On October 9, it's time to go Johnny.
After more than eight years of neoliberal attacks against working people and the poor; after sending Australian troops to fight unjust wars; after locking up thousands of refugees who came here seeking asylum; and after further shifting this country's wealth from the working majority to the rich few — it's definitely time for the Coalition government to go.
Not that we expect much better from a Labor government. We'll probably face more of the same — except perhaps some attacks will come a little slower or be a little milder.
But if a Labor government is elected, we can force it to implement its promise to withdraw troops from Iraq by Christmas, which will represent a defeat for the "coalition of the killing". But we'll also have to keep up the pressure to counter Labor's push to relocate troops into Asia to fight the phoney "war on terror" in "our backyard".
Having Labor in government will also undermine that party's ability to win support from unionists and students. The reality of what the ALP stands for will be demonstrated in practice — just as it has been exposed in all current state and territory governments.
This will provide much better conditions for winning greater numbers of people to the idea that real change is possible outside the parliamentary framework.
Green Left Weekly advocates a vote for the Socialist Alliance in the federal election. GLW has keenly supported this new formation since it was founded more than three years ago. Just as GLW seeks to give a voice to anti-war, pro-worker, anti-racist, anti-corporate, feminist and environment movements, the Socialist Alliance seeks to provide political representation to these campaigns. SA candidates around the country are active in, and in many cases leading, these campaigns.
The Socialist Alliance stands for a real alternative not only to the anti-people, profits first, pro-war policies of Labor and Liberal alike, but also for an alternative to this whole rotten capitalist system.
This newspaper also advocates allocating preferences according to the Socialist Alliance's ticket. This means preferencing socialist and other left-wing parties, followed by the Greens (provided they do not put the Coalition before Labor).
The Greens have taken a genuine stand against the war on Iraq and in defence of the rights of refugees. Support for the Greens has been steadily growing as more and more people see them as a progressive alternative to the pro-big business orientation of the ALP. While the Greens' effectiveness as a force for social change is limited by their primary focus on a parliamentary strategy, GLW hopes to see as many Greens as possible elected on October 9.
After the Greens, this newspaper advocate preferencing Labor. As stated above, the question of which major party forms government is not irrelevant.
GLW recommends that you place the Democrats after Labor on ballots for both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Democrats' collaboration with the Coalition to pass the anti-worker, anti-union Workplace Relations Act and to introduce the GST are two good reasons why they should be placed after Labor. Their decision to allocate their preferences to the conservative, anti-woman Family First Party provides another indication of what the Democrats represent.
GLW also urges readers to vote with your feet on October 2-3 and join the national "End the lies" demonstrations. Regardless of whether the Coalition or ALP forms government on October 9, such public protests will be more important than ever. We must keep up the pressure and continue to involve greater numbers of people in the fight to end the "war on terror" and to build a better, more just future.
From Green Left Weekly, September 29, 2004.
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