Labor
SALVATION: Dargavel to lead the Left’s biggest union to the Labor Right’s promised land
The state secretary of the AMWU in Victoria Steve Dargavel has publicly committed himself to a bold and patriotic move in favour of scrapping the local component of ALP preselections for Victoria’s upper house.
His plan will be strongly opposed by his former faction, the Socialist Left, who love paying lip service to locals voting in plebiscites. Their dispute has played itself out in The Australian today.
The most intriguing aspect of the dispute is a counter-proposal to elect the LegCo positions one at a time, a change that would create a winner-take-all scenario in multi-member electorates like the upper house and Senate. While this has been the model in the Liberal party for some time, the ALP has usually favoured “power-sharing” and “proportional representation” in preselections to ensure all factions get their fair share. The Libs prefer to pretend factions don’t exist.
Patriots across the Party are hopeful that Dargavel’s linking up with the SDA could mean a formal realignment of his supporters within the union with the SDA and other prominent Labor Right forces.
While Dargavel’s position in the union is to some extent seen as ceremonial, he is not without clout given the respect he is held by people associated with the Workers’ First group, that once controlled the state Metals division of that union. While the Metals division has it own boss, Dargavel has influence within it and hopes to be able crush dissent from those remaining loyal to the national office of the AMWU who are believed to be close with Federal Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr, the leader of the Socialist Left in Victoria.
As one of the Socialist Left’s biggest unions, the defection of the AMWU to the Right could be the beginning o f end of that faction that once lorded it over the Victorian ALP.
Dargavel is thought to have more in common than previously thought with the leadership of the SDA and coalition partners at the National Union of Workers.
In addition the boss of the CFMEU Construction division in Victoria, Bill Oliver, is thought to have much in common with the social values that make the SDA a champion of the family and the unborn. While very unusual in a militant left-winger, Oliver makes no secret of his socially conservative views that he believes are shared by many of his members.
Oliver, unlike Dargavel, is seen as more firmly in control of his union too. Dargavel has many shades of lefty opinion and different levels of compliance with the Kim Carr Way within his organisation. Bill Oliver – while socially conservative – is unlikely to accept democratic obstruction or dissent within his union.
Like patriot Michael Donovan at the SDA, he runs a tight ship.
Dargavel is more of a mainstream lefty on policy issues but as a former federal MP has demonstrated a willingness to be pragmatic to achieve outcomes. One important objective for Dargavel is to use his new found alliances to win back a seat in the federal parliament, possibly in Scullin. This would cause considerable amusement in anti-Left circles as some had expected SL Secretary Andrew Giles to claim that prize when Speaker Harry Jenkins retires from his gilded hereditary cage.
Widespread thinking within the Socialist Left that Dargavel was merely quietly using pressure on his colleagues to improve outcomes for his union has now been contradicted by publicly pursuing a rules change to scrap local voting in upper house preselections.
“By going public, Dargavel has made a big commitment to the SDA, and whatever one thinks about whether local members should be able to vote in preselections, it’s definitely a courageous move that shows just how big the Labor Right could grow in coming years in Victoria,” one operative noted this morning.
In its fine tradition of Stalinism, it is understood the Socialist Left will be unleashing a variety of punishments on Dargavel but it might be too late. The horse has bolted. And the Dargavel stallion is headed to Canberra.
Discussion
14 comments for “SALVATION: Dargavel to lead the Left’s biggest union to the Labor Right’s promised land”
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Another attempt by VEXNEWS (the official organ of Party Secretary Newnham) to spread misinformation and provoke conflict.
Dargavel has not left the Socialist Left faction, nor has he suddenly become a convert to the Labor Right. Just because the SL unions won’t obey Kim Carr doesn’t make them right-wingers.
But given that earlier predictions by VEXNEWS (i.e. Newnham et al) that Dargavel would be forced by his national office to ‘tow the Carr line’ have turned to nothing, this is VEXNEWS’ next play; to try and discredit Dargavel as a left wing figure in the labour movement.
It’s just a transparent attempt by the VEXNEWS faction to try and talk up a stability deal that is already dead.
Is the above rant-code for Feeney loves Vex when it’s nice to him but hates it and rants about it when it writes inconvenient truths that disrupt his latest odd scheme for world domination?
If Dargavel truly supports the rights of the unborn and the family, Vex is right to praise him. We share your scepticism about that, but Landeryou is frequently right about these things and is willing to shine light in the darkest of places.
