This is the fiftieth edition of the Freedom Socialist Organiser. Prior to launching the Organiser, we published a bi-annual magazine — the Freedom Socialist Bulletin, launched in September 1984. The change of format to the Organiser in 2010 was to provide a more flexible and interventionist publication to support our organising. The first issue was published in August 2010.
Party and press. Any serious vanguard party will have a regular publication. It was Lenin, a central leader of the Russian Revolution, who made the case for the revolutionary press as key to the vanguard party’s revolutionary organising.
The Bolshevik party is linked with a number of influential newspapers — mostly famously Iskra, meaning the Spark, and Pravda, meaning Truth.
Iskra began publication in 1900 and was smuggled into Russia. It argued for a single, centralised revolutionary workers’ party uniting Marxists throughout Tsarist Russia. Iskra played a vital role in consolidating an organisation that went on to lead the 1917 revolution.
In arguing for the newspaper, Lenin says that it “is not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, it is also a collective organiser.”
In 1912, when the Bolsheviks were established, they launched Pravda. This was a mass paper sold for a half-kopeck. Lenin took a huge interest in the newspaper’s finances, arguing that the continuing influx of financial resources was an accurate barometer for gauging workers’ growing sympathies towards the Bolsheviks. Pravda survived and grew stronger. It acquired a national audience, distributed in more than 9,000 Russian cities and towns. Its articles about workers’ problems and interests forged a sense of class identity and solidarity. The reports in the paper about successful strikes helped spread class struggle.
Immediately after the Russian Revolution, the Comintern taught newly formed Communist parties to organise. It published Theses to provide advice, including principles on running the party press. The document puts tremendous stress on involving the membership in the newspaper at all levels. Party members need to write for the newspaper and to fund and distribute it through sales and subscriptions. This is the tradition that the Organiser continues today.
James P. Cannon, who founded the Trotskyist movement in the U.S., also has invaluable advice when it comes to the question of the revolutionary press. When World War II broke out, Cannon and his Comrades were jailed. In his Letters From Prison he wrote a great deal about the party press. The party could only afford to publish one paper, so The Militant had to simultaneously meet the needs of the three broad categories of readers: politically educated party members, well-established readers who are developing politically and readers coming to the paper for the first time. Cannon also argued that the revolutionary press had to be a recruiter, helping the most class conscious workers “to find their place in the party ranks.”
Cannon put a lot of emphasis on producing a paper that would be accessible to the masses. He is clear that, while ideas must avoid jargon and be written in a manner that is easily understood, this in no way means compromising on the political program.
The Freedom Socialist Organiser and our sister publication, the Freedom Socialist newspaper, follow in the traditions laid down by Lenin and Cannon. Writing in the Freedom Socialist during its 2023 subscription drive, Luma Nichol said, “The FS is a vital part of the FSP’s efforts to nurture a revolutionary movement in our own time. She added, “Like Pravda, the FS is made by and for workers. It provides an unadulterated working-class viewpoint, an outlook that is suppressed in the mainstream media.”
Striking a chord today. Over 50 issues, the Organiser has taken up the struggles of the day, building the movements by sharing our revolutionary feminist perspective. A core objective is strengthening class consciousness. Our stories about union struggles have built solidarity. We’ve reported from frontlines of the 2019 Chemist Warehouse, where we stood shoulder-to-shoulder with strikers who successfully fought against low pay, temporary work, bullying and sexual harassment. The Organiser has amplified the fight to close the gender pay gap, including the Big Steps campaign by early childhood educators. On the global scene we have reported on the week-long strike at the Port of Auckland, we’ve given voice to survivors of the Rana Plaza factory fire who fought for justice, and for workers organising around health and safety in Asia’s toxic electronics industry. Zeshan Shahid, who is originally from Pakistan, is a reader and member of the Electrical Trades Union living in Perth. He describes the 50th edition as “a massive achievement.” Shahid urges the Organiser to “keep enlightening people in these dark times,” adding his hope that “one day we will smash this evil capitalist system.”
A theme throughout the 50 issues has been our regular reporting about militant rank-and-file organising among public sector unionists working to defend and extend democratic space within the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU). Chris Warren, the Convenor of the Democracy for CPSU caucus, is based in Canberra. He says, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my subscription to the Freedom Socialist Organiser.” Warren adds that he “appreciates the analysis and insights offered by the publication. It’s a great resource for anyone looking to develop their socialist perspective.”
We’ve reported on building grassroots support for marriage equality in the union movement, the fight for penalty rates, health workers standing up for refugee rights, workplace organising in solidarity with Palestine and popularising the need to fight for the right to strike.
