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EDITORIAL: How to cast a vote that will count
Green Left Weekly is a paper that proudly campaigns for left-wing issues in Australia and around the world, and aims to be a forum for news and debate to support these struggles. It supports the Socialist Alliance as a political party that brings together these issues.
In the federal election, we’re calling for a vote for the Socialist Alliance and the Greens.
Amber Maxwell: Queer fighter and socialist
Amber Maxwell was a great activist. She was one of the most dedicated young cadres of the Socialist Alternative Perth branch, and a co-convener of Equal Love WA. She committed suicide on August 24. She was 20 years old.
I consider myself lucky that for a year and a half I worked with her in the queer struggle. I considered her a comrade and I cared about her.
Barnett's austerity push challenged
Western Australian Liberal Premier Colin Barnett admitted on August 21 that his government faced a tough start to its second term. This followed fee rises and controversial attacks on the public sector in the August 8 state budget, which provoked a backlash including an August 30 decision by school teachers to plan an industrial campaign.
All weapons are chemical weapons, says rapper Sole
Whitenoise
Sole
September 17, 2013
www.soleone.org
As US president Barack Obama ramped up his rhetoric about Syria's chemical weapons on September 17, US rapper Sole released his latest album, which reflects on his country's chemical weapons attack on the Iraqi city of Fallujah. Green Left's Mat Ward spoke to the prolific political emcee, who started releasing records in 1994, when he was just 16.
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WA schools stand up to education cuts
Large stop-work rallies were held across Western Australia on September 19 to fight the Liberal state government’s education cuts.
About 15,000 people attended the rally in Perth and another 5000 attended stop-work meetings across regional WA, including 2000 in Bunbury, 500 in Albany, 520 in Pinjarra and 200 in Port Hedland.
Even small schools in the remote north-west of the state took part. A total of 62 schools were shut down for the morning.
Liberals or Labor is no choice, says Provocalz
Verbal Reality Volume 2
Provocalz
Coming October 2013
www.provocalz.bigcartel.com
Rapper Provocalz has dedicated a song to Australia's Liberal and Labor parties on his new album - but it won't be music to their ears.
On his track "Liberals or Labor", the Indigenous emcee suggests the two big parties are so contemptuous of voters that some, like him, might consider swapping their ballots for bullets:
Liberals or Labor, they both leave us to rot
So it's criminal behaviour, politicians get shot
Pop pop pop pop!
It's that real hip-hop, hip-hop
Aboriginal rappers tell their stories in 'Real Talk'
Real Talk: Aboriginal Rappers Talk About Their Music & Country
By Mat Ward
100 pages
Download for free
Australian hip-hop pioneer Urthboy told The Music Network last year: “I was asked to write about the state of hip-hop in Australia. I’d prefer to shine a light on what may be the future of it: Indigenous Hip-Hop.
“Indigenous artists carry a profoundly engrossing and intriguing story for international audiences, yet it’s barely understood by many Australians.”
Still no justice for black deaths in custody
It has been 30 years since the death in custody of 16-year-old Yindjibarndi youth John Pat after he was assaulted by five off-duty police officers in Roebourne, Western Australia.
John Pat’s murder, and the subsequent acquittal of the five police, started the movement against black deaths in custody. That movement was built from the anger of ordinary people when, again and again, someone died or was murdered in custody, leaving their distraught relatives struggling to find answers.
Unity needed in equal marriage fight
The new Prime Minister Tony Abbott is infamous for his homophobia. Only recently he dismissed the equal marriage rights campaign as the “fashion of the moment”.
The equal marriage rights campaign is about much more than marriage. It’s about a prejudice that kills people. Particularly for young people, life in the queer community keeps them constantly on their toes.
All around, queer people are self-harming, and every day young people worry that somebody they care about might commit suicide. These are the consequences of homophobia and transphobia.
Concern at push for foetus rights
A push to give a foetus “personhood” has been, until now, quietly making its way through the NSW parliament.
