Occupy Wellington: A focus for the 99%

By Grant Brookes

“Why are they protesting?” ask the baffled pundits on TV. Meanwhile, the rest of the world asks: “What took you so long?”

Naomi Klein

 

 

With comments like this, campaigning journalist Naomi Klein has captured the essence of the mushrooming movement against corporate greed which began on Wall Street (http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-most-important-thing-world-now).

The movement is expressing the feelings of a global majority denied a voice in the media and in the corridors of power.

It spread to Aotearoa on October 15, when occupations began in Auckland, Wellington, Christchuch, Dunedin, New Plymouth and elsewhere.

“I’ve been to a lot of protests for good causes”, said Dougal, on Day One of the Wellington Occupation. “But it’s often felt like I was part of an embattled minority. This is different”.

With their broad embrace of a myriad of issues, and organising democratically through general assemblies, the occupations around New Zealand have attracted supporters from all walks of life – even as they confound newshounds looking for figureheads, spokespeople and official media releases. 

 

Occupy Wellington Circle

Around 300 people marched on the NZX Stock Exchange building on Wellington’s waterfront on Saturday. The protest ended with an open microphone, where people got up and talked about why they had come.

An early childhood teacher spoke of how she suddenly found herself in poverty after being made redundant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yqnVqUYrPp0#!), following the National government’s decision to cut $400 million from early childhood education.

An IT consultant talked about how he and his partner have been earning up to $200,000 a year, but still can’t get ahead. He wondered aloud how those on the minimum wage could get by.

A beneficiary spoke of being unable to get a job, despite her university qualifications. “I can't even get a fucking job as a taxi driver”, she said. “I want a fucking revolution!” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2o7YX4vYRE).

Celia Wade Brown

Then on Sunday, Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown visited the occupation and expressed support.

The occupation has been gifted a whakatauki by local Maori, to express our acknowledgement of tangata whenua as the original occupiers of the land: “Me noho tahi, tena pea ka tika” (‎'Come sit together, and everything will come right').

With backing from such a cross-section of society, we truly are representative of the 99%.

The occupations have shown the ability of people to come together and create cooperative communities. In Wellington, general assemblies are meeting daily at 10am and 6pm, with a different person facilitating each time. Notes from each assembly are being posted at: http://www.coactivate.org/projects/occupywellington/blog/.

A group has been formed to organise food and other supplies to sustain the occupation. A communications and media team has been set up (individuals have produced articles like, 'Multimedia: Occupy Wellington Sets Up Camp In Civic Square' http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1110/S00188/multimedia-occupy-wellington-sets-up-camp-in-civic-square.htm and 'Occupy Aotearoa: A brief summary' http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1110/S00208/occupy-aotearoa-a-brief-summary.htm). A first aid team is forming, along with a roster of people to show hospitality to newcomers, rules for noise control, and a programme of educational workshops and entertainment.

And as we come together, we have also begun to grapple with what exactly is wrong with the world ruled by, and for, the 1% - and to talk about how we can change it, so it works for everyone.

UNITYblog spoke with people occupying Civic Square in Wellington about why they were there, and what they though could be achieved by the occupation.

Nati

Nati is from Spain. She followed the wave of occupations of public spaces which began in Spanish cities in May, by the movement known as “The Indignants” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Spanish_protests).

“I came down here to support the movements around the world – people that are fed up with everything, basically. I think there are a lot of people who don’t really know why they’re here, but they know that something is wrong and they want to change it.

“There are tons of things we can mention – the economic system, the way the world moves, the pyramidal structure that we have. We know that there are thousands of things wrong, so it’s more about coming together to develop a proposal.

“We need to focus on solidarity with others, on humanity, going back to the basic needs and basic values that are completely forgotten in our society, like helping each other. And solidarity with the planet, ecological resources. It’s probably going to take years.

“But it's good to stand and say, I know that there are things that are wrong, to just stand and say I am seeing this, I'm not blind. I'm coming here to stand in front of others and say, hey, look at this, let's try to change it.

“We can think about the power being held by governments, or by corporations as it is now, but the power is from the people, at the beginning. We are the consumers, and we are the workers. So we have the power. We are making the rules here.”

Sarah is a nurse and midwife.

“I think the occupation is about raising awareness of the current problems in the world. We can wake a lot more ordinary people up, and get people to actually look at the system that's facing them, and start to think about that more deeply, and about ways in which we can effect change.

“And particularly, we're coming up to an election. We've got such a great divide in NZ between the rich and poor. And we know that the bigger the gap between rich and poor, the poorer the society is. There's a lot more crime, and violence, we need to find a way to merge that. There are new political parties springing up, so that's a potential way forward.

“There are those who would argue we need to completely collapse the system, and move onto something entirely different, such as a resource-based economy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacque_Fresco#Resource-based_economy). The fact is we're all one humanity living on one planet with finite resources. So that's another way.

“Some people are arguing we should go back to the gold standard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_standard). So there's lots of ideas, and the more people are involved, the more that evolution can take place. Ideas can join in the giant soup of creation, and come up with something new.”

