Issue 68 - July

Melbourne unions stop work to stop Abbott

Melbourne got a taste of the power that could stop Abbott when over 20,000 workers joined a weekday stopwork rally to bust the budget on 12 June.

Sydney unions begin moving to fight budget

Unionists from across Sydney gathered in a mass delegates meeting on 12 June to launch a major rally against the budget for Sunday 6 July.

Don’t rely on Labor to fix Abbott’s budget blows

Abbott’s obscene rule-for-the-rich budget has given Labor a new lease on life. But if we want to kick out Abbott and his policies, we can’t rely on Labor.

Fightback campaign can block the $7 GP fee

The Liberals’ proposed $7 Medicare co-payment is among the most hated element of Abbott’s budget.

Covering up for Manus murder: Lies, damned lies and the Cornall inquiry

The Cornall inquiry, commissioned by Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, into “the events of 16-18 February on Manus Island” has now been released. But we are none the wiser for it.

Labor caucus backs offshore processing but there’s cracks in the ranks

Shamefully but not surprisingly, on 17 June, a motion proposing that parliamentary Labor oppose the offshore processing of asylum seekers lost “on the voices”.

High Court rejects challenge to offshore detention

The High Court struck down a constitutional challenge to Manus Island and Nauru on 18 June.

Sydney Uni campaign for BDS has controversial start

On 4 June, a 130 strong meeting of the Sydney University branch of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) voted 68-56 against a motion to devote branch time and resources to discuss BDS.

UTS staff strike back at management

National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members at UTS picketed the campus as part of a 24-hour strike on 21 May.

Iraq’s crisis and divisions created by the West

The dramatic capture of Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, by sectarian extremists is the direct product of the US occupation and its imposition of divide-and-rule sectarianism.

Sisi presidency sign of Egypt’s advancing counter-revolution

Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s recent “win” in Egypt’s Presidential elections and the jailing of key activists are signs of the advancing counter-revolution.

Racist right benefits from mainstream political crisis in Europe

May’s European elections showed the growing crisis for the mainstream parties after their introduction of austerity policies in response to the economic crisis.

Thailand’s military stage coup for elite and monarchy

The Thai military has seized power after nine months of disruptive protests by pro-military royalists, the Yellow Shirts, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Tiananmen Square: Another China is possible

The protests in Tiananmen Square 25 years ago showed the possibility of real socialism emerging in China, writes Dave Sewell The fall of the Soviet Union, and China’s turn to...

Protest 2.0? Social media and the streets

Social media has been given the credit for protests from Occupy to the Arab revolutions. David Glanz looks at what it really means for activists and social movements

Frontier wars: the wars that really forged the nation

Systematic frontier massacres to drive Aboriginal people off the land established the foundation for Australian ruling class wealth, writes Paddy Gibson

Files that give a glimpse of what ASIO was up to

Meredith Burgmann’s new book Dirty Secrets brings together chapters from left activists and other well known Australians written after accessing their own files.

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