Standing strong against outright Nazis and far-right types, from One Nation to anti-vaxxers in the so-called Freedom movement, has been another thread running throughout the 50 issues. We’ve built solidarity for the Safe Schools Coalition and opposed rightwing attempts to privilege religious bigotry under the guise of religious freedom. We’ve also stood squarely with trans and gender diverse people opposing the biological determinism of Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists. An urgent necessity is the need to build united fronts, something appreciated by pioneering transgender activist and host of Out of the Pan on 3CR, Sally Goldner. She says, “The Organiser provides a space for sharing ideas and collaboration that reminds us that regardless of the detail of our particular issues, we are all striving for a fairer world and a better planet. Knowing we can work together eases the load, both in perception and reality.” Kayleen White, veteran LGBTIQA+ activist and co-founder of Transgender Victoria, appreciates the solidarity. She says, “If there is a group of oppressed people in society in need of solidarity, one of — if not the first — groups to help will be the Freedom Socialist Party.” She values having that solidarity “well documented and expounded on in the Organiser.”
The Organiser is unequivocal in its stance in support of the right of First Nations people everywhere to self-determination. We have demonstrated our solidarity through our support for the Kanak people, the Sami nation, the Saharwi people of Western Sahara, West Papuans, Maori and Tamils. We have stood with the people of Palestine, amplifying the voices of Palestinian women and queers and advocating peace in the Middle East through a single, secular, socialist Palestine.
The Organiser is published on stolen lands of the First Nations of this continent. Our pages have published the wise words of the late Ray Jackson and formidable Palm Island leader, Lex Wotton. We’ve raised the voices of families who have lost loved ones in custody, such as our interview with Kylie Hampton, the daughter of Mr Clarke who died in custody in 2012, shackled to his Alice Springs hospital bed. The Indigenous Social Justice Association Melbourne extended its congratulations to the Organiser on the milestone of reaching its 50th issue. “While most media in so-called Australia delivers us an homogenised version of Aboriginal deaths in custody with no focus on solutions, the Organiser delivers invaluable informative articles that give voice to grieving families and raise the crucial fighting demands at the heart of the struggle,” writes Cheryl Kaulfuss on behalf of the group.
The Organiser is internationalist in its approach. It has opposed Australian imperialist meddling in the Pacific and defended the fight by the people of Timor Leste to control their own resources. We have stood with Iranian women fighting patriarchal oppression, documented women’s resistance to the Taliban, analysed LGBTIQA+ resistance across the African continent and been inspired by the women’s resistance to the Modi regime in India. We have given voice to Bangladeshi climate refugees and advocated ecosocialist solutions to the climate crisis. Judy Nalini Samuel, a retired teacher, unionist and socialist feminist who lives in Malaysia describes the Organiser as “an eye-opener.” Through the publication, she has learned “how capitalism rears its ugly head into every aspect of our lives,” adding that the Organiser’s “Marxist viewpoint on everything … gives us the optimism that we are not alone.”
Media that is free from control by corporations, government and advertisers and that strengthens the voices of frontline freedom fighters standing up to capitalism is precious. That is why we value this message from community radio station 3CR. “A huge congratulations to everyone at the Organiser. Running an independent and progressive media outlet that prioritises the voices of women and the working class is no small feat! Your fight to overcome capitalism and misogyny is key to lifting up all oppressed peoples, and we are proud to be alongside you in this struggle.”The overwhelming message from our readers has been to congratulate the Organiser on edition #50 along with well wishes that it keep growing as we continue toward our next milestone of 100 issues.
Alison Thorne,
Managing editor, Freedom Socialist Organiser
Subscribe and donate at socialism.com/fs-organiser/
We thank all of the readers who sent greetings to mark issue 50 of the publication. All will be read at the celebration we are hosting at Solidarity Salon on 14 June. Below is a selection of extracts from messages we have received.
“Congratulations to the Freedom Socialist Organiser’s activist writers, editors, proofreaders, photographers and designers on your golden anniversary issue! The Organiser gives readers robust insights into the ideas, activities and culture that exemplify socialist feminism. Every issue is movement-building, information-sharing, and a pleasure to read.
Thank you for this important long-running publication that always puts Radical Women prominently before the eyes of Australian activists.”
Helen Gilbert, Organizer, U.S. Radical Women
“Fifty issues is a long time in leftwing politics during which the thought-filled contributions to the Freedom Socialist Organiser have embodied the three terms in its title.
They are free by encouraging us to reason for ourselves. They are socialist by inviting us to work together. They are tied to on-going activism, whether standing strong at the abortion clinic or chipping away in workplaces and communities.
Running through all these achievements has been education programs blending the conceptual with the current.”
Humphrey McQueen, Canberra-based radical who makes and documents working class history
“States of Confusion. Disruption on a mass scale.
Post-war agreements, unravel.
The status quo, challenged. But the corporate warfare state?
The work of The Organiser, living resistance.
50 issues, more, to go on. Work vital to our needs.
Lived experiences informing theories.
Revolutionaries listening to our pulse. Organise!”