The Occupations: This time it's different

by Joel Hildebrandt

If you know me, you know I’ve been on many, many marches. Let’s be honest – it gets a little boring. You march & yell and sing and chat with fellow protesters on the street. You arrive at your destination and some designated speakers take the mike and – well, it's boring. People & energy fizzle away. And then what?

Yesterday at Aotea Square in the centre of Auckland was different. Way different. Sure, we marched and shouted and showed off for the media and got to the Square and someone took the mike and they said... Welcome to your occupation. From now on you are in control. We will decide everything together.

They passed out a brochure on consensus with hand signals and what they mean: agree, disagree (but not that strongly), disagree enough to block consensus, process concern. Hey, I live in cohousing, we know what those signals mean! Green card yes, orange card not so much, red card no way... I was in the middle of a People’s General Assembly, and something inside me came back to life. Every proposal that the organizers had come up with was approved, via hand signals, by the Assembly. A different person was coordinating each Working Group, and participants were invited to join the Groups: food, medical, legal, town planning, media, etc. Proposals were requested from the Assembly. Where the tents would be set up, approved by the Assembly. I mean, it’s one thing to use consensus in an intentional community of 32 households. Seeing it work so effectively among a group of strangers is really inspiring! Support for Occupy Wall Street, unanimous consent.

Voting at the Auckland General Assembly

If you haven’t been down there, to Queen Street or Wall Street or Sol or wherever, you have to live it to believe it. Naomi Klein says this is “The most important thing in the world right now”. I agree. Here’s why:

#It’s leaderless. No one is in charge, and everyone is. In some cases (Madrid, Barcelona...) this means hundreds of thousands of people are making decisions by consensus.

#It’s inclusive. Everyone is welcome. Everyone can have a say. And unlike so many movements, it is not divisive.

#It is democratic. All decisions are made by everyone.

#It is sustained. It does not fizzle after a couple of hours; it stays there in Zucotti Park, or La Puerta del Sol, or wherever, day after day.

#It is peaceful. The protesters do not break windows, or attack police, or even yell obscenities. They are letting the cops be the violent ones, which garners them support and publicity.

#It models the change that is needed. By being all those things, it shows that people can run things democratically, inclusively, peacefully, and successfully – even in really large numbers.

The media don’t know how to cover this. They keep looking for leaders, and a single cause or demand, and when they don't find them they tell us we are disorganized. But that’s because they don’t get it. It’s not what they’ve seen before and know how to sell – it’s different!

I was even skeptical, until I saw it in action. If you can’t do that, check out this inspiring video from NYC (shot in Washington Square Park): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dtD8RnGaRQ – using consensus at NY General Assembly.

If you want to see how big this is globally, have a look at http://www.occupystreams.org/ 120 different occupations are listed around the world; you can peek into any one of them. And that’s nowhere near all of them; Auckland (for instance) is not up there yet. You can check out #Occupy Auckland photos at: http://www.occupyauckland.org/photos

Can we change the world this way? Time will tell. Many of us hope so, for the world cannot go on as it is now. Can the necessary changes be made some other way? I don’t see that happening anywhere, and that is exactly the point. The politicians are busy bailing out the huge corporations while they shove austerity down our throats. I don’t think anyone else has the will or the means to stop it, turn it around. It’s up to us.

Democracia real ya! – Real democracy now!

Occupy Auckland day 1

By David Colyer

‘We are the 99%, we are the 99%...’

 ‘And so are you!’ someone added, calling out to the many on-lookers.

 ‘Join us,’ others called, and people did.

Two French rugby supporters clapped their hands in approval. ‘We have the same problem in France’ they said. They too were the 99%.

There were many veteran protests of course (some perhaps wearing their ‘Returned Protester Association badges that were handed out at the recent celebrations of the 30th Anniversary of the Springbok Tour), as well as those drawn in via recently emerged movements like the student protests at Auckland University or the Mana party. There were those who had protested before (but not for a while) and many who were taking to the streets for the first time. 

All inspired by Occupy Wall Street, a protest that was more than just marching from A to B, the idea of being part of a global movement, the start of something new.

What are the issues?

The policy of not having a list of demands has infuriated many critics and more that a few supporters of the movement. But it seems to have worked.

Importantly, it has allowed groups and individuals to bring their own concerns, and I’m sure it will encourage people to think about how these diverse issues are linked to corporate domination. Many would agree with the sentiments of the Aucklander whose placard said ‘I’m here for so many reasons’.

Some of the reasons expressed in the placards and banners and Facebook comments:

* The wealth gap between the rich and the rest, growing ever wider as real wages stagnate or fall, while productivity and profits soar.

* The slow response and lack of preparation to the Rena oil spill, which was the long predicted consequence of the deregulation of the shipping industry.

* Unemployment, scapegoating of beneficences and the lack of opportunity even for skilled and educated.

