COMMUNISM REINVENTED: Greedy "Communist Yoga Ashram" Covets The Assets of Inner-City Melbourne Trendy Leftistes

Residents of inner-city Melbourne are being invited to "Help start a Communist Yoga Ashram to live in!" according to posters displayed through Brunswick and other inner-city areas. Naturally, the use of the C-word attracted our keen interest.

Organisers say they intend to forge an an authentic form of communism which will put previous mass-murdering and pillaging efforts in the shade.

The advertising material decrees that it will be a hub for "social activism" and the "redistribution of wealth will be encouraged". No doubt this redistribution will be trickling up towards Ashram organisers who will enjoy the fruits of their communist rule.

And fruit it will be on the menu as the poster outlines that "residents would not consume alcohol, drugs, meat, coffee, sugar and tobacco." Presumably that prohibition means they items cannot be taken separately or in one big hippy stew.

A NICE LITTLE EARNER

Someone is certainly going to be making a quid out of it because the Ashram envisages charging $150-200 per week for unfurnished four bedroom premises that would be shared by a dozen people or more. A nice little earner. Could this be our enlightened path to enrichment, I slyly ponder. You've got to draw the line somewhere, as young lefty Clancy Dobbyn said to Alex White when Fat Al slipped the tongue in.

Even worse, their website explains:

Be aware that as this is an ashram any income you earn outside should be donated to the ashram while you are resident even if in excess of the suggested donation. The reason for this is explained more fully in the code of conduct under "Possessions".

As a community service, we decided to dig up their code of conduct. And you guessed it, it's a scam:

8. POSSESSIONS

As a condition of this vow of collective unification, ideally members should give all their possessions to UOCA, however this is only a requirement of a full life member who has decided to commit him or herself completely to the goals and mission of UOCA; certain rights and obligations will come with this status.

However all other members should still act in a manner of not owning or possessing anything and that all their possessions that they bring into the ashram are collectively owned and to be shared (though the member still may maintain responsibility for the objects) including any and all income earned within and outside the ashram. This is to be given to the Ashram while the member is resident.

If the member leaves the ashram they may take their personal possessions with them. Other possessions are to be considered donated unless specifically discussed with the Supervisor and confirmed in writing.

The reason for this is that maintaining ownership of material objects even outside of the ashram is a symptom of the individual ego's incapability to ascend to a state of non-separation from the unity or unified collective that is represented by the cosmic self, the supreme personality, or in simple terms God. This inability to surrender material possessions has resulted in capitalism and most of the poverty, conflicts and cruelty on this planet. It is one of the greatest stumbling blocks to spiritual evolution.

My cosmic self remains unimpressed with the prospect of giving it all up for communism. The OC's meagre assets - mainly in the form of highly valuable copyrights to OC work product and published rants - are much too priceless to pass up even for the prospect of Unity with the Supreme Personality (which I have always understood to be Bill Shorten or possibly Bert Newton, I suspect that stage of enlightenment hasn't occurred to these Communist Ashramites yet).

Game on.

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BRUMBY'S LASH: Why Tabcorp and Tattersalls Might Merge

The Australian Financial Review today published speculation that rival gaming giants Tabcorp and Tattersalls might merge into one gambling colossus.

The speculation comes as we hear on the grapevine that both are quietly backing off their threatened litigation against the Victorian Government over their decision to end their strange duopoly over poker machines in Victoria. At one stage there was talk they'd be due hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation.

Sticking it to pokies operators, even in the bold and dramatic fashion unleashed by Minister Tony Robinson, is considered very good sport politically, with some in government actually hoping the gaming giants would sue and in so doing draw even further attention to the government's move.

The state Libs have been largely quiet on the issue, knowing that defending the interests of billion-dollar pokies giants is even less popular than other Ted Baillieu enthusiasms like opposing Port Phillip Bay channel deepening, going to the polo and such.

Some observers say that Tabcorp's legal position differs from Tatts but the politics remains the same. They are considered fair game.

