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Conference to launch campaign to free Indonesian political prisoners

By Jill Hickson Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) will launch the second phase of its "Free the Political Prisoners" campaign at its national conference, in Sydney over the August 22-24 weekend. The conference — at the

Ireland: Loyalists block peace

By Dave Riley The restoration of the IRA cease-fire has again raised hopes of an end to 25 years of war in northern Ireland. The previous cease-fire collapsed because no meaningful negotiations were pursued. For the 18 months of the cessation,

Action updates

ANU staff to strike CANBERRA — Members of the National Tertiary Education Industry Union at the Australian National University voted on July 30 to begin rolling stoppages in response to the university management's move to sack 100 staff.

Students protest reduction in exam period

By Kylie Moon HOBART — On July 30, at 1.30pm, students across the University of Tasmania campus blew 500 whistles distributed to protest against the university administration's decision to reduce the end of year exam period, and introduce

Loose cannons

Hands up "Labor women have a great deal of difficulty in getting preselected for safe seats because the boys always put their hands up for them." — Anne Scott, seeking ALP preselection for Oxley but likely to lose out to former Queensland

Building a new socialist party in Pakistan

FAROOQ TARIQ, 42, is general secretary of Jeddojuhd Inqilabi Tehrik (Revolutionary Struggle Movement), a left-wing organisation committed to the promotion of working-class politics and socialism in Pakistan. JIT was founded by the supporters of the

Bans on One Nation meetings dangerous

By Tony Lim BRISBANE — On July 29, the Ipswich City Council banned the use of council facilities by the racist Pauline Hanson's One Nation party. The next day Brisbane Lord Mayor Jim Soorley said he fully supported Ipswich council's decision

Pipe-dreams and distorted markets

Factor Four: Doubling Wealth — Halving Resource UseBy Ernst von Weizsäcker, Amory B. Lovins and L. Hunter LovinsAllen & Unwin, 1997. 322 pp., $24.95 (pb) Review by Allen Myers Is there a "technological fix" to the ecological crisis?

Goss to the rescue

Comment by Dave Riley BRISBANE — If you were perhaps fearing that the Hanson band wagon would proceed unchecked, worry no more. The Australian Labor Party has left its best to last: one time battlers' hero and local identity Wayne Goss is keen

Queensland CPSU president resigns

Queensland CPSU president resigns By Graham Mathews BRISBANE — The Community and Public Sector Union's Queensland president, Andrew Finegan, resigned on July 14 citing the union's poor leadership in the campaign to protect public sector

Basque independence struggle under attack

By Paula Ajuria On July 2, extensive coverage was given by the Spanish media to masses of Spaniards celebrating the release by the Spanish police of a man held hostage by Basque separatist organisation ETA. The hostage, Ortega Lara, was

East Timor: report from the front line

By Dom Rotheroe Like a stubborn mantra, Maulindo's feet still trudge through my head. Under star and moon, through sun and shadow, over roots and rocks, up, down and right into paddy, mountain and river, I stomped for a fortnight through the