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Loose cannons

The Ronald Reagan defence "I have no memory of that." — Former defence minister Peter Reith commenting on Prime Menzies John Howard's claim that he had asked Reith on November 7 if the claims made by government ministers a month earlier about

Socialist Alliance

Lord Mayor campaign launched DARWIN — Members and supporters of Socialist Alliance gathered in the Resistance Bookshop on February 13 to launch the campaign for Lord Mayor. The candidate, Ruth Ratcliffe, told those assembled that, “now, more

The Liberal Warp

[To the tune of "The Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.] It's astounding, how prejudice is growingand xenophobia takes its tollListen closely for it's about time you did soRacism is taking controlIt's just a jump to the rightAnd then a

Little choice in SA election

BY LESLIE RICHMOND ADELAIDE — Despite an (unofficial) election campaign that had dragged on for nearly six months, on the night before polling day in the South Australian elections, 10% of voters had not decided who they would vote for. This was

Write on: Letters to the editor

Who owns Palm Sunday? On February 11, for the second time in two weeks, I found myself excluded from a meeting of the Working Group to Stop War and Terrorism (the committee organising the 2002 Sydney Palm Sunday peace rally). I attended the

Urgent message for NSW Socialist Alliance members

If you have received a letter from the NSW State Electoral Office in the last six weeks requesting confirmation of your membership of Socialist Alliance, please reply NOW! To succeed, the alliance's application for electoral registration in NSW

UNITED STATES: Anti-abortion fanatic in the White House

BY NICOLE COLSON CHICAGO — In his State of the Union address, President George Bush piously declared that "America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity" — including "respect for women". But in the two weeks

Constable Costa plays hard cop

BY ZANNY BEGG SYDNEY — Since his meteoric rise to cabinet five months ago, the NSW Labor government's minister for police Michael Costa has implemented a series of initiatives that will send more people to jail. One of his more subtle changes

Bulldozers thwarted for now at Sandon Point

BY CRISTINA SACCO WOLLONGONG — Residents of Sandon Point, near Thirroul, the controversial site of a proposed upmarket housing development by Stocklands Constructions, were woken by the roar of bulldozers at 5am on February 12. Immediately "phone

Tieman's workers: 'You can't let them get away with it'

BY SUE BULL MELBOURNE — The metalworkers at Tiemans couldn't remember the last time they had been on strike. The older ones had hazy memories of the 35-hour week campaign 21 years ago. But on February 1, when the boss sacked three young workers

UNITED STATES: African Americans and patriotism in the post-September 11 world

BY MALIK MIAH SAN FRANCISCO — President George Bush's "war on terrorism" is leading to some complex and contradictory reactions among African Americans. Like an overwhelming majority of Americans, blacks reacted to the heinous crime of

Patrice Lumumba: 'history will have its say'

LumumbaDirected by Raoul PeckWith Eriq Ebouaney, Maka KottoScreening at Valhalla and Chauvel Cinemas, Sydney, and Lumiere Cinema, Melbourne REVIEW BY NICK EVERETT Lumumba ends as the film begins, with a heart-wrenching dramatisation of the brutal