe from being sacked at Head office?
3) Has Labor Unity actually split into two or more groups?
4) Does Brumby support the deal? It’s in the Age so it must be true but just thought I’d check.
5) Aren’t you friends with many of the people you’re critical of and doesn’t that make it difficult?
6) Does this mean you’ll take up a subscription to The Age?
I enjoy Chairman’s Lounge and see no reason why I can’t continue on indefinitely under the loving guidance of Michael Donovan. Am I in danger due to his stupidity ?
But I had been promised I was getting a seat
Me too. Thanks for nothin’ Robin.
I feel a twinge in my pants that suggests I am being rogered.
Those that aspire to be MP’s one day keep working and chipping away at it, and help this great party the ALP stay in government. Those that are serving MP’s show leadership and get on with it and win government in the state & federal elections for the sake of the people and for the sake of this state and country. Now go people we have a lot of work to do, lets do it…
1) Do you support this deal with the SL ? Sounds like you do support it so should members of the Left laugh or cry ?
A: We don’t get a vote, we merely observe. We understand why the deal was pursued though. It seemed like those pushing for it had little choice. We’re happy for members of the Left to cry, frequently, as markets open up and dictatorships fall all over the world.
2) Does this mean Newnham and Samaras are safe from being sacked at Head office?
A: I would think it does mean they are safe, yes.
3) Has Labor Unity actually split into two or more groups?
A: Not that I am aware of, no. It has been divided in various ways for quite a long time, so this deal is a continuation of that phenomenon.
4) Does Brumby support the deal? It’s in the Age so it must be true but just thought I’d check.
A: Just because The Age says it doesn’t necessarily make it untrue. Brumby’s support for Labor Unity’s leadership is clearly crucial.
5) Aren’t you friends with many of the people you’re critical of and doesn’t that make it difficult?
A: Yes.
6) Does this mean you’ll take up a subscription to The Age?
A: No. The boycott continues.
My legacy continues…
Robin, I’m so sorry I betrayed you.
There is a great feeling of community relief about this deal wot protects my endangered species. I am loved by my Greek and the Kurd turds too. Thank you new comrade bill of the shorten soviet.
I don’t remember Feeney publicly criticising his crooked cun friend jeff Jackson for ignoring labor unity rules and customs when they voted for the SL candidate in Corangamite.
Is what is good for Jackson’s cooked goose not good for the gander?
Where does this leave Cream who gates pakula and robin Scott and Feeney but is still aligned with NUW?
We have spoken with the ArchBishop and he has vetoed this deal as the devil’s (bill) work. Repent.
Bye bye NUW wankers
how did little Robin scottie find out about the deal before his other collegues! Great to see he protected himself and sold his mates out. Nothing like backing a horse called self interest. Maybe a leak from griffo!
Suleyman Supporter wrote “None of this deal gives Natalie Suleyman her seat back, we are realistic about that”
Natalie Suleyman is likely facing criminal charges so its probably a good thing for Unity that she missed out on pre-selection.
Ombudsman Supporter or do you mean Georgi supporter:
Now that my friend is false
bill shorton rocks
long live senator stephen conroy!!!
Can we start a naming competition for the new “extreme right” faction?
The Look Mum No Hands, Look Mum No Teeth faction
The Bob Sercombe Memorial Group
The SDA/NUW/Feeney/Scott/Somyurek All-Stars
Most certainly not a suppoter of Biscuit Tin George, and we’ll see whose right when the Ombudsman releases his report. Nat the Rat is in big trouble.
it’s great to see george seitz have no balance of power role anymore. He’s suck a fucker!
his goons are still around
There is nothing Tories’love more than to see Labor shitting all over itself. Well done.
Seitz is gone.
Has anyone got any vacancies for an elderly check out chick?
I will soon be entering the search for work.
Alex darling, can you get me a job at Feeneys?
Well done Charlie, with 30% of the party and being president you control 0% of the outcomes. Even Sword didn’t quite manage that
Carla sweetie, I’ve been vetoed working there by Liberty. I can’t get a job anywhere these days.
Like seriously, like what happened to giving a job to get a job. You’ve changed since you’ve come back.
I need fast cash or i will starve.
Um sweetie, I think you’re a long way off starving. Can’t you just ring Jeff for another batch of cash to be wired into your account?
Carla hunny, don’t be such a biatch. You make it sound like it’s for free. It’s for services rendered darling!!
Alex is a hotie!
can we have an update on which MPs are in what faction & sub-faction please vexnews? a wall chart would be nice
NUW supporting MPs are about to flushed away like a stinking curry turd.
Hopefully Seitz gets flushed away with them, senile old fart
Charlie,you silly little man.Bill has done you over again.Your only hope would be to have a national NUW behind you,not just VIC.But by all accounts,you`ve even fucked that up.
It doesn’t get any more juvenile than this, does it?
The children from Young Labor on both sides of the fence are playing adult politics with the maturity of 15 year olds.
Might be time to send all the kiddies back to the sand pit so they can throw sand and spit at each other.
this is great
George is a great man. Please dont take him away from me.
charlie charlie charlie you looser you couldnt win a chook raffle your hopeless how you became national secretary of the nuw is beyond belief your a joke stop suffering small mans disease your not going to get any taller shorten and conroy did sword over a far better man at politics than you will ever be so shorten and conroy will be sharing a bevy laughing there arse off at you
antony thow kill charlie now he has no numbers everyone know there yours why are you letting charlie make you look like a goose maybe you are a goose thats why shorten wins against the not so mighty nuw the union is not yours to play games with its bad enough that you have made your branch a bosses union atleast stop charlie from turning into a joke
Bill, can I have my seat back?… the NUW should be made to pay for what they did to me…
Shorten, Conroy and the other associated maggots have learnt how to do the “timewarp”. Just a step to left. How long before they make a step back to the riiight.
Well done Bill/Kim and team I raise my glass to you!…. about time these idiots got what they deserved too greedy by far!! Mayby we can all just get on with winning the next election!!! isnt that what we all want??? This new alliance is a breath of fresh air and revigorate those interested in the P A R T Y not selfish thugs who “think” they are owed and thrill kill.. what a joke NUW/SDA!!! shame on you!!! this will follow you for years to come!
The plight of the left has come to my attention, I thought I would offer some words of advice.
When dealing with parasite ridden feral animals;
1: make sure you have had all of your shots.
2: Never turn your back on them (you will either be bitten or rodgered).
3: If they stray, put them down.
I’m not geting enough crdiet. Bill is geting all the crdiet.
If Sleitz goes.. Does that mean I lose my cash-in-hand job!
Feeney was never a leader just a skillful hack. Shorten is about Shorten nothing more (Ask his ex what she thinks of the Gov’s daughter). Green will lose her seat in 2010. beam me up Scottie is a nurd lacking crisma. Adem is a teddy bear. Many are due to retire and the fun will return during pre-selection. I think labor might find it hard going to be re-elected. There has never been a four term labor government in Victoria.
So sorry to rain on your parade, but the deal has unraveled.
Ahhhh, the more things change the more it remains the same. The ALP these days is only for those who remain delusional with blind ambition to stomp on any objectors in order to cement some “power”. No morals, no ethics and absolutely no principles. The ALP is a Dinosaur that refuses to acknowledge that the Ice Age is quickly approaching it. The internal circus continues and I cant wait to see the Monkeys take over from where the Dinasaur ceased to exist.
A ten year deal? What a bunch of wankers.
A week is a long time in politics. By next week they’ll be busily stabbing each other in the back!
The rort of having two assistant secretaries must be ending…
PREMIER John Brumby’s dominant Right faction has dramatically split, with powerbrokers Bill Shorten and Stephen Conroy striking a surprise new alliance with the Socialist Left.
The new alliance – formed after rising concern from Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard and Mr Brumby about instability in the party – makes the Left the most dominant single grouping in the Victorian ALP.
The shock move represents a radical power shift in ALP politics in Victoria. It leaves the portion of the Right aligned with state frontbenchers Tim Holding and Martin Pakula and the shop assistants’ union out in the cold.
It has also increased the power of Left faction bosses and federal ministers Kim Carr and Alan Griffin.
Sources said the brawling that erupted after the Kororoit by-election, and recent attempts to sack ALP state secretary Stephen Newnham, prompted crisis talks between Ms Gillard and Mr Brumby before Christmas.
Concern about a preselection brawl amid worsening economic and political conditions, it is believed they urged factional leaders to settle their differences and reach a negotiated settlement on preselections for the next state and federal polls.
