Friday, March 24, 2017

The Australian: All Shock, No Yawn

Only in Murdoch's  Australian:

SHOCK!

"New ACTU secretary Sally McManus told the Greens mayor of a Sydney inner-west council that she vigorously supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel, a stand directly at odds with Labor policy and local federal MP Anthony Albanese." (ACTU chief backed anti-Israel campaign, Brad Norington, The Australian, 21/3/17)

HORROR!

"Some observers believe Ms McManus could be amenable to using the Greens and their political influence to push Labor further to the left in backing pro-union workplace laws. The ACTU's policy on Israel is to support 'comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine' based on co-existence. While supporting past UN resolutions critical of Israel and its continued occupation of the West Bank, ACTU policy does not extend to wholehearted support for the BDS campaign. Many right-wing unions oppose it." (ibid)

Never in The Australian:

*YAWN*

ACTU Assistant Secretary Michael Borowick (who leads an outfit called the Australia Israel Labor Dialogue (AILD) and seems to spend an awful lot of time in Israel) tweeted on March 3: "Great pleasure to have met today in Tel Aviv with Eran Hermoni, the newly elected Secretary-General of the Israeli Labor Party."

3 comments:

Grappler said...

"Some observers believe Ms McManus could be amenable to using the Greens and their political influence to push Labor further to the left in backing pro-union workplace laws. The ACTU's policy on Israel is to support 'comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine' based on co-existence."

This quote seems to suggest the I/P issue is a left-right one. Surely it is one of basic humanity. You are either for apartheid, ethnic cleansing, persecution, and genocide or you are not - simple as that. That more on the right seem to be supportive of Israel than Labor Party supporters says more about the morality of some (but not all) on the right than about their position in the left-right spectrum. And unfortunately all too many Labor party supporters are willing to sacrifice their humanity for money and power too.

Time to applaud Sir Alan Duncan - a UK Tory who stood up to the party machine and criticized the "settlements". "Colonies" would be a better word.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/14/alan-duncan-to-condemn-israeli-settlements-in-blistering-speech

Apologies for the source but it was quick and easy.

MERC said...

Absolutely correct. Elementary decency mandates that you're on the side of the oppressed, always. Nothing to do with left or right.

Anonymous said...

I believe someone once said, evil flourishes when 'good men' stand by and say nothing.