tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380804.post112702683491744873..comments2023-09-19T19:45:50.854+12:00Comments on Spanblather: union myths - #3 unions are just like businessesSpanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16896745511007816190noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380804.post-1132735316053578272005-11-23T21:41:00.000+13:002005-11-23T21:41:00.000+13:00i'd also be keen to know how much say the members ...i'd also be keen to know how much say the members of the EB had in their sect spending their dosh promoting National... the point is that union members do have a say in the political activities of their organisation. i suspect (although i'd quite like to be wrong) that EB members do not have such democratic structures in place.<BR/><BR/>especially given that the EB raised the money through businesses that are partly so profitable because they employ EB members and can opt out of parts of the employment law due to their EB nature.<BR/><BR/>did they ask the workers who amassed that money for them?Spanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16896745511007816190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380804.post-1132647198339237662005-11-22T21:13:00.000+13:002005-11-22T21:13:00.000+13:00I think the nub of the EB problem was that they we...I think the nub of the EB problem was that they weren't honest, rather than that it was a church putting out the leaflets. If a raving pack of fundamentalist victorian throwbacks are going to tell us how to vote they might do us the courtesy of telling us they represent (cf Maxim Institute). If a union was anonymously putting out potentially slanderous leaflets (please god, tell me none of them did) I'd expect the same amount of furore.Frank Stupidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11288731628049347676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7380804.post-1132643211095732512005-11-22T20:06:00.000+13:002005-11-22T20:06:00.000+13:00I have no problem with Union's right to existance,...I have no problem with Union's right to existance, Union's right to raise money and spend it however it sees fit to further it's interests.<BR/><BR/>The parallel is the EBs have the right to practice their religion, organise as they wish, and spend their money however they see fit to further their interests.<BR/><BR/>What is interesting is that the four named Unions directly involve themselves in Labour - Winnie Laban became Mana MP only because the SFWU stacked the selection meeting (they actually bussed members in) to prevent the more talented Kevin Watson from winning selection.<BR/><BR/>Given the choice of the National Candidate in Mana 2002 and Kevin Watson, I would have voted Watson. <BR/><BR/>Despite the common myth, the EBs had no say in Nat Policy or candidate selection - they just liked it enough to stick their money behind it.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com