The following financial appeal has been circulated internationally by socialists in Pakistan.

We urge all of our brothers, sisters and comrades in the international trade union movement to show their solidarity and support for the people affected by the devastating flood in our country, especially trade union members, workers and peasants.

Continue reading Pakistan flood disaster: Workers’ solidarity appeal

SP Newsletter No.326

The August 21 Federal election has confirmed the inability of either Labor or the Coalition to convince a majority of Australian voters to support their right-wing policies. Neither party emerged with a clear mandate to govern.

Labor’s vote clearly suffered due to their inaction on climate change, scapegoating of refugees and support for discriminatory marriage laws, as well as the perceived ill-treatment of former PM Kevin Rudd. But the Liberal/National Coalition failed to convince people that they would be any better.

Continue reading Federal Election: Major parties rejected

SP Newsletter No.325

The Australian Federal election held on August 21 delivered a hung parliament – the first in 70 years. Neither the Labor Party led by Julia Gillard nor the Coalition led by Tony Abbott won the 76 seats required to form a government. The result is both a reflection of the lack of enthusiasm people have towards the two major parties and a reflection of the uncertain future that faces Australian capitalism.

With Labor sweeping to power in 2007, and Australia’s seeming avoidance of the worst of the economic crisis, many people are asking how Labor’s fortunes could have turned around so quickly.

Continue reading Neither big business party given mandate to govern

Trotsky’s key 1938 work shows rich application of the method of Marxism

On the 70th anniversary of the death of Leon Trotsky, on 21 August 1940, Peter Taaffe examines one of the great revolutionary key texts, ’The Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth Intenational’, also known as the Transitional Programme, and its relevance today.

By Peter Taaffe, General Secretary of the Socialist Party (CWI England & Wales)

Continue reading New introduction to The Transitional Programme

By Jacinta Chavulak, Socialist Party

In her book Living Dolls, Natasha Walter paints a horrifying picture of Britain’s sex culture. The book explores the modern reality of sex in our everyday lives and explains that sexism is worse now than ever before.

Walter begins her book by examining children’s toys. She looks at the difference between girls and boys toys and explains how toys sexualise people from a young age. Bratz, Barbie dolls and make up sets are all examined in detail.

In the first chapter ‘Dolls’, Walter briefly explores the 1970’s feminist movement and the aims behind it. She looks at the difference between the women’s free love movement of then and the hypersexual culture which exists today. Women’s liberation was a key issue in the 1970s, now the focus is on how women appear to men.

Continue reading Review - Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism

SP Newsletter No.324

Since taking over as PM from Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard has back tracked on a number of Labor policies. One such reversal has been the rejection of Rudd’s ‘Big Australia’ policy, which was intended to allow the nations population to grow to 35 million by 2050. Gillard stands for “not a big Australia, a sustainable Australia” or so her TV ads tell us.

Despite participating in the initial drafting of this policy, Gillard and other Labor ministers are now arguing that a rethink is required to determine if the country can sustainably support this growth in population. Gillard said we want “a population that our environment, our water, our soil, our roads and freeways, our busses, our trains and our services can sustain.”

Continue reading Population: Should we blame big Australia or big business?

I developed an interest in politics and in social and environmental justice while at school. I think socialism has a unique way of making sense of the world. It doesn’t ignore the class divide in society, exposing the real distribution of wealth, oppression of capitalism and the power of the unity of all working people to change this exploitative system.

By Jas Shepherd, Socialist Party Melbourne

Continue reading Why I joined the Socialist Party

Class struggles on the rise

Over 400 people attended the annual World School organised by the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) in Belgium between July 11 & 16. Kirk Leonard and Jacinta Chavulak attended from Australia. They joined delegations from across Europe, Russia, Central Asia, India, the US, Quebec and the Middle East.

The 2010 school took place against the background of capitalist governments throughout the world taking savage measures against the working class to cut the huge rise in budget deficits following the collapse of the world banking system in 2008-09. The first discussion at the school was on the World Capitalist Crisis and the Class Struggle in Europe, it was introduced by Peter Taaffe from the CWI International Secretariat.

By Kevin Parslow, Socialist Party

Continue reading Report from the 2010 CWI World School

SP Newsletter No.323

Several months ago the Socialist Party began a campaign to get Yarra City Council to stock books and magazines of interest to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community in its libraries.

Often the local library is the only safe space for young people who are coming out. At school and even in the home LGBTI youth can face bullying and social pressure to adhere to a so-called norm. The Socialist Party website reported in May that:

Continue reading SP campaign wins LGBTI books for Yarra’s libraries!

Registered Nurse and Sydney Socialist Party member Ger Hughes looks at Labor’s healthcare reforms and outlines a socialist solution to the crisis in healthcare.

The Australian public health system is in crisis. Common occurrences are long surgical waiting lists, run down infrastructure, low staff morale and overcrowded emergency departments and wards.

The condition that the Australian public health system finds itself in has been caused by decades of under-investment and neglect by successive State and Federal governments. This has been combined with the promotion of private healthcare as an alternative to the public system.

Continue reading Healthcare: The system is sick and needs to be treated