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There have been interesting shifts in Indigenous politics here in Oz. They centre on the programs and policies and personality of Noel Pearson, the director on the Cape York Institute - a neo-liberal think tank on Indigenous Affairs. Pearson carved out for himself a considerable space with his argument that "passive welfare" was to blame for Indigenous disadvantage and to talk of anything else was to make excuses. [I note here *en passant* that in neo-0liberal thought only welfare is passive and not rent or profits]. Predictably enough Pearson's views on welfare made him the most popular of Indigenous Leaders among White Australians. His greatest achievement however was probably the right wing Howard Government's military led intervention into the Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory in 2007. This intervention and the ham-fisted racist way it was implemented has been criticised by almost all Indigenous leaders - with the exception of Noel Pearson and Professor Marcia Langton the former Trotskyist. However with the exception of Michael Mansell, the Indigenous taboo about not criticising another Indigenous leader in public still held. So the White Left slowly oh so slowly worked out Pearson's role as the conduit for the imposition of the neo-liberal agenda in Indigenous Affairs, and anxiously waited for an Indigenous leader to on the offensive against him. However Indigenous Australians remained politely silent. That now appears to have changed totally. Chris Graham, a White Activist penned an article accusing Pearson of articulating what the white man wanted to hear. Graham also labeled Pearson as 'the most loathed person in Indigenous Affairs' http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/29750.html This attack has now been followed by public criticism from the Indigenous militant Murandoo Yanner of Pearson's stance on the Wild rivers in North Queensland. Briefly Pearson has been calling for mining companies to have the right to mine the pristine rivers. Pearson's call has been taken up by Murdoch's *Australian* and the parties of the right <http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/12/2790883.htm>. Also supporting mining of the rivers is leading industrialist Peter Holmes a Court < http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/peter-holmes-a-court-and-sons-on-wild-river-trip/story-e6frg6oo-1225786087045>. However traditional owners have now come out and said that Pearson does not speak for them. Whether this will be enough to save the rivers or not remains to be seen. regards Gary ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