A source within the new alliance, which makes up about 70 per cent of the party, said it was designed to create stability after the feuding and there would be no “thrill kills†of those excluded. “Most people don’t want to have upheaval. Why do we have to have a party that’s running amuck?†he said.
But a leading figure within the abandoned group accused Mr Shorten and Senator Conroy, who lost numerical control of the Right last year, of being sore losers.
“Stephen Conroy and Bill Shorten have handed control of the party to the Left. Kim Carr now effectively runs the Victorian Labor Party,†he said. “These guys used to promote themselves as pragmatic and now they are in bed with all these maddies like the MUA and the firefighters’ union and Dean Mighell and the ETU.â€
It’s believed the deal was thrashed out between Senator Carr and Senator Conroy, who almost came to blows at a Labor conference in 2005, along with Mr Griffin and Mr Shorten.
Federal senator David Feeney, whose grouping has been left in the middle of the split, said it was a tragedy.
“The split in the Labor Unity faction is a terrible misfortune and represents a failure in leadership and a breakdown in trust among our factional leaders,†he said.
“Ultimately it is now clear that the appalling attack on our state secretary Stephen Newnham in December has now generated a split in Labor Unity. Both sides have acted with enough regard for the customs and rules of the Labor Unity group and have done so for some time.â€
Sources said the preselections of ministers, parliamentary secretaries and marginal seat MPs would be protected under the deal. But concerns were being raised by those outside the deal about plans to force Mr Pakula to shift to a lower house seat held by one of his own grouping.
And the future of long-serving backbenchers outside the deal – such as veteran powerbroker George Seitz – remained unclear last night.
The deal is unraveling. Griffin and Carr have made promises to Shorten and Conroy, that they now can’t deliver. Even as we speak key parts of the Left are peeling away from the deal. Left unions and key FEA delegates are saying no. The UCA is walking away from the deal. If this deal still has fifty percent a week from now, I’ll be surprised. Control of the party will still be fluid in a week. One thing for sure – key elements of the right and the left are now gone.
4 . Shorten shores up position as Victoria’s kingmaker
Andrew Crook writes:
There was once a time where the words ‘Socialist Left’ and ‘Bill Shorten’ were like oil and water in ALP circles, but the extraordinary marriage of convenience thrashed out on Wednesday afternoon between the SL and the “old Right” in Kim Carr’s Lygon Street office signals just how far Shorten is prepared to go to re-establish his role as Victoria’s kingmaker.
The decision by Shorten’s Labor Unity to abandon the ‘young turks’ of the National Union of Workers and shack up with their old ideological sparring partners on the Left is designed to paper over the vicious pre-selection battles that have damaged the party and bewildered voters. But Crikey understands the pre-Christmas madness over State Secretary Stephen Newnnam’s future was the final straw for Premier John Brumby, who has given the stitch-up his seal of approval.
ALP sources have told Crikey that the “Chairman’s Lounge special” crafted by Shorten and Carr presented SL factional chiefs with an offer they couldn’t refuse — principally because it gives the Left surety in pre-selection battles that they would have otherwise struggled to secure. The Unity-SL union now means that 70% of state conference votes are effectively stitched up — if the deal holds, ambitious attempts to unseat Alan Griffin in Bruce and Harry Jenkins in Scullin at the last federal poll could be a thing of the past.
Shorten is now in a position to boast to the PM that the era of bloodletting is over and that he holds the whip hand when it comes to keeping factional knifings to a manageable level, leaving Rudd to get on with his task of “managing” the GFC.
It also calls time on the unlikely alliance between the NUW and their pro-life buddies in the shop assistants union. The emergence of the turks represented a danger to the traditional Rightist forces led by Shorten and Stephen Conroy with their burning ambition said to be all-consuming. With key turk Martin Pakula safely ensconced in the Victorian Upper House (and now the Ministry) and his NUW successor Antony Thow pressing for a safe seat, the breakaway group went over the top, installing SDA organiser Marlene Kairouz in Kororoit and lining up state secretary Stephen Newnham for what sources told Crikey was a pre-Christmas ‘thrill kill’.
The fate of Newnham, as hated by the Left as he is by chief turk Charlie Donnelly, is emerging as the great unknown from the SL-Unity deal. But factional chiefs have told Crikey that Newnham is “gone” and “will now resign with dignity” after the dust has settled.
At state level, ETU scion Dean Mighell has emerged a winner with the fate of the deal resting partly in his enormous hands. Conceivably, Mighell could kill the bonhomie if he decides to up-sticks and band with other left-aligned dissidents in the union movement. But sources have told Crikey that for the moment at least, Mighell will sit tight and assess the re-made political landscape from his tastefully-renovated offices in North Melbourne. The theory is that if either the NUW, SDA or Mighell arcs up, Shorten would scurry directly to Kevin Rudd and press for a national intervention that would make John Howard’s NT putsch look tame by comparison.
For the average Victorian voter, factional deals are of zero significance — Wednesday night’s deal is all about protecting the ALP brand from the public perception of impenetrable infighting as John Brumby and Kevin Rudd attempt to maintain an illusion of propriety and political control.
For the moment, John Brumby is free to turn his gaze to more important matters like convincing voters of the intrinsic merits of desalination plants and public transport. But these will be far from Bill Shorten’s mind as he settles in to his revitalised role as the PM’s south-of-the-border lieutenant — now with extra factional muscle to back up his ambition to one day inherit the keys to the Lodge.
The UCA is probably the most enthusiastic about shafting SDA including Shorten’s mates Earl Setches, Dean Mighell.
Please stop trying to spread lies.
And the Socialist Left will split? Perhaps this would be a good thing but it does seem a bit unrealistic.
The NUW couldn’t even persuade the Metal Workers to delay the deal for 24 hours.
Doesn’t sound like a lot of clout.
The bottom line is the SL Executive agreed to the well-crafted deal. Andrew Giles, supposedly Robin Scott’s buddybuddy, was an enthusiastic supporter of a deal that cut out Robin Scott with the brutality of a knee to the groin.
The Left are a lot of things but they are not known for ratting on deals. Unlike some we could mention, like the NUW who promised to behave constructively when rejoining LU and took mere months before initially farting then shitting on the dinner table.
Anus person, you are not across the latest developments. The deal is falling apart. The UCA has left the building. Maybe you are a UCA member and the last to know.
And it is not if the Socialist Left has split. They already have. And not just unions, but FEA delegates as well.
I think it’s time Holding got his photo taken again.
Well, anus person, cat got your tongue? or maybe Earl has?
its bloody hard to deliver outcomes now that uncle Dick has withdrawn his support
Once we were big swinging dicks, now eunuchs
Thank you Kim and Al
“I think Bill has proved himself to be a serious player now.
He must now heal the Right.
Posted by Anonymous | January 16, 2009, 1:19 ”
BILLY, I TOLD YOU OF YOU KEEP DOING THAT YOU’LL GO BLIND
Is this the first step to democratic unity in Victorian Labor?
Are we seeing a rebirth of the founders’ ambitions – a broad based political party pursuing a better life and society for the mass of the people through labor democratic politics?
Will this give rise to a political organisation which can debate and determine a policy platform relevant to the needs and aspirations of the people of this State?
Can we build a broad based Party which consistently wins elections, maintains political power and rigorously implements its platform?
Yes we can!! ….
Sorry, got carried away…
I’m Mickey Spillall and I retired from Labor politics over 25 years ago after years of “research” and “commentary” aimed at building a broad based, democratic and politically effective Labor Party.
My publications were satirical, sometimes crude. In those days I wrote about the foibles, hypocrisies and corruption amongst what we now call Labor elites and their hangers on – those committed to themselves and not Labor. When I retired (ceremoniously burying my old Remington and Roneo machine) I vowed then I’d never come out of retirement. Tonight, I’m breaking that vow, at least momentarily.
I remember when Labor Unity was formed in Victoria. Predominantly its membership was from the Victorian broad left of Labor (yep, Bob Hawke was a moderate leftie then) with a smattering of a group from the sixties called the ‘Participants’ which campaigned for democratic reforms in the Victorian Labor Party against the then Central Executive.
Labor Unity was dedicated to building a democratic and politically effective Party incorporating a representative cross section of views and talent from within the Labour Movement – all factions, sections and groupings; through open debate and honest negotiation Labor Unity aspired to build a political consensus around up to date policies, practical and relevant platform based on Labor principles of social and economic justice and fielding talented candidates representative of the broad church that is Labor.
This was a significant change in approach to the Hartley lead Victorian Central Executive where the very few ran the Party to the exclusion of the many (sound familiar).
And Labor Unity itself was a broad church with a number of strong leaders but they were always subject to membership accountability and determination of matters.
