Australian Border Force: first they came for Mojgan
Posted by John, August 29th, 2015 - under Asylum seekers, Australian Border Force, Authoritarianism, Mojgan Shamsalipoor, Refugees, Repression.
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First it was Mojgan, then it was Melbourne. This is the real face of Australian Border Force.
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I don’t have a visa – what are you going to do Australian border fascists?
Posted by John, August 28th, 2015 - under Asylum seekers, Australian Border Force, Authoritarianism, Othering, Refugees.
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The demonstration against Australian Border Force shows the way forward to beat back this deepening authoritarianism – protest, protest, protest. Do as those in Melbourne did. Occupy the centre of town. It is a lesson the refugee movement more generally and other movements like the equal marriage campaign could learn. On the streets to beat the new authoritarianism, defend the oppressed and win or win back our rights. The next time Border Force tries it on let’s bring out thousands against them.
Simon Corbell, A.C.T. Labor Party Attorney-General, defend the building union
Posted by John, August 27th, 2015 - under Building unions, Building workers, CFMEU, Simon Corbell, The Canberra Times.
Comments: 1
This is a letter I sent to the Canberra Times on Thursday. John It appears that in the pre-selection process Minister Simon Corbell has lost support among many ACT Labor Party Left faction members. (Kirsten Lawson, ‘Ructions over Corbell exit’ The Canberra Times 27 August page 1.) I have some suggestions to Simon to help […]
Bombing Syria – beware bloodthirsty imperialists and their moral duties
Posted by John, August 26th, 2015 - under Abbott government, Australian imperialism, Iraq, Syria, US imperialism.
Comments: 4
The last big demonstrations in Australia were against the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the lies of our leaders. Maybe it is time to organise protests against the next instalment of that madness, bombing Syria.
Tax cuts for the rich? Seriously Treasurer?
Posted by John, August 25th, 2015 - under Abbott government, Joe Hockey, Tax cuts, Tax reform, Tax the rich.
Comments: 3
Australia is a low tax, low spending country. It’s time we started taxing the rich and the big business tax avoiders more, not less.
Global chaos returns – why?
Posted by John, August 24th, 2015 - under Crisis, Global economy, Great Recession, Market, Recession.
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Michael Roberts explains the reasons for the market chaos going on across the globe on his excellent blog site the Next Recession. He says among other things: ‘The reasons are clear. The Chinese economy, now officially the largest in the world (at least as measured by the IMF’s rather weird purchasing power parity method), is slowing fast. To read the whole excellent article click here.
Nauru is hell
Posted by John, August 23rd, 2015 - under Asylum seekers, Gosford Anglican Church, Hell, Nauru, Refugees.
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This article from the Saturday paper captures that reality. It says among other things: ‘One woman lies catatonic in hospital after being raped and beaten. Another was raped and immolated. This is the world awaiting refugees released from detention on Nauru.’ To read the whole article click here. Nauru rapes: ‘There is a war […]
Government budgets aren’t household budgets: a cartoon
Posted by John, August 23rd, 2015 - under Budget, Budget cuts, Budget surplus.
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Asylum seekers: a picture
Posted by John, August 22nd, 2015 - under Asylum seekers, Refugees.
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The photographer, Daniel Etter has now written about it in The Guardian. Click on this link. After taking this picture, I cared more about the people than the image An update: they made it to Germany. Great news.
If only we could elect better politicians eh?
Posted by John, August 21st, 2015 - under Parliament, Parliamentary cretinism, Politicians, Put a Socialist in the Senate.
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Bob Douglas (Canberra Times Letters 19 August) has given eloquent voice to the despair many many Australians feel about their elected ‘representatives’. However I don’t think, as Bob seems to, the answer lies just in searching for better candidates. The problem is systemic. By all means consider forming new electoral alliances to fight for better representatives. But understand that the forces at play are much deeper and more entrenched than can be solved by having that nice Mr Turnbull or likable Mr Albanese (or variations on that theme) in the Lodge rather than the two pathetic alternatives offered up to us at the moment.