Peter Robson, the Socialist Alliance's candidate for Newcastle, talks to Green Left Weekly's Kerry Vernon about the federal election campaign.
Both the major parties have been doling out election promises over the past few weeks, what do you think of their election campaign so far?
Both Labor and the Liberals have been tinkering around the edges rather than trying for fundamental change. There seems to be a game of one-upmanship with a little policy change here and there. But in terms of trying to deliver on education, health or community child care they are not really presenting any real differences. There has been very little public debate in the campaign on one of the key differences between the major parties — whether to bring Australian troops home from Iraq, which Labor advocates and the Coalition parties oppose.
The international mass movement that developed against the Iraq war was quite clear that war would not improve the situation facing the Iraqi people. Now, most Iraqis consider the US as occupiers, not liberators with the Allawi regime acting as a US puppet government in Washington's war for Iraqi oil.
What does the Socialist Alliance in Newcastle think of the Greens?
We think that the Greens are a progressive force in Newcastle. They are involved in a lot of grassroots campaigns. In the refugee rights campaign, we work side by side with them. I hope there is a big vote for the Greens in this election. I think there will be.
Certainly the Greens are much better than the major parties in their policies at the moment, but they do not see that the big social and environmental problems we face here and around the world cannot be solved without creating a radically different sort of society based on democratic public ownership and management of society's economic resources.
That's why the Socialist Alliance is running candidates in the elections — to win more people to the need for such a radical changer, to the need for socialism.
Will Latham be better for workers than Howard?
Howard has hit workers hard and we will be very pleased to see him go. Wages as a share of national wealth have fallen below 1983 levels. Howard has ensured that working people are working harder for less and are threatened with all sorts of legal measures to stop them taking action around wages, basic health and safety and work conditions. But the trade union movement has to realise that it is not enough to just bump Latham into government. That, in itself, is no guarantee that things will be better for workers.
The only effective way workers can improve their wages, working conditions and quality of life generally is to develop the capacity to take independent, collective action. That is the only way that union membership and campaigning strength will improve. Developing working-class political action, developing campaigning movements, taking to the streets, building confidence in our ability to change things is what Socialist Alliance campaigns around.
What is the Socialist Alliance involved in?
One of the main things the Socialist Alliance is involved in is trying to build movements for social justice and democratic rights. Around the country, we have played a leading role in anti-war and refugee rights movements. I also think that the campaigns in the gay and lesbian community, for same-sex marriages, for instance should be supported. We think that movements on the streets are far more important that bums on seats in parliament. And that is where real change actually happens.
From Green Left Weekly, October 6, 2004.
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