NTEU elections
In response to Vicki Sentas, Bruce Lindsay and Justin Bare's criticism (Write On, GLW 501) of my article in GLW 499 on the NTEU elections: I
reported the respective tickets' own characterisation of their achievements without comment because this election is different from those in the AMWU and CPSU where rank-and-file tickets have run. Those rank-and-file groups have run on the basis of real differences with leaderships that have failed the union's membership.
The NTEU leadership does not fall into this category by any measure. It is not tightly wedded to the ALP, it has not overseen massive falls in membership levels and it has not sold out on major conditions.
I find perplexing Sentas et al's claim that this leadership has made "compromise after compromise". No evidence is provided to support this claim. In fact, the national leadership is endeavouring to tackle casualisation and is seeking to extend branch-based organising. In contrast, the challengers do not have an extensive track record (unlike Workers First in the AMWU or Members First inthe CPSU) as union activists.
Sentas et al's criticism implies that the left must always support rank-and-file tickets against the incumbent union leadership, regardless of the record of that leadership. This is
strategically dogmatic.
Jeremy Smith
Ballarat NTEU president [Abridged]
Gaza bombing
Jews for a Just Peace strongly condemns the Israeli Defence Force's July 23 Gaza bombing. We express our horror at all acts of violence, which show contempt and disregard for the value of human lives, and of civilians in particular. Our condemnation extends to suicide bombings.
Ariel Sharon's comments that "Israel has no interest in harming civilians" and "it is always regrettable if civilians are hit" are disingenuous. Israel's use of extreme force came after a week free of suicide bombings and at a time when Hamas chief Sheikh Ahmed Yassin announced that Hamas was considering entering into a ceasefire if Israeli troops left the Palestinian cities and villages they have recently reoccupied.
Now, the Israeli people await reprisals. The Palestinian people will then await another round. And so it goes the endless cycle of violence goes on, and on. Yet, clearly, violence has not solved and will never solve the issues that face the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
If the death of 16 people and the injury of hundreds are acceptable as collateral damage, why not 160? Why not 1600?
J4JP is committed to a peace based on negotiation, the establishment of a secure and viable Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, and Palestinian acceptance of an Israeli state within recognised and secure borders.
Barry Carr &
Sandra Goldbloom Zurbo
joint secretaries
Jews for a Just Peace
Melbourne
Bradbury
In between the froth and bubble of his long defence of Fond Memories of Cuba (Write On, GLW 501), David Bradbury makes a couple of points about Cuba that are worth discussing.
He says Cuba has had 42 years of "one-party dictatorship". Certainly Cuba is a one-party state, but it can be argued to be a democratic one, nonetheless; obviously, Bradbury would debate that.
What is beyond argument is what happens to left-leaning Latin American governments that allow multi-party democracy. The Americans use war and floods of money to their chosen right-wing allies to destroy these governments. That is well known, partly through the films David Bradbury has made in the past.
Cuban society may have suffered all sorts of distortions because of the particular political structures it has, but if blame is to be apportioned, surely it should go to the USA.
Bradbury also doesn't like revolutionary "zealots" using social pressure to get people to support the revolution. Social pressure exists in all societies; I definitely want it to be used to support socialism. Does David prefer the social pressure in Australia that promotes racism, sexism and inequality?
I have no doubt that many Cubans are tired of the struggle and long for a better life. The Cuban leadership has made mistakes of many kinds as well. But the dominant feature of all life in Latin America is the domination of US capitalism. Cuba, warts and all, is the only free territory in the Americas.
And finally, what's Bradbury's issue with cappuccino? The hard working comrades I know need whatever
simple pleasures they can get!
Barry Healy
Perth
Disgruntled viewer
Is it possible a pre-revolutionary situation will occur in advanced capitalist countries around the world when disgruntled Commonwealth/Olympic games viewers who get up at 3am in freezing cold to watch their favourite event, e.g., 4000m teams pursuit (cycling), and instead are forced to watch endless, endless, endless ads and repeats of highly marketable events, e.g., a "Thorpedo" win and the women's 4 x 400m relay final?
When these same viewers subsequently find out the event they waited weeks to watch, and that wasn't telecast, set a new world record, maybe they will march en masse to the nearest TV station and take it over so that people can enjoy the sport of their choice without having to endure hours of puerile, moronic advertising and patriotic crap. Count me in.
Paul Glenning
Rockhampton
Blackshirts
The activities of the "Blackshirts" group in Victoria are a frightening wake up call for the progressive and feminist movements in Australia. After decades of the anti-woman backlash here and around the world, now we have a consciously organised expression of extreme anti-woman sentiment targeting women who try to claim their very limited (and diminishing) rights through the family courts.
The current campaign of the "Blackshirts" is to rally their members dressed in black garb and face masks outside individual women's homes.
This development is an unsurprising extension of the concerted government attacks on women's right to economic independence and the associated ideological garbage being pumped out continually by the corporate media.
The "Blackshirts" are picking up where Howard and company leave off in trying to force women back into the family home to do the (unpaid) work that should be socially funded; caring for the aged and the sick; childcare and other domestic duties.
Women are always made to feel guilty if they claim their right to independence, and now Victorian women are facing organised intimidation by neo-fascists. Enough is enough. Let's make sure that this wake-up call spurs us to greater levels of organisation against the anti-woman backlash.
Kathy Newnam
Newcastle [Abridged]
From Green Left Weekly, August 7, 2002.
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