* The expansion of coal mining and oil drilling, which threatens more oil spills, when accelerating climate change means we should be moving away from fossil fuel extraction and cutting CO2 emissions.

* The failure of the Crown to honour the Treaty’s commitment to tino rangatiratanga, leaving Maori dispossessed in their own land.

* And, last but not least, capitalism, corporate control and the corruption of democracy by the rich elite.

Media

Despite the general assumption that the mainstream media would either not cover the protests or simply dismiss them, some of the coverage, particularly on the TV3 and NZ Herald websites has generally been good. Stuff (Dominion, Press etc) on the other hand has been poor, claiming splits and disorganisation in the Wellington movement and posting a rambling, poorly edited amalgam of local and international coverage focusing on a movie star’s alleged attendance at the Auckland protest.

Earlier in the day the Herald suggested that 2000 people were planning to attend the Auckland event, taking the number ‘attending’ on the Facebook event page literally. This is usually not a good idea. On the train into town a friend speculated that this was a deliberate ploy by the Herald to discredit the movement when far fewer turned out. I just assumed the reporter had never organised an event with Facebook before.

So what were we hoping for? As one even organiser put it, ‘the rule is usually divide by three and subtract 100’. That’s about 560 people. In the event there were clearly more than this. TV3 said ‘thousands’, and posted a video on their website. I would guess it was a very respectable 1000. The media doesn’t always under-estimate protests, although Christchurch demonstrators are adamant their was well over 100, not the 30 reported on Stuff.

Anti-capitalist?

Another questionable TV3 claim was ‘Anti-capitalism protesters have gathered in centres across the country’. This is true in the sense that there were many anti-capitalists activists at each of the protests. 

But it’s also clear and needs to be respected within the movement that many people are not comfortable with that label. Some are at pains to point out that they are against corporatism, not capitalism in general.

It’s important for anti-capitalists to respect that distinction, if the movement is to continue to attract a broad range of people.

At the same, we could point out that the concentration of wealth and power into hands of the 1% and their corporations is the inevitable result of capitalism and has been a central feature of the system for well over 100 years.

Even the highly regulated welfare state capitalism of the 50s, 60s and 70s was dominated by corporate monopolies, even if a powerful (but all too often bureaucratised) union movement ensured workers got a much higher share of the wealth their labour produced.

Workers rights under attack

The differences between then and now, the why and how the percentage of wealth and income going to the 1% has sky-rocketed was bought home in conversations I had with two of the many workers employed in around Queen Street for the duration of the Rugby World Cup.

Street cleaners, security guards, transport guides, and no doubt many more, are working long hours for low pay to make the World Cup a success.

One worker I spoke to had just a two-hour gap between finishing one shift and starting the next.

Another, who was able to join the protest for a few moments before his shift started, told me a co-worker sleeps in his car because there’s no time to go home between finishing one day and starting the next.

In 1987, when the first Rugby World Cup was played in New Zealand, union-negotiated awards would have ensured these workers got paid penal rates (time-and-a-half, double-time or even triple-time) for working on a weekend, working late at night and working more than eight hours in a day. Which might actually make the exhaustion of a double shift worthwhile.

As one cleaner said, ‘the rich get richer...’ And here’s how:

* In the public sector, cutting wages and contracting out helps central and local government to reduce business rates and cut taxes for the wealthy.

* In the private sector lower pay and higher workloads means corporations, like Dutch multinational First Security, gets to keep a far bigger cut of what it gets paid for the work it’s employees carry out.

The Occupy movement is all about not only highlighting injustices like these, but finding ways to do something about it.

At the very least we should invite the RWC workers down to the Aotea Square Occupation for a chance to relax, an opportunity to talk about their situation and maybe a more comfortable place to sleep.

VIDEO: Occupy Auckland

Today's Occupy Queen Street march

October 15: occupy Aotearoa, occupy everywhere

The Occupy Wall Street protest has inspired plans for more than 1000 similar events in the US and around the World. Many occupations are planned to begin on Saturday October 15. 

 

In Aotearoa New Zealand, protests and occupations are planned not just in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, but even in New Plymouth and Invercargill!

Targeting Wall Street – the symbolic heart of financial capitalism – the protest has become the centre of attention for all those unhappy that the interests of corporations, not the basic needs of people, dominate society.

A central message of the protest is that no society can be truly democratic when the richest 1% use their wealth and power to control the rest of us.

Their slogan ‘We are the 99%’ sums up the idea that only unity of the majority can change this situation and bring about a real democracy, where everyone participates and every voice is heard and respected.

AUCKLAND

http://www.occupyauckland.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/183933556971/photos/#!/event.php?eid=200962876639610

NEW PLYMOUTH

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=227956857259804

WELLINGTON

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Wellington-Nz/253279161382607

CHRISTCHURCH

http://occupychristchurch.org/

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/OccupyChristchurch#p/a/u/0/FEBdStoeJr0

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=227956857259804#!/occupychristchurch

DUNEDIN

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Dunedin/141220149310691

INVERCARGILL

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Invercargill/161973997227660

Significant change in plan for December’s Gaza aid convoy

by Grant Morgan
Co-organiser of Kia Ora Gaza
13 October 2011

Almost three years ago Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, killed over 1,400 mostly civilian Palestinians and laid waste to the coastal enclave.