Frankly we are rather sick of dummy spitters, sulkers and losers who stalk around and are willing to embrace Vex when it agrees with them but completely lose it when they don’t.
The freedom of the press they believe in is that practised in Beijing and Burma.
Hasn’t Vex spent the whole week laying waste to Somyurek’s many enemies in the south-east in a style reminiscent of Johnny Rambo. Does that make Vex Somyurek’s official organ too. Or is it just that Feeney’s hand is constantly on his own official organ?
Maybe rather than being controlled by anyone, Vex calls it how it is, without fear, favour or faction as a consideration.
I am personally delighted Dargavel has bravely indicated his co-operation with the SDA. Whether it means much is the big question, no-one thinks he can deliver jack-shit. Including Feeney who has admitted this widely.
I personally would like real answers from the NUW without the usual bravado about numbers that aren’t there, false dawns, Panzer divisions ready to roll and such.
But real answers to tough questions.
Like, what is the utility of a numbers man with no numbers.
What is the point of going to Canberra at all if you can’t build the Victorian Right not allow it to be taken over by Neanderthals and buffoons.
Buffoons who succeeded in bumping him off as State Secretary, in the most disgraceful circumstances.
And then tried on Newnham days before Christmas in the most ham-fisted joke coup attempt since the days of Colonel Rabuka in Fiji
I think Feeney needs to look himself in the mirror. How can he defend these people? It’s clear his heart isn’t in it.
And why is bumping off Conroy his new obsession?
Does he not realise how stupid this is?
The backlash will be felt for a very long time.
Conroy plans to rip off the top of his skull and slowly snack on Feeney’s large yet under-utilised brain as is popular in some Asian markets.
Will it take the complete disintegration of the HSU under his mates’ appalling stewardship for him to realise that he doesn’t have to pretend to be king of the castle to be loved?
More policy less swagger please.
Who cares about the stability deal, if the Socialist Left falls apart, then we should all be cheering. But it probably won’t, let’s be realistic, despite occasional posturing and Feeney waving around a piece of paper in the manic style of Neville Chamberlin, the numbers are locked in. The die is cast.
And the subject of the NUW’s hatred, Steve Newnham, is still State Secretary isn’t he?
So if the stability deal is “already dead”, wouldn’t he be too?
Stick that in your red MG and smoke it.
I hate this site.I was the one who encouraged Oliver and Dargavel to align themselves with the SDA but I dont get called couragous by VEXNEWS like Steve does. I just get highlighted for my uncontrolable appitite for high paid international transexual prostitues. When is VEXNEWS going to get over this and acknowledge my greatness and the fact that I’m clearly smarter than anyone who was, anyone who is, and anyone who will be?
I’m waiting for anybody, AMWU or elsewhere, to defend Aussie jobs, unlike Doug Cameron, retired to the red. The silence of union bosses [not "leaders"] re government-aided jobs and industries destruction: “proud to be union” for opportunist [union]bosses?
Fitzgibbon… bought by communists. Conroy… fantasizing about the Russian mafia. Amusing days indeed.
steve cannot even deliver the sandwiches
Dargavel is the front man for the real power below. He doesn’t do anything without clearing it with the Metals Secretary first. Dave Oliver and Julius Roe in the National Office are shitting themselves because they no longer have any power and everyone knows it. The Metals and the CFMEU are sick of politics as usual. Carr/ Griffin equal politics as usual. Giles represents politics as usual. the AMWU National Office equals politics as usual. Time to move on. Rebalance of forces in the Right prompts rebalance of forces in the Left. When the music stops, not everyone gets a seat.
Dargavel commands no support from rank and file in his union. He was put there by the National Office, pure and simple and the only man worth talking to besides Dave Oliver is Garry Rob. Its those two who run the metals and not this pretend want to be battler for blue collar workers. When the music stops another song will break out and it will sound out a great tune early next week. Top ten chart stuff I expect!
Sounds like Vic unions are in as fine form as NSW ones. God, no wonder so few people want to be in unions.
the UCA will be the big winners out of all this and once again Dean Mighells billiance at pre-selection time will shine through
Dargavel has never truly been a lefty! Its all been a farce to further his political aspirations, of which he has many. Whats left of the union movement might wake up and smell the coffee. The likes of Dargavel arent interested in representing the members its all about him!
G’day mate, how about a beer in the John Curtin?
You boys, you would much rather have a peek up my skirt at my chantilly lace thong, than hang around with these useless union lefty types.
Not even with a preop transexuals wedding tackle would I go there Inga