LL:URL: socialist alliance web page launched

[Melbourne Green Left Weekly]

Leading up to the launch of the Socialist Alliance for the forthcoming 
federal elections a web site detailing the platform of the Alliance, the 
details of launches and information about the eight founding organisations.

The site is at www.socialist-alliance.org and the alliance can be contacted 
in Melbourne at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or on 9639 8622, 9388 0062 
or 9386 4815.

The Melbourne launch of Socialist Alliance will be on Tuesday April 10 at 
7pm at Brunswick Town Hall, Cnr Dawson St & Sydney Rd Brunswick. Confirmed 
speakers so far include Victorian AMWU state secretary Craig Johnston and 
Fidan Kucuktepe from the Human Rights Committee of Victoria and the Kurdish 
Association. In addition speakers from the Indigenous, women's and queer 
movements will be invited as well as representatives of Socialist Alliance.



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LL:ART: RECESSION. Capitalism in crisis

[Communist Party of Australia]

The following article was published in "The Guardian", newspaper
of the Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday,
March 14th, 2001. Contact address: 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills.
Sydney. 2010 Australia. Phone: (612) 9212 6855 Fax: (612) 9281 5795.
CPA Central Committee: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"The Guardian": <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Webpage: http://www.cpa.org.au>
Subscription rates on request.
**

   INDEX


RECESSION. Capitalism in crisis

The figures of the economists and politicians are now revealing what 
millions of workers and farmers have known for a long time - Australia's 
economy is in recession.

Approximately every ten years the economy takes a downturn.

Living standards go down, the government talks about belt-tightening, 
services and welfare payments are cut.

Workers are thrown out of their jobs, and employers proclaim that they 
cannot afford any wage increases, effectively cutting wages by intimidating 
remaining employees to work overtime without any payment.

Companies go into receivership, thieving the workers' entitlements.

It is a crisis of overproduction that are inevitable in a capitalist 
society. Workers produce too many commodities that cannot be sold.

Shops bulge with products but workers do not have the money to buy them. 
Investment stops as unsold goods pile up.

This is the madness and criminality of the capitalist system.

A main factor that has reduced the ability of workers to buy is the GST. It 
has forced prices up considerably, and the tax cuts did not compensate.

The example of the housing industry makes the point. Homebuilding has 
slumped, even though new houses are needed.

It is because the GST has pushed up the price of building houses and 
potential buyers have given up.

The prices of many other commodities have also risen. The GST is not 
imposed on fruit and vegetables but prices have risen substantially. The 
price of bread has gone up by at least 10 per cent.

The periodical crises of overproduction are a direct result of the 
exploitation of the working people.

Only a fraction of the values that workers create are passed on to them in 
the form of wages. The rest goes as profits to shareholders and the 
purchase of new equipment intended to reduce the number of workers employed 
still more and further increase profits.

Telstra is an example -- it has just declared a record profit of $2.6 
billion for the half year to December 2000.

When delivering the Telstra report last year, Managing Director, Dr 
Switkowski gave emphasis to his plans to sack 10,000 workers. This year he 
confirmed that Telstra was on target in reducing its head count.

At the same time, millions of dollars will be paid out to shareholders who 
do no work in Telstra whatever. They produce nothing and provide no service.

Overall, the economy is unplanned. No manufacturer knows what will be 
needed in one year's time. But, when too much has been produced they sack 
workers.

This boom and bust cycle has continued during the whole existence of 
capitalism."

Just so long as there is private ownership of the means of production and 
of the commodities produced while, on the other hand, the masses of workers 
own little or nothing, the cycle will continue.

 From recession to depression?

This time, the recession could slide into a full-scale depression. The 
economies of the major capitalist countries are all running into severe 
difficulties.

The economy of Japan is described as nearing "collapse". In an attempt to 
get the Japanese economy going again, interest rates have been reduced to 
only 0.15 per cent and the Japanese government has dished out huge tax cuts.

