Bazza wrote: Yes your right Menzies did try to outlaw the ACP, obviously that did not work, but that clearly has absolutley nothing to do with the confirmed infiltration of the trade union movement in Australia at the time by the communist party, which was a standard ploy they used all wround thw world, it is hard to ebelive now , but the ACP was very large and very active in 1950's Australia and the US and UK.
They saved the union movement by not allowing a full blown marxist infiltration of the union movement, many unions had predominantly working class catholics as members who were strongly opposed to communism, had it not been for them the labor movememt would of fallen under the control of the extreme left wing.
I have not heard any bleating abould the Dem Libs, who are really a nothing party, are you talking about the no 1 spot on the ticket paper and confusing name, I would of thought that it was pretty obvious considering there high primary vote that they gained a quite few donkey votes from that, and the use of the word liberal.
They only gained 1 senate seat - which is bugger all, and considering they are extreme civil and classic libertarians, I cant see the one senator posing any serious threat to the coalition. The hypoocrisy is non existant. They are in favour of very small govt and low tax.
Which is nothing like the DLP situation in the 60's , the DLP split was a break away Labor Movement that had no connection at all with the Liberal Party, It's existance its owned entirely to the failure of the labor movement to control its factions, weak/poor leadership under Evatt, Caldwell who refused any reunification discussions as they were beholden to unions who had marxists infiltration ( this is why the DLP preferenced the Libs). this lead to disenfrancising the working class irish catholic labor vote (mainly in Victoria the manufacturing heartland) that had fundamentally formed the australian labor movement.
Bazza such a revisionist and dare one say illogical view of the DLP and how it was formed. I find it incredible that you think that the supposed non-Communists, in cahoots with B A Santamaaria and Archbishop Mannix, formed the DLP and hence somehow saved the ALP and/or the Trade Union movement. One would think that for your premise to be accurate that would have made the ALP more left-wing.
The bottom line is that the DLP's sole raison d'etre was to prevent a ALP Federal Government and they were successful for a long time.
Whilst I am by no means an expert on the ALP it is my understanding that the Labor Party roots can be traced back to Queensland, NSW and SA before Victoria.
As for your dismissal of the complaints about the name LDP you are either misinformed or just disingenuous.
