Population and social justice
Diana Evans (Write On, GLW #66) and others who believe that cutting immigration is a valid response to the environment crisis, miss the most important point: population and social justice are not separate problems.
Unsustainable population growth is a global problem that cannot be addressed by stopping people from migrating to Australia.
Those who argue that the current rate of population growth in Australia (almost all due to immigration) is ecologically unsustainable rely on a crude, biologically deterministic notion of the "carrying capacity" of the land. There are at least two problems with such notions. First, ecological practices, technological factors, social and economic organisation make the absolute difference as to how many people a country or city can support. Second, any concept of overpopulation must be relative (overpopulated compared to which country? Bangladesh? Singapore? Hong Kong?).
Even if a convincing case could be made that Australia already has too many people, a decision to close the doors and forget the rest of the world would be socially unjust, racist in effect (the attempts to use Aboriginal tradition and culture as a cover for this are opportunist, patronising and illogical) and totally futile as a response to the global environment crisis.
High rates of population growth in the Third World are a direct result of the absence of social justice. Poverty encourages people to have many children to try to provide material security. The key solution to global population growth is a fairer international economic and social order.
Greens should support immigration for social justice reasons and not for the selfish reasons of big business. Taking in a few thousand refugees will not solve the problems in the source country, but it does make a dramatic difference to the individuals and families concerned. As for dealing with the roots of the problem of global injustice, the sooner all Green and progressive people junk all vestiges of the narrow national chauvinism of the anti-immigration lobby, the sooner we will get there.
Peter Boyle
Melbourne
[Edited for length.]
War tax resistance
Surely a "green" newspaper should not suggest we take throwaway tissues to the flicks (review of Salmonberries, GLW #65). What's wrong with cotton handkerchiefs, reusable for years? Saves money too!
Secondly, readers may wish to know their is a growing War Tax Resistance Movement in the US and more successfully in Italy where 5000 people already enjoy the recognition of their right to redirect war taxes into a peace tax fund.
In Australia a bill has been drafted and presented to parliament by Senator Jo Valentine. Also readers might wish to support the stand of Robert J. Burrowes, who since 1983 has been refusing to pay a portion of his tax that goes to military spending, giving the equivalent amount to various environment, peace and social justice groups instead. He needs money to defray the costs of his legal proceedings (which go on and on). Send cheques payable to Peace Fund Team and post to c/o Diana Pittock, 38 Yackatoon Ave, Aspendale, Vic 3195.
Connie Frazer
Findon SA
Stan Plumridge
It was with great sadness that we read of Stan Plumridge's death (GLW #65). Words are inadequate to express the sense of loss.
Stan's lifelong commitment to progressive politics remains an example to all that share his ideals. But that dedication and commitment gave something back to Stan: at 84 years, he remained a young man.
He had a vitality, a zest and an optimism that kept him free of that debilitating disease — cynicism. Stan's faith in humanity, in young people and in socialism shone bright always, it was his badge of honour and he wore it proudly.
Stan didn't have time to sit on a rocking chair, reviewing his long life, he was too active for that. But his life was lived, it was generous and it inspired others to fight this inhuman system.
Too often, in this capitalist society, it is those that big-note themselves, that live their lives at the expense of the suffering of others, that get the recognition.
Those who knew Stan were the richer for it. He stands one hundred feet tall in our memories, and we'll miss him.
At the forge he did his duty.
Frank Noakes and Catherine Brown
London, England
Free market nightmare
I read Peter Boyle's article "New Zealand's free market nightmare" (GLW #66) with a mixture of interest and horror. If the voters of Australia evict the Labor Party at the next elections we are inevitably in for our own "nightmare".
Peter's article is not the first time I've heard these horror stories. Most recently was at a seminar for Public Sector Union delegates titled "The New Zealand experience". Our union brought Mary Slater, a research officer with the Public Service Association (PSA), NZ equivalent of the PSU, out to address the seminar.
What was most interesting (and worrying) about Slater's talk was the "solutions" she proposed (to be applied to Australia). When pushed by PSU officials, she offered not a fighting strategy of opposing the current Labor government's attacks on working people (the same attacks as occurred under Lange), or even politically challenging the government (via NewLabor for instance). According to Slater what the PSU should do is move immediately to enterprise bargaining!
Our officials must be ecstatic about this assessment, as they try to convince us that the ALP/ACTU road of enterprise bargaining is the way to go.
Forgive me for being naive, but how does enterprise bargaining under Labor help us when the Liberals get in and we have individual bargaining? The only answer our officials have is the "New Zealand experience" ie toe the ALP/ACTU line until the ruling class has had enough of them and then cop the Liberals.
Ray Fulcher
Melbourne
[Edited for length.]
Chile
As a migrant from Chile it is not uncommon to find myself in a situation where people make comments like "poor dear, you come from Chile, life must be horrible there".
This sort of patronizing can be attributed to a very black media image of Chile, which is either that there is a lot of repression and torture or that the Milton Freeman style economists have a free hand.
