From: "Marcus Strom" <MSTROM-AT-nswtf.org.au>
To: marxism-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu
Date:          Fri, 15 Mar 1996 10:15:30 GMT+10
Subject:       Re: Tweed Valley Fruit Processing Company


> Date:          Thu, 14 Mar 1996 18:34:07 +1000 (EST)
> From:          g.maclennan-AT-qut.edu.au (g.maclennan)
> Subject:       Re: Tweed Valley Fruit Processing Company

Last night, I was at the Strawberry Hills Hotel in down town Surry 
Hills where I bumped into three researchers from the Australian 
Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU). They informed me that the union 
was going to have a big win there.

The media and the company and the government have been saying that 
the enterprise agreement is non union. This is true, however, there 
always have been union members at the factory. There are about 40 
workers there, and there were about 6 union members. There are now 
about 10 and more want to join. This is good.

The case is in the industrial court today....

Now. Lindsay Tanner.

> 
> I was especially interested in the Labor Left's Lindsay Tanner's assessment.
> Classic Popular Front stuff- too much reform too quickly, need to get back
> in touch with the base, no need to fundamentally change direction.  Yet he
> was covering  up for 13 of near total betrayal. Still he has won golden
> opionions  in the capitalist media and now he is definitely looking like the
> young man most likely to...
> 
> I wonder if Ken or Jeff could post something on Tanner and the Left in
> victoria.  The Socialist Left here in Brisbane is pretty woeful.  Tanner
> alone seems to have any theoretical base.

When I was a university student, I was involved in establishing the 
National Union of Students. Lindsay Tanner was one of the behind the 
scenes people of the Labor student faction. I was a member of the 
then Communist Party dominated Left Alliance faction.

Tanner loves the backroom deal, the secrets and the factionalism of 
the Labor Party. He was involved in the Australian Union of Students 
(which liquidated in 1984) and played an advisor role to the ALP 
students in 1987 when NUS was established.

He was involved in brokering the deal between the ALP and the 
Communist Party students which led to the NUS's formation. It was a 
deal I was vehemently opposed to.

Tanner is a nationalist, is member for Port Melbourne, which is 
solidly working class, has a dockland, has migrant workers, employed 
in industries 'protected' by tariffs.

Tanner is most likely to??? What??? I don't know what you are getting 
at.

Another ALP member of parliament who was elected at the last election 
is an old acquaintance of mine, Anthony Albanese. He is 32, in one of 
the safest ALP seats in the country and is a number cruching head 
kicker in a way that is usually reserved for the ALP right wing.

If Tanner and Albanese were to unite their forces in the ALP, they 
could form a considerable bloc. They both see themselves as 
'socialists', and after a few beers, Albanese is very left wing. He 
is Tom Uren's 'political son'.

I think that these people could play the role of a Ken Livingstone in 
the future. They are staunchly pro-Labor party.

In any revolutionary situation in their political lifetimes, they 
would move a long way to the left , but would be very 
counterrevolutionary.

Maybe Jeff or others know more about Tanners more recent activities. 
I can keep my eye on Albanese (!)

Marcus


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