"If you wish to assault democracy, first you attack the unions."

[Matilda]

This is part of Kim Beazley's Valedictory Speech in the House on
Thursday. To quote Alan Ramsey in today's Sydney Morning Herald"
"If enough of his other 1931 parliamentary speeches ... had been as
candid, as forthright, as uncompromising, as well as engaging, as was
his 1932nd speech, Kim Christian Beazley ... might well have persuaded
the Australian people to make him the prime minister he so dearly wanted
to be".

More of what Beazley had to say about the importance of unions:

"It is no accident the union movement is now being abused up hill and down dale by our political opponents. Understand this: when you wish to assault democracy, first you attack the unions. When you wish to restore democracy, first you start with the unions. It is no accident the opposition in Zimbabwe now is led by the unions. It is no accident they are the heart and soul of what gives force and power to the democratic movement in Zimbabwe".

(snip)

"I recollect when I first came into this place the walls of Eastern Europe were cracking. The Soviet empire was falling apart. What was the first indication? Solidarity. What was absolutely clear was that it was a challenge the Soviet Union could not handle. A challenge of free unions was something a dictatorial Communist Party could not handle. That was the key to establishing democracy throughout Eastern Europe. If you undermine unions, if you undermine democracy in the workplace, then you undermine democracy in the nation overall. First destroy the unions, then you destroy democracy.

(snip)

"I have the American figures. In 1972 the average chief executive officer earned 30 times that of the average worker. In 1997 it had risen to 116 times and last year it was 300 times. The same sort of statistics would apply here. When you see those ads and you understand the meaning behind them of what happens these days to somebody on an AWA, and then you watch failing executives walk away with multimillion-dollar payments, fair dinkum, there are things still not right in this country. Part of that process of putting them right is the trade union movement."

The whole speech is available on Hansard (you can't link direct to the
PDF file, so just click on The House, September 20th):

http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/hansreps.htm

or Alan Ramsey's excellent summary:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/in-departure-the-glory-that-was-missing/2007/09/21/1189881775006.html

Ramsey also has a bit to say on the churlishness of our beloved PM and
his minions. While 45 Opposition members were in the House to hear
Beazley's speech, only Andrew Robb was present on the Government benches
at the start. Halfway through, he was joined by Petro Georgiou, Brendan
Nelson and eight backbenchers. Howard did not grace the chamber with
his presence, nor did any ministers other than Robb and Nelson appear.
To quote Ramsey "John Howard remains a miserable toad". And an ignorant
little prick as well. How pathetically small he is.

[anakie]

1. what could have been.

he is far too nice to be in that game. I believe he could have been a great prime minister. And typical of the pettiness of Howard and co not turning up for a senior member's farewell speech.

Fingers and everything else is crossed in anticipation of their defeat come election time.

Peace