The " Union First " party !

Not everyone who votes for the Australian Labor Party is a union supporter, but it seems that the ALP is fast becoming the party controlled by the unions.
The ALP is supposed to be a democratic institution, but increasingly the rank and file party members are being denied the opportunity to select their candidate to contest a seat in parliament.
In a past election union boss Jennie George - a citizen of Melbourne - was parachuted into the NSW seat of Throsby by way of the notorious N-40 rule - and against the wishes of the local branches. For this coming election she will not face a rank and file vote. By sheer thuggery the ALP has intimidated any competitor from throwing his or her hat into the ring.
Now it seems the same force is to be used in the northern NSW seat of Charlton. Sitting member Kelly Hoare is to be disendorsed to make way for ACTU secretary Greg Combet. Combet - also a citizen of Melbourne - has no connection with the city of Newcastle - and when asked could not even name the main street of that city - and yet he is to be imposed as the member for this safe Labor seat without reference or approval of the local branches. Kelly Hoare's past service is to be thrown on the rubbish heap to make way for another union heavyweight.
No doubt Combet will join ex-union bosses Simon Crean, Martin Ferguson and Jennie George on the front bench - which is already seventy percent composed of ex-union people.
This says a lot about the thinking of the ALP. It has become the " Union First " party and if it wins office we can expect a return to the bad old days when unions ruled the roost. Many people remember union control of this country's ports right after WW11 - when union members blatantly broke open slings of cargo to pilfer cigarettes and alcohol - and if the owners dared complain there was an immediate strike. Those in NSW will also remember union control of the power industry leading to frequent blackouts as union leaders used strikes to blackmail the government.
Many will think long and hard as to whether they want to see the unions back in control !