Labor Unity never caucused on policy, rather its members actively pursued policy through the forums of the Party according to their own views.
Labor Unity involved its breadth of members in decision making through “Broad Group” membership meetings. Through the “Broad Group” Labor Unity built consensus on administrative, organisational, election campaign and rules matters to build a representative, professional and effective Party machine. The group’s representatives then negotiated with other Party groups and we campaigned in the forums of the Party to build broader consensus on our direction and activities.
Sadly, I’ve watched the principles and methodology upon which Labor Unity was founded diminish in practice over time. Over the past seven months the last vestiges of Labor Unity’s consensus approach to decision making were discarded – but not forgotten.
In the last couple of days a new alliance has been declared and retaken Labor Unity in the name of the principles upon which it was founded. And the new alliance negotiated and finalised an intra-party agreement that will not only secure rational stability within Victorian Labor but potentially start Victorian Labor on the path envisaged by the founders of Labor Unity nearly 40 years ago. Bravo.
And now back to retirement for me.
with 30% on the POSC and more importantly 30% on the ground you cant offer anything to anyone. The only splitting from now on will be from the NUW camp. The question is how small will they become as people peal away to join the other 70%.
Wanderer, the split is with the 70%. They lost 15 of that yesterday alone. This deal will be in pieces by the end of January.
And remember, the deal is about protecting Shorten and Conroy and Carr and Griffin, who all trade on bing able to control us. Plus, all those nervous nellies in State and Federal Parliament who owe their seats to those four. Is it possible that party members and affiliated unions, whilst being quite sane and rational, do not want to be controlled by people who are only interested in their own power. There are a at least ten state and federal MPs who should go for the sake of the party at the next set of elections in 2010. The Deal locks us all in to supporting them, thereby stifling renewal in the state and federal parliaments. Granted, it may not be as important at federal level, but at state level, it’s imperative.
15% what? The most obvious split was Matt Viney splitting from the NUW.
Other than the obvious suspects Somyurek and Scott and a few from the union itself, there aren’t many MPs who regard the NUW group as anything more than an embarrassment, the big surly cousin kept in the basement and brought out to scare the neighbours.
The loss of Viney says a lot about how unappealing they’ve become.
Will the LRA stay with them? George Seitz will but the others? Probably not.
Will Feeney and his little cadre of ethnic branch-stackers Hong Lim, Robin Scott’s asian hoardes, Kubilay Somyurek et al stick take the scraps from the NUW table? For now yes. But Feeney’s history with the NUW (they sacked him) and the SDA (they pinched his #1 Senate spot) suggests he owes them nothing.
Feeney’s base also includes the Health Services Union run by Jeff Jackson who has committed more factional atrocities than Pol Pot. Feeney’s credibility has been repeatedly tested by him taking Jackson’s votes but denying responsibility for Jackson’s public airing of factional dirty linen and occasional ratting on Labor Unity candidates. But the main problem now is that Jackson is mired in internal scandal and has a majority of his branch committee determined to replace him. It’s a huge mess.
Will the SDA stick with the NUW? They are socially conservative according to The Age. (In The Age, that’s an insult, for many in Labor Unity it’s not and the SDA enjoy a usually high regard)
The SDA got a seat in Kororoit courtesy of the NUW. That was good.
But they are (were) being asked to support the NUW candidate for ALP State Secretary, Mark Madden. A man who by day as Rob Hulls chief of staff ensures abortion rights and test tube babies for lesbians and by night campaigns for refugee rights. The Right is a broad church, but the SDA’s church tends not to like many of the policies Madden has championed.
And most notably Madden has been quite intolerant in his prosecution of his agenda, insisting for a time that the test tube babies for lesbians law not be subject to a conscience vote.
Now Madden is irrelevant because the NUW can’t force him on anyone now. But what’s interesting is the supposedly “socially conservative” SDA were willing to cop someone like that. The only explanations give traditional SDA supporters like me much to worry about:
1) The SDA has moved in a post-ideological era where its family values are now an after-thought; or
2) The SDA is being directed by the once Masonic controlled NUW who think family values are what gets sorted out in the courts after the union boss gets caught by his wife banging the receptionist.
3) Very few of the SDA and NUW’s MPs think the NUW’s misadventures of recent times are defendable. They’d much rather roll with Rudd and Brumby and even Gillard than political terrorists who had arrayed a massive arsenal in their hide-out cave and then watched it explode before they’d got organised for a year of thrill-kills.
So it’s no surprise the 30% are splitting and splintering. Maybe Feeney – who enjoys the respect of many on both sides – can bring things together.
We hope so. It’s certainly makes more sense than trying to pretend there’s a split in a group united by one thing, not wanting to be led by the nose by the faceless men of the NUW (remember they’ve recently ratted on deals with the SL so their credibility with them is shit too) and not wanting to replace John Brumby with their candidate Tim Holding, whose ambition vastly exceeds his talent.
Enjoy Martin Pakula’s 40th birthday celebrations. We’ll have a quiet champagne for you.
The lack of humility in the NUW faction is the problem here.
They were in Labor Unity for five minutes before using their numbers to show off how big and powerful they were.
Instead of playing an honest broker role, they couldn’t help but get involved in every stupid intrigue.
Pitiful really.
And now they are betting on splitting the Socialist Left? Good luck with that.
Winning over Dean Mighell/Earl Setches who are hated by the SDA and vice versa? Fanciful.
So stop huffing and puffing and hoping the house will fall down and accept the world has changed.
And it only did so because the NUW, the SDA and a few other fair-weather friend opportunists thought they could treat Labor Unity like its bitch. Big mistake, wasn’t it?
James M. Barrie – “Life is a long lesson in humility.”
I just hope these tossers can learn it.
labor unity has more egos then seats, and hence when it comes to dividing the spoils, (cmon thats all this deal is about , lets not bring catchphrases like left and right into it )it would be a huge step forward for this labor party to claim they have even a scant connection to ideology its all about the seats (seitz) the three amigos have split and now a new power sharing deal has been drawn up till that falls to shit as well.and it will.no doubt.
Which State MP’s pre-selections will be threatened?
Which Federal MP’s pre-selections will be threatened?
you people are walking examples of what’s wrong with the labor party. none of you give a tinker’s cuss for the people of victoria, the economy of victoria, sound public policy or indeed anything beyound the petty posturing & pathetic power plays of a disgraceful bunch of certified lunatics, spivs, small-time crooks, branch stackers & generally delusional egomaniacs
the voters of victoria will have a message for you in 2010. they’re giving it now, but you can’t get your gaze out of the gutter long enough to hear it. the opposition is about as credible as alan bond, but will fall over the line because of you are a bunch of self-obsessed tosspots
exactly right Astounded of Melbourne talk abou rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. If 2 Federal Ministers and a Federal Parl Sec have got nothing better to do than piss all over the Victorian electorate then God help the Rudd Government. Because nothing will save the Victorian Government.
Correction *3 Federal Ministers
Steve: Its dark in this bunker. Bill: The forces on the Right are attacking on the Western front.
Steve: The forces of the Left are attacking on the Eastern front.
Bill: I instruct you to now issue the suicide capsules.
Astounded of Melbourne is completely wrong. The opposition will soon be far more credible than what you say. Just wait and see once the hard work we are putting in down here at the Railyard produces its reward, a fine and splendid fast train to be known by all admirers alike as the GTM Express. Choo choo.
It is entirely wrong that LU picked up NUW in the first place. The NUW only care about themselves and always have. They are dodgy self centred pricks.
The agreement SHOULD NOT have been about protecting MP’s and Ministers. It should have the balls to challenge preselection on every NUW MP and minister.
They did it to longstanding MP’s and now they need a taste of their own medicine.
I agree particularly with the people HITLIST has come up with, by far the MOST ANNOYING AND INCOMPETENT person so far, Timmeh Holding wasn’t mentioned. HE NEEDS TO GO, pronto.
Astounded of Melbourne has got it correct. If we keep on allowing the NUW to get away with crap, then we are gonna get tainted with their crap. Brumby needs to step up and demote these people.
I would rather people vote Greens than any NUW candidate standing for election.
Stephen i have never had a high regard for your abilities as a parliamentarian let alone as a minister. Your temperament and maturity is that of a six year old boy. I was persuaded by the other members of the rooster brigade and Kim Carr to take you on as minister against my better judgment.
I was told that you were the most powerful figure in the Victoria Right and someone who had consistantly delivered outcomes for Kim.
Sadly your performance as minister is even below the modest expectations that even i had of you. You have single handed wiped the gloss of my brilliant political career.
