tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5952277586613848648.post1371806880127352198..comments2024-03-02T11:36:17.816-08:00Comments on ALP Socialist Left Forum: Reviving Labor: Rethinking Small Goverment and Internal DemocracyVaughann722http://www.blogger.com/profile/11604027151490275320noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5952277586613848648.post-82309107587168558132013-09-14T08:59:58.671-07:002013-09-14T08:59:58.671-07:00Our Labor Party compromise too much. The differenc...Our Labor Party compromise too much. The differences of Labor and liberals are getting smaller and smaller. I am currently trying to form a new party to unit left wing people online. Mainly targeting Social Democrats and Dengist. Anyone interested?<br />https://www.facebook.com/groups/198795400286305/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06421090839842424376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5952277586613848648.post-33547759076266431412013-09-12T17:31:03.537-07:002013-09-12T17:31:03.537-07:00The party also needs to openly and forcefully reje...The party also needs to openly and forcefully reject the asylum policy that was imposed by the caucus when Rudd returned to the leadership.<br /><br />This will be difficult because the caucus spent much of the past 2 months defending a policy that most party members regarded as pandering to racism.<br /><br />Those who played the race card, such as Bob Carr, should be censured for their disgraceful behaviour. But of course that won't happen. <br /><br />In pursuit of votes the caucus, including the so-called left (Albanese, Cameron et al) revealed themselves to be without political spine or principle. <br /><br />They are members of the 'Socialist Left'. What substantive meaning do these words have inside the ALP? It strikes me they are merely empty symbols - behind which members and MPs hide, and use to delude themselves that there is some sort of coherent left-wing politics present within the ALP. But there is not. <br /><br />The caucus get away with this disgraceful behaviour because, to be blunt, the membership have become accustomed to being treated like sh*t. And they act accordingly: subordinate, silent, quiescent and slave-like. Pathetic.<br /><br />Even in the British Labour Party, if an MP or senior party figure publically stated that it was 'madness' for the membership to be involved in selecting the party leader, the membership would revolt. Within days they would be forced to apologise or resign.<br /><br />Not inside the ALP however. Safe in the knowledge that the membership have been socialised into behaving like depoliticised sheep, figures like Conroy can openly argue against party democracy without any fear of the party holding him to account.<br /><br />After all, unity is important. Which in practice means that the caucus do and say what they want, while the members are expected to be silent and subordinate. The attitude of people like Conroy is: politics is for MPs and senators, the job of party members is to raise money and knock on doors when we tell them to.<br /><br />Saying the ALP is all we have is just not good enough.<br /><br />In the movie Bullworth, the Democratic Congressman played by Warren Beatty addresses an audience of poor black voters. He says that his party likes to pretend it listens to its members and supporters - but in practice it will never change. Because, he says, who else are you going to vote for? No one.<br /><br />Tristan, you and other sincere progressives inside the ALP are being taken for mugs.<br /><br />Mike.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com