Have your say -Saturday’s socialist speak out
Posted by John, December 11th, 2010 - under Sauturday's socialist speak out.
There’s a headline in Socialist Alternative which for me sums up Wikileaks. Truth is a crime in the empire of lies. The slow drip release of information shows every day that our leaders lie to us. The information released so far vindicates the views of the Left on a whole range of issues – Afghanistan, China, the duplicity of diplomacy, imperialism, the relationship of the Australian and US ruling classes…
And the fury of the reaction of the Obama Government reinforces our argument that democratic rights are not important to the ruling class if democracy stands in the way of profit.
The real criminals sit in Washington and Canberra.
Chinese democracy campaigner Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize and the dictatorship went crazy. He rots in jail for ‘crimes’ against the regime. Global campaigner for our right to know what our lying leaders really think, Julian Assange, has driven the US dictatorship and its acolytes, like the Australian Government, crazy too. He rots in jail fighting extradition to Sweden on rape and other sexual assault charges.
Labor Party Minister Mark Arbib is a US informant. This, and the fact there has been no outrage n the ALP about his duplicity, neatly captures the role of Labor and its complete degeneration today.
Labor has attacked its female staff to save money instead of paying them decent wages.
Charles and Camilla had a meet and greet with students. Evidently it went well.
Meanwhile banks continue to make super profits at our expense, and Labor won’t tax them. It will however release a puff piece of ‘measures to encourage competition’. As Lenin wrote, competition leads to monopoly. Labor knows this; the Coalition know it. So they pretend to do something while the Big 4 banks increase their market share and look longingly at the holy grail – taking over one of their rivals.
Dissatisfaction with Labor has seen some unions mutter about supporting progressive candidates. Even the lapdogs from the Australian Council of trade Unions have made vague nosies about not getting much from the Gillard Government. Are we witnessing the first tentative steps towards a possible new party of the trade union bureaucracy? Or is this just bureaucratic manoeuvring to put pressure on the ALP?
Real pressure would be to strike against this rotten reactionary Labor Government. Community sector workers – overwhelmingly women, and very badly paid – are holding demonstrations on Wednesday for equal pay. I’ll be with them in Canberra from noon outside the ALP-Greens ACT Government Legislative Assembly.
To have your say, or to see what others have said, hit the comments button.
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Comments
Comment from Calligula
Time December 11, 2010 at 3:04 pm
John,
I made a comment in your last article about women’s pay.
I don’t believe anyone should be paid if they work badly.
In my experience the majority of a majority of women in first-contact-with-the-public type jobs seem to treat citizens badly simply because they can.
There is enough evidence that employers, especially governments, encourage them in that and furthermore select a certain psych profile for these jobs.
I’m sure you are as aware as I am that the majority of this sort of work is being handled by call centre personnel whose thankless task is to deflect rather than direct inquiries.
I’m absolutely sure that Julian Assange’s mum would have met enough bluster and bullshine from officialdom over the last few days to agree with me.
So why are these people rotting in jail?
Since when has the world gone so mad that a burst frenchie in the middle of a good hard shag is grounds for an international Julian-hunt?
Will we see the manufacturer of defective condoms in court too?
But everyone knows that is a load of crapola.
But we all know that Julian is in clink for the same reason as the Chinese gentleman.
The big one – causing some mob of politicians enough embarrassment to motivate them and their mindless, soulless ‘damage control’ machines toward another bout of overkill.
I have often said that “history teaches but we never learn.”
Perhaps if we were approaching Easter instead of Xmas some out there of the Christian ethic might latch onto the fact that a certain Joshua bar Joseph was nailed for exactly the same reason – for causing the big men embarrassment and within their narrow mindsets, their loss of ‘face’.
The bottom line is that whether Jesu, or Julian, or Xiaobo – they end by being exploited as martyrs – immediately by those who rush out to support them, then, paradoxically, later by the very regimes that sealed their fate.
Nothing like a good rewrite of the official history to tie up loose ends.
Comment from Magpie
Time December 11, 2010 at 3:05 pm
God, why don’t right-wingers make up their minds?
WikiLeaks released 250,000 documents (!!!) and so far published about 1,200, mentioning everyone and their dogs (by the by, Iran’s M. Ahmedinajad, however that’s spelt, is mad at WikiLeaks, too). So for some right-wingers, this is “indiscriminate”:
“But the law is too broad a brush to try to draw a distinction between WikiLeaks’ INDISCRIMINATE posting of the cables — which Burns called ‘nihilistic’ — and the more careful vetting evidenced by The New York Times, Abrams said.”
The U.S.’s Weak Legal Case Against WikiLeaks. Time. 09-12-2010.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2035994,00.html
For Walter this is “selective”. Like my Mum used to say, raising her hands to the Heavens: “God Almighty, give me patience”.
As far as I know, WikiLeaks relies on whistle-blowers to come forward with the “leaks”, which WikiLeaks assesses, and then, if found reliable, publishes.
I can’t speak for WikiLeaks, but I’m sure they would be happy to assess any leaks Walter can offer on countries Walter dislikes.
So, Walter, bring up photos, documents, videos, whatever, about North Korea, Cuba or wherever you hate, and contact WikiLeaks.
That way you can fix the damage done to world peace and diplomacy.
Comment from Calligula
Time December 11, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Dear Walter –
It may be that the press is being selective rather than Wikileaks.