The events of the last six months prove to me that you are an insignificant player in the Victorian Right and Kim is now of the view that you and Bill can no longer be trusted to deliver results for him.
If Bill behaves himself and develops into a team player he may be promoted into a ministry within 10 years. I was considering promoting Bill this term at your expense but this botched attempt at a deal has publicly embarrassed my deputy and as a consequence Bill will need to take 10 years to reflect on his bad behaviour.
As for you stephen i will be recommending to Kim that you be demoted to the vulnerable number three position on the senate ticket and replaced by the highly talented David Feeney.
Adem: Hey Robin it’s Batman.
Robin: Greetings Kulilay Khan, to the right of Genghis.
Adem: Mate, I’ve got an excellent idea, right.
Robin: Go on, I have plenty of time. I find fewer people calling for my advice these days.
Adem: Well, I remembered I still have the key to the Greg Sword Memorial Slush Fund Vault.
Robin: Yeh, I lent it to you. Tim Holding was asking for it back the other day. He said they might need it to save Jeff Jackson.
Adem: I’m a young Turk, not a dumb one and I’d only trust a networker as far as I could kick him. I’m keeping the key. Tim really has some trust issues.
Robin: You’re not going to tell me you want to steal some slush to try bribe some key left unions to defect from the SL to join our Left Right Out faction? You know the Ombudsman bugs my phones, in fact whenever I’m on the phone to Seitz the Ombo normally says hello to both of us before we continue our call, he’s very polite.
Adem: Well it was something like that. We could pick off the Missos or the Metals or CFMEU blokes and offer them some cash up front and red leather later. They can have my seat, I’m going lower haus.
Robin:: You’ve got 70% in a lower house seat? You’re dreaming mate.
Adem: Yeh, but listen these crooks running left unions are up for it, I’m telling you. I entertained one last night in the spare rooms at Daily Planet. Top bloke. He might have left his watch behind but. But he told one of the girls he like the feel of the red velvet.
Robin: So OK, we bribe one of these dip-shits to rat on the Left. And then what?
Adem: That’s where it gets good, we go after all those c*nts preselections, midget Marsha, fascist Fiona and disrupt the whole thing. The comination of my hitlist and Tim Holding’s is longer than the A-K section of the White Pages.
Robin: You know how you always accuse me over analyzing everything like Michael Leighton used to?
Adem: Yeah, you’re bloody hopeless.
Robin: Well, Batman, I’m over-analyzing this and thinking that all they’d do is go to the national executive with Rudd and Gillard’s blessing and fuck us good and hard.
Adem: Oh.
Robin: And then I’d be looking around for jobs teaching Asian History in some dodgy university on a Pacific Island that Sercs could arrange for me. Kubes, I really don’t look good in a grass-skirt mate. And frankly those big Samoans scare the shit out of me. Even Pakula when he gets angry scares me.
Adem: Fair point. So what the fuck are we going to do now?
Robin: I think I’d better start going to branch meetings right away.
Adem: Oh I really don’t want to have be nice to a bunch of Anglos. That’s not fair.
Robin: It worked for Crean.
Adem: I am really starting to wonder what I’ve done wrong with my life. I am a winner. Why is it that the sub-faction Janice Munt is in has just walked all over me in high heels. This is not the way of justice.
Robin: Confucius says “A man who has committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it, is committing another mistake.”
Adem: Don’t go all Kung Fu crazy talk on me, grasshopper. I have to go and count my blessings. I won’t be long.
Robin: See you at Martin’s 40th. What a night of celebration we mourners have in store.
Adem: The c*nt didn’t even invite me. Must be that vault key they’re still shitty about…
Bill and Stephen you have once again publicy embarrassed me. I have witnessed both of you consistantly get rolled and humiliated over the past six months – yet for some reason that i cannot explain i agreed to lend my name to another moronic adventures by you two.
With the economy going to shit my polling will be going south very shortly the last thing i need is to be seen by caucus members as being the lacky of you two losers.
Stephen, you Lenders, Marsha,and Viney were responsible for me to be dumped before i had a chance to prove that the Victorian people realy did love me. I had forgotten this but now that all of you are weak my memory is starting to come back to me.
Now i want you two gentlemen to issue a press release publicly opologising for using my name in this moronic adventure of yours.
Or is just naked self interest? Carr and Conroy are well passed their use by dates. How else would they continue unless they shored up their own positions. Is that what this is really all about?
Cast:
Adem Somyurek – played by Kubilay Somyurek
Robin Scott – played by Robin Scott, directed by Michael Leighton
Yep. Self interest.
Tell me how often these tools actually go out and meet their electorate besides election time and press conferences?
Are there ANY TRUE COMMUNITY MINDED MP’s out there besides SL?
Crean gets along with everyone. He’s a top bloke.
LMAO- about Adem and his “anglo” fear. So true!!!
Greg Sword – former NUW boss – played by a swarthy hunchback
Jeff Jackson – Health Services Union boss, drinking buddy of Feeney, currently under siege from internal union opponents
Tim Holding – Water Minister and NUW faction boss
Missos – LHMU union
Metals – Manufacturing Workers Union
Midget Marsha – Marsha Thomson, MP for Footscray, former Labor Unity faction secretary
Fascist Fiona – Fiona Richardson, MP for Northcote, former Labor Unity faction secretary
Michael Leighton – formerly MLA for Northcote and Robin Scott’s former employer and mentor.
Sercs – former federal MP for Maribyrnong, former ally of Robin Scott and founder of the group that Scott, Clayton MLA Hong Lim and others are part of.
Kubes – Kubilay/Adem Somyurek
Crean – Simon Crean Minister for Trade, nearly rolled by NUW’s Martin Pakula
Martin – Martin Pakula state Minister for Industry and Trade
Self-interest for Carr and Conroy ??? All senior ministers, they don’t need anything else out of politics except to stay on and make a contribution.
The self-interest faction has now been Left Right Out.
link
Some of my closest freinds are agnlo
two anglo’s that he doesnt fear are shorten and conroy
probably a mistake as events transpired…
yes for shorten and conroy
Well haha they only way that Carr and Conroy can stay on is by doing what they are doing now. Believe me there are people lining up to take their spots. Never mind, lots of their friends will get the bullet from the Victorian electorate and perhaps they will be the very people to oust them!!
Conroy: what the f… do we do now bill
Bill: i have another plan
Conroy: what the f.. that
Bill: Beg for mercy
Conroy: what about the plight of our followers
Bill: why is that any of my concern
Georgees Seits CASH in hand man Chris Ewans Keep Writing soon you will expose.You owing Brinbak Council 40 K
KUBES Kubilay Ha Ha Ha Somyurek= Scoti Numbers Man= Sacetin ding dong=Player My Arse Kues KUBES KUBES
Kubes will be sick soon you you wait His face will turn the other way again.
More of the deal between Shorten/ Conroy and Carr/ Griffin fell over today. By Monday, they will be down to under 50%. Where do they go then? Feeney is right to sit on the fence. He knows a shit deal when he sees one, and this deal is sinking faster than an anvil. Viney may have left – that’s one. But how about the 17 votes that fell out of the Deal and are moving caravans for Australia Day.
The deal is already under 50 %
The deal is already under 50% and still counting….
Now that “little Bill” and Conroy have joined the left does that mean the left have the numbers on the National Executive now?
So which State MP’s will go and which Federal MP’s will go?
#
The deal is already under 50% and still counting….
Posted by Anonymous | January 17, 2009, 20:28
Keep dreaming – I hear the fuhrer bunker mentality is expected when you are getting your head caved in.
Left Right Out Factions says Michael Leighton is the former MLA for Northcote. He’s actually the former MLA for Preston. Robin Scott is the present MLA for Preston. Fiona Richardson is the MLA for Northcote.
Other MPs from that area are Jenny Mikakos, ex Pledge and now back in the SL, Theo Theophanous, ex SL and ex LRA and now LU, but he is preoccupied with other matters at the moment, and Nazih Elasmar, ex LRA and now LU.
Shorten is his name.
ShortOne describes his tackle.
Ask his ‘ex’ about his poor performance in the cot.
GG’s daughter is easily pleased!
Notice how those not part of the deal are trying to use this blog to talk down the size of the vote pitted against them. They obviously need to do this to hopefully avoid losing more POSC votes. How long before the LRA leave? You cant win too many seats with 25%!
Seitz will be the real winner
“Biscuit Tin” Sietz is off to the Funeral Parlour.
