Mark Aarons’ article, “Labor’s ties that grind”, in the March 1-2 edition of the Sydney Morning Herald is wildly wrong about the relationship between the trade unions and the Labor Party, and the democratic prospects of the Labor Party.
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The deeper dynamic of the November 24 federal election and of Australian politics since 2004 has been about the desires and commitment of working people to assert their basic rights. Kevin Rudd limited himself to applauding the trade unions’ role in the James Hardie asbestos diseases dispute, but millions of people are far more assertive about the need for effective trade unions in our society, and this often linked strongly to other social justice and environmental issues in the election.
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