Posts Tagged ‘far left’

Agonising about organising

December 13, 2011

A response to Max Lane

Max responded to my observations about the Labor Party conference, and particularly the decision on marriage equality, with two fairly long and thoughtful comments on organisation and the left that require a thoughtful response, which I will provide to the best of my ability.

But firstly, because this discussion began on the matter of Labor’s decision to support marriage equality, it is clear that this will now be an issue in the next federal election and it will be important to support any candidates, particularly Labor Party candidates, who come under attack because of their democratic stance.

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The Labor left and its role

December 11, 2011

A response to Doug Jordan

Doug Jordan responds on the Green Left discussion list to my post, Left reaction to the Labor conference.

DJ: “Almost implict in Ed’s comments seems to be the idea that any sharp criticism of the ALP is sectarian.”

What does “almost implicit” mean? Perhaps an implication that Doug would like to be able to point to but can’t find? There’s no justification for Doug trying to read implications into my writing. I try to write precisely and avoid ambiguity, which I hope Doug as a historical writer might appreciate. Doug doesn’t indicate which part of my analysis might be ambiguous on this point, which I’m sure wouldn’t pass muster in historical circles.

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Left reaction to the Labor conference

December 9, 2011

My prediction that the Labor Party conference would be received with a round of ritual moaning and whingeing on the far left has been largely confirmed, although a couple of people have accused me of dishonesty in saying that.

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Leaflets, demands and concrete struggles

March 1, 2008

Bob Gould

Why I have absolutely no intention of getting out a leaflet calling for the expulsion of Costa and Iemma at this stage in the struggle against electricity privatisation

The web is a stamping ground for adventurers, trolls and demagogues who hide behind their anonymity. Some people have sound reasons for choosing pseudonyms on the web, like job considerations etc. It would be bad web etiquette to out people indiscriminately for this kind of reason. Having said that, I don’t take terribly seriously people on the web who strike demagogic poses sheltering behind anonymity.

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The revolutionary left in Britain (1972)

January 19, 2004

Tariq Ali


Introduction

Bob Gould

Tariq Ali, Vanessa Redgrave and possibly Terry Eagleton are the best-known and most publicly accessible Marxists in the English-speaking world who are still politically active in support of righteous causes.

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The politics of the ISO and DSP

July 8, 2003

Part I. The politics of the International Socialist Organisation

Part II. The politics of the Democratic Socialist Party

The need to restore the socialist project

Restoring the validity of the socialist project is not merely academic. The events of 1989-90 have been seen as the death of communism and socialism and the final triumph of Western capitalism.

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25,000 march against the Iraq war

December 1, 2002

The drought begins to break and 25,000 march on November 30 in Sydney against Bush’s Iraq war


Bob Gould

Over the last 48 hours the devastating drought that has affected eastern Australia for the last year began to break with the sudden onset of short bursts of semi-monsoon rains of the sort that are characteristic of the Northern Territory and sometimes affect sub-tropical south-eastern Australia.
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The sociology of labour parties and trade unions

October 18, 2002

A review of the discussion on labour parties and an investigation of the sociology of labour parties and trade unions in English-speaking countries from the standpoint of trying to arrive at tactics required to build a class-struggle left wing

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