Tony Abbott has admitted he cannot always be believed but if he and the Liberal Party are sincere in what they say in introducing their “new” industrial relations policy, they are living in fantasy land. In their imaginary Australia, unions are all lawless fiefdoms run by corrupt “bosses”, union officials barge into businesses hundreds of times a year and harass non-unionised workers in their lunch-rooms. Greedy, unreasonable, unionised workers are frequently paid much more than the Prime Minister and bosses (actual bosses) live in terror of unions. There is a culture encouraged by the Labor Party of “strike first, talk later”. Does this sound like your workplace? Didn’t think so. more ...
Editorial – The winds of change
In Australia and in all capitalist countries, employers and reactionary political forces are carrying out increasingly vicious attacks on the working class and its allies. The immediate targets are wages and conditions and jobs. However, their aim is not limited to these direct economic objectives but the broader rights and freedoms of working people. more ...
UN warns Great Barrier Reef under threat
The World Heritage Committee (WHC) is considering placing the magnificent Great Barrier Reef in the “endangered” category, because of the adverse impact of proposed new ports and coal loading facilities, which would add to the current pollution problems of soil, fertiliser and pesticides from coastal farms and developments. Each year 16 tonnes of pesticides are dumped in the reef lagoon and herbicides have been detected 15 kilometres offshore. more ...
Defence White Paper – Toning down the rhetoric while still preparing for war
The Gillard government released a new Defence White Paper on May 3, one year ahead of schedule. The main reason for bringing forward the Paper is to adjust Australia’s military operations in line with the US’s “pivot” to Asia, now referred to as “rebalancing”. The basic thrust of Labor’s policy remains unchanged – serving the US war machine in its pursuit of global domination, in particular in the Asia-Pacific region. The main target remains China whose economy looks set to become larger than the US’s in the coming decade. more ...
Funding stand-off hits legal service
Indigenous people who are arrested in New South Wales will no longer have access to the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) 24-hour custody notification service (CNS) from this July. more ...
Entrapment – The Australian conundrum
The US is a country very comfortable with war. According to the US Congressional Research Centre, it tells us that in the 297 years since the Declaration of Independence the US has regime changed, destabilised, invaded, conducted coups, assassinated leaders, etc., on 200 occasions for various political, ideological and/or economic reasons. more ...
Culture & life – Chaos and destruction
Q: Why were there so many troops at Margaret Thatcher’s funeral?
A: To make sure she stayed buried.
For all her cult hero status in the reactionary British media, British capitalism was glad to be rid of her. Her neo-fascist politics laid waste the British economy and embarrassed other world leaders anxious to prove their adherence to “democracy and the rule of law”. more ...
Pete's Corner
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