Precarity and Protest in Post-Fukushima Japan

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[Image: Clowning Around Against Nukes, Tokyo 2011]

Alexander Brown

When a major nuclear disaster occurred at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011 it was Japan’s growing body of casual and unemployed workers—sometimes referred to as the ‘precariat’ in recognition of the precarious nature of their lives and labours—who organised the first large-scale demonstrations in Tokyo. In the first of these demonstrations on 10 April 2011, 15,000 people marched through the streets of Koenji, a district of Tokyo that is at the centre of the cultural and political movements of the precariat. [Link to this video of the demonstration here: http://youtu.be/leafNnVWB24] Continue reading →

Women, ‘Gender Wars’ and Refusal: What Century Is This Again?

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Annette Blanka

Lately we’ve heard a fair bit about so-called ‘gender wars’ between the major parties as they compete to position themselves for election.  The absurd levels of misogyny directed at former PM Gillard and other women by the Coalition, amplified through media discourse, are just a taste of what’s to come under an Abbott government. Gillard-the-individual-woman has shown courage and perseverance in withstanding this onslaught. But the attempt to position Gillard as a feminist hero rings hollow. Feminism means equality for all women; Gillard represents policies that materially harm large sections of the female population. On the very day of her celebrated speech to Parliament in which she slammed Abbott’s countless instances of misogyny, her government axed single parents’ benefit (after the youngest child turns 8), forcing hundreds of thousands of single mothers onto the unliveable Newstart unemployment allowance.  Similarly, the NT Intervention and Income Management policies are intensely harmful to women, who are often responsible for managing household budgets and keeping communities together. But these individual policies form part of a larger context. My argument is that another ‘gender war’ of sorts is underway against women, over which Gillard and the media discourse continue to maintain a deafening silence. Gender inequality is accelerating, a key consequence of what the Zapatistas refer to as the “Fourth World War”: the ongoing devastation wrought by neo-liberalism over the past 30-odd years. Continue reading →

In Praise of Chalk

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Timothy Scriven

I have written this because everyone talks about strategy and not enough of us talk about tactics. At best one hears discussions about broad classes of tactics “mass tactics” versus “insurrectionary tactics- essentially this is just another strategic discussion (though necessary). When tactics are spoken of, they are often discussed in an apolitical manner, in DIY guides or lists of creative action ideas. This short paper considers the political strengths of the tactics of chalking, most especially at rallies. Continue reading →

Pathways to Illegality, or ‘What happened to the International Students?’

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by Sanmati Verma

Introduction

This piece maps the growth, collapse and reformation of what is termed the ‘international education economy’ – a conglomeration of interests including Australian Universities and TAFEs, private vocational education providers, State governments, education and migration agents – cumulatively worth around $15.3 billion to the Australian economy.1 More specifically, I seek to document what has become of the particular representative group of international students who came into focus through mass self-organised protests in 2009 and 2010 – predominately Indian and Chinese students, working in Australia’s service economy (cabs, convenience stores, contract cleaning, labour hire, sex work etc.) and enrolled in vocational courses offered by private providers. Continue reading →

Reflections on Striking at Sydney Uni

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K-Box

On the first strike at Sydney Uni I found myself on a picket chanting ‘no class, class war,’ as bemused young men with sports bags walked towards us over the Parramatta Road footbridge. Throughout that day such a complex welter of emotions stirred in me, but in that moment I felt amusement and an overwhelming sense of relief. It was a relief to be part of a collective response to the larger undercurrents that have been responsible for the many small discontents and everyday alienations of the ten years of university in my life. Continue reading →

Anarcha-feminism and anarcho-machismo in Spain

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Interview with the Valeries by Jeremy Kay

This article is an edited interview from December 2012. It follows on from a set of interviews (published in the last edition of Mutiny) which discussed Spain’s economic crisis, massive social movements (such as ’15M’), and anarchistic politics. This interview focusses on anarcha-feminist organising and perspectives. The Valeries are two radical anarcha-feminist squatters living in Madrid. The interview was conducted in Spanish – I apologise for any errors I may have made due to misunderstandings or poor translation. – Jeremy. Continue reading →

Resisting more than course cuts: the Wollongong University Free School

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Claire Johnston

Following the neoliberal trends across tertiary education, the University of Wollongong Faculty of Arts notified its students at the end of last year that if they wished to major in one of seven interdisciplinary courses, such as Asia Pacific Studies or Gender Studies, they had to declare it on their academic enrolment by the close of 2012. From 2013 these courses would no longer be available. The justification from management was entirely predictable: enrolments were “pathetically low” and students had “voted with their feet”. Yet despite the supposed unpopularity of the courses, students were upset with the decision, and as we were to find out, were actually interested, engaged and eager to learn about some of these areas. Continue reading →

What’s happening with Income Management in Bankstown?

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In 2012, the Labor government passed Stronger Futures legislation, which extended the NT Intervention for another 10 years. It also extended the policy of Income Management to five new “trial sites” around Australia, including Bankstown in Sydney.

A strong, locally-based campaign in Bankstown has brought together Aboriginal people, community organisations, migrants and trade unions has stopped income management in its tracks. So far, only one person has been placed on income management in the area. However, up to twenty people have been put on“voluntary” income management, which is no longer so “voluntary” once people are on it, with serious barriers to getting off the program once a person is on it. Continue reading →

Strike! To the Picket Lines at Sydney University

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The NTEU and the CPSU at Sydney University have called a strike campaign in response to the outrageous position of management in EBA negotiations. What follows is a recount of some of my experiences with the first strike day. This article is written from the experience of a student, I make no claim to speak to experience of staff at the pickets.

The strike on the 7th of March was big. It shut down the university. There were probably five hundred or more on all of the pickets. Management were upset. From these perspectives, it was a success.

On the footbridge across Parramatta road, militants linked arms and sang songs, waved red and black flags and turned around many. Continue reading →

Conversations with Anarchists in Madrid (pt1)

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Interviews conducted by Jeremy – eds

There are massive social movements shaking Spain. In 2012 I spent six months living in Madrid and participating in anarchist and other movements. There are anti-austerity mobilisations virtually everyday, and at least monthly demonstrations which see tens of thousands in the streets. Many of these are organanised through the 15M movement, although the struggle for ‘control’ of the movement is ongoing. In November a million workers marched through the city as part of a union-led general strike. In many neighbourhoods there are weekly assemblies and frequent direct actions such as stopping people being evicted from their homes. There are hundreds of squatted houses and more than a dozen squatted, self-managed social centres in Madrid alsone. Millions of people are involved, from students and workers to 15M ‘Indignants’, anti-fascists and anarchists. Continue reading →