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Among other attributes, 'Ruddism' seems to encompass an ALP that is keener than before to distance itself from the trade unions which are affiliated to it. The divide rose sharply last week when the ETU was targeted for the comments of its Southern States secretary Dean Mighell who was short shifted out of the party. Later, after the party leadership flagged that it would keep the building industry union watchdog set up by Howard, other unionists started screaming foul and suggesting that they may -- or their funds at least may -- walk. This issue has been pitched as a challenge to the ALP left by Bob Gould (one of its ALP lefts keenest adherents) as a line in the sand as it heralds, in his estimation, a major push by the ruling class to drive the unions from the ALP. This topic of union affiliation to the ALP has often been debated on the GLW list and this is another instalmant of a perennial theme:The left, the trade unions and the Labor Party ranks
