On April 20, BP’s offshore oil-rig Deepwater Horizon exploded off the coast of Louisiana. Eleven workers are missing, presumed dead, while 17 more were injured. The ensuing pipeline breach has garnered extensive media attention, as around 210,000 gallons of oil a day gush into the Gulf of Mexico, destroying local wildlife and the fishing industry.
Louisiana, responsible for a third of the country’s fish catch, are already seeing massive loss of marine-life as the oil sheen enters the South Pass, a major channel for fishing. In addition to the loss of marine life, oil threatens to destroy the wetlands, making states more vulnerable to events such as Hurricane Katrina – especially if currents push the oil further up the East Coast.
This disaster has thrown the relationship between government and big business into stark relief, as US President Barack Obama continues to plummet in opinion polls. Sections of the environmentalist movement had placed faith in Obama as a progressive candidate, hoping to see an end to the Bush administration’s dismal environmental record.
Continue reading “BP Oil Spill and the Exposure of Obama”
Marxism 2010
The Workers Party held its annual conference in Wellington June 4-6
The conference opened with Daphna Whitmore speaking on the revolutionary movement in India that spreads from the border with Nepal in the north to the southern states of India. John Edmundson spoke on Afghanistan and the quagmire the invading powers find themselves in. Continue reading “Marxism 2010”
Melbourne Storm salary cap breach
Joel Cosgrove, June 2010
Much has been written about the Melbourne Storm and their repeated breaching of the salary cap. Although there has been much comment on the issue, the vast majority has been shallow and generally misses some pretty obvious points.
To recap. The Australian National Rugby League (NRL) has a salary cap, the cap for 2010 is AU$4.69 million for the 25 highest paid players at each club. The Storm from 2006-10 breached the cap by at least AU$1.85 million in a process that involved two sets of financial accounts, a calculated fraud. The scandal came out when an insider at the club notified the NRL who then acted on the systemic breach.
Newstalk ZB talkback host Murray Deaker, talking on his show, made the point that the Storm breaching the salary cap was not an oddity; it is a process at the centre of things. Since 1991 there have been at least 50 instances of clubs being fined for serious or minor breaches of the cap. Deaker raised the point further by saying that the salary cap scandal was comparable to the recent financial crisis, in that greed is at the centre of things and that when you commercialise something greed becomes a part of it.
Continue reading “Melbourne Storm salary cap breach”
WHAT IS MARXISM?
A talk by Don Franks, Marxism 2010 conference, Wellington 5 June 2010
This is obviously a big subject, which could be approached in a number of ways. In the small time we have this morning, my aim will be to introduce basic points and hopefully arouse some ongoing interest.
Ther
e are various contending definitions of ‘Marxism”. The one I’m tempted to offer today is that Marxism is a set of sharp political tools, which New Zealand leftists tend to leave in the box. Later on in this talk I’ll consider why that has been so frequently the case.
As a more general definition to introduce Marxism, I’ll add that it’s a theory named for its main architect and can be understood as the theory of dialectical materialism based on communist practice. The expression ‘dialectical materialism’ has a forbidding sound and is not common currency in the day-to-day life of most people. Here I see a huge contradiction, because dialectical materialism is a thoroughly practical method of understanding human society and the universe in which we’re placed. Dialectical materialism is also a philosophy which by its nature takes sides with the oppressed. Continue reading “WHAT IS MARXISM?”
"To have a general strike in Greece it is not such a big deal"
Mike Kay spoke to Stavros and Paulin from OKDE (Organisation of Communist Internationalists of Greece) in Athens.
MK: Greece has been the focus of much of the debate about the problems of the European economy. Why does it occupy this special positon?
OKDE: For several reasons, Greece is the weak link in the chain of the European Union (EU). Firstly, due to the weakness of Greek capital due to the reduction in the productive bases of industry and agriculture. Secondly, because of the weaknesses in the EU as a whole – renegotiation or non-payment of “toxic” debt may lead to the collapse of German and French banks. This maybe enough to set off a “domino effect” leading to the collapse of several countries’ economies. Thirdly, there is the Greek movement against austerity, of which the latest pact from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and EU is trying to break the backbone. Lastly, there is a very deep political crisis; the disintegration of the Pasok (Socialist party) government may have already begun. Continue reading “"To have a general strike in Greece it is not such a big deal"”
Marxism 2010: finalised programme
Please note changes to Saturday’s schedule.
