Who rules Victoria?

On the national CFMEU Facebook Page, which only allows current union members to join, comments under the official post "condemning the protest" were seething with anger.

"The CFMEU office has lost the plot listen to your members you should have marched with them! Sellouts (sic)" read one comment that had 426 "likes" and no negative reactions.

It wasn't just the rank-and-file, the Victorian Government's top construction industry adviser, Peter Parkinson, quit reportedly in protest at the lack of consultation over the new rules.

The vehement reaction is hardly surprising, CFMEU members are used to getting what they want in a state that has been largely run for them.

They are also well versed in the union lore that everything they have, they have fought for and will fight for again if necessary.

Despite the rush of Labor's friends and enablers in the media and academia to fan a blizzard of "far-right" conspiracy disinformation, what transpired was mostly an uprising of rank-and-file workers, union and non-union, against the bosses, in this case Andrews, McManus and Setka.

It was a Labor "family" dispute. You might say "bruvver versus bruvver".

However, it also the case that any civil disturbance, especially in a state simmering under what is now a world record number of days of lockdown, will attract loons and goons.

There was a lot of excitement among various academic and media figures who spotted some such "ring-ins", the type of fringe characters who are drawn to trouble like iron filings to a magnet.

This alarming development even spurred the ABC to call in a terrorism expert, Deakin University Professor Greg Barton.

"Perversely, they are invoking the Anzac Digger Spirit," Barton said of the Shrine rally.

"Yet, channelling the same sort of frankly, neo-fascism that the Diggers fought against. But they think that this is iconic and it works for them."