Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara; revolutionary, Marxist and doctor. Together with Fidel Castro, he waged war against Cuban capitalism, and overthrew it, during the Cuban revolution of 1959. Che: Part One explores this inspiring tale of struggle.

By Jacinta Chavulak, Socialist Party

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A ‘dis-Service’ to Leon Trotsky
This book is very thick – running to 600 pages – but is very thin when it comes to an honest political examination and analysis of the ideas of Leon Trotsky, the subject of Service’s tome. His justification? That this book is, allegedly, the first “full-length biography of Trotsky written by someone outside Russia who is not a Trotskyist”.

By Peter Taaffe, Socialist Party

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I come from a Labor voting family in Preston (Melbourne). In our house the rights of workers and social justice are things we always talk about. The problem is that Labor doesn’t actually represent ordinary people anymore. They are a big business party and just another cog in the capitalist machine.

By Joel Simmons, Socialist Party Melbourne

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Unlike Land and Freedom or The Wind that Shakes the Barley, the latest Ken Loach film Looking for Eric is not an ‘in your face’ political movie. Nevertheless socialist values – the power of truth and collectivism over lies and individualism – shine throughout this wonderful tale.

Reviewed by Stephen Jolly , Socialist Party

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The latest offering from Anti-Flag at first seems like a bit of a trip down memory lane for the band. Quite a few of the songs are rougher and shorter than their previous album and sound more like their albums from around 10 years ago.

Reviewed by Iain Dalton, Socialist Party

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I have been interested in politics all my life but it’s only now that I have started to see clearly the many flaws in our society created by capitalism.

By Matt Cook, Socialist Party Melbourne

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I joined the Socialist Party because capitalism has shown its weakness in this time of economic crisis. If you are seeking an alternative to capitalism you should think about joining the Socialist Party as well.

By Jordy Umbalo, Socialist Party Melbourne

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National question remains unresolved
The war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government’s armed forces has come to an end. It went on for close to 30 years and originated from the unresolved national question in relation to the minority Tamil population. Government forces were able to defeat the ‘Tigers’, kill its top leaders, including Velupillai Prabhakaran, and capture all the territory held by the LTTE.

By Siritunga Jayasuriya, United Socialist Party (CWI, Sri Lanka)

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Before joining the Socialist Party I had some dealings with a few other left groups in Melbourne. While they were well meaning, I was not impressed by their rhetoric and inaction.

By Corey Snoek, Socialist Party Melbourne

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Still an inspiration
Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in US politics, was brought to wide attention this year by the biopic Milk starring Sean Penn. This attention includes the belated DVD release of The Times of Harvey Milk, a 1984 documentary. Like the biopic it won an Oscar, in this case for best documentary.

Reviewed by Greg Randall, Socialist Party

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