The November 30, 1999 (N30) Seattle protests against the World Trade Organisation (WTO) signalled a turning point in the domination of neoliberal policies over the aspirations of the world’s peoples. The militant mass takeover of that city’s streets by students, unionists, movement activists and even a few small business owners was a huge success. The… Read more »
socialism
Permanent Revolution & Women’s Emancipation
It was no accident that on International Women’s Day 1917, the women textile workers of Petrograd, Russia started the world’s first socialist revolution. Murry Weiss, a lifelong Marxist feminist until his death in 1981, tells why. Written in 1978 and originally published in the Freedom Socialist newspaper, Permanent Revolution and Women’s Emancipation is a cornerstone… Read more »
Eliminating sexism, racism & homophobia: Cuba’s achievements & challenges
For those of us who believe a better world is possible, Cuba is the beacon that shows us the way. Against incredible hardships, this tiny island nation has been able to provide for its people things we can only dream of — free, universal, high quality education, health care and child care. Cuba faces racism,… Read more »
George Petersen: Pioneer Australian Trotskyist
I first heard about George Petersen in 1981. I was a 22 year old gay liberationist and budding socialist. The gay movement was buzzing with news of the Petersen bill, a private member’s bill introduced into the NSW Parliament to lower the age of consent to 16 for both homosexuals and heterosexuals and to repeal… Read more »
Shut Down The World Economic Forum!
Global capitalism faces a crisis — and it’s not the economic one, not directly, anyway. In the last four years, in cities across the world, mass protest has greeted meetings of global economic institutions. Now one of those bodies is descending upon Australia. A regional meeting of the big business think tank, the World Economic… Read more »
Proportional Representation: Winning a Voice for the Minority is Key to Becoming a Majority
Just how “democratic” is capitalist democracy? Not very! Howard was returned to office last election with less than 50% of the vote. Thatcher governed Britain for more than a decade — and never got more than 44% of the vote. Fight for fair electoral rules. Proportional representation, a system where parties are assigned seats based… Read more »
“Battle in Seattle” Promises a New Era of Solidarity Against Free Trade Piracy
When representatives of the World Trade Organization swept into downtown Seattle at the end of November, they meant for their five-day Ministerial Round to entrench and expand “free trade” — the free ride of the biggest corporations at the expense of everyone else. Instead, the WTO meeting crashed and burned, thwarted by determined protesters in… Read more »
The Transitional Program: A Tool Kit for Radical 21st Century Organisers
Leon Trotsky wrote The Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International 62 years ago while living in exile in Mexico. Trotsky was a leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution and, as Commander in Chief of the Red Army, was pivotal in the defeat of the counter-revolutionary forces, backed by foreign invaders…. Read more »
Ted Bull: Lifelong Communist – 29 January 1914 – 11 December 1997
Ted Bull was a working class leader, radicalised by being unemployed during the Depression. After years of working as a wharfie, Ted was elected as Secretary of the Waterside Workers Federation in 1967 and held the post for 12 years. The Freedom Socialist Party first worked closely with Ted against the Cain government’s assault on… Read more »
International Anti-Fascist Conference: A Lost Opportunity to Build Solidarity
In the ‘80s and early ‘90s, the shocking resurgence of fascism in Europe was marked by jackbooted racist skinheads, marches of uniformed “seig-heiling” Hitlerites and the torching of Turkish refugee residences. Now the fascists are forming parties like Austria’s Freedom Party, Italy’s National Alliance and Belgium’s Vlaams Blok and are heading for the ballot box…. Read more »