Issue 112 - March

Greens’ loss in Batman shows Di Natale’s strategy a dead end

The Greens’ Alex Bhathal has lost a very close contest to Labor’s Ged Kearney in the Batman by-election. The vote holds important lessons for The Greens.

Right to strike must be at the centre of union campaign

The push for the right to strike to be at the centre of the ACTU’s “Change the Rules” campaign will have to come from rank-and-file union members and union branches.

Strike action stepped up as termination looms at Port Kembla terminal

Workers at the Port Kembla Coal Terminal have stepped up industrial action as Fair Work prepares its decision on whether to terminate their enterprise agreement.

Eight week strike beats back Australian Paper

Over 90 workers at Melbourne’s Australian Paper factory, members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, have pushed back their boss with a solid eight-week strike.

Inside the system

Sunrise’s new Stolen Generation already a reality; Exxon pay no tax until 2021; 2891 anti-Muslim Murdoch media stories in one year; Billionaires make enough to end extreme poverty seven times; Macquarie bank pushes anti-Corbyn offshoring plot

Resettlement farce on Manus: set the deadline, bring them here

The PNG Immigration Minister’s declaration that the Australian government must get the asylum seekers and refugees out of PNG has made the “Bring Them Here” demand of the refugee movement even more important.

Gender self-identification and trans rights in the UK

The UK is now facing its own moral panic targeting trans people, pushed by the right-wing—but sadly, their anti-trans campaign has been joined by some on the left.

Zuma’s fall a sign of ANC’s failure in South Africa

The demise of President Jacob Zuma has exposed has far the ANC government of South Africa has fallen. His mammoth corruption had been public knowledge for years.

US school shootings a product of a sick system

Nearly a million US students walked out of class to protest gun violence on 14 March. They marched in response to February’s brutal mass shooting at Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida, where former student Nikolas Cruz gunned down 17 students and staff.

West Virginia teachers’ nine day illegal strike wins through

Thirty thousand teachers and public school employees in the US state of West Virginia have won a guaranteed 5 per cent pay rise after a historic nine day strike.

Racists gain in Italian election as voters give centre left the boot

Racists did well in the Italian elections in early March.

Who were the utopian socialists?

We continue our series on Marxist classics as James Supple looks at Friedrich Engels’ Socialism: Utopian and Scientific

Fraser wanted to stop the boats

A new book on the origins of Australia’s refugee policies idealises the approach of the Fraser government. But it has plenty of evidence on why it’s no model argues Ian Rintoul

States of exclusion

The nation state with distinct borders is a recent idea, tied up with the development of capitalism. Phil Marfleet, writing from Europe, looks at how the ruling class uses them.

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