The occupy movement brought opposition to capitalism from the margins into the mainstream

Despite near universal demonisation of socialist ideas in the corporate media and political establishment, according to a new Pew Research Center Poll half of young people aged 18-29 view socialism positively while only 43 percent react negatively to the term. In the same age group, only 46 percent have positive views of capitalism, while 47 percent view capitalism negatively.

While these numbers remain close, its notable that just 20 months ago, last time Pew asked the same questions, the numbers were reversed. At that time, according to Pew’s findings, a slim majority of young people, 49 to 43 percent, viewed socialism negatively.

By Ty Moore, Socialist Alternative (US section of the CWI)

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Peter Taaffe, from the International Secretariat of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI), looks at the outlook for 2012.

Stalinist nightmare continues

The death of the long time Stalinist dictator of North Korea brings no relief to the workers of the country. They suffered many years under Japanese occupation (1905-1945), then during the Korean war (1953-1955) and many, many years of the most ruthless Stalinist rule. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the economy of North Korea suffered setbacks and it is estimated that more than two million people lost their lives during famines at the end of the 1990s. North Korea is now one of the poorer countries in the world, but until well into the 1970s, the income per head of the population was higher than in South Korea.

By Gerbrand Wisser, Ofensief (CWI in Netherlands)

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SP Newsletter No.383

As we go to press crisis meetings are taking place across Europe - the countdown to “save” the euro and possibly even the European Union.

Even if an agreement is announced there is no certainty at all of how long it will last. 2011 has already seen previous ’solutions’ rapidly consigned to the dustbin.

While the financial markets are increasingly expecting, at the very least, a restructuring of the eurozone, with one or more countries leaving, the major powers are striving to avoid the probably catastrophic effects of a eurozone collapse on the European and world economies.

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The recent New Zealand general election played out with few surprises. Throughout the campaign period polling consistently showed an increased majority for the incumbent conservative National Party government. This came to fruition on polling day with National winning 48% of the Party vote across the country.

New Zealand’s Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system (where voters are allocated both a candidate vote and a party vote), makes it difficult for any one party to achieve an outright majority, yet National came very close. National won 60 seats, one seat short of achieving the 61 seat majority needed to govern outright.

All of National’s coalition partners going into the election (ACT, United Future and the Maori Party) lost seats, but retain a presence in the new parliament.

By Mel Gregson, Socialist Party

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But military-controlled elections do not signal transition to democracy

Long queues formed at many polling stations, on 28 November, in Cairo and other Egyptian cities and towns. Millions voted in the first elections since the former dictator, President Hosni Mubarak, was overthrown by a mass revolutionary movement last February.

The election timetable lasts until March 2012, with the first phase running until January and electing a 498-member lower house of parliament. Its main function is to form a committee to draft Egypt’s new constitution.

Many who voted are highly sceptical about the aims of the ruling military junta, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which claims to be “overseeing the transition to democratic rule”. The regime reportedly threatened those who boycotted the poll with fines.

By Niall Mulholland, CWI

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A Marxist approach to riots, the police and the capitalist state

The year 2011 has seen shockwaves of popular revolt ripple around the globe. From Cairo to New York, London to Athens, Tel Aviv to Santiago, people have come out onto the streets in their thousands demanding social change.

These movements have forced regime change in some places, hijacked the political debate in many, and challenged the status quo to varying degrees in all. As one momentarily looses steam, another ignites, creating the sense of truly global unrest.

No doubt the agent of this conflict is the utter failure of capitalism to provide a decent standard of living for the vast majority of people. While the particular grievances may vary internationally, they are all rooted in the same cause: a system that runs in the interests of a tiny minority, at the expense of all else.

By Mel Gregson, Socialist Party

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SP Newsletter No.378

The Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in Perth last weekend. This useless and outdated organisation has not made a meaningful decision for decades. It has no impact on anyone except for the huge expense that is burdened on tax payers.

The Queen attended to open the meeting and a welcoming ceremony for her cost a staggering $2 million. The police, army and secret police employed was overwhelming. Who knows how many millions of dollars they spent on the security budget despite the fact that there was no threat of any kind. The only arrests that were made were of a few workers who had crossed barriers to buy cigarettes!

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By an Australian oil industry worker

I knew before I went to Singapore to do work on a rig in a shipyard that foreign workers were exploited but the actual experience was eye opening. By comparison the standards we worked under were positively regal compared to the Indian and Bangladeshi foreign workers.

The Indian and Bangladeshi workers don’t see their families for two years. They work five and a half to six days a week, 12 hours a day, and receive the princely sum of about $400-600 (Singapore dollars) a month for their sweat. Time is so short for these workers you can see hundreds of them sleeping on the lawn or under the job in the pre-dawn hour before the lift home. The project managers were appalled when the Australian workers demanded to go home after a month. They are too used to exploiting the workforce for the entire project without a break.

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October fast news

At least 1000 jobs are to be cut in the Australian steel sector as BlueScope Steel closes down a blast furnace in Port Kembla, Sydney and its Western Port mill in Victoria. BlueScope blamed the high Australian dollar for the $1.05 billion loss it made in the last financial year.

Upon announcing the job losses the Labor government rushed to give BlueScope $100 million while offering minimal support to the 800 workers in Port Kembla and 200 in Western Port who will find themselves jobless.

The negative effects of the mining boom, which has created a two speed economy, are now becoming more and more apparent with jobs in the steel industry the first of what will be many casualties. The manufacturing industry is facing one of its worst periods since the Great Depression. Retail, tourism and services also are being hit hard.

Unions must be prepared to fight all job losses and public service cuts as the world economic situation gets worse.

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