鈥淐apitalism is the number one enemy of humanity鈥, Bolivian President Evo Morales said in his closing speech to the World People鈥檚 Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth held on April 19-22 in Cochabamba.
鈥淚t turns everything into merchandise, it seeks continual expansion. The system needs to be changed.鈥
More than 35,000 people attended the summit, organised by the Bolivian government in response to the challenge of climate change after rich nations refused to allow an agreement for serious action at the December United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen.
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As a doctor working in the front line of the public hospital system for a decade, I have been watching the debate around health reform with great interest.
The phrase 鈥渃ontrolled locally, funded federally鈥 has been repeated ad nauseam by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Imagine if we could hear him saying 鈥渇ree universal health care for all ... no more handouts to the private sector ... break the feudal strangle hold of the colleges on the number of specialists being trained ... will include dentistry ... a healthy society ... a shorter working week so we have time to exercise...鈥.
The following is a transcript of a speech by award-winning journalist John Pilger at the Sydney Teachers鈥 Federation on April 23. It was part of a public launch of the Four Days in July national Aboriginal rights convergence in Alice Springs from July 6 to 9.
The Sydney launch of the Four Days in July national Aboriginal rights convergence was addressed by journalist John Pilger, Alyawarr peoples鈥 walk-off spokesperson Richard Downs, Maritime Union of Australia Sydney branch secretary Paul McAleer and Larissa Behrendt, Professor of Law and Director of Research at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at UTS. More than 300 people attended the April 23 meeting.
麻豆传媒 Weekly stands for putting people before profit. That includes rejecting the idea that anything that people need or enjoy should be subordinate to the drive for profit, be it health care, public transport or indeed sport.
But unfortunately sport under capitalism is increasingly driven by the dollar, not people's enjoyment or community participation.
African American artist Gil Scott-Heron, whose political poetry influenced a generation of rap artists, sensationally announced the cancellation of his planned gig in Tel Aviv on April 24.
Speaking onstage at London鈥檚 Royal Festival Hall, Scott-Heron told the audience he 鈥渉ated war鈥 and told the packed audience his Israel tour date would not be going ahead.
Fans dismayed at the planned gig had earlier disrupted his concert. They repeatedly heckled the performer and asked him to cancel.
David Lowe, a Townsville-based administration officer and union activist, was preselected by the Socialist Alliance Queensland state conference on April 17 to join Brisbane Aboriginal community leader Sam Watson on the Senate team for the upcoming federal election. Lowe is helping to establish a Socialist Alliance branch in Townsville.
Below, Lowe explains what prompted him to run with the Socialist Alliance.
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Have you heard about the campaign called 鈥淔our Days in July鈥? Well, you are about to. From now until July 6 we are planning to ask: 鈥淲ill you join us in Alice Springs for a better future? Just four days in July, that鈥檚 all we are asking.鈥
Such a small thing to ask but imagine the momentum: it won鈥檛 stop at Four Days in July, it will be historic, people will talk about it for years to come. They鈥檒l talk about:
The following statement for May Day 2010 has been endorsed by socialist, trade union and progressive organisations in the Asia-Pacific region, including groups in Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines. .
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All over the world workers are organising鈥
Over April 17-18, Tamils across Australia voted overwhelmingly in favour of the formation of an independent and sovereign homeland 鈥 Tamil Eelam 鈥 in the north and east of Sri Lanka.
In what was described by organisers as 鈥渢he most successful political event for the diaspora in Australia鈥, 99.38% of participants voted 鈥測es鈥.
Venezuela鈥檚 principal trade union federation, the National Union of Workers (Unete), held the second session of its extraordinary congress on April 24, in a push to re-launch the federation.
Hundreds of trade union delegates from around the country gathered in Union House in El Paraiso to discuss and vote on new set of statutes for the federation and a plan to organise nationwide elections scheduled for July.
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) concluded its five-month extraordinary congress on April 25 with the approval of highly anticipated party principles and statutes. This was just in time for primaries on May 2, in which millions of PSUV members will choose parliamentary candidates to run against a newly united opposition platform called the 鈥淒emocratic Alternative鈥 in September.
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