Socialist Party Australia - Sack Howard in 2004!

By Gary Duffy, SP Sydney

John Howard has often shown that he is a yesterday’s man. From his support of the monarchy to his ‘All the way with the US of A’ on everything and anything—wars, grandson of Star Wars—he is a relic of the mid-20th century. His attitudes towards women, immigrants and Aboriginals put him further into the past.

It is no accident that his attacks on public schools and Medicare are driven by his backward view that only the rich deserving an education or decent medical care.

The revitalised Mark Latham-led Labor Party are in the best position since before the Tampa incident to win the election, expected in October or November this year.

A defeat of the Howard government would be a blow to the private health companies, the super rich, George Bush, anti-union bosses, and every other enemy of ordinary people. Labor seems keen to ride the wave of opposition to Howard over his attacks on Medicare, public schools, and access to university for ordinary people.

They oppose his policies but saying little as to what they would do differently (or at best promise very moderate improvements).

Labor is ready to parrot Howard’s ideas on refugess and security in order to neutralise areas they think he still has support for.

The general direction of all governments in Australia and worldwide over the past two decades, and especially in the 1990s, has been one of privatisation, spending cuts, and tax cuts for the rich. On this Latham’s Labor and Howard’s Coalition are almost exactly the same.

That’s why we will be encouraging workers to vote Socialist, then Green, and only then vote Labor in the upcoming election.

It is clear that many people feel Mark Latham is more in touch with their generation and the issues that concern them than the 1950s John Howard.

In the editorial in this issue of the Socialist (Feb-March 2004, on this web site) we analysis the right-wing policies of Mark Latham.

However the only way most people will find out is to throw out the Liberals and give Latham and the ALP enough rope to hang themselves (or not).