Dad,
You’re turning into a sentimental old wuss talking about Labor Unity principles and past history. Get with it old man, times have changed. And anyway the original leadership of Labor Unity weren’t principled geezers, just politically competent with a strong dash of Machiavelli(remember you kept taking me to bbqs, sports days and pissups with them – I got to watch them pretty closely — it was a life jarring experience and one of the reasons I left Victoria).
Sure that old guard reported to your Broad Group and got you lot to make the decisions. But it wasn’t because of bloody high minded principle; They simply knew it was the only way to keep and build their influence and authority – good skilful leadership.
The current crop of clowns that tried and so miserably failed to control your precious faction are just not up to it. From what you said at Christmas they thought they owned Labor Unity and could use it as their own tool for personal power just like they run their unions and order people around.
What dummies. They’d never survive the committees of my local Rules and Leagues clubs let alone get a guernsey in Queensland parties (well, perhaps in the now defunct Liberal Party?).
But look Dad, if you want to come out of retirement again and make another foray into political blogging, do it properly will you. Make it interesting for the sordid readers of this blog site. And for christ’s sake have a bit of fun.
The stories you tell after a few bundies, particularly about current respectable ministers and pollies, are good for retelling (but you better check some of them with the lawyers just in case – truth is not necessarily a defence).
What about the dope-head that’s now a minister and acts all proper and conservative? Does the Carlton Crew still talk about him in such a colourful way?
Or the now state minister who had a good lookin wife in Melbourne AND a pretty young man in Canberra? What’s they saying? Gas Lash and the Lizard Tongue!!
Or that story about the union kiddie fiddler and his union paid trips to Asia – to grow his interests so to speak. And the way he explained the clap was unbelievable.
And then theres the standard fare like the one about the ambitious young MP who joined quite a few Labor Party branches arond the state with a lot of identity fraud just to rort a minor state-wide ballot?
With your existing repertoire alone I’m sure you could cause real mayhem, end some undeserving careers and have fun to boot. If you think its time just make sure Mum gives you the go-ahead. It’d be a shame to get working to raise the standard and upset Mum again.
Much love,
Your Son in the North
The Left are deserting the Deal in droves. And that’s unions and FEA’s. The UCA are gone too. Everyone else not exclusively with Carr, Griffin, Conroy and Shorten are rethinking where they are, and where they need to be. Brumby cannot pull it back together, and neither can Gillard. By Australia Day, we will have two rights, two lefts, and the finger will be pointed at the instigators of the Deal as the root cause of the problem. No-one begrudges a seat in parliament to people with a bit of ability like the four or five people who put the Deal together. But the party does not want to get rid of it’s democratic processes and let already lazy state and federal backbenchers off the hook for a ten year free ride. The Federal caucus contingent from Victoria is not the most talented ever to come from there, and could do with a shakeout – Vamvakinou, Byrne, Ferguson, Jenkins, Macklin, Thomson may all need to move on and allow new blood in to the Federal Parliament. The State list is much more extensive in both houses. Batchelor, Beattie, Campbell, Carli, Duncan, Herbert, Howard, Kosky (sooner the better), Langdon, Languiller, Maddigan, Nardella, Overington, Pandazopoulos, Perrera, Pike, Seitz, Thomson, Tresize. Even if you only take a third of them and renew them, that would be better than guaranteeing them all another ten years. The Deal’s gone.
The left are sticking to the deal! glad to say any speculation here is a rumour only!!! The Deal is Done!!! the only peal is that from any association with the NUW and SDA !!! trust me Timmeh has to go!
Holding is dead meat.
as above. And thank fuck for that, the searial political nerd with no friends, no one left to fuck, and soon a massive gaping ass so wide that you can see bloody china!
The deal is going down faster than the Titanic
But there is a nice resting place for it on the Atlantic floor right beside the Titanic where it will remain undiscovered for 80 years
“Nearer my God to thee…..”
now that shorten has defected i think that nat should be given a chance to knock off Shorten in Maribyrnong.
Will the “ten year” deal last ten days.
Comrades Stephen and Bill now that we have worked out our 5 year plan (or should i say 10 year plan)it is time to get on with the business of government – i have arranged for both of you to attend an extended period in a re-education camp in Oruzgan province in Afghanistan.
Your assignment in Afghanistan will be to convince the local taliban operatives that religion is the opium of the masses.
Good luck comrades should you not return alive i will make sure your legacy continues.
Why would a proud union such as the cfmeu who has been in bitter conflict with the AWU for years accept any agreement with the AWU. Why would the metals who always act in parnership wth the cfmeu not join them in rejecting the AWU.
There are 10 posc votes here going south on the deal. Add to that the textile, ASU and the UCA the total is close to 20 posc votes rejecting the deal. Add another 4 Ferguson votes the total becomes approx 24.
The deal therefore can only deliver 46 posc votes.
The last contributor is close to the mark. Except it doesn’t take into account the FEA votes that have jumped off the Deal as well.
From today’s Herald Sun Opinion page:
“This week’s latest realignment of Brumby’s right-wing faction – jumping into bed with the Socialist Left faction – has shored up Kosky for now, as it has the political fortunes of other ministers and backbench MPs, with a few exceptions.
But the new “Army Alliance” (left, right, left, right) hasn’t been built on a strong platform, rather a desperate alliance of self-interest and survival, with the right-wing Labor Unity faction again splintering and part of it running off to hold hands with the Socialist Left.”
and
“And while the factions jump in and out of bed to save the careers of ministers and backbenchers, voters are ready to punish the Government at the ballot box, even though they won’t get that chance until November 2010.”
A deal to deliver stability and guarantee an election victory only works if it has majority support, delivers stability and gives the party a chance of winning. This deal is going south because it cannot meet that criteria.
I pray to that Suleymans gets a seat so we can hound her every day in office. She has more scandals that Nixon and the Ombudsman is about to dump on her without mercy.
The Third Reich was declared as a 1,000 year empire that lasted barely 12.
Will the 10 year deal go the same way?
Robin Scott: Preston Centrelink’s operating hours are 9am-5.30pm monday thru friday, for your future reference.
Why would a proud union such as the cfmeu who has been in bitter conflict with the AWU for years accept any agreement with the AWU. Why would the metals who always act in parnership wth the cfmeu not join them in rejecting the AWU.
There are 10 posc votes here going south on the deal. Add to that the textile, ASU and the UCA the total is close to 20 posc votes rejecting the deal. Add another 4 Ferguson votes the total becomes approx 24.
The deal therefore can only deliver 46 posc votes.
* Metals/AMWU – agreed to deal, with Dave Oliver the Nat Secretary personally present to bless the arrangement and to command his state based minions, as Feeney has been telling Robin/Batman the Nat Sec of that union directs the entire union and under their rules appoints delegates etc.
* CFMEU/TCF – agreed to deal
* ASU – all parts – agreed to deal
* UCA – hate the SDA and agreed to deal
* Ferg Left – first to agree to deal
Think again Batman and Robin, you’re best hope is to ditch the networkers/NUW and submit to the will of Michael Donovan who has already given you up. (What the SDA elite are saying about you both is unprintable, strong cussing like ‘fool’, ‘bloody’, ‘masons’ etc has been used.)
Your fantasies of ruling the roost like Robert Ray without the brains to back it up are over.
Salvage what you can. You don’t even have Andrew Giles/Alan Griffin on side. Sad.
Shorten, Conroy, Carr anything to eliminate those treasons dogs from the NUW.
Simon your comment on how donnelly got national secretary of the NUW is clear, he paid out Sword, the same way he got the VIC Sec off Lennon. Anything he wants he pays for, no ability, no friends, no dick, no fucking idea.
He tried to fuck over Crean with Pakula and lost, he tried to fuck over his own union state secretaries, everything he touches is fucked. Sexy fingers.
Metals oppose the deal
cfmea/tcf oppose the deal and beleive the awu are sell outs
asu oppose deal
uca: plummers have split from uca. plummers supporting Deans enemeys in the etu. dean may hate sda but hates those that fuck with his union more and carr even more than that.
its all going to shit for carr and griffin and their fascist mates conroy and shorten
fergs: have not signed up
Oh no I really fucked up big time. Little Bill and Steve give me another chance. I have now lost power of the faction, next will be the party secretary followed by the national secretary’s position when those bastards Bellan and Cosgrove defeat me in my grand national take over plans fail. Where will I get a job? I know if lazy homos like Moran can get a job in lucrf I can go there.
Please I will take up the rear like I do 4 Gregory Moran and others, you ask my pommy wife anything goes, just give me a go!