But these measures are not working because they don't affect the real 
reasons for the problems facing the Japanese economy.

The American economy is slowing considerably, as are the economies of the 
industrialised European countries.

The prices of commodities such as iron ore, coal, natural gas, tin, gold 
and other resources are low, and these are among Australia's main trading 
items.

Despite the attempts of Howard and Costello to "talk up" the economy, the 
reality is to be seen in the slump in the exchange rate of the Australian 
dollar.

Few wish to buy it, and this would not be the case if the economy were strong.

The slump in the dollar exchange rate may bring some benefits to those 
capitalists who have commodities to export, but it makes the cost of 
imports into Australia that much dearer.

The cost of importing cars, aeroplanes and computers, very few of which are 
manufactured here, continually blow out our trade deficit.

Another commodity affected is oil. Even though Australia is self-sufficient 
in oil production, the price of oil is determined by the US dollar price 
and not by local production costs. The price will increase as the exchange 
rate of the Australian dollar falls. Furthermore, Australia's oil resources 
are largely own

LL:ART: CPA Congress. Years of struggle and achievement

[Communist Party of Australia]

The following articles were published in "The Guardian", newspaper
of the Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday,
March 14th, 2001. Contact address: 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills.
Sydney. 2010 Australia. Phone: (612) 9212 6855 Fax: (612) 9281 5795.
CPA Central Committee: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"The Guardian": <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Webpage: http://www.cpa.org.au>
Subscription rates on request.
**
CPA 9th Congress:
Years of struggle and achievement

Thousands of members and supporters of the Communist Party have played an 
enormous part in the progressive reforms that have been achieved in 
Australian society since the Party was first formed just over 80 years ago.

by Peter Symon

The Party has always been on the side of the working people and some of its 
earliest members were trade union leaders who struggled hard to improve 
workers' conditions and wages which at that time, in the 1920s, were very 
poor. Australia has always been a capitalist country with the employers out 
for maximum profits.

The first big spurt of growth in Party membership occurred during the 
Depression years of the 1930s. Up to 30 per cent of the workforce was 
unemployed. Workers were forced to roam the country in search of work.

Many were evicted from their homes when they could not pay the rent and the 
Party led many anti-eviction fights and helped the families in whatever way 
they could. The scene of families barricading themselves

in their homes while supporters gathered in the street and taunted the 
bailiffs and the police carrying out the evictions were repeated many times 
over. Generally, however, it was the owners of property, backed up by the 
state, that won out over the justified anger of the families and their 
supporters.

Unemployed Workers' Movement

It was in this period that the Unemployed Workers' Movement came into 
existence. Initially there was no dole payment and no food handouts either. 
It was the bitter struggles of the organised unemployed that eventually 
forced governments to make a handout of rations to stave off starvation. 
The Unemployed Workers' Movement also campaigned for a rent allowance, work 
at full award wages and no evictions.  One of the delegates to the Party's 
Congress -- to take place over the Easter weekend -- is Jim Mitchell, who 
took part in the unemployed movement of those years.

There was also a growing militancy in the workforce in the face of a 
concerted employer offensive. It was as a result of the work of Party 
activists among the workers that the Party gained respect and provided 
leadership. This was particularly so on the coalfields where communists 
were elected to the leadership of the Miners' Federation.

Rank and file committees began to be established in some workplaces. In an 
effort to unite militant workers in the trade union movement, the Militant 
Minority Movement was formed.

Jack McPhillips, who was an active member of the Militant Minority 
Movement, is another delegate to the Party's coming Congress.

The response of the capitalist class to the collapse of the economy in the 
years of the Great Depression was to step up their suppression of the 
working class. The trade unions and all progressive organisations

were violently attacked. Extreme rightwing, fascist elements set up the New 
Guard which attacked workers' meetings and the demonstrations of the 
unemployed. The CPA was in the forefront of the struggle against this 
suppression.

