The article on the Paul Sheehan affair the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Canberra Time have so far refused to publish
Posted by John, March 3rd, 2016 - under Fairfax, Paul Sheehan, Racism.
Comments: none
At 8.46 am on Tuesday 1 March I sent the article below to the opinion editors at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Canberra Times. It is about the Paul Sheehan affair and his repetition of lies from Louise about a rape in Sydney she blamed on Middle Eastern men. It was untrue. I got an automated response for the SMH and the Age saying they received lots of submissions and if they hadn’t got back to me in a few days consider it rejected. (My words.) Sixty hours later and not one of the opinion editors has got back to me about what I thought was an OK article highlighting the liberal racism of the Fairfax newspapers. Here is what I sent them. It is an edited down version of an earlier article on my blog. I just can’t for the life of me figure out why they won’t publish it, can you?
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It is twenty years since the election of John Howard, class warrior for the rich
Posted by John, March 1st, 2016 - under John Howard, Ruling class, The rich.
Comments: none
History records that John Howard’s Liberals won government 20 years ago, on 2 March, 1996. His government had a ruthless class agenda, writes David Glanz in Solidarity, but it was Labor’s timid opposition that kept it in power. To read the whole article click here. 20 years since his election: John Howard—class warrior for the rich
Racism in Australia: how we can fight it – Canberra Solidarity meeting this Thursday
Posted by John, March 1st, 2016 - under Racism, Solidarity.
Comments: 1
The government’s cruel refugee policies help to spread lies and xenophobia. The recent campaign to “Let them Stay”—over the government’s threat to deport 267 refugees—has shown that ordinary people will stand up against racist policy. Come to this Solidarity meeting in Canberra on Thursday to discuss how we can best fight together against racism in Australia. […]
Mastercard, interest rates and tax
Posted by John, February 29th, 2016 - under Credit cards, Interest rates, Mastercard, Tax, Tax avoidance.
Comments: 6
So it appears MasterCard gets a lot of revenue from Australia and yet pays little tax here. It screws us with high credit card interest rates and screws us again by not paying much tax here. Shame on MasterCard and shame on our politicians for not addressing the high credit card interest rates or the tax avoidance.
A question to readers of Fairfax media – has the Sheehan finally worn off?
Posted by John, February 29th, 2016 - under Fairfax, Islamophobia, Media, Media diversity, Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Paul Sheehan, Racism, The Canberra Times, The Sydney Morning Herald.
Comments: 2
Australia’s mainstream media is a bit like Australia’s politics. It gives the impression of difference but in reality the two major newspaper outlets – News and Fairfax – disagree only on the detail. They agree on the overriding message and practice of neoliberalism and austerity. They agree too on creating a distraction from austerity. For Fairfax disguised and now not so disguised Islamophobia and liberal racism are good ways to do that.
Industrial action by Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital staff in support of asylum seeker baby Asha shows the way to win
Posted by John, February 26th, 2016 - under Asylum seekers, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, Lady Cilento Hospital, Refugees, Unions.
Comments: none
The question for me now becomes how to link the wonderful words of support from union leaders to actions in defence of asylum seekers and refugees; how to ‘keep up the momentum and deepen the support.’ As Amy says, I think we need to be highlighting the industrial action Lady Cilento staff took as one example of the way forward. At the ANU the NTEU called a photo-shoot protest to let them stay and some staff joined the union as a result so the issue has resonance with workers. We should also I think begin discussing civil disobedience as another part of the way forward. Close down Melbourne to close down Manus.
To read Amy’s excellent article click here. Lady Cilento Hospital workers show the way to win
Australia’s immigration detention centres are concentration camps
Posted by John, February 25th, 2016 - under Asylum seekers, Concentration camps, Refugees.
Comments: 10
There is a growing recognition that Australia’s immigration detention centres are concentration camps, and no amount of denial by various apologists for the brutalisation of asylum seekers and refugees will change that reality. Hitler’s first concentration camps were set up soon after his election in 1933 to lock up and destroy the left in Germany. He imprisoned […]
Some perspective on funding Safe Schools for LGBTI students
Posted by John, February 24th, 2016 - under LGBTI, Safe Schools.
Comments: none
Abolish the Senate
Posted by John, February 23rd, 2016 - under Democracy, Parliament, Senate.
Comments: 5
Abolishing the Senate would be the first step in democratising the bourgeois institution of Parliament.
Could Labor really win the 2016 election?
Posted by John, February 22nd, 2016 - under ALP, Australian Labor Party, Bill Shorten, Labor Party, Liberal National Party, Liberal Party, Malcolm Turnbull.
Comments: 2
The desire for a better world is engraved on the hearts of workers and that longing gives hope to Labor. They will dissipate that desire for a change away from business as usual politics if they don’t make their arguments in class terms. Bill Shorten is no Bernie Sanders, but he is also not Malcolm Turnbull ether.
Turnbull can smile and pontificate all he wants. Ordinary workers want to see government action that improves their lives and that of their kids. The dilemma for Turnbull is that if he does that he has no room for cutting taxes on business. His shine is wearing off as the class nature of his government becomes clearer to us all.