On Tuesday February 27, senior Sri Lankan minister, Nimal Siripala De Silva was in Melbourne as part of a visit to Australia. De Silva, who is the minister for Healthcare and one of the leaders of the ruling party, addressed perhaps the smallest public meeting ever held in Australia by a government official. Less than 20 people were in attendance.
By Anthony Main, Socialist Party National Organiser, Melbourne. (more…)

While there is undeniably an economic boom and growth in India, it only really touches the 3% of the best off. The fact that 52% of the Indian children are malnourished shows the hugely unequal character of the boom. The poorest sections of working class are made to suffer. A major portion of their hard-earned meagre incomes are spent on rent, electricity, fuel and other daily needs. They only can afford one full meal a day.
By Nirmala Shetty, New Socialist Alternative (CWI India) (more…)

The major capitalist countries (G8) are planning to meet in June in Germany to discuss climate change, among other issues. The Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI), which the Socialist Party is affiliated to, will be involved in helping to build the campaign against global warming and will be participating in the anti-G8 demonstrations.
Dave Nellist answers some basic questions about the causes of climate change and puts forward a socialist solution. (more…)

Hundreds of intellectuals and retired state officials have signed a petition urging China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), which convenes in a two weeks’ time, to halt the privatisation of state companies. The target of the petitioners’ protests is a draft law on private property that was withdrawn a year ago.
By Vincent Kolo, CWI (more…)

SP Newsletter No.162
Next Tuesday, the pro war and anti democratic campaigner Nimal Siripala De Silva will be in Melbourne as part of a visit to Australia. Siripala De Silva is a senior government minister in the ruling party of Sri Lanka. He looks after the portfolio of Healthcare but has blood on his hands as he has supported recent killings and abductions. (more…)

This year one of the focuses of the student movement will be to kick Howard out at the next federal election. Howard has done major damage in areas like education, health, job conditions and the environment. He has also whipped up racism and we need to bring his rein to a close.
By Yorran Pelekanakis, Socialist Student Group (more…)

Kristofer Lundberg from the CWI in Sweden interviewed Johan Rivas from Socialismo Revolucionario (the sister organisation of the Socialist Party in Venezuela) during the Committee for a Workers’ International’s 9th World Congress in January. Read the transcipt below. (more…)

Almost 200 delegates and visitors from 25-odd countries in every continent met for a week in January in the small North Sea town of Niewport, Belgium for the 9th World Congress of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI). The CWI is the international body of socialist parties and organisations that SP in Australia is affiliated to. Australia was represented by Yarra Councillor Stephen Jolly, Unite Secretary Anthony Main, and Melbourne rank and file branch member, Tony Mason. (more…)

The potential breakthrough reached in Beijing this week in talks over North Korea’s nuclear programme, involves significant concessions by US imperialism. Under the agreement hammered out at the ‘six-party talks’ hosted by China, and also involving North and South Korea, the US, Russia and Japan, the North Korean regime will receive what most commentators agree is ‘generous’ energy compensation – 1 million tonnes of heavy fuel oil – plus other economic and diplomatic concessions.
By Laurence Coates, Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna, Sweden (more…)

The recent illness of Fidel Castro and ‘temporary’ replacement by his brother Raul have created speculation about what will happen when Castro dies. The Miami based Cubans, the majority of whom left in 1959 following the revolution and were generally the middle classes, celebrated the news of Fidel’s illness.
By Samantha Ashby, Socialist Party Newcastle (more…)