A Workers Party conference
Queen’s Birthday Weekend: 29-31 May
Wellington Central Library
Childcare provided
Further details TBA
Christchurch workers’ forum: Marx in the 21st Century
For many years, official pundits proclaimed ‘the death of Marxism’. Marx and his ideas were a curio, possibly of some relevance in the 19th century but completely outmoded today, we were often told.
The current woes in the banking and finance sector, however, have led to a renewed interest in Marx in the First World. At the same time, revolutionary developments in Venezuela and Nepal suggest that Marx retains relevance for people in the Third World struggling for liberation
Come along to this month’s Workers Forum and hear two prominent union and political activists address the subject and join in the discussion.
Speakers:
Tim Bowron (national organiser, Workers Party)
Paul Piesse (president, Alliance Party)
7pm, Monday, November 24
WEA (Workers Educational Assn)
59 Gloucester Street
Hollow Men screening
Spy on Tories and support the bus drivers’ struggle. Alister Barry (In a Land of Plenty, Someone Else’s Country) delivers an indictment of political conduct in election season, adapted from Nicky Hager’s book of the same name.
Gold coin donation; funds will be split between Tramways and the Workers Party. Tramways, the bus drivers’ union recently locked out for taking industrial action, needs support and solidarity in resisting strong-arm tactics.
Q&A with candidate Don Franks.
WELLINGTON 7:30pm, Monday, October 13
Southern Cross Bar
35 Abel Smith Street
Auckland WP forum – Abortion: Whose choice is it?
Mon July 7 6pm – Mon
Level 1, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn
The anti-choice lobby group “Right To Life” are jubilant over a High Court judge’s review that questions the legality of many abortions. Daphna Whitmore discusses the legal, social and practical realities of abortion in NZ today
(rescheduled from 23 June)
Abortion – whose choice is it?
Workers Party public forum
Monday 23 June 6pm Level 1, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland
The anti-choice lobby group “Right To Life” are jubilant over a High Court judge’s review that questions the legality of many abortions. Daphna Whitmore discusses the legal, social and practical realities of abortion in NZ today.
WP Seminar and Documentary Screening: 1968 – The Year of Revolutions
Saturday May 24, Christchurch WEA (59 Gloucester St)
Beginning 1pm with a session on
* The Tet Offensive – this session will also look at protests within the
US in 1968
Followed by sessions on:
* The May-June worker-student strikes and occupations in France
* The rebellion in Yugoslavia and the ‘Prague Spring’ in Czechoslovakia
* The Mexico Olympics and events in Latin America
There’ll be food around 5.30pm, followed by a documentary on the
cultural side of 1968 at 6pm.
Organised by the Workers Party; all welcome.
No charge, but any donations would be gratefully received.
Victoria University Workers Party Forum
WP argues the case for revolutionary regroupment
The decision by the ostensibly revolutionary marxist group Socialist Worker to dissolve itself into the avowedly non-socialist Residents Action Movement – which is now being launched as a nationwide political party – has provoked opposition among some of Socialist Worker’s leading union activists, who have recently resigned their membership of SW and are now in the process of establishing a new group Socialist Aotearoa.
We in the Workers Party believe that this break with Socialist Worker’s popular front tactics by the Socialist Aotearoa comrades is a positive development that we hope will strengthen the prospects for building a united party of revolutionary socialists in New Zealand, something which the Workers Party has consistently argued is a much more viable strategy than building fake coalitions with phantom reformists.
To this end we have written an Open Letter to the Socialist Aotearoa comrades which we are also making available here in the interests of promoting genuine and constructive debate on the vital issue of revolutionary regroupment.
Marxism 2008 Programme
FRIDAY evening 30 May
7pm Bullets and ballots: Babu Maharjan from Nepal gives a first-hand account of the mass movement for change.
8pm Vote socialist 2008: The Workers Party launches its election campaign with a view to being on ballot papers in every home.
SATURDAY 31 May
10am Revolution and Resistance: panel discussion
Dennis Maga (from the radical trade union the KMU) on the mass movement in the Philippines; John Minto (social justice activist) on the betrayal of the liberation movement in South Africa; Don Carson (a long-time campaigner for Palestine) on the relentless struggle for liberation; Mike Treen (unionist and social justice activist) on Cuba surviving encirclement; and John Edmundson (Workers Party) on Afghanistan’s long-running resistance.
11.45am New government, old problems? Anthony Main from the Socialist Party of Australia talks about the current situation
12.30pm Lunch
1.15 -3pm: 1968: The Year that Rocked the World – Mike Kay (Workers Party) on the tumultuous events of forty years ago.
John Moore (Workers Party) speaks with former Polynesian Panther Party member Tigi Ness about radicalism in Polynesian Ponsonby.
Short break
3pm- 4pm Building a Fighting Force -Matt McCarten (Unite Union) and Don Franks (Workers Party) on how to fight redundancies and build mass resistance
Short break
4-15pm – 5pm What is socialism? – Jared Phillips (Workers Party) gives an historical view.
Parallel session: Dialectics of nature vs nurture – Daphna Whitmore (Workers Party) looks at the dichotomy debate.
SUNDAY 1 June
12.30pm Sex and Socialism – Bryce Edwards ((Politics lecturer) brings two of the most interesting words in the English language together in a libertarian-socialist talk where discussion will range from pornography to prostitution, lesbianism to childcare, ‘raunch culture’ to abortion.
1.15pm Debate: That open borders bring freedom – Tim Bowron (Workers Party) argues the affirmative; Brian Van Dam (social justice activist) argues the negative.
2.30pm break
2.45pm The vital role of a revolutionary paper Don Franks (Workers Party, editor of The Spark)
3.30pm Who needs a revolutionary party? Philip Ferguson (Workers Party) argues essential need for a revolutionary organisation.
New Workers Party Poll
This week Helen Clark flew to Beijing to sign an “historic” free trade agreement with China. Reaction to the deal has ranged from euphoria among the business community to moral outrage from groups such as Free Tibet and the Green Party.
Let us know what you think by voting here in our special online poll.