Jake
You miss the point.
We once had a single united and effective union.
Then two groups, the first being the overseas branch, and then much later the "other group", decided they were better off on their own.
History shows what we had, and equally what we now have. Lets learn from that.
I don't know if the AFAP is the answer, but I am convinced that AIPA has adequately displayed that they clearly are not the solution. I reiterate, those guys were gelded years ago and the gear won't grow back.
AIPA is not the way the truth or the light.
A single united union with courage can address the woes of which you speak. In the fragmented and self interested industry we now have, an industrial body must make do with the best that can be achieved under the circumstances. The circumstances that prevail in this country preclude any strenuous action. Only with unity will those circumstances change.
It will not be up to me or my ilk to determine the future, I'm just about done. I just sincerely hope that the up and coming, take heed of history and take a path that will avoid the pitfalls and the ills of the past. Sadly I think the group is far too disparate to form a cohesive single unit
But one can hope and dream.
TO