I don’t suppose you’d know that a reporter in this democracy has to be very circumspect with what heshe puts before the propaganda monitor for pre-publication approval.
I’m working on a few hum-dingers of issues myself that the press have called ‘too complex’ for the public to understand.
As for leaking out agendas and plans for that revolution you mention – it is always a risk to reveal too much of the structure and composition of the ‘underground cells’.
But the real problem for latter day revolutionaries like Mr. Passant is sourcing those old rattletrap Rolls Royce armoured cars. (Dicky little peaked caps are a problem too.)
No barricade is going to attract the press without one.
Comment from Magpie
Time December 11, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Sorry, John and all, but I could not resist mentioning this, for you amazement or amusement:
“The United States places technology and innovation at the forefront of its diplomatic and development efforts” (…)
“New media has [sic] empowered citizens around the world to report on their circumstances, express opinions on world events and exchange information in environments sometimes hostile to such exercises of individuals’ right to freedom of expression.”
“At the same time, we are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals and to restrict the free flow of information. We mark events such as World Press Freedom Day in the context of our enduring commitment to support and expand press freedom and the free flow of information in this digital age.”
P.J. Crowley, spokesperson from the US State Department, as quoted by Mike Carlton here:
Cultural cringe is alive and throbbing. SMH. December 11, 2010.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/cultural-cringe-is-alive-and-throbbing-20101210-18sr2.html
I love right-wingers!!!
Comment from John
Time December 11, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Thanks magpie. I was looking for something similar Hillary Clinton but couldn’t find it. This will do perfectly.
Comment from Walter
Time December 11, 2010 at 9:09 pm
Caligula suggests you shouldn’t reveal too much about your plans … why not? Worried that a right wing Assange might leak them to the public?
Seriously, I know of no story or issue too complex for the media to cover and uncover. One US President was brought down and another impeached thru media coverage. Many regimes and empires and prime ministers and dictators have fallen because of a free press and media intervention.
Sadly, as Christopher Hitchens so powerfully argues, this Assange bloke is all ego and narcissism and it’s all about his twisted world view.
Comment from Calligula
Time December 11, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Walt – The press rely upon innocents like you.
The Masters tell them what to write about.
If they don’t – they get sacked just like anyone else in any other job when they upset the boss.
Please ———
Comment from John
Time December 12, 2010 at 4:30 am
Reveal my plans? What the hell are you talking about Walter. Read my blog. That tells you what my aims and goals are – a society in which those who produce the wealth democratically decide what is produced to satisfy human need. As Marx said, the emancipation of the working class is the act of the working class, not conspirators, crooks or snake oil salesmen and women from the Labor Party.
Comment from Walter
Time December 12, 2010 at 9:58 am
Calligula, with due respect, that’s crap. Independent reporting is alive and well – even more so in today’s electronic age. There are a plethora of websites and online publications examining just about every facet of politics and power. And how the hell do you know what’s going on in the world? Is it all from seeing it yourself, or (let me guess), because you read about it from people who report (i.e. reporters!!) from the coal face, so to speak.
Pick up the Guardian or Haaratz or Inside Story or any number of independent publications.
And Mr Passant, sorry, my comments were not aimed at you – your blogs are clear and open and while I disagree with your views, they are transparent.
Comment from Magpie
Time December 12, 2010 at 10:43 am
Ah ha!
You were caught RED-handed, John (and I mean the “red-handed” literally)!
Fess up! You have sinister (again, I mean it) deals with the Elders of Zion, the Chupacabras and the Nazi-UFOs from Antartica.
I’ll confess myself: I am the Yowie, and the draught is my fault (I am a warlock, MWAHAHAHA!).
Comment from Calligula
Time December 12, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Dear Walter,
I know how free is the press/media machine.
To begin with they all have to be owned by someone.
Whether an individual, a collective, a tontine or a government there is always someone telling the editor not so much what to print – rather what NOT to print.
Forgive me – you’d truly have to be an innocent if you believed the media weren’t required, more to the point ‘directed’, to ‘select’ whatever is published.
I was told the other day by a regional manager of a broadcaster (who in any case has his own tiny conflict of interest) that the ‘masters’ would see his tenure ‘in a different light’ if he broadcast certain topics despite their being public interest issues.
And of course, at various levels, there is ego and prejudice involved with these decisions too.
The reason I have my own weblog is for the very reason that I have been repeatedly refused publication by the traditional press – have been censored by weblog moderators and been told to get my butt out of Joe Blow’s and Fred Nerk’s pages – that if I had views different to the regulars I could take a hike and set up my own pages.
The Wikileaks situation exemplifies what I mean.
Gauging by what my management system tells me I have fair expectation my pages will soon go the way of Julian’s.
There is not much support in Australia for people who want to speak the truth about what is happening here.
Just read what our PM and AG has been saying, for instance.
Comment from Walter
Time December 11, 2010 at 8:38 am
I wou;dn’t think ‘thruth’ and ‘socilaism’ have too much in common! Assange is not ‘rotting’ in jail – he’s there because of a charge of rape!! On the one hand you attack Labor for it’s treatment of women, yet you say nothing about the issue that this bloke is being accussed of sexual assault?!
Assange is guilty of selective ‘leaking’, he is a danger to world peace and diplomacy. He threatens to undermine efforts to end conflicts. Let me remind you that the socialist revolution won’t happen if those ‘inside’ leak your plans and agendas!