October column of SP Councillor, Stephen Jolly.
There has been a raging debate in the Victorian media about public drinking by Aboriginal people on Smith St, Collingwood. A non-incident at a art gallery opening was turned by ‘bourgeois racists’ (as I called them in the Sunday Age) into a witch-hunt against the few remaining Aboriginal people in central Melbourne. (more…)

Sri Lanka is experiencing one of its deepest-ever crises. Since the new millennium began, there have been four major elections in this country. Many of Sri Lanka?s workers and down-trodden people are faced with a struggle for survival and see no point in the elections; nothing changes for the better in their lives.

Siritunga Jayasuriya, United Socialist Party (cwi Sri Lanka) (more…)

The management of transnational company Connex on Thursday sacked Per Johansson, secretary of the fighting trade union branch, Seko 119, which organises 700 underground train drivers. This signals the most serious attack so far of this kind for a long time, testing both the solidarity of the trade union movement and labour rights.

By Arne Johansson, editor of Offensiv, weekly paper of Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (CWI Sweden) (more…)

An international week of solidarity with workers? struggle in Iran takes place from 1 October. This year has seen a wave of strikes and workers? protests in Iran. In July, alone, there were 170 strikes.

This article also appears in this week?s ?Offensiv?, newspaper of Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (CWI in Sweden) (more…)

What dangers threaten the revolution now?
On 15 August 2004, a recall referendum aimed at ousting Venezuelan president Chávez was resoundingly defeated by a mobilisation of the masses ? particularly in poor shantytowns, through electoral ?battle units? and other organisations of the ?Bolivarian revolution?. This opened up a new phase in the revolutionary process. But, explains Christine Thomas, a recent visitor to Venezuela, although the opposition forces have been severely weakened, the threat of counter-revolution remains. (more…)

A new article by Laurence Coates, Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (CWI Sweden).

This follows the recent commemoration by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the ‘Tibetan Autonomous Region’ (TAR) on 1st September 1965.

(more…)

By Clay Lucas, taken from page 3 of todays Age Newspaper

Includes quotes from SP Councillor Stephen Jolly

ANTI-GAMBLING campaigners are furious at a sponsorship plan to stamp Crown Casino’s logo inside library books.
(more…)

Taken from the National Nine News website

Includes quotes from SP National Organiser and AMWU member Anthony Main

Claims of bullying tactics have prolonged a strike of Australian Envelopes workers in Melbourne’s south-east. (more…)

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Lebanon?s descent into 15 years of horrific civil war.
By Kevin Simpson, Committee for a Workers? International (more…)

“For the economy, these election results are a disaster”, says the chief executive of Altona AG, Nikolaus Schweickart. The hopes of the capitalists to restart general attacks on the rights of workers and unemployed people under a conservative/liberal coalition government have for now sunk into the chaos of post-general election Germany. The only victor is the left and the protest movement against the neo-liberal Agenda 2010 and Hartz IV during the years of 2003 and 2004. Sascha Stanicic, general secretary of Sozialistische Alternative (SAV ? CWI Germany), reports. (more…)