Yarra Council budget will be a test for the ALP and Greens
Thursday, June 09 @ 01:33:19 CDT

Regular colomn from Stephen Jolly, the Socialist Party's Councillor in the City of Yarra. Taken from the June 2005 issue of 'The Socialist'.

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Report of Schapelle Corby meeting
Monday, June 06 @ 07:10:31 CDT

Last week the Melbourne City branch of the Socialist Party held a public meeting on the Schapelle Corby affair. Here is a report of the main points raised in the lead-off...

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Howard's attacks on young people
Friday, May 27 @ 02:22:13 CDT

People are very cynical of politicians making grand statements that are supposed to change our lives for the better. However this doesn’t stop today’s lot sprouting out ‘sound bites’ that are nothing more than Public Relations from the relative seclusion of Canberra.
By Andrew Calleja, Socialist Party Melbourne

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New poll on SP web site
Friday, May 27 @ 00:20:25 CDT

What message should be coming from ACTU re Howard's attacks?
Vote Labor in next election or Get Churches + politicians onside for media campaign or Organise a massive industrial response?
Results of previous poll:
What are the Greens?
The new left alternative to Labor, I support them - 122 Votes (35.57%)
Middle class do-gooders, I support Labor - 116 Votes (33.82%)
Partially fill vacuum left by ALP, but not answer - 105 Votes (30.61%)

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Howard introduces IR 'reforms' - Time to fight back.
Thursday, May 26 @ 19:10:58 CDT

John Howard introduced his changes to the industrial relations system into parliment yesterday.
With the bosses cheering from the sidelines, the union movement needs to carefully analyse the situation and develop a fighting program in response.
The following article by Robyn Hohl is the Socialist Party's contribution to the debate on which way forward.

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The Federal Budget - A socialist analysis
Monday, May 16 @ 02:14:00 CDT

The May 2005 budget is another salvo in the class war that Howard and the Liberals say does not exist. After several years of economic upturn and with a Senate that blocked the Liberals full proposed agenda, this is a budget for a new era. The Liberals are now getting ready for a full scale ripping into the guts of the working class. The budget is designed to get the most out of the working class now and also as a preparation for laying the burden of any economic downturn of the bosses system squarely onto the working class.
SP National Secretariat

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SP Councillor in Yarra
Wednesday, May 04 @ 01:58:52 CDT

Making Socialism Relevant
Regular column of Australia's first Socialist Party Councillor, Stephen Jolly
City of Yarra, Melbourne
Taken from the May edition of 'The Socialist'

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Howard's attacks on Medicare
Tuesday, May 03 @ 02:36:09 CDT

This article offers a socialist explanation as to why the Howard government is gunning for Medicare - and what should be done to save it.
By Kylie McGregor, SP Melbourne

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We need the spirit of May Day to defeat Howard
Saturday, April 30 @ 02:46:30 CDT

The modern May Day has its origins in Australia where workers in 1856 organised a day of complete stoppage together with meetings and entertainment as a demonstration in favour of the eight-hour day.
John Gowland, SP Perth

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Are Australians over-taxed or under taxed?
Friday, April 29 @ 01:51:29 CDT

Editorial from the May edition of 'The Socialist'
Paper of the Socialist Party (CWI Australia)
A socialist explanation of our tax system.

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Storms ahead in Australia
Tuesday, April 05 @ 08:12:52 CDT

Editorial from latest issue of The Socialist

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Australian ruling class conference last week
Monday, April 04 @ 02:35:22 CDT

Last week political, business and media representatives of the ruling class met in Melbourne at the Sustaining Prosperity Conference, sponsored by Murdoch's Australian newspaper. Members of the Socialist Party participated in a rally outside the event on the day it was addressed by Federal Education Minister, Brendan Nelson.
All politically conscious workers and youth should take an interest in the deliberations of this "National Conference" of our ruling class.

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Skills shortages and migrant labour – What’s the solution?
Tuesday, March 15 @ 00:06:57 CST

By Anthony Main, AMWU shop steward
After years of demonising migrants John Howard is now so worried about Australia running out of workers that he now wants to embark on an international recruitment drive.

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Time to Fight – If we don’t fight we lose
Saturday, March 12 @ 04:00:32 CST

Text of SP leaflet for upcoming mass workers' meeting in Melbourne, Wednesday 23rd March
By Anthony Main
In the name of ‘being realistic’ Greg Combet and his mates at the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) are preparing to sell our hard earned conditions back to the bosses for a song. Our working lives as we know them are on the brink of a huge overhaul and the so called ‘official leadership’ of the union movement is running scared.

