Today marks 20 years since the Supreme Court of Victoria awarded the Dollar Sweets Company damages in the fight against the thugs, bullies and standover men of the Confectionary Workers Union.
This article outlines the reasons why this case is so important – why it marked a serious turning point in the thankful erosion of union power in Australia.
My advice – get some white bread, spread some Western Star butter, sprinkle some “hundreds and thousands” or “dollars” over the bread and eat away while you read this article. You’ll be glad you did.
FREEDOM: Economics, Politics and Business
As per usual, my friend Andrew Norton provides insightful and bullshit free analysis, this of his experiences at the 2020 summit.
Definitely worth a read.
FREEDOM: Economics, Politics and Business
This morning’s papers are covered in the intellectual ejaculate from Rudd’s Mass Debate, aka the 2020 Summit.
Seeing Cate Blanchett drag her six day old baby in front of the cameras all weekend had me thinking something was very wrong with it all. The best her crew could come up with was to assign 1% of all budget expenditure to the Arts. Bloody hell. Of course James Hird, the bloody Whitlamite, was there.
Talk about a wasteful, top down approach this entire media sham was… A Government with no vision, turning to high-profile Aussies in a media wankfest to seem in touch with the community.
One positive: it’s about the only time Kevin’s been in Australia since he was sworn in. Starf*cker that he is.
FREEDOM: Economics, Politics and Business
I loved this from The Age today:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/im-here-to-help-howard/2008/04/14/1208025099730.html
“Mr Howard said he continued to grieve for parliamentary colleagues who had lost their seats, and learned two things while on a recent trip to the United States. One was that Labor was praising the strength of the Australian economy overseas, but criticising the Howard government’s economic performance at home. The other was that his diplomacy needed work.
Asked at a function at the George Bush presidential library in Texas to name his top three achievements, he started with gun control. No one in the Texan audience clapped.”
FREEDOM: Economics, Politics and Business
It is the 10th Anniversary of the dispute between the Maritime Union of Australia and the Patrick Corporation, a dispute which led to the end of union corruption, thuggery and sloth on the docks, and the beginning of a new era of prosperity in Australia.
The docks used to be dreadfully inefficient, filled with lazy, protected workers who would unload ships every so often, if they felt like it. When the Patrick Corporation took the supreme effort to break the monopoly, they created workplaces which were more efficient and open. Most importantly, it meant that Australian imports and exports didn’t sit on the docks, wasting time and money for everyone, and instead meant Australians benefitted from cheaper goods and greater export opportunities and income.
It was truly one of the greatest milestones in the smashing of the century old industrial arbitration framework, established by that goose, Justice Higgins. Chris Corrigan, a true hero to all Australians, and a man we ALL owe a lot of our current prosperity to, rightly mocked the union movement’s moment of silence.
The MUA never got over it, their bully boy tactics failed. But never happy, they’re now hoping to dig up the bones of the dispute and attempt to prove that Corrigan and the Liberal Government conspired illegally. GET OVER IT.
There is a magnificent editorial in today’s The Australian, which rightly recognises Corrigan’s role as a leader and hero to all Australians.
FREEDOM: Economics, Politics and Business
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