Attention to detail. Check your legal precedents. Dave Oliver as AMWU national secretary can only control a AMWU delegation in Victoria IF the state branch vacates the field. Steve Dargaval is the AMWU state secretary. IF he directs the fills the delegation, then he control it.
And the Ferguson Left declared on Saturday that they aren’t part of the deal; haven’t signed it. If anyone doesn’t believe that, just ask Martin Ferguson, Michael O’Connor or Julia Gillard!
If the deal falls apart, Stephen Newnham will be the 1st casualty.
fergs: have not signed up
Posted by industrial lefty | January 18, 2009, 14:20
And the Ferguson Left declared on Saturday that they aren’t part of the deal; haven’t signed it. If anyone doesn’t believe that, just ask Martin Ferguson, Michael O’Connor or Julia Gillard!
Posted by Anonymous | January 18, 2009, 17:00
sorry you are mistaken
Ferg’s have signed up to guarantee Candy Broad’s future
Ha Ha, you must be talking to someone spreading disinformation. The AMWU state branch controls their numbers, and the CFMEU are sticking with them as are the ETU (even though they’re not in the SL) and will bring all the small left unions. Whatever they do they will do it together. If the AMWU National Office carries the votes and each union only gets one vote at the SL table, then why did its state secretary have his hand up when they were both state and national offices were represented. The AMWU, CFMEU and ASU all voted against the Deal. And they are exiting. As are several FEA groups once considered rusted on.
Fergs want stability, so I hear, and the Deal cannot currently guarantee that, so they will be talking to all sides.
nil by mouth, keep dreaming pal. Most readers know that you need to type that rubbish to stop the panic amongst those not part of that deal but do you really need to repeat that story so many times? Do you think that if you type it out enough times that it just may come true?
Click your heals enough times and make a wish.
Hello Wanderer, or should I say Noah?
boom boom. Right winger acting as a lefty nil by mouth? Fell that one did you not? So Right winger, go and comment on your own faction’s plight instead, maybe then you can get your facts right.
never knew alot of people hated NUW, or is it the same person writing with different names???
Why do you reckon I’m in the right? Because I know who Noah is? Because I know who Dean is, does that make me in the UCA as well?
Senior union official would not even know where Noah works let alone know who he is. Trying to act like you are of their ilk was a little cute. Was it not Right winger!
as if Noah could type this well
noah is ok the problem is his choice in friends and bosses
The fergs have signed up to protect CANDY BROAD’s FUTURE???? Her only future lies in dishing out food is some high school tuck shop.
I wonder how Feeney will progress beyond the marginal #3 Senate position while Jacinta Collins is still there?
Isn’t this a likely cause for instability in the NUW/SDA/Feeney micro-faction?
Don’t worry lads if those BCOM bitches appoint new state conference delegates I’ll just lock them in a cupboard like I locked those financial investigators.
Dust off your lab coat Marlene.
Why aren’t you returning my calls, Andrew Giles???
* SDA – Will Michael Donovan go it alone and cut his own deal to save Christine Campbell? Papa Campbell bequeathed a seat to her, she insists on keeping it. Marlene Kairouz is safe until a literacy test is introduced as part of the preselection process. Merlino is too. But what of Somyurek???
* HSU – Will Jeff Jackson survive his own private scandal season? And what if BCOM decides to appoint new delegates? Maybe Craig Thompson’s friends will have their revenge after Kathy’s been fucking around with his entitlements.
* NUW – Matt Carrick desperately wants a seat now to deal with his looming unemployment problem. Will Charlie/Holding drop Robin/Kubilay to put in their new ones. And what about the NUW’s FEA base disintegrating, many are joining the Way of Viney.
* Nazih Elasmar
* George Seitz
* Hong Lim
* Burhan Yigit
* Sucettin Yunal
* Robin Scott
* Adem Somyurek
* Feeney himself
Who of these gents is beyond cutting a side-deal to suit themselves???
Which rat shall be first to leave the sinking ship?
One third of the deck of Titanic is under water. The lights are flashing just about to go out. The band is playing “Nearer my god to thee…” on the deck. I predict it will hit the Atlantic floor before the week is out. Any other predictions on the life span of the deal?
Jeff Jackson’s fate will be sealed.
That sounds like Martin’s 40th last night. Full house, because everyone was keen to see who wasn’t there, in light of the change of fortunes of the group.
As the NUW candidate for State Secretary, I would like to say “fuck you very much” to Robin Scott for ruining my chances.
That is where you are guessing, Wanderer. Different people know different people. So I know who some or all of the players are. Does that make me in the right or the left? Does it mean I can’t be in a union? And especially does it mean that I don’t know that the Coalition of the Self Interested is losing nuumbers – 21 POSC votes by last count, according to scrutineers at close of counting today.
You know, there was stability in the party before the Deal. It just wasn’t a stability that was helpful to Carr, Griffin, Shorten and maybe Conroy. If we had gone to preselections as is, very few federal MPs were going to be challenged. And a few State MLAs amd MLCs were going to go, but that was going to be good because the state caucus needed a bit of renewal. And no-one of substance who could add to the future was going to be “thrillkilled”. But the houses of cards that so-called powerbrokers had built up over time were going to fall over a bit, or in Bill’s case a lot, and we couldn’t have that now, could we?
I am pretty pissed off with this deal thing because I was right excited about the possibility of poison dwarf Marsha Thomson fighting to the death with council bludger Michelle McDonald over Footscray. Bring on the little people gouging each others eyes out.
Feeney is claiming Julia Gillard, Dean Mighell, Martin Ferguson, the Metals, the CFMEU and fuck knows who else’s votes.
He is like Hitler in the bunker ordering divisions around that are just no longer there, with embarrassed generals Somyurek and Scott looking on.
The stability in the party before the deal had regular ambushes, constant press speculation from Feeney personally and the Jacksons and a failed attack on Newnham four days before Christmas.
If that’s stability, no wonder there are so many people at 1 Treasury Place facing the sack.
My ears are burning.
My leadership challenge is brewing.
What’s Giles and Kosmos been up to? Trying to keep their squad together? Who did you lose in the north today?
If Feeney loses the HSU, doesn’t his “base” look more like a pinhead.
My son’s preselection is due. Surely Robin is going to disappoint?
I hear Nazih has told Robin the bad news…
I will put a signed Jude Perrera Corflute up as prize for who can name the day that Age says the Deal is dead. Of course, multiple winners will have to share the prize on a weekly basis. You can put it in the pool room.
What will happen to me?
The NUW said I was lovely.
But fiona you said everything was fine – what are all of these people talking about. Is the deal falling apart or not tell me the truth.
Matt you cant handle the truth
Bill made me do it. so take his seat and not mine david
How do you get a small faction in the ALP?
Give Shorten and Carr bigger factions.
Will a new leader be required to eradicate the deal?
breaking news shorten and conroy have fled the country.
Kelvin Thompson showed them the path followed by fat Tony Mokbel.
Bye bye Robin. Take Kublay with you.
Read the Fin Review the deal is dead.
oh dear
ALP peace deal falls foul of unions
Monday, 19 January 2009 | The Australian Financial Review | Mathew Dunckley
Let freedom ring.
from the article
“It is understood they are concerned by a number of provisions in the agreement, particularly an undertaking that no sitting member be open to challenge”
Bad news for the feeney nuw micro faction if they get there way. fools
Dear Labor Unity Member,
Labor Unity was founded on the principle that to make a difference you had to win Government and retain it.
To deliver Government our faction created a vital environment that encouraged members to be independent of thought, involving the best and brightest and taking responsibility not just for the governance of the faction but also that of the party.
Our inclusive culture prioritised Labor Unity rank and file participation in decision making, culminating in what was quickly termed: “a Broad Group” of LU members to ratify any Executive recommendations.
Because our faction did not bind on policy it meant that members of Labor Unity were in a position to lead the way in developing policy that ensured Labor’s relevance, adaptability to changing times and electoral success. When it came to pre-selections, Labor Unity ensured that candidates were chosen on the recognised ability to take on leadership roles in Government. It is no accident that Labor Unity Members of Parliament were well-represented in the Cabinets of the Hawke, Cain, Bracks and Brumby Governments. We were and must always be the talent faction, not a collection of sub-factions driven by self-interested.
A COMMITMENT TO CONSENSUS
Underpinning these achievements is that our faction has always been governed by consensus. It is what binds us together. LU was always a collective of individuals and groupings who shared a common goal but in doing so respected each other’s point of view. That respect underpinned our approach with one another. Sometimes you may win, sometimes you may lose but you would always accept the outcomes because you had a seat at the table and faith in the process.