Also worth watching in this context is the state government's decision on who will be granted the single, stand-alone wagering licence in Victoria from 2012. Tabcorp is widely expected to retain the monopoly but will be forced to pay more if there are seriously interested rival bidders, which might also explain some of that merger speculation.

Game on.

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SURRENDER MONKEYS: Socialist Left Labor Branch Invites Greens Party Enemy To Speak To Its Rank and Vile

The Socialist Left controlled St Kilda branch of the Labor Party has astonishingly invited a senior figure in the rival Greens party to speak at one of its party meetings, which are normally closed to non-party members.

Cr Janet Rice, who achieved notoriety during last year's Williamstown by-election when we explained that she was loyally standing by her wife despite the fact that the wife was a man when they were first married and had kids, is listed as a guest speaker on an invitation (pictured above) issued to branch members in the area, yesterday.

Appropriately, the St Kilda branch has appears to have incorporated a representation of the the Luna Park clown-face entrance as part of its logo.

THE SL RAISE THE WHITE FLAG

A concerned Labor insider, who asked not to be named, told the OC "These people are unbelievable. They have raised the white flag to the Greens. They don't understand the Greens actually plan to eradicate the Labor party from the inner-city. What part of the word 'extinction' don't they understand? Maybe their next trick might to be invite Ted Baillieu along to speak on dredging or on why he subscribes to The Age."

The meeting is promoted as the "May 2008 St Kilda ALP Branch Meeting: A discussion on the Eddington Report and Transport Policy", on a flyer obtained by the OC which we understand was produced by Simon Kosmer, an electorate officer and indiscreet hack notionally working for Martin Foley, the Socialist Left ALP member for Albert Park.

The flyer, without regard to the prospect of public sniggering, refers to the Socialist Left MP for Brunswick and life-long political hack Carlo Carli who is designated somewhat generously as a "Prominent Transport and Infrastructure Scholar". It is that very policy that Kosmer apparently adopted to his own CV, so insiders say it's only fair that he'd be similarly sanguine about the credentials of others.

FOLEY ONCE WAS BROWN NOW DEEP GREEN

Ironically Martin Foley used to trumpet his "brown" credentials when a ministerial chief of staff to the Agriculture Minister, combating various Greens party schemes and plots in his portfolio that sought to nobble farmers. Since he's become the member for Albert Park though it's been all soy latte all the time.

The OC stumbled on one of Foley's stalls at an Albert Park fete a while ago, and it very nearly looked like a Greens party propaganda fest, with posters glorifying sustainability this and enviro that. If there was an ALP logo there, it must have been painted green. Their political strategy seems based on improving the primary vote of their opponents, an odd plan which transformed the neighbouring electorate of Melbourne into a highly marginal seat with the Greens party only five hundred votes or so away from winning it.

DEEP DIVISION WITHIN THE LEFT

Many see this incident as indicative of a broader struggle going on within the militant Socialist Left grouping within the Labor Party. Those within the SL in the St Kilda branch are aligned to the Environment Minister Gavin Jennings who has emerged as an advocate of even the loopiest enviro-schemes. They are opposed to the Carr sub-faction which largely draws on its support from militant old-style left-wing union bosses who have little time for the effete indulgences and expensive wine quaffing of their opponents.

Insiders explain that the Carr aligned sub-faction will be alarmed by the practice of inviting the Greens enemy into the sacred turf of the Labor branch meeting.

Jennings' principal factotum Andrew Giles is the secretary of the Socialist Left faction and is believed to be slowly losing control of the faction due to the increasing opposition of these old-style union bosses who are suspicious that he might be using them in intra-factional scheming purely calculated to place himself in Parliament and to promote policies that would cost their members their jobs.

