Gillard, Afghanistan, homophobia and women’s wages: Saturday’s socialist speak out
Posted by John, June 25th, 2010 - under Saturday's socialist speak out.
Want to get something off you chest? Whether it be on Gillard, Afghanistan, homophobia, women’s wages or anything else, hit the comments button and have your say.
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Comments
Comment from John
Time June 25, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Thanks dl. I won’t take sides in a battle between two right wing Labor figures. I think you make an important point when you highlight the role of the mining industry (and I would throw in the Murdoch media) in destroying Rudd’s leadership.
But this isn’t fascism. That is a brutal rule to smash the organised working class (unions, labor parties, communist parties etc) and drive down wages and living standards to restore profit rates.
The dictatorship of capital in ‘normal’ times is better imposed through the consent of the wage slaves but in times of crisis they respond with the battering ram of fascism to smash the organisations of the working class. We are a long long way from that in Australia.
Comment from John
Time June 26, 2010 at 9:55 am
The Sydney Morning Herald today shows first preferences for the ALP up 14 percent to 47 percent after the leadership change. The Greens are down 7 percent. On a 2 Party Preferred it would be 55 to the ALP and 45 to the Opposition. On these figures Labor would romp home. The Gordon Brown effect maybe?
Gillard must be tempted to go very soon. Perhaps in August before the footy finals begin? ‘To legitimise my leadership and give us a fresh mandate’ no doubt
Comment from John
Time June 26, 2010 at 9:56 am
Boat people have always been a probelm in Australia. Ask any Aborigine.
Comment from John
Time June 26, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Just read a comment on reddit socialism which said ‘the only socialists in Australia are the SEP/WSWS.’
Oh dear…
The one true faith again. You know, Trotsky (whom they claim they follow) only joined the Bolsheviks in 1917 after years of disagreeing (and sometimes agreeing) with them. Presumably he wasn’t a true socialist until then?
I find this counter-posed idea of the one true socialist sect utterly repugnant. And anti-Marxist.
Comment from David
Time June 26, 2010 at 12:21 pm
The dismissal of Rudd looks to me like the Labor Party has allowed itself to be ruled by big mining. Gillard is a usurper that owes her allegiance to her backers whether she likes it or not for as we have seen the corporations have the power to be king makers. At least Rudd was an elected prime minister in his own right. So how much is Gillard beholden to the mining corporations? We need an election but who is there to vote for?
Comment from dl
Time June 26, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Touche, Australia is nowhere near being a fascist country, it was an ill-thought reference I made.
Comment from John
Time June 26, 2010 at 12:47 pm
That’s a good point David. I think she became leader becuase the right wing of the labor party was scared by the mining companies’ anti-tax campaign and by the Australian’s more general anti-Labor campaign. I am just reluctant then to say that she is beholden to the mining companies. Perhaps. She’ll do a deal I would have thought that allows her to say that mining companies will pay a fair share when in fact it will be a pittance, if anything, extra.
As to voting, if I get the chance I’ll vote for a Socialist Alliance candidate (even though I have major disagreements with them over politics and practice) and then the Greens. Labor follows. The Libs will be last or thereabouts, depending on the nature of the conservatives and reactionaries standing.
dl, I appreciate your comments. I wasn’t having a go at you, just entering the discussion. Please feel free to keep contributing.
Comment from Arjay
Time June 26, 2010 at 5:10 pm
dl,”Aust is nowhere being a facist country.” Well,what do you say about the internet filtering that align us with China.How would we know who is filtering what?
The “New World Order” that both the Bushes and now Obama allude to, is about Corportate domination of the planet.Iraq was a lie and now invaded for it’s oil.Afghanistan/Pakistan will be the route oil pipelines from Turkmenistan.Now we learn that Afghanistan has $ trillion in resources particularly lithium for the battery industry.
Now the neo-cons want to invade Iran for it’s oil.How stupid do they think we are?
If this Corporate empire is able to possess most of the world’s energy and resources,it will be hell on earth for common folk.They will then charge at will.
Rockerfeller.”Competition is a sin.”Competition exists for small business and the lowly masses.Global Cartells hate competition.Their aim is total control.
Comment from Marco
Time June 26, 2010 at 5:20 pm
About Gillard: she may not be much better than Rudd, but in her favour I’ve got to say she’s kinda hot.
Who knows? She might still manage to keep Rasputin away from the Winter Palace… Sorry, Kirribilli.
Let’s see if Jabba the Hutt and the other miners give her a break.
Comment from John
Time June 26, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Although I mentioned my voting intentions, I think the real issue is building a revolutionary socialist alternative (http://www.sa.org.au). This far out from the election I think the way to respond to the frenzy is to say a pox on both Labor and the Liberals and argue we need to fight both for any real progressive changes.
Comment from John
Time June 26, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Marco, that is about all Labor has going for it – we are not Abbott. On major issues they and the Liberals are indistinguishable. But I am with those workers who hold their nose nd vote Labor to stop the Liberals. When they mobilise in their workplaces against Labor then we can talk….
Comment from Marco
Time June 26, 2010 at 6:40 pm
“On major issues they and the Liberals are indistinguishable.”
I know.
Still, gingers are sexy, and even Abbott’s daughter says he’s lame *<;oD
Comment from John
Time June 26, 2010 at 7:01 pm
The Resource Super Profits Tax compromise will be something like no 40% subsidy to failed projects, no exploration rebate, a super profit of the long term bond rate plus 5%, not applying the tax to existing projects, market value instead of historical cost, and a rate of about 30%. The loss in predicted revenue – say $6 or $7 billion, will be made up by no company tax cuts and no accelerated depreciation for small business, and attacks on social spending -education, health, public transport.
Comment from dl
Time June 26, 2010 at 9:18 pm
@ Arjay- I was actually saying that in reference to my earlier comment about Benito Mussolini. BTW I hate the feeling of being seen as an alarmist.
Also, John thanks for the approbation. My comments are often straight off the cuff, have poor grammar and often aren’t very insightful, so you can feel free to tear shreds off me if need be, but thanks anyway.
As for arjay, in reality I see Australian people as probably having a proclivity towards social conservatism on many points (but without a powerful Christian right, as is the case in America.), but by no means fascist. As for the whole neo-con right conspiracy theories, i’ve peronally never thought much of them. I personally dislike neo-cons like Bill Kristol John “the Insufferable” Podhoretz, but the amount of clout they had was often overstated (I don’t have time to expound on this now).
As for your other comments, Stephen Conroys ” child-porn” busting internet filter certainly is anathema to me, but it just can’t be compared as on par with China’s great firewall. BTW when did internet censorship become the exclusive domain of a Fascist country? regards dl..
Comment from dl
Time June 25, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Say what you will about Rudd, a large impetus behind his rout in the polls, of course alongside the his complete capitulation on the ETS scheme, was some of the vociferous opposition coming from mining companies Viz-a-viz the RSPT. I don’t think that Gillard will continue to carry the baton on the tax ( ie. Her and Wayne swan giving huge concessions) on this issue, either, to go off on a tangent.
What it is sad for me to see, considering the apparent effectiveness of the mining ads campaign, is the allegory of the will of the people, represented by the tax, being steamrolled so easily by corporate opposition. This is a bit of hyperbole here, but didn’t even Benito Mussolini quote the Fascism was basically rule by corporations?
BTW I agree with Tony Abbott a bit here when he described the Gillard Coup as a “brutal assassination”. Rudd certainly had share of faults, but he certainly didn’t deserve that ignominous exit.