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VSU: A history of struggle
Sunday, February 27 @ 02:37:13 CST

2005 is not the first time the student movement will have faced the attack of VSU and it is also by no means the first time it has been fought and defeated. Throughout the 90’s students have been forced to struggle against anti-student governments.
By Yorran Pelekanakis, 2nd year student at Melbourne University

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Fighting VSU - a guide to action
Sunday, February 27 @ 02:34:43 CST

If the proposed changes to VSU are to be defeated the students from campuses across the country will have to participate and unite in a campaign of education and direct action. Students simply can’t rely on the National Union of Students to do all the agitating on their behalf.
By Andrew Calleja, 2nd year student at Victoria University

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Fight VSU - defend and extend YOUR union
Sunday, February 27 @ 02:31:46 CST

From July 1st the Howard Government will hold a majority in both Houses of Parliament, giving the Liberals an unhindered position to implement their right-wing policy agenda. Brendan Nelson, the Federal Education Minister who brought us tertiary fee increases of up to 35% last year, is looking to complete his plan of neoliberalising universities and TAFEs into a money making ‘user pays’ system.
Greg Bradshaw, 3rd Year Student at Monash University, Melbourne

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Our new survey: The future for Labor
Friday, February 04 @ 02:35:57 CST

We have a new survey on our web page, see bottom left of this page: What are the perspectives for the Australian Labor Party?
Results of last poll:
What now after the Howard victory?
"It's On", let's get ready for class war! 39.78% (107)
I'm so depressed, give me a razor blade 13.01% (35)
Doesn't matter, Labor would have been as bad 14.13% (38)
It's too confusing, I need time to think 3.72% (10)
Both 1 and 3 15.24% (41)
Both 1 and 2 11.90% (32)
Both 2 and 3 2.23% (6)
Total Votes: 269

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Political report from SP National Committee
Monday, January 24 @ 22:32:39 CST

Last Sunday, 23rd January, the Socialist Party National Committee met to discuss the political situation in Australia and plans for building the party in 2005. Here is a summary of the main points raised in the first discussion.

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Howard exploits tsunami tragedy
Thursday, January 13 @ 17:44:34 CST

By Stephen Jolly
No important event has a neutral or apolitical effect - not sport, music, or even natural disasters like the Indian Ocean tsunami.

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Afterword to 'A New Britannia'
Wednesday, January 12 @ 02:03:59 CST

Australian Marxist historian, Humphrey McQueen, published his classic 'A New Britannia' in 1970. It was a welcome antedote to the works of the pro-ALP and pro-Communist Party of Australia historians who had mainly concentrated on the obvious historic traditions of the working class while largely playing down the other side of racism, White Australia Policy, and petty bourgeois consciousness.
However, as McQueen later admitted, his book bent the stick too far and in this afterword he outlines a more balanced and brilliant marxist analysis of the origins of the ALP and the rise of Australian capitalism.

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Howard won't give us economic security
Thursday, December 02 @ 20:46:00 CST

This is the article analysing the post-Federal election situation plus why Howard won from the current issue of The Socialist. For technical reasons it has been late getting up on our web page. Also for technical reasons, the current issue of The Socialist will not be on this site in pdf until early next week.

Howard won't give us economic security
In 1993, 45 percent of the electorate saw a difference between the major parties – now that figure has dropped to 25 percent. The electorate were simply in harm minimisation mode on election day. The over-mortgaged swinging voters saw weaknesses in both Labor and Liberal but opted for who they thought would give them low interest rates and economic security. Howard’s lies on interest rates were the ‘Tampa’ of the election.

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Forestry debate: A socialist approach
Wednesday, November 10 @ 19:59:59 CST

It was one of the starkest images of the federal election campaign, CFMEU forestry union members on their feet, clapping and cheering for John Howard. It was just before the federal election and he had just told them what every worker in the world wants to hear. That their jobs would be safe.

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Socialist Alliance sows illusions in Greens
Sunday, November 07 @ 00:39:22 CST

While the Socialist Party (SP) is busy putting the blowtorch to the Greens, another left wing party, Socialist Alliance (SA), continues to build up their credibility.

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Greens failure in Yarra opens up way for Socialists
Sunday, November 07 @ 00:36:18 CST

By Stephen Jolly, Socialist Party National Secretary
In 2002 the Yarra City Council election saw the election of four Greens Councilors. In 2003 the Council elected the first Green Party mayor in Australia. The municipality covers the inner city northern suburbs of Melbourne, and has an $88 million budget and over 500 staff.

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What way forward for Craig Johnston campaign
Thursday, November 04 @ 20:43:53 CST

By Anthony Main, AMWU Shop Steward (Metals Division)
In late August the Victorian Court of Appeal sentenced ex-AMWU State Secretary Craig Johnston to two years and nine months jail. Nine months is to be served immediately with the remainder suspended for 2 and 1/2 years. The Court ruled the original sentence in the County Court (a wholly suspended sentence) was "manifestly inadequate".

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Will Howard have to face his first recession as Prime Minister?
Wednesday, November 03 @ 04:48:48 CST

During the election campaign, the Treasury Department predicted 3.5% growth in GDP over each of the next two years. Within days of being re-elected, Treasurer Peter Costello was already watering down these over-optimistic thoughts.

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What is Family First?
Wednesday, November 03 @ 04:47:04 CST

Millions of workers were disgusted that their votes for Labor in the Senate meant their preferences went to the socially-reactionary Family First Party. For example, despite only one fifth of the Green primary vote, preference deals meant Family First jumped ahead of the Greens by the end of counting!

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What way forward for the unions under Howard?
Thursday, October 28 @ 03:34:20 CDT

We won’t surrender to Howard – even if the ACTU leaders put up the white flag

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CFMEU (constrution) under attack
Thursday, October 28 @ 03:31:25 CDT

Federal Government prepares to unleash the dogs on the CFMEU (construction division)
It’s On! – Let’s get organized for the battle

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