In his ideal world, there'd be no factory workers, merely barristas serving barristers in a herbal society which punishes those who can't afford hybrid cars and a roof full of solar panels, where all the proles are forced to travel on chronically late trains while Minister Kosky is chauffeured on express ministerial freeway lanes out to Tullamarine for her next trip to Morocco. That is the Jennings Left's vision splendid.

Giles for his part denies the claims of sub-factional foes saying that he purely trying to co-ordinate the largely "useless" union secretaries and get them to be disciplined and focus on achieving realistic goals for the Left faction. He told friends in the Right that he is "constantly second-guessed by part-time experts and cretins".

The St Kilda branch secretary responsible for this farcical situation, Port Phillip Councillor Darren Ray was not immediately available for comment on the flyer last night but we'll incorporate his response if he has one sometime after he wakes for lunch. Life's tough at the VLGA.

UPDATE: Credit where it's due, the Councillor is an early riser after all on this chilly Melbourne Friday morn. Just minutes before publication, Darren Ray responded to our provocative questions.

1) Whose idea was it to invite Janet Rice to an ALP branch meeting?

I was asked by the branch to invite a person from Metropolitan Transport Forum which includes 19 councils, RACV and others. Janet is the immediate past Chairperson.

2) What do you hope to learn from the Greens party councillor?

Per 2 above - what is the MTF's position? What community groups are doing on the issue of responding to Eddington.

3) Are there plans to invite representatives from other parties, such as the Liberals or One Nation on future occasions?

Per 1 above. Not about their party affiliations but the fact she is from the MTF. Also, we thought we'd balance her feedback with a well-known ALP MP and public transport supporter who can also talk to us about the government processes.

4) Do you see there being much difference between the ALP and the Greens party? Are they really just differences of emphasis? Would you support a merger of the two parties?

There is a huge difference - they are not a centralist, realistic party - we are! No I would never support a merger.

5) How do you respond to critics who say that the Socialist Left of the ALP in particular fails to compete properly with the Greens electorally because it is so uncomfortable criticising their policies and because it sees them as a purer (and better) version of themselves?

Such criticism is misinformed! I and many of my Left colleagues have ACTIVELY campaigned against the Greens for many years and will continue to do so. I can provide details of my own track record in this regard if you like.

Finally, I have from more than 20 years always been a strong supporter and worker for the ALP winning Government, no matter what faction (or none) the candidate is from.

This is something I do not believe you have accurately reported in the past! The Left-bashing you do belongs to a cold war context and is funny reading but way off the mark if I might respectfully observe.

UPDATE:

Darren Ray's response merits some further analysis I think and perhaps we'll invite him to have the final word, in the style of patriot Bill O'Reilly. We've asked him these questions and we'll see what he has to say for himself.

■ Fair enough that the branch wanted to hear from the Metropolitan Transport Forum, but is he saying that the only person they could actually find from that organisation which includes 19 councils was a member of a rival political party?

■ And it seems that the Councillor believes that it's possible for the Greens party militant to address the branch wearing her MTF hat without politics getting in the way. As one of our commenters asks, presumably this would mean that Pauline Hanson would be a tolerated guest if she was a past chairperson of the MTF. Chances are she wouldn't get invited though because the St Kilda branch would probably draw the line somewhere and the risk of her going all White Australia on them half way during her public transport oration would be too great. Isn't there a similar issue with inviting a senior player from within the Greens party into the inner sanctum of an ALP branch meeting?

UPDATE:

And at light speed, Councillor and Surrender Monkey Darren Ray responds, uncowered by the OC's tough line of questioning and we give him the final word:

Who the MTF sends is their business Andrew. Not up to me to tell others how to run their show.

You also do Janet some disservice. She is a mature person and knows how to wear multiple hats. I have informed her that she is there to put the MTF position, not to promote the Greens. Janet is intelligent enough to realise the latter would not be too smart - given the audience.

Re the monkey analogy. I would note that monkeys are intelligent, nimble, looking for niche opportunities, mischievous when required, long lived and community based. All proud historical features of the Labor Party wouldn't you agree?

Game on.

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