By Sally Low
If you are one of the thousands of green left or left green activists in this country who agree on the need to rebuild and restore a credible vision of socialism — one that will be green, democratic, feminist and internationalist — then the 1993 Socialists' Activist-Education Conference, organised by the Democratic Socialist Party and the youth organisation Resistance, is for you.
It will be an opportunity to meet and assess how we can organise to be most effective, to catch up on the latest world and domestic developments and discuss relevant aspects of history and philosophy.
International guests
An impressive range of international guests have been invited to address the conference. Those so far confirmed are:
- Malik Miah from the USA. Active for many years in the black rights and socialist movement, Miah is now a member of the the Committees of Correspondence, an important new left formation in the US. He will present two talks, one on the impact of Malcolm X and his ideas on the African-American struggle today and another on developments in US politics.
- Matt McCarten from New Zealand. McCarten, president of New Zealand's NewLabour Party, will speak about the Alliance, the radical third force that has shaken that country's political establishment.
- Frank Noakes from Britain. Noakes, a European correspondent for Green Left Weekly will speak about the crisis of European capitalism.
- A panel of Indonesian activists will give a first-hand account of the emerging movement for democracy in their country. Since the 1965 coup and subsequent massacre of hundreds of thousands of workers and peasants, Indonesia's generals have kept a tight lid on any dissent. Now a grassroots movement for democracy and human rights has re-emerged.
Trade unions
Whether it be frontal assaults from conservative governments in Victoria and Tasmania or the less spectacular but also highly dangerous attrition from state and federal ALP governments, Australian unions are under heavy fire. A group of officials and rank-and-file members from various unions all over the country will come together to discuss this situation and how it should be dealt with. Among them will be people speakers who have been directly involved in the current struggles in Victoria, Tasmania and the federal public sector. It is unfortunately rare that trade unionists have such an opportunity to meet and discuss their situation and exchange ideas and information in an informal way.
Marxism in the 1990s
Another range of feature talks, presented by leading members of the DSP, will seek to present an overview of the current world and domestic situation and to analyse the usefulness of a Marxist approach to modern reality. These will be:
- The relevance of Marxism today by Reihana Mohideen;
- International politics after the collapse of Stalinism by Lisa Macdonald;
- Australian politics in the '90s by Peter Boyle;
- What role for the working class? by Pat Brewer;
- Building socialism in the '90s by John Percy.
During other sessions participants will be able to choose topics from among the six major themes of the environment, international struggles, feminism, labour movement issues, socialist theory and Australian politics and society.
Each evening will bring a mixture of politics and culture as well as the chance to socialise in good company. The live-in venue is in pleasant surroundings just outside of Sydney and is equipped with tennis courts and a swimming pool.
If you are not already a member of the DSP or Resistance, the conference will be a good opportunity to find out more about us. During special get-to-know-us sessions various members of both organisations will be available to answer your questions. For more information about the conference contact the DSP national office, PO Box 515 Broadway 2007, Ph (02) 690 1230.