873

Waving the Libyan flag.

While I agree with most of the sentiments expressed in Peter Boyle鈥檚 article on Libya in GLW #872, I think the Left must always be flexible and practical.

About 8000 people marched on the Western Australian parliament on March 15 to demand more local jobs from the resource export boom. The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Maritime Union of Australia all mobilised big contingents for the protest. Manufacturing employers also supported the rally. Local workshops are sitting idle while billions of dollars of infrastructure is being imported for the mining and offshore oil and gas industries.
Resistance supports the fight for equal marriage rights for Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) people. Resistance believes that the capitalist system has a vested interest in preventing people from uniting, and in continuing to repress queers. This oppression takes many forms, and includes laws that discriminate against LGBTIQ people. It is incredible that queer people in Australia still do not have the right to get married. This injustice has broad consequences for the whole LGBTIQ community.
In the midst of widespread anger at the on-going privatisation agenda, blatant corruption and developer connections of the New South Wales Labor government, the Liberal/National Coalition appears set to romp home in the March 26 NSW elections. With a Coalition government likely to extend the privatisation agenda even further, including massive cuts to the public sector and public services, the NSW Greens鈥 have come under fire for failing to direct their preferences to Labor.
First organising meeting of Stop CSG Illawarra, Thirroul, March 13.

On March 13, more than 100 people attended the first organising meeting of Stop CSG Illawarra, a residents鈥 group campaigning for a moratorium on coal seam gas mining (CSG).

In a significant break through, a rank-and-file ticket 鈥 Members Voice (MV) 鈥 won the presidency in the NSW Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) elections in February. Members Voice stood on a clear platform of opposition to privatisation. This was the first challenge to the ALP-controlled leadership since the 1980s. 麻豆传媒 Weekly鈥檚 John Coleman spoke to incoming president Tony Clear about his vision for the union. Why did you decide to run in the elections?

Legal action was launched on March 16 against Wisconsin鈥檚 Republican lawmakers in an attempt to repeal the anti-union bill that was signed into law on March 11. The law bans collective bargaining for most public sector workers in Wisconsin. Associated Press reported on March 16 that a legal challenge was mounted by Dane County district attorney Ismael Ozanne. AP said: 鈥淒emocrats in the Wisconsin Assembly had alleged that Republican leaders did not give enough public notice that a committee planned to meet to amend the bill.鈥

鈥淲e have intelligence that your government has been exchanging information with foreign powers about Australian citizens working for WikiLeaks,鈥 Julian Assange told Prime Minister Julia Gillard in his video question as part of ABC's Q&A on March 14. Assange's question came after Gillard had said: 鈥淚 can respect whistleblowing if your motivation is to right wrong.鈥 But she said she did not see any 鈥渕oral purpose ... at the centre of WikiLeaks鈥. Gillard said she didn't have a 鈥済reat deal of respect鈥 for Assange and described his motivation as 鈥渟ort of anarchic鈥.
Coal power dollar chimney.

The ability of real politics to focus debate is impressive. The climate movement has long debated what policy mechanisms can best combat climate change.

The NSW Greens announced their Solar Thermal Power Plant initiative on March 13: a policy to build three baseload solar thermal power plants in NSW and create new green jobs. At the official launch of the Greens' state election campaign at Balmain Town Hall, Greens MP and lead upper house candidate David Shoebridge announced: 鈥淭he Greens will work in the next parliament to deliver three solar baseload thermal power stations with heat storage to be built in the state's central West, funded by green infrastructure bonds.
The standard of living for the people of Greece has dropped dramatically since the signing of the first 鈥渕emorandum鈥 鈥 the agreement signed by the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) government with the IMF and European Union (EU) representatives last May. The agreement has meant 鈥 among other things 鈥 unprecedented salary cuts, a rise in the allowed number of dismissals and a reduction in termination pay, and a cut in the minimum wage for those entering the workforce.
Thousands of people packed into Sydney鈥檚 Town Hall on March 16 to hear journalist John Pilger, independent MP Andrew Wilkie and Julian Burnside QC speak out in support of WikiLeaks and its editor-in-chief Julian Assange. Assange fears he may be extradited to the US and face Guantanamo Bay-style incarceration for publishing leaked US embassy cables. Sydney Peace Foundation chairperson Mary Kostakidis presented the forum. She asked the audience to send a message to politicians in Canberra saying, 鈥淗illary Clinton says WikiLeaks is a danger to the world 鈥 what do all of you think?鈥