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1500 people gathered at the State Library on Saturday March 13 to demand equal marriage rights for same sex couples. The protestors then marched through the city to the Registry Office on Spring Street. The rally’s atmosphere was vibrant and energetic. People from the LGBTI community marched side by side with heterosexual people to protest against the stance of the Rudd Government. By Jacinta Chavulak, Socialist Party Continue reading 1500 attend same sex marriage rally in Melbourne
“Mumia Abu-Jamal has been on Death Row for almost 30 years in Pennsylvania. He’s currently sitting in a very small dark cell on death row. He is in solitary confinement as are all on Death Row. Mumia only gets to bathe three times a week. He is allowed outside five days a week for a little over an hour. However, when he is allowed outside, he is isolated in a cage. He has a bleak existence.” So explained Robert Bryan, Mumia’s lead attorney at a meeting in the European Parliament hosted by the European United Left. By Paul Murphy, Socialist Party
A socialist analysis There is growing debate in Australia about population growth and its alleged impacts on the economy and the environment. The Federal government has argued for a population increase to 35 million by 2050 (up from the current level of 21 million). These calls have been backed by various employer organisations as a quick fix to the skills shortage. Others, such as Federal Labor MP Kelvin Thompson, economics journalist Ross Gittins, and environment groups like the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), have argued that population and migration into the country needs to be cut in order to limit carbon emissions and to reduce demand on resources and services. By Corey Snoek and Mel Gregson
SP Newsletter No.301 In early February thousands of people took part in Melbourne’s annual Pride March. This march symbolises the efforts of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community and a movement that has struggled for decades to win sexual equality and challenge homophobia. But why is it that despite widespread support for the LGBTI community the Rudd government forbids marriage between same sex couples? The answer lies in the fact that both Labor and the Liberals see the ‘nuclear family’ as the cornerstone of the capitalist system. Oppression based on sexuality also stems from the needs of the ruling class in society.
Few things better display the underlying morality of capitalism than the scale and scope of ‘offshore banking’, ‘off-balance-sheet’ accounting and parasitical speculation - thievery by most people’s definition. The World Bank estimates that the total of ‘illicit money’ hidden from tax authorities, governments and accountants, amounts to between $1 trillion and $1.6 trillion a year. By Steve Appleton, Socialist Party
Hundredth anniversary of International Women’s Day At its very beginning, in the early 20th century, International Women’s Day – the 8th of March - was a day of struggle for working women. Nowadays it has largely been hijacked by the capitalist establishment as a ceremonial and sometimes highly commercial affair. Much has happened over time, providing welcome proof that women’s oppression can be fought and pushed back, but despite this, the oppression rooted in society continues. Indeed, in the past years many earlier conquests for women have been lost as a result of the crisis of capitalism. By Elin Gauffin, CWI Sweden
SP Newsletter No.300 The Labor Government is planning to force all Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to filter internet traffic and block any ‘inappropriate’ material. Under the guise of ‘protecting children’ the Government plan is set to censor thousands of internet sites. The announcement by Senator Stephen Conroy comes only nine months after a leak of potentially censored sites was uploaded on Wikileaks, a site where whistleblowers can easily leak official documents to the public. The list brings into question the Government’s stated aim of ‘protecting children’ from Restricted Access sites.
Around 1600 workers took industrial action at Woodside’s Pluto Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in January over changes to their accommodation. Woodside wanted the workers to change rooms at the end of each rostered work cycle instead of getting their own permanent accommodation for the duration of the project. By David Suter, Socialist Party Perth Continue reading WA: Workers fight to defend wages and conditions
Interview with a socialist blogger in China In January the world’s largest internet company declared it had been targeted by organised hackers from China and was therefore prepared to quit the Chinese internet market. What is at the root of this conflict and how could it develop? Chinaworker.info spoke to socialist blogger Zhao Jiangang. SBY government’s honeymoon spoiled Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) hoped for a bit of a honeymoon after being re-elected in the Indonesian presidential election in July 2009. Instead, his government has faced a series of scandals surrounding the Corruption Eradication Commission and the bailout of the PT Bank Century. SBY won with 60.8% of the vote, while the Megawati-Prabowo ticket received 26.8%. The Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto ticket received 12.4%. By Anthony Main, Socialist Party |
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