As Australia moves into economic crisis once again, the ruling class is 
already promoting extreme rightwing organisations. One Nation is only the 
first of these to emerge. In addition there are many indications that the 
Federal government is putting in place a wide range of anti-democratic 
measures because they know that opposition to the consequences of their 
policies is growing. (See this week's Editorial - page 2).

In Australia in the late 1930s and the 1940s tens of thousands of people 
joined in the worldwide movement against war and fascism.

Nazi goon squads

When Hitler and his Nazi party came to power in Germany it became clear 
that Nazism was the "terrorist dictatorship" of the big monopoly companies 
and that they intended to violently suppress every progressive organisation.

The Nazi goon squads roamed the country attacking meetings of workers, 
breaking strikes and smashing up the offices of progressive organisations. 
Nazism was virulently racist, not only directed against the Jews but all 
other non-Aryan races. Nazism also meant war and Hitler declared his aim to 
be world domination.

It was the time of the Spanish civil war and the mobilisation of the 
International Brigade, made up of volunteers from many countries around the 
world. Australian communists were among those who enlisted in the 
International Brigade to fight fascism with arms in hand.

During the course of the War about 4,000 members of the Communist Party 
were in the armed forces

LL:DDV: etccp benefit at Arthouse 9pm Sat 17/03/2001

[Margaret]

East Timor Community Computer Project
benefit gig.

9pm Saturday March 17th

Arthouse/Royal Artillery Hotel
cnr Elizabeth & Queensberry Streets

Melbourne ska, punk and fast bands will make the music.

$6 entry ($5 to etccp and $1 goes to Arthouse owners)

A truck is being driven 4,000 kms to Darwin later this month and carrying a 
variety of materials for Timor.

[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.etccp.org.au=20

Melbourne:
PO Box 756 Brunswick Lower 3056
Tel Steve London 0409 544 088

Darwin
Leanne Melling
c/-Wagait Supermarket CMB1 Mandorah
Darwin 0801
Tel (08) 89 78 50 88

Dili
Rowan Mitchell
PO Box 284, Dili East Timor
Tel: 0409 938 943



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LL.VC

LL:URL: xborder site update

[xborder]

Recent updates to the xborder website include an
article on the politics of the recent Commonwealth
Ombudsman's Report and an article on border politics.

=
_
xborder website:
http://www.antimedia.net/xborder/

xborder email address:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
_



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LL:URL: Ed #7 - The Paper - Released

[info]

Edition 7 of The Paper (09 Mar to 22 Mar) is now available from locations such
as Friends of the Earth, Trades Hall, Ceres, Polyester and other places
throughout Melbourne and Australia.

PDF is available from http://www.thepaper.org.au

Stories in this edition include:

* The awful truth is out there (mike moore\'s political doco...)
* National Missile Defence
* Internet - Centralised Decentralisation
* Gaza Strip: Another day at work
* Exposed! Melbourne\'s Grand Prix Contract
* Yallourn Energy Follow up...
* Cockatoo Island Update
* Alliance Against Uranium - Port Augusta Meeting
* Privatisation blues at Melbourne Freight Terminal
* Looking back from 2050 - an organic perspective

The Paper is a fortnightly printed publication consisting mostly of stories
written specifically for it - though we do repurpose content off the net so
that these can reach a broader audience. 4,000 copies are printed and
distributed within Melbourne and throughout Australia. We also have an audience
throughout the world who download the PDF via the net.

The Paper is a not-for-profit initiative. More information is available at
www.thepaper.org.au

If you are interested in contributing stories - please email
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

For other inquiries, reply to this email. (We are looking for people to get
involved in all stages of production and distribution!)

Hope you enjoy it,

Thanks from The Paper peoples...

