Labor
SOCIALISTS AT WAR: Left on Left blood feud over control of the SL
The Socialist Left faction is reeling from what appears to be the loss of two of its biggest unions, the AMWU and CFMEU Construction.
Essentially it is a battle between the leadership of Senator Kim Carr and Alan Griffin against a ragtag band of rebels led by former federal MP Steve Dargavel.
It isn’t clear whether Dargavel is attempting to leave the Socialist Left or take it over with leverage from the leadership of certain Labor Right unions. Dargavel is thought to be undecided on that, or at least unwilling to admit to it to leftist colleagues, if he has.
It would be a highly controversial move given the central role the AMWU has traditionally played within the Socialist Left faction.
Dargavel and his colleague in extremism Bill Oliver signed a deal with leaders of Labor Right unions that involved a pact of sorts over ALP preselections and more controversially agreement over a range of other issues that could involve government decisions including the expenditure of money and the issue of which union gets coverage over different phases of state construction projects. There is concern in some quarters about the probity issues that might arise from using government decisions to buy votes in preselections or vice versa.
Despite all the clever dealing aimed at destroying them, the Carr-Griffin regime is showing no sign of surrendering to Dargavel.
Showing that same ruthless and brutal fighting spirit that Beijing organised in 1989, the troops from the western provinces have been brought in, the tanks fuelled and a ready to roll to show the ultra-left rebels a thing or two.
Tonight, the Socialist Left general meeting convenes to discuss the issues.
To say the Leftists are in a fighting mood somewhat understates it. Some are beside themselves with rage about Dargavel’s presumption.Think Didier Drogba after that cheating skunk ref stole a recent Champions League semi-final and gave it to the undeserving Barca.
There is a wild, out-of-control fury within the ranks of the Socialist Left at the moment. Usually the kind the reserve for patriotic publications like VEXNEWS.
Certain officials from the CFMEU Construction and the AMWU have conducted themselves in a way that can only be interpreted as trying to maximise pain and anxiety within the Socialist Left.
“It’s not even outcome focused, it’s all about egos,” one seasoned observer noted.
The meeting will be considering the issue of a vacancy at Head Office.
Backed by the AMWU is Andy Richards, an official at the union that Dargavel and more particularly Gary Robb is keen to look after to retain his loyalty while also reducing their payroll by $100,000.
Richards is a Geelong city councillor and is regarded as a fairly sensible chap by those who deal with him down there, despite his affiliation with Steve Dargavel, who is even described by the sympathetic as a “barking psycho feral mad bastard.” And that’s on good days.
Whether he’ll still be able stay on the Geelong council while working for a political party is yet to be worked out by those who wish to mark all political party member local government councillors with some kind of Satanic logo on the forehead.
In any event, Richards now has a serious problem according to SL insiders.
His endorsement from the AMWU, in the context of them teaming up with Labor Right unions, is likely to cause him considerable injury.
His chief rival is thought to be Dean Rizzetti, a young leftist who formerly worked with Jenny Macklin, the federal minister for various kinds of do-gooding. Rizzetti is a former operative of the notoriously corrupt University of Melbourne Student Union.
But his main qualification tonight is having nothing to do with the “In the Red faction” rebels.
Factional observers were confident that the Carr-Griffin empire would triumph over the rebellion. For tonight anyway.
Emperor Carr and Darth Griffin had something of a victory today when it emerged that the Socialist Lefty and CFMEU ally Brian Tee had been “encouraged” to resign from Admin so that he wouldn’t be obliged to vote with the CFMEU Construction boss-coq Bill Oliver, further weakening the rebel position on Admin, where they weren’t that strong to begin with.
We’ll update when we hear which comrade has been successful.
UPDATE: It wasn’t even close in the end. Andy Richards thought it best not to attend, all 86 votes were cast in favour of Rizzetti. Kremlinologists are now at liberty to interpret this intriguing event.
Discussion
31 comments for “SOCIALISTS AT WAR: Left on Left blood feud over control of the SL”
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Dean has the rare distinction of looking- and sounding- like a hat full of assholes. He is notoriously intolerant of LU types with few exceptions. Unlikely to follow the friendly and leisurely path walked down by Comrade Predecessor Vaughan.
Desperate attempt to bore us further. Bring on the dancing lobsters!!
How someone like Richards can earn $100k anywhere is an outrage, his IQ is on the level of a Sheltered Workshop smiler.
I don’t believe Richards earns anywhere near the $100K that’s been implied here. However the IQ level isn’t a factor within the AMWU as several officials within the “Vroom Vroom” Division get paid extremely close to this figure and are as dumb as dogshit.
SL is on the way out. 86 people at an SL meeting. who’s kidding who. rebels probably don’t care what the vote was. what are the 86 going to do when the right get back together with the rebels and the SL are out on the own.
left unions probably didn’t turn up because the SL doesn’t matter to them anymore. must mean they have actually split and joined the NUW.