Today, most Gazan families suffer from mass unemployment, medical shortages, polluted water, devastated housing, continual Israeli attacks and other dire conditions.

 Worst of all, Gaza’s 1.5 million population remains imprisoned by an illegal and cruel Israeli blockade.

Kia Ora Gaza is sending a four-person Kiwi Team on the sixth Gaza aid convoy organised by UK charity Viva Palestina. This multinational convoy aims to enter Gaza on the third anniversary of the start of Operation Cast Lead, 27 December.

“It is our intention with this convoy to try to increase the aid element,” says Viva Palestina in a statement issued yesterday. “We are also taking into account the fluid situation that has developed since the start of the Arab Spring and the fall of Mubarak.

”

“We are announcing therefore a significant change in the form that the convoy will take this time. Rather than travelling from London through Europe as before, we intend to purchase all aid and vehicles in Egypt itself.”

All volunteers, including our Kia Ora Gaza team, will travel to Egypt and join the convoy in Cairo on a date to be confirmed by Viva Palestina over the next few weeks.

This change in plan will play well with the Egyptian democracy movement which is hugely supportive of Gaza’s call to break the Israeli siege. It should help December’s convoy link up with Cairo’s democracy activists so there is a combined push to permanently open Egypt’s Rafah crossing with Gaza. 

If the Rafah Gate can be swung open to all people and goods going in and out of Gaza, then the Israeli siege will be mortally wounded. That would be the most fitting response by the world’s humanitarians on the third anniversary of Operation Cast Lead.

Your donations can bring us closer to this objective. Kia Ora Gaza has launched a $50,000 Gaza Appeal to fund our Kiwi convoyers and their aid to suffering Palestinians. Please donate generously to our moral and historic mission.

Go to the sidebar of kiaoragaza.net to see how to donate.

Will capitalism survive the crisis?

by Geoff Fischer

Will the political institutions of capitalism survive the current economic
crisis? That is the question which many of us are being asked. The simple
answer is that those institutions (states or governing parties) which preside
over social systems in which wealth is evenly distributed are best fitted to
survive, while those which preside over divided, unequal societies face
extinction.

So where does New Zealand stand? To answer that question we need to
understand the basis of the New Zealand state, which arose out of the
colonial project of the New Zealand Company in the early ninteenth century.
The New Zealand Company was a private immigration company founded for the
explicit purpose of establishing a class-based British-dominated colonial
society in the south seas. The colonial project has subsequently evolved into
the concept that goes by the name of "New Zealand Inc".

From quite early on the state (originally the imperial authorities in London,
and latterly the colonial government in Wellington) presented itself as a
moderating influence upon the colonial project. However there have been
crucial moments in history when the state has left off being moderate or
neutral, to overtly ally itself with the commercial interests of the New
Zealand Company.

Wallstreet video: Nobody can predict the moment of revolution

Nobody Can Predict The Moment Of Revolution from ivarad on Vimeo.

US occupations: links

The Wall Street occupation, now nearing the end of its third week has sparked a series of protests across the USA. Like the revolutionaries in North Africa and the Middle East, the protesters have made extensive use of the internet, social media and communication technology. Below are links to three websites where you can keep up to date with the protests.

 OccupyWallStreet

https://occupywallst.org/

 http://www.occupytogether.org/

WE ARE THE 99 PERCENT

Stories from those joining the protest:

“We are the 99 percent. We are getting kicked out of our homes. We are forced to choose between groceries and rent. We are denied quality medical care. We are suffering from environmental pollution. We are working long hours for little pay and no rights, if we're working at all. We are getting nothing while the other 1 percent is getting everything. We are the 99 percent”

  

A spotlight on Wall Street greed

Doug Singsen and Will Russell report from New York City on Occupy Wall Street.

From Socialist Worker US

September 28, 2011

New York police on a rampage against demonstrators from Occupy Wall Street (Brennan Cavanaugh)

DAILY PROTESTS and an ongoing park occupation in the financial district of New York City are gaining growing national attention as an expression of anger against Wall Street greed--and now the brutality of police against demonstrators, after the NYPD savagely attacked a march from the encampment to Union Square on September 24.

The hundreds of people who have participated in Occupy Wall Street since it began September 17 are protesting economic inequality and the power wielded by banks and big corporations in U.S. society. The occupiers say they represent the 99 percent of society that is fed up with the massive wealth and corruption of the top 1 percent.

The initial demonstration drew some 500 people to Bowling Green Park, site of the famous Charging Bull sculpture that is a famous symbol of Wall Street. Organizers had hoped for thousands to turn out, but activists continued with their aim of establishing an encampment--it was set up in nearby Zuccotti Park.

