Politics
TALIBAN: Left on left violence breaks out over Melbourne Trades Hall
Bronwyn Halfpenny, daughter of late communist firebrand John Halfpenny, is believed to be planning to challenge Victorian Trades Hall boss Brian Boyd in their elections next year.
Halfpenny who works at the Trades Hall, was an official at the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Boyd hails from the construction division of the CFMEU.
The speculation follows much earlier talk that the “Taliban Unions” (as the extreme left unions are affectionately known by more moderate industrial organisations) would be looking to behead Boydy at the earliest possible opportunity. One leading Talibanist is former federal MP and born-again unionist Steve Dargavel, who continues to fail to criticise his faction-master Industry Minister Kim Carr despite Carr’s support for tariff cuts and other free-market reforms.
The Trades Hall elections are due next year.
The Taliban’s favoured Mullah to replace Boyd was Michelle O’Neill but her recent elevation to the National Secretary of the Textiles Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia seems to have ruled her out of contention.
Moderate union leaders seriously question Halfpenny’s bid though. “She not up to it”, one told VEXNEWS. “If it is put to a ballot, and the left unions split, the right unions would support Boyd over any Taliban candidate delivering him victory.”
The knockabout Boyd - a one-time Maoist and crazy - has shown a remarkable ability to win over friends on the other side of the aisle, from the Grollo construction family, many in the Labor Right and even former Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett with whom he regularly met during Kennett’s term to sort out construction disputes for mutual benefit.
Discussion
12 comments for “TALIBAN: Left on left violence breaks out over Melbourne Trades Hall”
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What is this I be hearing about Taliban unions ?
In 1997, the Taliban and Unocal had meetings in Texas to negotiate arrangements for CentGas to build a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan.
You laugh at the left and say they are Taliban. Yet US companies do business with these ppl and you stay silent.
More left unions employ more women than any right-wing union except for the oxygen thiefs at the Shoppies of Southbank.
And some of them are chicks with dicks.
Is Steve Dargavel German for analingus
Brian Boyd is legend written up on the walls of the Trade Hall toilets.
Trades all is an anachronism and should be abandoned in favour of a federal employee system. The days of trade demarcation are well and truly part of history. It is time to re-evaluate the need for Trades Halls and replace it with a much more relevant and professional organisation that truly represents workers interests as opposed to bank rolling personal power struggles and political campigns.
Go girl go. Do your dad proud.
Bronwyn has more balls then Boyd
Boyd is an arse-hole and has more enemies then friends. His time of reckoning has arrived. They do not get more corrupt then Brian Boyd.
Trades Hall needs a shake-up
Boyd is not as fat as Pauline Fegan from the HSU
MMMMMMMMMMMMM Fat chicks I luv em
Yawn.
don’t u mean licked more balls than boyd..then again…
Jack Halfpenny,was one of my favourite Unionists,and at protests about Uranium mining,and such matters,there was something good about seeing him,although slightly overweight then by drinking after work.. with real workers still on the job.I had hoped he would end up as President of the ACTU,but fights with the Member for Wills about safety matters concerning a bridge,probably meant it was a no go zone whilst Hawke gets removed to upstairs and off to Canberra.It was good thinking I was a sort of Socialist,without a union membership,but going with the flow of what seemed good attitudes,good ideas,and good motivations.He also attended marketing conferences,and was generally accepted as progressive,and that,may of meant an ease with business people,if they found him easy.It probably remains the same today,that if someone is a socialist ,it must mean a practical approach,not a pragmatic approach,which is a political word,rather than a Union word of trade and related words.I dont know anything about the incumbent,but there are some lousy attitudes towards Green type issues in protest mode,whereas big blokes should be able to insist on any number of flexible solutions,if jobs cannot remain in the same manner.I am not sure of second generation politics,I think that is why,Labor doesn’t really represent worker opinion today validly.Because whilst they may have been close in parent or grandparent form,the union becomes a filter rather than a multitude of eyes.A Maoist connection seems to be driven to please China,as potential investor shareholders.If that be the case,it seems teenage,not independent,and not focused on Australian problems existing in Australian circumstances,with some other value that doesn’t con,but represents effectively.I maybe over harsh,and thus this opinion would then be invalid.
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