Some people have short memories. Andy Richards is damn good at focussing on what progressives have in common, not on their differences.
That was how he co-ordinated the successful ‘Your Rights at Work’ campaign in Corangamite.
What did his detractors actually do to contribute to removing Howard? Andy has the score on the board.
He is also capable of moving his lips without his employers hand up his back – a big difference to a couple of his colleagues.
And he is a major improvement on the former Councillor for Buckley Ward, failed MCC Lord Mayoral Candidate McMullin.
Great story – vintage vexnews
Welcome back from six months of Pravdaesque reporting under the tutelage of Chairman Carr.
Keep up the good work.
Remember keep it simple
Left on Left discord= good
Right on Right discord= bad
Andy Richards is a product of the WA right, has work for a Wayne Swan, lived with Mark Arbib and worked for the SDA in south australia and now takes his instructions from Corio federal MP again from the right of city of geelong matters.
Unfortunately I get this drivel on a Google search and, sometimes, given nodding acquaintance with some of those mentioned, find it moderately amusing. Not so fussed on the character assassination based on anonymous sources and the general lack of principle, progressive or otherwise, though.
This time, though, you have gone too far, way too far.
Barca undeserving? You’ve got to be kidding. The implied support for Chelsea against Barcelona just about sums up your politics.
Suppose you’re big on Real Madrid as well.
i hear the minister for water has made many promises to the cfmeu with state government money
Barca undeserving indeed. Demolition job on that Man U mob this morning demonstrates Andrew knows nothing about football. It is however in keeping with his insistence all along that the Carr,Griffin/ShortCon deal was game over. It seems to have gone into extra time with everybody on the edge of their seats.
Rizzetti – good choice for the SL.
Can’t believe that the left would want to put someone else in. He is the walking messiah – the next Phil Cleary in the making.
Go lean, green, fighing Dean!
green Dean has done what he always does, thrown some grenades and then run away overseas on the ETU’s money for a couple of weeks so he doesn’t have to take any responsibility for not delivering while the heats on.
Imagine who he’s calling from his hotel phone in Gemany- Olga the half-guy!!!
He is not the only Dean who will be happy. As Watsonia Branch President Dean has been in league with another Dean, also of MUSU fame, or should we say “infamey”.
If Dean Sherriff engineered this then he is even more scary than we give him credit for. We need to “shoot the Sherriff”.
Perhaps Mighell could ring Gertude the She-Dude
Ahh, once again the SL shows it’s relevance.
The S.L could’nt organise a s*** fight in a diarrhoea epidemic. How desperate is Dargavel to be running to ****face Thow at the NUW?
anon 9:55
I think you mean Qld, not W.A.
Equally as far off track is your comment about Andy taking orders from Marles in Corio.
Thankfully he is one ALP Councillor who isn’t run by either the local Warlords or, as with Mitchell and Farrell, the the Independent – Liberal ‘majority’.
Take a tip, don’t ever try and navigate your way across the country unassisted. If your navigation ability in the real world is anything like your knowledge of who is up who in the ALP you would get lost and die in the Simpson Desert while trying to cross the Nullabor!
Champions League winners 09. Take that bitter Chelsea writer…woohoo!
Ich Bin Ein Dean!
Where is the love for Chelsea? Please note picture of my bedroom.
Andy,
I see the ‘Flinders St Soviet’ is reporting that Fed Ex will determine pre-selection for Shorten’s seat of Maribyrnong as well as O’Connors seat and a number of state seats including Seitz’, as a result of ‘O’s report on Brimbank.
Why isn’t State seat of Essendon included?
Apparently ‘indep’ Moonee Valley Councillor Shirley Cornish as well as son & daughter-in-law of Bob Sercombe signed up at the Moonee Ponds branch meeting on Wed. night.
TNext day (28th) Cornish was heard to claim at a local infrastructure project launch that she would make a better local member than (incumbent Judy Maddigan’s preferred successor) Natalie Sykes-Hutchins.
Cornish is known to be close to Sercombe supporters in Moonee Valley’s West Ward, most of which was formerly in the City of Keilor.
Is there to be a Sercombe challenge for the Essendon State Seat?
Focus on Essendon resulting from a Sercombe candidacy would add to troubles for Sykes-Hutchins, who already has to overcome the Brimbank ’snouts in the trough’ climate to sell a “second-parliamentary-income-in-the-family” (she is married to NSW Senator Steve Hutchins) to residents of this marginal seat.
Dean has the rare distinction of looking- and sounding- like a hat full of assholes. He is notoriously intolerant of LU types with few exceptions. Unlikely to follow the friendly and leisurely path walked down by Comrade Predecessor Vaughan.
The Dancing Lobsters of an earlier post would be a massive improvement on Judy Maddigan as state member for Essendon, she is bloody useless.
nice work
Pls. Chelsea buy a new attacking midfielder
i whant to be among chelsea footballer
I LOVE TO BE CHELSEA FAN TILL I DIE
up up up up chelsea, thats my club 4 life.