Our old Executive structure reflected these important principles. The organisational wing of the party, the Federal and State Parliament, the Industrial wing and Young Labor were all included. It brought together the many experiences of the Group. Seniority as well as youth, Parliamentary as well as party activists, Union as well as FEA.
THE END OF CONSENSUS
Tragically, some have abandoned that successful consensus model and moved to a winner takes all mentality that pays little regard to the consequences for the Party. It’s not about the merits of the argument anymore but rather who has the numbers. There has been a growing culture of personality based politics and ambition that has outstripped responsibility to the Party.
No one side is innocent but elements within the faction have taken it to the point where it not only damages the faction, but the party as well due in part to the constant press speculation about the latest internal crisis and conquest.
Some of the most obvious examples of this behaviour include when the NUW split from LU in 2002 and proceeded to sack the state secretary David Feeney against the expressed wishes of the then Premier.
In the Kororoit preselection an attempt was made to install a candidate in defiance of the ALP rules. Only following a unanimous decision of the National Executive Committee to intervene were the ALP rules complied with.
Despite repeated assurances that the NUW would play a constructive role within the faction they have been active participants in repeatedly attempting to once again sack another Party state secretary without any reference to the LU Executive or Broad Group and against the expressed wishes of the Premier.
Just like the obituary placed in the paper that celebrated the demise of Labor Unity State Secretary David Feeney, when it gets to the point that the Age quotes a faction member remarking that the only compromise worth considering is: “if a deal is written in someone’s blood – specifically Stephen Newnham’s,” then it is time to clean our house.
Such venomous words underline a newly emerging strain that is scornful of our responsibility to the Party. Such behaviour is the antithesis of what Labor Unity stands for.
It is time for us in Labor Unity to re-establish our principles and deliver stability to the ALP. There is now simply no alternative if we want our faction to survive and the Party to continue its incredible run of success in Victoria and now federally.
DELIVERING STABILITY
We have expectations to meet on behalf of those who’ve worked so hard before us and to the millions of Australians who trust us with government.
We have therefore entered into an agreement with members of the Socialist Left, Ferguson Left and the UCA to deliver the stability we need to maximise Labor’s re-election prospects. The agreement concerns the forthcoming round of federal and state pre-selections and supports sitting federal and state MPs. This agreement will enable Labor Ministers and Members of Parliament to concentrate 100% of their efforts on what should be our focus: implementing Labor policy by governing responsibly and keeping Ted Baillieu and Malcolm Turnbull away from the levers of power in this country.
This is core LU business. It should be noted that such an agreement was mooted throughout last year. The refusal of the SDA/NUW group to entertain it is a clear sign of bad faith and to allow this to continue would be highly destabilising and irresponsible.
And in taking this extraordinary step of distinguishing Labor Unity from those we once thought of as respected partners, we make this commitment to you.
We will give real decision-making back to the broad group. We will ensure that the broad group consists of party activists where debate is actively encouraged.
We will reinstate consensus as the basis of our decision making and the interests of the party and Labor will come first.
We hope that we will have your support in this important endeavour and the continuing pursuit of those values that Labor Unity has always fought for.
Please feel free to contact us with any issues, concerns or suggestions you may have concerning this matter.
Yours in Unity,
page 5 Australian Financial Review
An attempt to buy peace in the Victorian Labor Party is under attacks only days after it was brokered, with left-wing unions claiming they were ambushed by a deal they say removes accountability for the party’s serving parliamentarians. (In other words, we’d like to eliminate some MPs)
Backers of the 10-year deal, signed off on last week, hope it will limit disruptive preselection squabbles ahead of the 2010 federal and state elections.
It was prompted by an abortive pre-Christmas coup against state secretary Stephen Newnham, a member of the Labor Unity faction, and a bitter preselection stoush at last year’s state byelection for Kororoit.
There have also been federal preselection dust-ups in recent years such as that for the seat of Corangamite (delivered by Feeney’s mates to the Socialist Left) and a well-publicised campaign to unseat former federal party leader Simon Crean (by the NUW against their own former national secretary).
The signatories to the peace deal, a large group from the dominant right-wing Labor Unity and the Socialist Left faction, argued the events necessitated a reshaping of the party’s power base.
Key architects of the agreement include federal senators Kim Carr and Stephen Conroy, federal MP Bill Shorten and state MPs Marsha Thomson and Fiona Richardson.
The deal’s backers paint it as a recipe for stability and claim the backing of up to 70 per cent of the party preselection committee plus the authority of state Premier John Brumby and Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
They argue it is far more important for the party to present a unified front at a time when voters are doing it tought because of a strong economy.
But there is still substantial opposition to the deal. Powerful unions including the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union will meet this week to discuss their concerns. (Yeah, what they get out of it.)
It is understood they are concerned by a number of provisions in the agreement, particularly an undertaking that no sitting member who has served less than four full terms should be open to challenge. (Shouldn’t it be fewer than – journalism aint what it used to be)
They also claim there was a lack of consultation and time to consider the details of the deal.
“We are disappointed in the way the Socialist Left has tried to ambush the unions,” one senior figure (whose name rhymes with Dargavel) said. “The politicians are trying to push and say what a good deal it is because it gives them longevity, but this agreement doesn’t make anyone accountable.” (code for: “replaceable with some of Dargavel’s drones and crones”)
Meanwhile the remainder of Labor Unity, controlled by a bloc linked to the National Union of Workers and the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, have also expressed their concerns. (code for: “mourned their loss of influence”)
Please don’t tell me the Feeney micro-faction’s whole plan depends on getting the crooks of CFMEU and the state office nutters of the Metal Workers to vote for Grouper candidates?
If Feeney could do that, he could turn water into wine rather than No.3 on Senate ticket into whine.
They seem to live in a fantasy land.
And me? Sir Stephen what abot me? You knowy I nevea do anytin to behind your bach. Save me
Ciao
The “What LU stands for” rants above are no longer true (maybe they were once in Robert Ray’s days). There’s no open debate anywhere – not with LU or the SL. Stability is important in retaining government but so is renewal. The Deal did not provide for both. It set the terms too long (a guaranteed four full terms – that’s a recipe for disaster). Seats where numbers have changed from faction to faction and subfaction to subfaction were being promised away on numbers once held years ago. The terms were too long (covering preselections for 2010 and 2013/14. If the Deal was allowed to stand, we could well take it into state opposition in 2010, and then it means you can’t clear out the dead wood.
Kevin Rudd’s got to govern the country and that’s easier with stability, but in the lead up to his win he got a bucket of change from Victoria – Shorten, Feeney, Marles, Dreyfus. From memory, that was about getting some time servers out, and getting some talent in. And the important thing there was that there was no Left renewal in that, and those unions know it. (Hint: look at the Victorian Left MPs who are not ministers and are not going to be ministers. There is no pressure on Griffin, Carr and Tanner from below.)
Same goes for State Parliament, as in who’s putting pressure on the Ministry to perform from below? The fact that some people are ministers, some are still ministers and some are never going to be ministers but won’t go, is cause for concern. Barnett in WA shows that you cannot just keep relying on the State Liberal Party to fuck up.
Well, some groups within the party who have been taken for granted for a long time, been lied to and pushed to the back of the room by faction bosses who tell people in Canberra and Spring Street that “Don’t worry, I speak for these unions or that faction”, have said enough. If there is one surprise, it’s that it’s coming from Right and Left at the same time.
Stable renewal now rather than job security for sub-standard performers.
Marsha was a negotiator? She’s said to be pretty good at that.
Just ask the eclair that sadly lost it’s life after concluding a deal with her.
This is the same genius who employed Kaitlyn Ferris in her electorate office, someone who is a member of the Young Labor Left, and now the NUS National Women’s Officer from the leftist National Labor Students’ faction.
Great judgement from a supposed LU stalwart. I wonder if those branches and members you put Kaitlyn in charge of dealing with are now ‘independent’ or left leaning…
“We the undersigned have no confidence in the current Labor Unity Executive structure. The current structure was an attempt to capture the diversity of views in Labor Unity. However, it has delivered the opposite result with consensus decision-making now non-existent. It is fundamentally undemocratic and does not represent the interest of the broad group.
Further, we believe the spirit of the previous structure should be revived to give weight to the views of unions, MPs and rank and file members.
We are concerned at the recent destabilisation of the Party and the impact of this on our electoral prospects.
We support the negotiated arrangements that will provide stability to the Party.”
At the time of writing 65% of LU members have signed in support of the petition.
That means that 65% of LU members have declared that the LU Executive as currently constituted no longer represents Labor Unity.
As a result of the failure by some to recognise the importance of traditional Labor Unity values such as relying on consensus as the foundation for decision making and acting in the best interests of the Party, there is only one course of action that can be taken.