The protesters renamed the park Liberty Plaza in homage to Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Cairo--the symbol of this year's Egyptian revolution. In a stroke of happenstance, it turned out Liberty Plaza was actually the original name of Zuccotti Park.

The number of regular participants began to build over the week that followed, but interest turned intense after the September 24 police attack on marchers from the encampment.

More than 1,000 activists had started the Saturday with a march on Wall Street, before turning around and heading north, peacefully marching more than two miles to reach Union Square. There, they were met by a massive police resistance.

Predictable and surprising: an overview of Mana policy

by Grant Morgan 

21 September 2011

The Mana Party's consolidated policy document was recently released (see below). Its contents are both predictable and surprising. Here's a concise overview:

The document is predictably strong on "bread and butter" issues for Maori and workers, but invisible on their political "agency" in changing the system. 

• There are eight references to Maori, 10 to worker/s, and three to union/s. All these references are solely economic in character. So Maori, workers and unions are not given any political role in a systemic transition away from capitalism, or even away from the current neoliberal stage of capitalism.
• Accordingly, there is not a single reference to "capitalism", "capitalist", "neoliberal" or even "class". And just one passing reference to "market". Despite the presence of many self-described socialists within Mana, no mention is made of the words "socialism" or "socialist". 
• Nevertheless, there are important policy assaults on financialisation, which is the central pillar of neoliberalism. So the document advocates the abolition of GST, the introduction of a financial speculation tax, reduced income tax for the poor and steeper income tax for the wealthy, a capital gains tax and other tax policies which would confront financialisation without mentioning the words "neoliberalism" or capitalism".
• Overall, the document is reasonable on immediate "bread and butter" issues, but sidesteps the questions of political economy and political "agency". The inference is that voters should leave politics in the hands of Mana politicians, since nobody else is given a system change role. My mark: B+. 

It is surprisingly weak on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and tino rangatiratanga. 

• The treaty/tino rangatiratanga are linked four times to constitutional matters. But these references are very brief and abstract, leaving no meat on these constitutional bones.
• Plus there are two references to the treaty in regards to economic matters.
• Overall, a disappointing result from a party whose main membership consists of flaxroots Maori steeped in Te Tiriti and tino rangatiratanga. My mark: C.

And it is predictably woeful on ecological matters. 

• There is not a single reference to "ecology" in the policy document. 
• There is just one passing reference to "ecological" in a sentence where it's buried under social, economic and spiritual issues.
• The word "environment" appears three times, but only in reference to our social/legal environment, not the world of nature. 
• The word "environmental" appears twice, but only in passing and buried under social, cultural and economic issues.
• The word "sustainable" is used three times each in reference to transport and housing, which of course intersect with the natural environment, but the linkage is weak in the document. Mostly there's an economic aura given to "sustainable", which also appears five times in direct reference to the economy. 
• Climate change is probably the gravest emergency facing humanity today, threatening catastrophes on a primeval scale. Incredibly, Mana's manifesto makes merely two references to climate change/global warming. And one reference is merely economic, referencing the monetary cost of climate change policies. The other reference is part of a general statement on a post-oil future.
• Overall, a disjointed, abstract and unconvincing approach to ecology. There's no sense that systemic alternatives to climate change and other capitalist erosions of the natural basis for life on Earth should be woven into every fibre of Mana's policy. My mark: C-.

Of course, we cannot define any party by way of its policy manifesto alone. Usually the social character and track record of party members, and especially party leaders, is at least as important. 

But my overall impression of Mana's consolidated policy document is of punches pulled and opportunities missed in the arenas of political economy, political agency and constitutional remodeling. And, regarding the life-sustaining world of nature, I see a party manifesto that is lamentably weak, despite several disconnected references to a "post-carbon world".

Therefore, my overall mark for Mana's predictable and surprising manifesto would be somewhere between a B- and a C+. 

I hope that Mana does well in this year's parliamentary election, though my hopes are based more on good people in the party than on this rather disappointing manifesto. 

I also hope that the Green Party and candidates from Labour's left wing do well at the polls, and that they get together with Mana to start forging a Left Bloc that at the very least begins to roll back neoliberalism and tackle climate change.

Irish Rugby Players for Irish Ship to Gaza

Derek Wall: Ecosocialism cuts to roots of ecological crisis

British-based economist, activist and writer Derek Wall is a member of the Green Party of England and Wales and is the author of several books on ecology and politics.

Wall will speak via video link at the Climate Change Social Change activist conference in Melbourne over September 30 to October 3. He maintains the ecosocialist blog Another Green World.

He spoke to Green Left Weekly’s Simon Butler about the politics of ecosocialism.

What are the most valuable insights ecosocialists can bring to discussions about the source of our ecological problems?

Ecosocialism, without being reductionist, cuts to the roots of the ecological crisis. The destruction of the environment is not an accident. It is not simply a problem of false ideas and it is not a product of inappropriate policies that can easily be dealt with by electing a new set of politicians.