Articles like the one written by Moira Finucane (GLW issue 66) help to reinforce these black images. Although, I do not doubt Moira's good intentions and I am certain that "La Casa Sofia" conducts excellent work, her statistic of 30% to 35% illiteracy for Chile must certainly be wrong. It's closer to 11%. Chile's population is educated and largely urbanized. Chile has a reputation throughout Latin America as an exporter of educated people.
I am not wanting to say that Chile is a perfect country — its problems are well documented — but it is important to portray a more complete picture of the country in the media so that Chileans and other migrants from less developed countries do not have to put up with patronizing remarks.
Maria Soledad Reyes
Melbourne
Self-help
I agree with Kerry Nebauer (GL #62) that political activity and the "self-help" movement need not be counterposed.
Social transformation includes the transformation of numerous individuals. Rather than counterposing individual and social change, we need to see how they fit together.
Individual problems are largely a result of living in an oppressive society, which has to be fundamentally changed if any lasting solution is to be found. Involvement in a movement for social change can facilitate personal change, helping to raise our self-confidence and self-esteem. But such involvement is not a cure for every individual problem. The psychological legacy of early experiences in the family, at school, etc. is not easily overcome. Individuals must take responsibility for solving their own personal problems as far as possible. In some cases, participation in a self-help group may be helpful in this.
Self-help groups vary widely. Some promote an extreme individualist ideology, similar to that of the New Right. Others see the link between individual and social problems, and want to contribute to the movement for social change. Others fall somewhere in between.
While combating individualist ideology, socialists should recognise the need for self-help groups. Some may help their members become more confident in challenging oppression.
Chris Slee
Melbourne
[Edited for length.]
Gay and lesbian politics
There is a massive contradiction in the article by my comrade Michael Schembri in GLW, 15 July. He rightly says gay men and lesbians have "varying interests, characters, lives", and that some vote National, yet insists there is such a thing as specifically gay and lesbian politics.
Like members of any oppressed group, we have varying views on our oppression. Marxists argue, as Michael says, that it "has its roots in the class nature of our society". Michael fudges some of the differences between this view and the liberal ideas of most lesbian and gay activists.
On autonomy, Michael parodies the Marxist position in order to attack it. Seriously, are there any left wing groups in Australia today "seeking to control" the gay and lesbian movement? This is a concession to the redbaiting that goes on in campaigns all the time, where any argument for militant, class-based politics is portrayed by bureaucrats as a grab for control.
Insisting that "as the direct victims of heterosexism, it is up to us to lead the fight against it" is a way of weakening the struggle rather than strengthening it. Give me a straight comrade who's prepared to confront Fred Nile in the street any day over a gay lawyer who'll happily betray me to the police.
No exclusively "gay and lesbian politics" gives us a strategy for liberation as socialist politics does.
Robert Stainsby
International Socialist Organisation
Darlinghurst
[Edited for length.]
Pornography
After having lived in the close company of both submissive and feministic women and "typically" chauvinistic men for many years, I have come to the opinion that feminism is the same as chauvinism. I believe in the ideal of being equal but do not see that many feminists, although crusading for equality, believe in it.
There is a need for movement against sexual discrimination but not to the extent that men become the oppressed mass women once were.
In the majority of pornography I have seen, women are portrayed as enjoying sex or enjoying thinking and fantasizing about having sex.
The feminist argument against pornography fails to avoid a contradiction here, as we are now encouraged by our "sisters" to revel in our individual sexuality and seek the enjoyment in sex.
If we are allowed to enjoy and fantasize about sex, why are we not permitted to appear so?
Therefore, I applaud Pip Hinman's article "Pornography — Should it be Banned?" (GL 5/8/92) for revealing a second opinion held by feminists.
Leonie Hughes
Spearwood WA
GST
Senator Warwick Parer's statement to the Australian Pensioners and Superannuant League that "goods and services will be cheaper" [under a GST] as it replaces the wholesale tax system is incorrect.
In fact, a "goods and services tax" is a tax on consumption and not a tax on wealth or incomes. 70% of pensioners do not pay tax because their income is not high enough. Also, almost half of basic food and household items are now exempt from wholesale sales tax, so that all of these items will invite the full 15% GST (tax).
Other items such as women's magazines, a large range of adult, children's clothing and footwear which are now exempt will go up in price.
Average Queensland electricity bills for households could rise by $67 per year. It will also apply to telephone charges, postal stamps, BCC bus fares and Queensland rail fares.
Some detailed research has shown that out of over 500 items only approximately 40 will go down in price.
The proposed one off rise of 8% in pensions in 1994 will have some temporary limited benefit. However, this has to be measured against the goods and services tax and increased inflation.
Part of the "Fightback" policies aim to cut welfare expenses by $2.5 billion to promote these cuts in income taxes. Thus, a person earning $100,000 per year (like many politicians) would have a tax benefit of about $8,300 per year. About the same as many single pensioners have to live on for one whole year.
Why did he not explain their proposal to increase the eligibility for women to receive the age pension from 60 to 65 R>Morningside Qld
[Edited for length.]