638

People power vs Howard's Senate control

Peter Boyle Since August 9, PM John Howard's Liberal-National Coalition government has had a majority in both houses of federal parliament. It is the first time since 1981 that a federal government has enjoyed this luxury. It's doom and gloom time,

'No unions, no voice: VSU is not our choice'

Thousands of students rallied and marched on August 10 in a nationwide protest against the federal government's "voluntary student unionism" legislation. The students were joined in many cities by members of the National Tertiary Education

Union takes on Toll

PERTH — Braving blustery winds and rain, 40 people joined a picket organised by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union outside the Kewdale depot of freight forwarders Toll on 12 August. As part of a nationwide campaign to force Toll to negotiate seriously

Iraq liberated? Turtles might fly

Turtles might fly ... Turtles Can FlyWritten and directed by Bahman GhobadiIran-Iraq co-productionPalace Cinemas from August 18 REVIEW BY LACHLAN MALLOCH Turtles Can Fly is a precious film. Its anti-war message about the enduring suffering of

UNITED STATES: Pastors for Peace seek seized aid

On August 10, Pastors for Peace announced that they would take their campaign to secure the release of seized aid to the road. On July 21, US customs officers seized 43 boxes of computer equipment intended for Cuban children with special needs from

Broadmeadows opposes detention centre

Chris Peterson, Melbourne On August 7, 150 people attended the launch of a campaign to stop the building of the proposed immigration detention centre in the northern Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows. The protest was organised by the local Hume City

Uranium mining - dollars for death

Kathy Newnam Radioactive dollar signs lit up in the eyes of mining and resource company executives on August 4 when federal resources minister Ian Macfarlane declared the Northern Territory's uranium deposits "open for business". Indigenous

IRAQ: Human rights vanishing

Rohan Pearce When the WMD myths evaporated, the "coalition of the willing" was left grasping the ostensibly humanitarian justifications for the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq. Democracy, human rights and liberty for Iraqis — these were the

Bosses try it on

Sue Bolton Gippsland Trades and Labor Council secretary John Parker told Green Left Weekly that even without PM John Howard's new anti-union laws, "the bosses try it on against vulnerable workers", especially in country areas. It's not just

NORTHERN IRELAND: Republicanism at a crossroads

Alexander Billet Gerry Adams used to represent high hopes for the people of Northern Ireland. In the 1980s, he was the most outspoken and charismatic leader calling for a free and unified Ireland, a constant thorn in the side of Margaret Thatcher

BRITAIN: Ugandan detainees on hunger strike

Ugandan women on hunger strike in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire are being denied access to legal and welfare support, including rape crisis services. According to Legal Action for Women, the women have also suffered

Unions, free speech and racism

Alex Miller SYDNEY — Many members of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) will have been disappointed and angry about their union's failure to respond adequately to the racist comments by one of its members, Associate Professor Andrew