The assault on the basic life support system of our planet, the basic biological cycles, climate being just one, is caused by our economic and social system. We live in a capitalist society and capitalism tends towards the destruction of the conditions necessary to sustain life.

Taking control of our destiny

by Manu Caddie

Column first published in the Gisborne Herald

Saturday, September 03

SOCIALISM made the headlines locally and at a national level last week. The Prime Minister explained his admission that a socialist streak runs through New Zealanders by acknowledging he too holds socialist ideals. And an aspiring mayoral candidate blamed socialists on Gisborne District Council for the increase in his rates demand, which he thinks is a form of wealth tax. Of course, he failed to mention his properties are collectively worth many millions of dollars and the proportion of his rates to property value is less than one tenth of what the vast majority of us contribute.

As Noam Chomsky has pointed out, “the term socialist has been so evacuated of content over the last century that it’s hard even to use in any sensible way. The Soviet Union was called a socialist society by the two major propaganda powers in the world at the time. The West called the Soviet Union socialist to defame it by association with the miserable tyranny and the Soviets called it socialism to benefit from the moral appeal that true socialism had among large parts of the general world population”.

But the Soviet Union was about as remote from socialism as you can imagine. The core notion of traditional socialism is that working people have to be in control of production and communities have to be in control of their own lives. The Soviet Union was the exact opposite of local control, the working people were virtual slaves. Chomsky suggests the collapse of the Soviet Union was in fact a great victory for socialism.

There are attempts today to describe a detailed vision of a socialist future and some of the most extensive and detailed are examples like Participatory Economics, and the moves toward an extension of democracy to the industrial sphere through worker-owned co-operatives.

Philosopher and educationalist John Dewey’s main work concentrated on democracy and he pointed out that as long as we have industrial feudalism — that is, private power controlling production and commerce — our democracy will be very limited. We have to move to what he called industrial democracy if we hope to have democracy of any significance.

The way for individuals to realise the democracy “in their own hearts” was through community. As Dewey wrote, “it is through association that man has acquired his individuality and it is through association that he exercises it. The theory which sets the individual over against society, of necessity contradicts itself.”

Dewey believed that direct participation in a democracy would foster an unexpected talent for thoughtful deliberation in ordinary citizens.

“We lie in the lap of an immense intelligence,” he said. The difficulty was to unleash this intelligence, which remained dormant until “it possesses the local community as its medium”. In The Public and its Problems — Dewey’s only work of formal political philosophy — he outlined an elaborate programme of truly participatory democracy, one built around face-to-face interactions in “neighbourly communities”.

Socialism is the idea that people should be in control of their own destiny and lives, including the institutions within which they work and the communities within which they live. This is the potential and my vision for local government.

So when the label socialist gets used pejoratively by people who should know better, I hope John Key is correct, that New Zealanders do all have a socialist streak and we are proud of that commitment to local, egalitarian democracy that protects us from the tyranny of both big business and big government.

Kiwis to join siege-busting convoy to Gaza in December

Statement by Executive of Kia Ora Gaza

5 September 2011

As the historic “Arab Spring” surge for democracy sweeps across northern Africa and the Middle East, the time has come for a renewed international push to finally break the cruel & illegal Israeli siege of Gaza.

The Egyptian people have overthrown the military dictator Mubarak and are demanding that the Rafah border gates with Gaza be permanently opened to allow for the free flow of people and goods.

In tune with this epic era, the Viva Palestina 6 international aid convoy to Gaza, due to depart London in early December, is set to become a major factor in breaking the siege for all time. The permanent opening of the border will be the greatest form of aid for the besieged 1.5 million Palestinian people of Gaza.

All of Viva Palestina’s previous land convoys have successfully entered Gaza. As well as bringing millions of dollars of desperately needed medical and humanitarian aid, VP has been told by people in Gaza and by supporters of the Palestinians in Egypt that they have helped play a role in highlighting the unjust policy of the now ousted Mubarak regime in maintaining the siege.

The democratic revolution in Egypt opens the prospect of ending that siege for good. The convoy will be working in partnership with humanitarian organisations in Egypt to help bring that about before another year of unnecessary suffering is inflicted on the Gazans subsisting in what British prime minister David Cameron described as the world’s largest open air “prison camp”.

Kiwi Team invited to join historic mission

Kia Ora Gaza has been invited to send a New Zealand contingent to join this historic international mission. A 6-person Kia Ora Gaza team took part in the Viva Palestina 5 aid convoy, which broke through the siege in October last year, so we have a proven track record.

Our target: $70,000

Kia Ora Gaza is launching a nationwide fund-raising appeal to send another team of 6 Kiwis to join this siege-busting convoy from London.

Our target is $70,000 which will cover flight costs and purchase of NZ convoy vehicles and humanitarian aid.

We have less than 3 months to do so. Our success depends on the generosity of spirit of humanitarians like yourself.

Kia Ora Gaza is a charitable trust whose entire funds go to the sole benefit of the people of Gaza. All helpers are unpaid volunteers. All our accounts are subject to audit by a professional auditor (donating his services free) who is independent of our Board of Trustees.

