I agree that if you really want to understand the fundamentals of something like communism or socialism, you need to start at the source. Only that will give you the context of understanding.

People often quote Marx (both negatively and positively) and get his values and meaning completely wrong.

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@poddster wrote:

The unions have smashed themselves, they no longer represent workers, their role is to survive in the manner that they have become used to. Union administration is a power unto it's own, it's role is to keep the organisation intact and have it funded by others.

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if, as you say - "The unions have smashed themselves" why are you in favour of spending $100 million on the witch hunt, surely following your line of thinking can only conclude that it's a total waste of money having a RC on something that has already smashed itself?

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@amber-eyed-girl wrote:
Particularly as a humorist.

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not the Marx brothers amber - or am I supposed to be laughing?

POD : ""The unions have smashed themselves"
I actually think that they have been mainly rejected/ignored by the working population over time, a form of "natural selection" (rejection), and what is left is 18% silt at the bottom,  worthy of perusal by a RC.  The terms of reference specifically mention the Australian Workers’ Union, the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, the Electrical Trades Union, the Health Services Union and the Transport Workers Union, and encompass the financial management of trade unions and union-linked organisations, the adequacy of laws governing those bodies, whether the organisations have been used to facilitate crime, and how funds are sourced for and distributed from union bodies.

B1G, Marx, along with Engels,  was much impressed with Darwin's works. I would suggest this excerpt from one of darwin's works (On the Origin of Species) : " This preservation of favorable variations and the rejection of injurious variations I shall call Natural Selection" is applicable to Communism, and its slow  but natural demise brought about by rejection of its  "injurious" effects.

The desperate effort to wave the  dusty and antique "red flag" is becoming harder as it now descends the flagpole of one of the few remaining bastions of Communism,  Cuba,  under Raul Castro.

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@monman12 wrote:

POD : ""The unions have smashed themselves"
I actually think that they have been mainly rejected/ignored by the working population over time, a form of "natural selection" (rejection), and what is left is 18% silt at the bottom,  worthy of perusal by a RC.  The terms of reference specifically mention the Australian Workers’ Union, the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, the Electrical Trades Union, the Health Services Union and the Transport Workers Union, and encompass the financial management of trade unions and union-linked organisations, the adequacy of laws governing those bodies, whether the organisations have been used to facilitate crime, and how funds are sourced for and distributed from union bodies.

B1G, Marx, along with Engels,  was much impressed with Darwin's works. I would suggest this excerpt from one of darwin's works (On the Origin of Species) : " This preservation of favorable variations and the rejection of injurious variations I shall call Natural Selection" is applicable to Communism, and its slow  but natural demise brought about by rejection of its  "injurious" effects.

The desperate effort to wave the  dusty and antique "red flag" is becoming harder as it now descends the flagpole of one of the few remaining bastions of Communism,  Cuba,  under Raul Castro.

 

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your assumptions in your post are so vast and misinformed where does one start - Darwin's theory has absolutely nothing to do with union membership, socialism or communism, I suggest you either re-read Darwin, or more than likely read Darwin. I also highly doubt you have any information re: Cuba other than what you have picked up from the Australian media and maybe some other dubious sources.

As the master of slogans, Nazi Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels is reputed to have said:

 

‘The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly — it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over … for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie.’

 

Unions are corrupt criminals....  Labor is full of union hacks...  Labor ministers are corrupt ex union criminals...

rinse and repeat...

well, well, well.....hasn't this place turned into a happy little kolkhoz  

There are a few dissenting voices though 🙂

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Unions are corrupt criminals.... Rooted within some of the most prominent ones there certainly criminal elements as exposed by ICAC.  

 

Labor is full of union hacks...yep, count the number of Labor politicians with union ties

 

Labor ministers are corrupt ex union criminals...Some of them are without doubt.