FRIDAY: 4th of June – Thistle Hall (293 Cuba Street)
7:30pm: International panel: Mike Ely on Nepal, Daphna Whitmore on India, John Edmundson on Afghanistan Continue reading “Marxism 2010: finalised programme”
PFLP statement against Israeli massacre
PFLP condemns the murderous crimes of the Israeli pirates and salutes the heroes of the Freedom Flotilla
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine condemns the latest Israeli massacre on the high seas, in international waters, the brutal assault on the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza on May 31, 2010. The Israeli state terror pirates, said the Front, attacked the humanitarian aid and international solidarity ships with firearms and commandos; the Front said that this is the latest crime against humanity committed by the occupation state, illustrating its blatant disregard for international law.
The Front saluted all of the members of the Freedom Flotilla, particularly the martyrs and wounded, saying that these are martyrs of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause, and of the struggle of people everywhere for liberation, justice and freedom, and will be immortal in our struggle, and that the Flotilla’s prisoners are with the prisoners of our Palestinian Arab nation, prisoners of freedom in the hands of a terror occupation state. Continue reading “PFLP statement against Israeli massacre”
Marxism 2010: Queer Liberation
Part of Marxism 2010, a weekend of ideas, discussion and debate.
10am, Saturday the 5th of June
Thistle Hall, 293 Cuba St
Wellington
Queer oppression is interlocked with all other forms of oppression, and takes a historically specific form. This talk will take in the development of modern queerness as a central aspect of urbanisation, with cities providing a basis for new communities. Drawing from theorists such as Gramsci and Foucault, we will undertake a historical analysis beginning with the colonisation of Aotearoa/New Zealand, through the development of a “homosexual” discourse, urbanisation and queer liberation in the 20th century, ultimately leading to the present impasse and the development of a new hegemony. The talk will conclude by dealing with that perennial Marxist-Leninist question, what is to be done?
Presented by Ian Anderson, Workers Party activist. Parallel session with Cultural Capital talk.
Marxism 2010: Are Population Controls a Solution to Climate Change?
Part of Marxism 2010, a weekend of ideas, discussion and debate.
1:30pm, Saturday the 5th of June
Thistle Hall, 293 Cuba St
Wellington
The idea that the planet will soon reach, or has already reached, the limit on how many people it can sustain is one that is gaining credibility in the environmental movment. Before the last election the Green Party released a population policy arguing that New Zealand’s upper limit for population is 5.7 million, but is this correct? And what does this mean for immigration? This debate will touch on these and other issues relating to population and the environment. Byron Clark is a long time Workers Party activist and has previously studied environmental sociology, he will be arguing New Zealand can sustain a much higher population. Local activist John Robinson will be arguing in favour of a capped population.
Britain under the "Con-Dems"
Mike Kay caught up with Daniel Randall, an activist with the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty based in London for his thoughts on the political situation since the formation of the Conservative/ Liberal Democrat coalition government dubbed the “Con-Dems”
MK: What was your initial reaction to the election result?
DR: I was surprised by a number of things. For one thing, I thought that there was a serious danger of the British National Party taking control of Barking & Dagenham council. Instead they got annihilated in that area.
How did that happen?
There was a group called Barking, Dagenham and Havering Together that I’ve been involved with. It is quite broad and open, mostly run by local trade unionists. The local Labour Party had about 50 people out canvassing. They ran a popular campaign to save the local Accident & Emergency Department, which was totally disingenuous as [Local Labour MP] Margret Hodge had voted for the cuts!
Now that the Tories are in power nationally and Labour locally, it’s essential that the campaign keeps going.
Also quite surprising was the high turnout, bucking the trend of recent elections. Continue reading “Britain under the "Con-Dems"”