About 100 people packed out the NSW Parliamentary gallery on September 19 to witness a debate on a bill to amend the NSW Crimes Act to give foetuses of 20 weeks, and more than 400 grams, “personhood” or legal rights.
Why we ran as socialist candidates
Sam Wainwright and Margarita Windisch stood for the Socialist Alliance in the federal election in the seat of Fremantle in Western Australia and Wills in Victoria, respectively. Green Left Weekly spoke to them about their campaigns.
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What were some of the highlights of your election campaign?
Defqon.1 death shows insanity of war on drugs
The death of a young man from a suspected drug overdose at a dance music festival in Sydney on September 14 showed not just how inadequate prohibition is at dealing with drugs, but how it also unnecessarily risks lives.
Defqon.1 is an annual music festival featuring hardstyle electronic dance music. It takes place in the Netherlands and Australia at different times each year. Each festival has its own anthem or theme song; the anthem for this year's Australian festival was “Scrap the System”.
The Australian gets it wrong on climate
A media campaign began this month to discredit the findings of the fifth major report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), due to be released on September 27.
The Australian published a front page story on September 16 headlined: “We got it wrong on warming, says IPCC”.
Exports to blame for high gas prices
Research by The Australia Institute has found Australian gas prices are set to double over the next few years — not because there is a gas crisis, but because gas companies are exporting Australian gas for much higher prices, driving up the price of domestic gas.
Mark Ogge from The Australia Institute explained this research in a speech to a meeting of Stop CSG Illawarra in Wollongong on September 15.
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High Street Upgrade Community Meeting
Main Roads will be presenting final plans for High Street Upgrade. The community has spent 13 exhaustive years in consultation. We agreed to 4 lanes only. The plans to be presented at the meeting provision a six lane highway. The community must stand firm on this. We DO NOT EVER want a six lane High Street. This is urgent we must have lots of people attend to keep them to their word. Please bring friends, share and invite to this event. Stevens Reserve, Cnr Swanbourne and Stevens Streets Fremantle.
Event date: Wed, 25/09/2013 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm Event time: Wed, 25/09/2013 - 5:30pmItaly: Millions demand action against crisis
The streets of Rome were filled with 2.7 million red-flag waving protesters on April 4, many sinigng the famous anti-fascist song "Bella Ciao". The mass demonstration was organised by Italy's General Confederation of Labour (CGIL).
The protest rejected the handling of the economic crisis by the conservative Silvio Berlusconi government and condemned employer attempts to take away union collective bargaining rights.
POEM: Greed
It smells like everything sweet and nice but you can never get enough of it.
It tastes like chocolate that turns into vinegar but you can’t stop eating it because the chocolate’s so good and you think one more bite can’t hurt.
It sounds like drums echoing in the hallway drawing you into a small room, almost controlling you.
It feels like you have everything but not enough.
It looks like a moth attracted to a burning flame only soon to turn into ashes.
[Jada Pearl Narkle is a 12-year-old student in Perth.]
Secret trade deal offers more tobacco, less health care
The secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is about to become even more secret, perhaps seen as a necessity in light of plans to make it easier for tobacco companies to sue while making health care more difficult to obtain.
Syria: civil war or revolution?
Syria: civil war or revolution? Politics in the Pub. Discussing the real story of Syria: the revolution neither Assad, Obama, Putin or the jihadists want. Wed Sep 25, 6pm, Green Ant Cantina, Bunda St. Ph Jonathan 0437 790 306 for more info.
Event date: Wed, 25/09/2013 - 6:00pmMexico: Teachers take capital in fight against attacks
Thousands of striking teachers seized two of Mexico City's central thoroughfares on a march to the president's residence on September 11 after losing their battle to block new educational reforms less than 24 hours earlier.
The teachers disrupted the centre of the city for at least the 14th time in two months, decrying a plan designed to break union control of Mexico's education system and, they say, damage education in Mexico's poor south in the process.