We need to engage in a discussion within our group about both the rules that govern Labor Unity and the principles under which we operate.
We again assure you that we will engage with you on how to restore the group’s values and a means by which we operate, including the structures that will assure our future success.
In respect to the new deal, 70% of the Labor Party are supporting it, including the Socialist Left, Ferguson Left and UCA along with those in Labor Unity who have initiated this deal.
We wish to thank you for your support. If you have not had the opportunity to sign the petition and wish to, you can do so in a reply email, by letter or we could arrange for someone to call and collect your signature.
Great work by all concerned… done deal!!
Thank you Andrew for the information.Your doing a good job.
LABOR UNITY GROUP
Dear Labor Unity Member,
On Monday the 19th January 2009 the Labor Unity Executive elected me as the Interim Convenor of the Labor Unity Group.
The Labor Unity Group is in crisis. As you may be aware, a number of senior members of our group have secretly met with the Socialist Left and concluded an agreement with them concerning upcoming State and Federal preselections, and positions at Party office.
It is an agreement that expands the Socialist Left at the expense of Labor Unity.
The Ferguson Left group are not a party to this agreement.
Labor Unity was founded on the principle that to make a difference you had to win Government, retain it, and govern well. We have been bestowed with a sacred trust by the Party’s members and supporters; to provide mature, principled and effective leadership to the Party.
I believe that these values continue to unite everyone in the Labor Unity Group.
It is my intention to work towards avoiding a damaging split in the Labor Unity Group. It is my plan to make a contribution to restoring the values of consensus, fair play and respect for due process that can restore the Labor Unity Group as the premier force in Victorian Labor.
It would be an intolerable indulgence for the Labor Unity Group to turn aside from its historic task because of the recent divisions that have so bedevilled us.
I acknowledge that there are real grievances between the leading members of our Group. I believe that no one side is innocent. Serious errors of judgement have brought us to this point. We all share responsibility for that.
But I also believe that each of us must accept that our first responsibility is to one another, the Party and our supporters. Not to our individual ambitions, animosities or aspirations.
In seeking to avoid a damaging split within our Group, it is my intention to seek the guidance and support of our Parliamentary Leaders, and the participation of all sections of Labor Unity and all of our affiliated trade unions, irrespective of recent divisions and animosities.
The Labor Unity Executive has resolved to reject the process that gave rise to the agreement, and on that basis to not ratify it. Nor have we been invited to do so.
However, the Labor Unity Executive will support any cross-factional agreement so long as it provides stability, fairness and is made in good faith.
The idea of a broad based “stability agreement” in the Victorian ALP is not new. It was first discussed by the Labor Unity Executive in 2007.
It is simply false to suggest that the SDA, NUW, or any other major element within Labor Unity opposed the making of a “stability” agreement with the SL and other groups within the Party. On several occasions the Labor Unity Executive unanimously endorsed opening discussions with the SL.
The failure to negotiate such an agreement throughout 2007-2008 was caused by a dysfunctional negotiating team. In particular, the endless “unavailability” of senior MPs who insisted on leading such negotiations, while never being available to conduct them, meant a frustrating paralysis.
The failure to negotiate a “stability” agreement was never caused by any impending preselection battles.
And that important fact should mean the present crisis can be averted, and a split in our group avoided.
I have been largely inactive in the internal affairs of Labor Unity and the Victorian ALP since 2002, having been focussed on my work as ALP Campaign Director in SA, then later as ALP Deputy National Campaign Director, and most recently as a Senator. I have not held any positions in the ALP Victorian Branch or the Labor Unity Group since 2002. My own experience of divisions in Labor Unity has often been a painful one! But I have learnt at least one lesson – that we must not only remember our history, we must also learn from it.
United we stand. Divided we fall.
I feel compelled to now make a contribution towards the goal of keeping Labor Unity united as a vital force within our Party.
It is my intention to remain Convenor only for so long as I can play a useful role in that task.
I seek your support, and hope that you will join with me in this undertaking.
Please feel free to contact me with any issues, concerns or suggestions you may have concerning these issues on (03) 9650 5075.
Yours in unity,
David Feeney
Interim Convenor
Labor Unity Group
Labor Unity Executive
Monday, 19th January, 2009
Resolution 1
“That the Labor Unity Executive elects Senator David Feeney as the Interim Convenor of the Labor Unity Group effective immediately.”
MOVED: M Donovan
SECONDED: C Donnelly
Resolution 2
“That the Labor Unity Executive rejects the process that gave rise to the so-called “stability agreement” and hereby resolves to not ratify that agreement made between members of the Labor Unity Group and the Socialist Left faction.
The Executive notes that this agreement has been made by LU members acting without the authority of the Executive, and acting outside the traditional processes of the LU Group.
Further, the Executive notes that in its discussions with the Ferguson Left grouping, they have indicated that they are not a Party to the so-called “stability agreement”, and have not agreed to its terms or operation.
The Executive re-states its support for the making of a broad-based cross-factional agreement in the Victorian ALP so long as it provides stability, fairness and is made in good faith.”
MOVED: J Jackson
SECONDED: R Larocca
Resolution 3
“The Executive hereby authorises the Interim Convenor to enter into discussions with those members of the LU Group who have split and entered into an alliance with the SL , with a view to restoring the commitment of the entire Labor Unity Group to the values of unity, consensus, fair play and respect for due process.
“That the Secretary of the LU Group, Noah Carroll, distribute a message from the Interim Convenor to every member of the LU Broad Group to advise them of the present crisis, and the initiatives that the LU Executive are putting in place to seek a reconciliation with those who have split from the group.
Further, the Interim Convenor of the Group shall undertake the following;
• Seek the guidance and support of the Parliamentary Leadership in ending the split in LU.
• Meet with MPs aligned to LU.
• Meet with all the affiliated unions of the Group.
• Establish whatever processes and lines of communication are required to enter into discussions with all sections of Labor Unity, irrespective of recent divisions and animosities.
The Interim Convenor shall report back to the Labor Unity Executive at a meeting of the Executive to be held at 4.30 pm on Friday, 23 January, at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices, Ground Floor Conference Room, 4 Treasury Place, East Melbourne.
MOVED: R Scott
SECONDED: A Somyurek
ALP has just guaranteed the next term in Opposition
Re Unrepresentative Rabble you are probably accurate.
Good sense now seems to be breaking out.
Feeney is an outstanding break through negotiator.
However, are there now two labor unity executives?
charlie you siily silly boy i hear belan help put this together if you cant control your own back yard how do you expect to be taken seriously by anyone you dont even run your union everyone knows belan does and he knows it too
thanks Dan for the advice
this worked out well
JB
But at all times I followed the impartial disinterested advice of my demoted Director of Strategy, Tom Cargill. Are you saying he had a conflict of interests because he wanted to be State Secretary?
falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus
igitur quite desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
Fluctuat nec mergitur
Aliquantus
ave Caesar morituri te salutant
Veni, vidi et capiebar ad anum
vir prudens non contra ventum mingit
video bona proboque deteriora sequor
super fornicam
sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
Mea davis aericumbens anguillis abundat
Pater Patriae
quem deus vult perdere, dementat prius
Acerrima proximorum odia
bortaS bIr jablu’DI’ reH QaQqu’ nay’
Be warned – we know who you are and you will be purged.
“These dogs that have not been thrown into jail
Everyone defending the bad old ways
Put an evil curse on the Five-Year Plan
And declare war on it.”
http://www.garethjones.org/soviet_articles/soviet_posters/enemies_of_5_year_plan.htm
Vhere are de socialsists in all dis? I look but cannot see dem. Dis group calls it Socialist Left, but vhere are de socialists? First dhey do deal with group led by Mr Zorro. He rat. Den dhey on de ice for years. Den dhey talk with Mr Zorro’s Trotsky friend, you know de one who knife Mr Zorro with ice pick. But Mr Kim and Mr Allan, dhey smart (you shud listening to dhem young Andrew, even if dhey not socialist)and say Mr Zorro’s Trotsky and him Tsarist friends no trust, no dealings. Dhey den do dealing with Menchevick group. No good for revolution. Dhey all Labor fakers.
Hey youall… the south will rise again!
Most of my mates are worried about still having a job in the next four months. Meanwhile Shorten and his politician mates have been doing a dirty deal to give themselves four terms (12 – 16 years) of job security.
Yes the revolution may only be achieved by my Parliamentary re-ascension.
By Order
Comrade Dargavel
Dargavel First Faction
Robin Scott will lose his seat