Please send your donation by direct credit to our bank account: Kia Ora Gaza, 03-0211-044718-000, Westpac Bank, Onehunga Branch.

(Then email office@kiaoragaza.net with your deposit details so our Board of Trustees can send you an e-receipt.)

Or write a cheque for “Kia Ora Gaza” and post it to Kia Ora Gaza, PO Box 59007, Auckland.

Volunteer applications

Kia Ora Gaza invites New Zealanders to apply to be part of our 6-person Kiwi Team to Gaza. Application emails, containing your contact details, skill levels and personal history, should be sent to office@kiaoragaza.net by Monday 19 September.

Applications are open to New Zealanders from a wide range of backgrounds. You will need a current international car licence, hold a New Zealand passport and have no criminal history. You will be:

• a co-operative “team player”,
• passionate for peace and justice in Palestine,
• reasonably fit & healthy,
• over 23 years old,
• prepared to share your convoy experiences at public meetings & in media interviews,
• able to cope with difficulties & challenges,
• able to cover your personal expenses (estimated to be NZ$3,000).

Other ways everyone can help
Forward this notice to all your friends and ask them to do likewise.

If you have a blog, facebook page or Twitter – make the story viral.

Join the Kia Ora Gaza facebook group.

Attend or organise support meetings or fund-raising events.

Ask your church, mosque, marae, union or community group to offer a donation & message of support.

Visit our website kiaoragaza.net for regular updates.

Gaza: uneasy UN report and another aid convoy

The Palmer Commission, headed by former NZ prime minister Geoffrey Palmer, was appointed by the UN secretary-general to examine the Israeli attack on Gaza aid ship Mavi Marmara in May 2010. Nine humanitarian volunteers, eight of them Turkish and one Turkish-American, were killed by Israeli special forces who stormed the vessel in international waters during the dark of night.

After a number of delays, the final report by the Palmer Commission is due for release tomorrow (Friday, 2 September 2011). According to media reports, its conclusions look likely to be an uneasy compromise between Israel and Turkey, both represented on the equally balanced commission.

As we await the official release of the Palmer Commission's report, Kia Ora Gaza is sending you a backgrounder on Israel's disputed, but clearly bloody, seizure of the Mavi Marmara. It's from Gisha, the Israeli-based Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement (previously published on our website kiaoragaza.net). This legal opinion may help you identify where the legal facts lie in a tragedy which has been, and still remains, highly disputed and incredibly propagandised.

As well, Kia Ora Gaza is pleased to announce that we expect to take part in another international aid convoy to Gaza within the next few months. We will announce more details as planning is finalised. We are now calling for your donations to help fund our mission, made more important by the Arab Spring and the subsequent possibility of levering open Israel's terrible blockade of Gaza.

Are you able to donate to Kia Ora Gaza's next mission to aid the 1.5 million innocents of Gaza and break Israel's inhumane and unlawful siege? If you can spare some cash, please make a direct payment to our bank account:
Kia Ora Gaza, 03-0211-0447718-000, Westpac Bank, Onehunga branch (Afterwards, email office@kiaoragaza.net with your deposit details so our Board of Trustees can send you an e-receipt.)
Or else write a cheque for ‘Kia Ora Gaza’ and post to: Kia Ora Gaza, PO Box 59-007, Auckland. (And enclose your address or email so we can send you a receipt.)

Thank you,

Grant Morgan

Co-organiser of Kia Ora Gaza PO Box 59-007, Auckland, New Zealand 021 2544 515 office@kiaoragaza.net kiaoragaza.net

Taking inspiration from Iceland: a People's Constitution for Aotearoa?

by Vaughan Gunson

The article below tells the largely untold story of the Icelandic people beginning to throw off the shackles of neo-liberal capitalism.

Following the collapse of Iceland's banks in 2008, and the attempt by elites to make the people pay the cost, a struggle for a new constitution emerged. A process facilitated by the use of the Internet to encourage widespread participation and maximise democratic decision making.

This is not only inspiring, but points to a possible line of strategic advance for broad left forces in other countries reeling from the global financial crisis. We know that constitutional struggles have played an important role in the revolutionary processes in Latin America, most particularly Bolivia and Venezuela.

The time is approaching where it could possible for the broad left in New Zealand to push forward constitutional change that explicitly challenges neo-liberalism and makes steps towards a sustainable, democratic and equitable society.

Tax Justice petition presented to Parliament

Photo: http://www.nogstonfood.org/

from NZ Herald

Inclement weather today did not stop tax campaigners from presenting to Parliament a 40,000-signature petition calling for GST to be removed from food and a tax placed on financial speculation.

Tax Justice coordinator Vaughan Gunson had intended to join campaigners from as far afield as Whangarei and Dunedin to hand over the petition on the steps of Parliament to Labour's Mangere MP Su'a William Sio, who would then present it to the House.

But he was unable to fly into Wellington and the petition was instead handed over by Wellington campaign organiser Grant Brookes.

