Israeli–Palestinian conflict

[stui magpie]

^

Looks like Labor have zero tolerance. She's apparently been suspended from the party room and put under pressure to resign.

Gotta have solidarity, comrades.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-30/ ... /104041246

[Magpietothemax]

Those who agree with genocide cannot tolerate anyone who breaks ranks. Either you're in with genocide, or you're out. It is a simple rule of political criminallity.

[What'sinaname]

^

Looks like Labor have zero tolerance. She's apparently been suspended from the party room and put under pressure to resign.

Gotta have solidarity, comrades.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-30/ ... /104041246

This is the left remember, the saviours of democracy.

[stui magpie]

^

Except within the party, then you have to vote the party line regardless of your personal beliefs apparently, like Penny Wong voting against same sex marriage because that was the party position.

I guess that is democracy in a way, but an authoritarian kind where the minority are forced to bend to the will of the majority with no dissent permitted.

[What'sinaname]

Another mis-step by AnAl.

Read the room. Does it really matter if someone descents on such a delicate issue that affects that person's constituency?

It reeks of a PM losing his grip.

[nomadjack]

For better or worse it's always been a part of ALP organisation and culture. You sign a pledge when you join the party to abide by party policy decisions and the expectation has always been that if you can't do that, you walk. Party solidarity has always been critical and a core cultural value for a party that relies upon members sticking together for its power rather than external resources. For a senator elected because they wear the party badge (and presumably reflect party policy) rather than because of a personal following, it arguably makes more sense democratically that they stick to party policy or walk. ALP parliamentary members are regarded as delegates of the wider party organisation which sets policy - there has never been much tolerance for breaking from this which is why conscience votes are rare. Within the Libs, the org culture is different with the party organisation considered subservient to MPs (at least in theory if not in practice). Would you be more comfortable with an MP being elected as a representative of a specific set of party policies, and then once elected, taking positions counter to these?

[stui magpie]

^

To be fair though, she was elected before this current conflict started, so while the ALP would have had some sort of policy on where they stood about Palestine and Israel, it wouldn't have been front of mind and something that she would have specifically agreed to support and then backed down.

[nomadjack]

^^^
True. But that's not really the point. The party rules are clear on party solidarity and the obligations on individual members. You either fall into line with the position the party comes to through its internal processes or you walk away. She's not the first to be placed in this position and won't be the last.

[stui magpie]

Maybe the party rules need to be reviewed then. What was a strength over 100 years ago when there were no Females in Parliament, let alone young Muslim ones or gay ones etc, may not be a strength in the 21st century.

As the party gets more diverse it's going to get harder to make everyone fall into line behind the handful of old white men who pull the strings and make the decisions.

[David]

[nomadjack]

^^^
Don't disagree with any of that David or Stui. The party's base is far too narrow to be sustainable at the moment and is full of hacks and spivs. Can't see it changing in the foreseeable future though. Not until the cross-benches get large enough to force change.

[stui magpie]

The cross bench just got larger, Senator Payman has quit the Labor party, moves to the cross benches.

[David]

Good for her, and an indictment on her former party. Hope she can be a strong voice for her community as an independent or minor party member.

[nomadjack]

Her involvement with Drury is interesting. More major party fragmentation to come one would expect. Good news as far as I'm concerned.

[Magpietothemax]

Albanese has just created a "special envoy on anti-Semitism", Jillian Segal.
What is her record?
Defended the bombing of hospitals in Gaza because "Hamas burrows itself into medical facilities".
Claimed that the West Bank and East Jerusalem should not be designated as "Occupied Palestinian territories" because this "denies the Jewish claim to the West Bank and Jerusalem"
Called for university students and staff to inform on anti-genocide student protesters exercising their democratic rights on university campuses.

"Segal is a representative of the pro-Israel lobby. The business executive and lawyer has explicitly defended the fascistic crimes of the Zionist regime, including those that openly violate international law and involve the systematic dehumanisation of the entire Palestinian population."

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/0 ... n-j10.html