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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/21/greens-seen-as-victims-of-school-funding-deal-but-they-could-have-been-heroes
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Greens seen as victims of school funding deal, but they could have been heroes | Greens seen as victims of school funding deal, but they could have been heroes |
| (12 days later) | |
| Conventionally, during tales of pernicious trade union influence, the tail wags the dog. Unions are the cunning puppeteers, manipulating passive Labor politicians. | Conventionally, during tales of pernicious trade union influence, the tail wags the dog. Unions are the cunning puppeteers, manipulating passive Labor politicians. |
| This week though, a twist. This time, the narrative from the Greens bunker had Labor as puppet masters, cynically deploying the Australian Education Union, against the Greens parliamentarians, to thwart a schools funding deal. | This week though, a twist. This time, the narrative from the Greens bunker had Labor as puppet masters, cynically deploying the Australian Education Union, against the Greens parliamentarians, to thwart a schools funding deal. |
| Much was written over the course of this week about the unconscionable position being taken by the AEU in the so-called Gonski 2.0 schools funding debate, which is absolutely fine, given the union was involved in a bare-knuckle power play. | Much was written over the course of this week about the unconscionable position being taken by the AEU in the so-called Gonski 2.0 schools funding debate, which is absolutely fine, given the union was involved in a bare-knuckle power play. |
| The criticism of the AEU’s zero-sum behaviour is an entirely fair cop. | The criticism of the AEU’s zero-sum behaviour is an entirely fair cop. |
| But strangely, less was uttered in the hot-take universe about whether the Greens might have an obligation to just stare down the education union, and vote according to the public interest. | But strangely, less was uttered in the hot-take universe about whether the Greens might have an obligation to just stare down the education union, and vote according to the public interest. |
| The Greens were being portrayed as victims, which was a bit odd, given they regularly advise their major party brothers and sisters to shrug off the shackles of the rent seekers, and show some guts. | The Greens were being portrayed as victims, which was a bit odd, given they regularly advise their major party brothers and sisters to shrug off the shackles of the rent seekers, and show some guts. |
| Given their entirely correct and welcome commitment to a parliament where democracy triumphs over influence peddlers, one would have expected the Greens to walk the walk when it mattered, rather than equivocate, and fret about the political consequences of offending a major interest group. | Given their entirely correct and welcome commitment to a parliament where democracy triumphs over influence peddlers, one would have expected the Greens to walk the walk when it mattered, rather than equivocate, and fret about the political consequences of offending a major interest group. |
| Not everyone fretted, in fairness. | Not everyone fretted, in fairness. |
| The Greens leader Richard Di Natale favoured action, as he very often does, and tried to deliver. The education spokeswoman, Sarah Hanson-Young, was fully committed to getting a result. | The Greens leader Richard Di Natale favoured action, as he very often does, and tried to deliver. The education spokeswoman, Sarah Hanson-Young, was fully committed to getting a result. |
| Because of their assiduous efforts, on Wednesday, a deal looked a genuine chance. | Because of their assiduous efforts, on Wednesday, a deal looked a genuine chance. |
| But the Greens were not united. Not everyone favoured war with the AEU. | But the Greens were not united. Not everyone favoured war with the AEU. |
| Because of the internal divisions, and the extended period of hand-wringing and internal knee-capping, Di Natale had to keep upping his asking price to try and neutralise the union, and keep his own people in the cart. | Because of the internal divisions, and the extended period of hand-wringing and internal knee-capping, Di Natale had to keep upping his asking price to try and neutralise the union, and keep his own people in the cart. |
| By Wednesday morning the additional asking price included $200m more for kids with disabilities, and no special deal for the Catholics. | By Wednesday morning the additional asking price included $200m more for kids with disabilities, and no special deal for the Catholics. |
| With the government unsure whether the Greens would ultimately lock in and deliver all the votes, the government cut its losses, and moved to lock down the crossbench. | With the government unsure whether the Greens would ultimately lock in and deliver all the votes, the government cut its losses, and moved to lock down the crossbench. |
| The Greens feel bruised by this, and that’s reasonable, given the party leader and the portfolio spokeswoman took some risks, attempted to be constructive, and improved the package – but the government bringing the hammer down is hardly surprising, given the Coalition has its own problem with institutional influence. | The Greens feel bruised by this, and that’s reasonable, given the party leader and the portfolio spokeswoman took some risks, attempted to be constructive, and improved the package – but the government bringing the hammer down is hardly surprising, given the Coalition has its own problem with institutional influence. |
| Catholic education has played the schools funding debate every bit as ruthlessly as the AEU – and while people like Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews have carried the “wither the Catholics” arguments internally, making it look like so much political mischief, concerns inside the government are more widespread. | Catholic education has played the schools funding debate every bit as ruthlessly as the AEU – and while people like Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews have carried the “wither the Catholics” arguments internally, making it look like so much political mischief, concerns inside the government are more widespread. |
| There are sensible, middle-of-the-road government MPs, with no particular axe to grind, who have watched on mildly gobsmacked as the education minister seemed intent on landing a deal with the Greens which would transfer wealth to the public system away from Catholic education. | There are sensible, middle-of-the-road government MPs, with no particular axe to grind, who have watched on mildly gobsmacked as the education minister seemed intent on landing a deal with the Greens which would transfer wealth to the public system away from Catholic education. |
| For some MPs, this seemed a little difficult to explain to the base. | For some MPs, this seemed a little difficult to explain to the base. |
| Quite apart from the difficulties associated with explaining a bold act of progressivism to people fundamentally opposed to bold acts of progressivism – there is the practical problem. | Quite apart from the difficulties associated with explaining a bold act of progressivism to people fundamentally opposed to bold acts of progressivism – there is the practical problem. |
| Catholic schools know how to organise, and how to campaign. And what’s the government’s majority again? Ah yes, one seat. | Catholic schools know how to organise, and how to campaign. And what’s the government’s majority again? Ah yes, one seat. |
| So I think no one should be surprised by Birmingham steering away from the Greens if there was a viable alternative pathway in the parliament, and if there was a way to throw a small transitional bone in the direction of the Catholics, then all well and good. | So I think no one should be surprised by Birmingham steering away from the Greens if there was a viable alternative pathway in the parliament, and if there was a way to throw a small transitional bone in the direction of the Catholics, then all well and good. |
| Onwards, all, to legislative victory, or so Birmingham hopes, some time in the next 24 hours. The first phase of being able to defend your school funding model successfully is to land it. | Onwards, all, to legislative victory, or so Birmingham hopes, some time in the next 24 hours. The first phase of being able to defend your school funding model successfully is to land it. |
| But the problem for the government is that its education fight won’t stop when the package is legislated. | But the problem for the government is that its education fight won’t stop when the package is legislated. |
| Whatever the intrinsic merits of Gonski 2.0, Labor won’t let this issue go, and neither will the unions or the Catholics. | Whatever the intrinsic merits of Gonski 2.0, Labor won’t let this issue go, and neither will the unions or the Catholics. |
| Policy victory sometimes has a long political tail. | Policy victory sometimes has a long political tail. |