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SLAPPs: Silencing public dissent

This article is excerpted from Chapter 4 of a new book by Australian environmentalist SHARON BEDER titled Global Spin: the corporate assault on environmentalism. Every year, thousands of Americans are sued for speaking out against governments and

Loose cannons

Under the bed "I understand the old Comm trick of staggering 20 people among 800 to cause a distraction." — NSW Premier Bob Carr, on being booed and heckled at the ALP state conference when he advocated privatisation of the electricity

Cancel Congo's debt

Cancel Congo's debt "My country, whose foreign debt amounts to $14 billion, calls upon the major donors to demonstrate greater solidarity and a more responsible and consistent approach to possible solutions", Congo's foreign minister, Bizima

Telstra dismisses union delegate

Telstra dismisses union delegate By Leo Wellin In a test case against unlawful dismissal, union militant Mervyn Vogt is appealing to the Federal Court against Telstra's sacking of him for producing a rank and file newsletter. Vogt, a

Opposition to Honeymoon uranium plan

Opposition to Honeymoon uranium plan The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and Friends of the Earth (FoE) will oppose the federal government's plans to push ahead with a new uranium mine at Honeymoon in South Australia. The proposal is a

Fighting racism: students and youth set clearer goals

By Iggy Kim The Fight Racism National Conference held in Sydney September 27-28 was an important step forward in clarifying the nature of the current racist offensive in Australia and consolidating a national activist leadership for the campaign

Azapo to form left-wing party

By Norm Dixon A section of the Azanian Peoples Organisation (Azapo), followers of murdered Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko, announced on September 14 it would form a socialist party to contest the 1999 elections. The decision followed a

Write on: Letters to the editor

Corruption For years I've been trying to get some disgruntled pollie or public servant to blow the whistle on the corruption and criminal activity within Government. Now even Blind Freddy can see what duds our present system is full of. It would

The making of a socialist 'saint'

Lenin Lives! The Lenin Cult in Soviet RussiaBy Nina TumarkinHarvard University Press, 1997337 pp., $31.95 (pb) Review by Phil Shannon Cults come in all shapes and sizes. The Elvis cult is tacky but harmless. The Princess Diana cult is schmalzy

Police violence at Hanson meeting

By Peter Robson and Nick Everett BRISBANE — Around 1000 people rallied against the Pauline Hanson One Nation party's "Prosper Australia" meeting in Festival Hall on October 4. The protesters were peaceful. The same cannot be said for the

Congo denies UN 'smears' over human rights

By Norm Dixon Leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo have angrily denied claims by the United Nations and western governments that investigations into rumours of human rights violations (during the uprising that deposed the Mobutu

Feeling good about struggle

detail = Sprout Wings and FlyBy John McCutcheonRounder Records, 1997 detail = Nothing to LoseBy John McCutcheonRounder Records, 1995 Review by Alex Bainbridge John McCutcheon is a progressive songwriter with an enduring ability to make