Peter Curtis, classroom teacher and member of the ACT Branch of the Australian Education Union
“Australia Western Sahara Association congratulates the Freedom Socialist Organiser on reaching this major milestone. It is a fantastic achievement reaching the 50th edition, giving voice to the voiceless and fighting for justice. The many articles covering issues such as Indigenous rights, women’s rights and LGBTQI+ are not the ones you find in the public sanitised media. Western Sahara (WS) is one example that has been covered. Unfortunately WS, the last colony of Africa, has still not managed to break the global silence with France continually vetoing human rights as part of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara observation in this region. Morocco continues to flout international law. The Saharawi in both occupied and liberated zones welcome such attention that the Freedom Socialist Organiser brings to their situation. Australia Western Sahara Association congratulates you and we look forward to the next 50 editions.”
Australia Western Sahara Association
“The University of Melbourne chapter of the Platypus Affiliated Society congratulates the Freedom Socialist Organiser on its 50th issue milestone.
In the wise words of James P. Cannon: ‘Marxism teaches that the revolution against capitalism and the socialist reconstruction of the old world can be accomplished only through conscious, collective action by the workers themselves. The vanguard party is the highest expression and irreplaceable instrument of that class consciousness at all stages of the world revolutionary process.
A political organization capable of handling such colossal tasks cannot arise spontaneously or haphazardly; it has to be continuously, consistently, and consciously built. It is not only foolish but fatal to take a lackadaisical attitude toward party building or its problems. The bitter experiences of so many revolutionary opportunities aborted, mismanaged, and ruined over the past half century by inadequate or treacherous leaderships has incontestably demonstrated that nonchalance in this vital area is a sure formula for disorientation and defeat.’ James P. Cannon, “Why workers need a revolutionary party” reprinted in Freedom Socialist Organiser, Issue 6 (July 2011)
The heavy words of this colossal task could find no more suitable home than in the proud pages of the FSO. Let the next fifty issues summon a consciousness worthy of this history.”
Ryan M, Platypus Affiliated Society
“Warm congratulations to the team at the Freedom Socialist Organiser on your 50th issue!
Reaching this milestone is no small feat — it’s a testament to your commitment, clarity of politics, and tireless organising spirit. The Organiser has long been a vital platform for working-class feminism, socialist analysis, and bold, grassroots organising. In a media landscape dominated by corporate spin and defeatism, your voice has remained unapologetically anti-capitalist, internationalist, and deeply solution-focused.
The publication has done more than report on struggles — it has helped build them. It has offered space for vision and strategy, for collective memory and forward motion. Your work shows what it means to be both principled and practical, both visionary and grounded.
Here’s to 50 more issues of movement building!”
Jiselle Hanna, Secretary, Australia Asia Worker Links
“Congratulations to the Freedom Socialist Organiser on its 50th issue! The publication is an eye-opener. It was by chance that I came upon the Freedom Socialist Party while browsing the web after I had retired. Looking at the struggle of my neighbours to earn a living and provide for their families, I knew I needed to do more. The cost of education, housing, medical, food, everything was skyrocketing leaving many living from hand to mouth. But, at the same time, I did not have the knowledge to know why this was happening.
Through the Organiser, I read articles about youth and elders taking to the front lines, organising and defending the rights of migrants, Aboriginal people, Palestine, unions — in short marginalised people. I am inspired by all this and what ticks off the boxes for me is that there is a purpose and organisation for how to protest and why to protest. Through the Organiser, I have learned how capitalism rears its ugly head into every aspect of our lives. Mainstream media is biassed, a no brainer there, and that is why we need media from the grass roots that is not afraid to be bold in its reporting. We also need media that is solution oriented and optimistic. The Organiser gives a Marxist viewpoint on everything, and reading it gives us the optimism that we are not alone. It has emboldened me to be in solidarity and to build communities, something the capitalist ruling class does not want. We must unite! And together, we the working class can bring about the change that will radically transform society.”
Judy Samuel, socialist feminist and member of Parti Socialist Malaysia
“Greetings and massive congratulations to the team of the Freedom Socialist Organiser!
50 issues of this sterling example of radical journalism is an impressive achievement. And alongside this quantitative achievement is the wonderful quality of the Organiser. Produced first and foremost as an aid to activism in Australia, every issue also contains material to stoke the fires of rebellion oceans and hemispheres away. Not surprising, since the global working class has so much in common, from job insecurity to the plight of refugees and the threat of a nuclear power resurgence.
Your comrades across the pond know well the mental and physical exertion that goes into generating a regular socialist feminist publication. The work extends from writers and editors breaking their heads over complex international questions to proofreaders wrangling over proper comma usage.
Those of us in the U.S. also know the creative reward that comes with finding fresh ways and just the right graphics to express the ideas of Marxism and feminism. Among strengths on many topics, your reporting on Aboriginal struggles, the workers’ movement, and environmental issues never fails to be interesting, insightful, and forward-looking to solutions. Your articles give a voice to people who need change the most.”
Freedom Socialist Party — U.S. Section