---
www.thepaper.org.au


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LL:ART: The Business Of Revolution Is Business: Recuperation URL

[Margaret]

The Business Of Revolution Is Business


Why change the world when you can work overtime?
by Greg Smithsimon

Have you been inspired by the excitement of street protests that swept 
through Seattle, D.C., Prague, Philly and L.A.? Want to make those 
corporations take notice? Want to feel the energy, irreverence and fun of 
the coolest global movement since blue jeans? Then Gary Hamel's Leading the 
Revolution just might be for you. A no-holds-barred, practical handbook for 
revolutionaries, visionaries and activists, this book teaches the nuts and 
bolts of building coalitions, writing a manifesto and picking targets for a 
campaign. But watch out: Hamel won't let you rest easy in your armchair. 
"One person, one vote represents not the full ideal of democracy, but its 
most minimal precondition. If you exercise the rights of citizenship only 
once every four years, at the polling station, can you really claim to be a 
citizen?" Democracy means activists redirecting society toward their 
ideals" be it feminism, environmentalism, [or] racial equality."

One hitch before you ask for it at your local book co-op. The jacket 
promises this to be "An action plan, indeed, an incendiary device" that 
will "ignite the passions of entry-level assistants, neophyte managers, 
seasoned VPs, CEOs." Those corporations took notice of the street protests, 
all right, and decided they were too exciting not to rip off. So steal this 
book they did. "Activists are the coolest people on the planet," Hamel 
recognizes, which is dandy as long as he can quietly redefine 
"activists"  to mean people who work extra hard at their job.

This Wall Street Journal bestseller assures readers that it's every bit as 
exciting, hell, every bit as ennobling, to be the employee that convinces 
Sony to design a new audio chip as it is to desegregate buses or liberate 
South Africa. This is the sexiest thing that's happened to engineers since 
they stopped carrying slide rules in their pockets: One minute, they're the 
ultimate cog in the wheel, the next minute, they're revolutionaries rubbing 
elbows with Hamel's role models: Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Vaclav Havel, 
and the founders of Amnesty International and Greenpeace. Revolutionaries 
or corporate motivators? "These are people who change the world. And you 
can't change your own company? Give me a break."

The book fires up readers with a practical guide on "how to start an 
insurrection." First you write a manifesto; Thomas Paine's work during the 
American Revolution is a good guide. Then you build a coalition to maximize 
your influence, just like "a labor union organizing a strike." Does "pick 
your targets ... co-opt and neutralize" sound like veteran organizer Saul 
Alinsky's "pick the target, freeze it, personalize it and polarize it"? It 
should. Hamel calls Alinsky's Rules for Radicals a "classic." Likewise, 
"winning small" in the beginning to build momentum might as well have come 
from an ACORN community organizers' handbook. If executives have paid any 
attention to the protesters at their doors, they should already know 
Hamel's game plan. We've been running it against them for years.

What's hardest to swallow after reading the book is not that the 
counterculture has been ripped off yet again, with no royalties paid, or 
that the determination of environ-mentalists is presented as inspiration 
for corporations seeking to extend their dominance over the planet. The 
tough part is considering the possibility that there's something in here 
for progressives to steal back and profit from.  OK, not much. Leading the 
Revolution mainly consists of some radical lingo ladled over the same luke 
warm hash that's been sold in trendy business books for years. (The formula 
is for the head of a consulting firm, like Hamel, to write a book that 
tantalizes potential corporate clients into paying for the full story.) 
Personally, what I want to adopt is the business world's ability to print 
whole books in full color with hip graphics. Beyond that, it's time to put 
corporate platitudes about empowerment into action for ourselves.

Hamel's claims that smart businesses "let youth be heard," "listen to the 
periphery," and "let newcomers have their say" are hype that hide corporate 
hierarchies. But plenty of good, hardworking NGOs don't use the ideas and 
innovations of most of their people, either.  For starters, groups could 
try out Hamel's suggestion that half the attendees at the next strategy 
meeting be people who have never been to one before. Next consider the 
promise that business makes whenever it talks about workplace "teams" or 
when Hamel proposes "listening to new voices." They're talking about people 
having a real say in what their employer is doing. They're talking about 
workplace democracy. While Hamel, like progressives, recognizes the payoff 
of giving people a real voice, that's one strategy corporate Ame