Union representatives, Green Party co-leader Russel Norman, Mana Party leader Hone Harawira, and Maori Party MPs Rahui Katene and Te Ururoa Flavell also attended the handover.

"It was great to see them willing to receive our message and to present it to their colleagues in Parliament, and we certainly conveyed our views fairly and strongly,'' Mr Brookes said.

He said polls showed most people wanted GST off food, while he thought people were of the feeling that the wealthiest New Zealanders did pay their fair share of tax.

Mr Brookes was hopeful a broader Tax Justice coalition could emerge, which he said was achievable given the breadth of organisations present today.

Mr Harawira said any move to bridge the wealth divide and reduce inequality was worthy of support.

"GST is a tax that targets the poor because they don't have much money to spend, and nearly everything that they spend gets hit by GST,'' he said.

"On the other hand, financial speculators deal in millions of dollars every day on the world's financial markets, and don't pay anything.''

Labour Party leader Phil Goff this morning said his party supported removing GST from fresh fruit and vegetables, but had not budgeted for changes beyond that.

"We have a fiscal situation that would limit the amount of work that we would be able to do in that area.''

- NZPA

Building an eco-socialist network in New Zealand

Statement by Socialist Worker central committee

11 August 2011

The crises of global capitalism, coupled with catastrophic climate change and peak resources, is going to bring about profound social, ecological and political upheavals.

There is evidence of this happening globally already. We can point to the Arab Revolts that have toppled US-backed regimes and the emergence of anti-neoliberal movements of workers and young people in a number of European countries. Part of the context for these revolts is the global financial crisis, which is ongoing and will unravel further, impacting severely on the lives of grassroots people around the world.

While the current political situation in New Zealand is a big step away from mass revolt, the forces at work in this country are similar. Masses of ordinary people are hurting, there’s simmering anger towards politicians and other corporate elites, and there’s growing concern at the ecological catastrophe that humanity faces. The political quietism will not last indefinitely.

What can eco-socialists do today to prepare our forces for the historic challenges in front of us?

Socialist Worker believes the time is right to encourage further cooperation among people who identify as eco-socialists. Across the New Zealand’s existing left parties and socialist groups there are people who broadly share a common political perspective, who want to work towards a sustainable, equitable and democratic future.

But equally importantly, there is probably thousands of people not currently belonging to any political party or organisation who broadly share an eco-socialist vision.

We think it’s necessary, and possible, to cohere and grow the network of eco-socialists in New Zealand. For this reason, Socialist Worker has started trialing an eco-socialist network sign-up sheet. (To view the sign-up sheet click here.)

While it’s very early days, there are some encouraging signs that people are interested in joining an eco-socialist network.

In the near future we want to set up an eco-socialist website/discussion forum on the Internet. We envisage this new site being free of any party branding and that it would evolve, we hope, into a forum jointly run by a number of organisations and individuals.

Such a web presence would maximize the sharing of information and ideas relevant to an eco-socialist vision. The site would connect with people through email newsletters and social media.

Socialist Worker believes that building a broad eco-socialist network in the short term will be one practical “here-and-now” foundation for a mass-based broad left movement in the future.

An eco-socialist network would complement other positive developments on the left, particularly the emergence of the Mana Party, which is uniting a flaxroots Maori movement with radical left activists from socialist and union backgrounds.

An eco-socialist network would also build on the closer cooperation between leftists that we’ve seen in recent years around campaigns like $15ph Minimum Wage, NZ Not For Sale, Kia Ora Gaza, Tax Justice, and Anti-Mining/Oil Drilling.

An eco-socialist network could look to achieve these goals:

1. Draw people together across parties and organisations who self-identify with the word “eco-socialist”, and thus be a force for breaking down barriers and opening up democratic debate, so essential to building a broad movement for change;

2. Facilitate open discussion about all aspects of the political struggle in New Zealand and globally.

3. Foster increased cooperation around anti-neoliberal campaigns initiated by a range of groups and organisations;

4. Work towards launching popular strategic campaigns that target neoliberalism and bring activists into contact with broad layers of grassroots people.

5. Encourage a dynamic analysis of the crisis of global capitalism and its impact on material conditions in New Zealand, from which sound political strategies can emerge that provide us with realistic pathways towards a sustainable, equitable and democratic future.

While there is a lot to work out in practice Socialist Worker believes a web-based eco-socialist network has considerable potential.

We would like to invite interested individuals and organisations to contact us directly about supporting and getting involved in this initiative. Contact Vaughan Gunson, email vaughangunson@ecosocialist.net or ph/txt 021-0415 082.

For more on the crisis of global capitalism, which compels the eco-left to join together, read Capitalism's terminal crisis and the global cooperation of eco-socialists by Grant Morgan.

In solidarity,

Socialist Worker’s central committee:

Bernie Hornfeck
Bronwen Beechey
Daphne Lawless
David Colyer
Don Archer
Grant Brookes
Grant Morgan
Len Parker
Peter Hughes
Vaughan Gunson