En Passant

The possible death of nearly 100 asylum seekers feared drowned at sea between Australia and Indonesia was entirely preventable. The Refugee Action Collective places the blame for these lives lost with the Australian government and demands people smuggling be decriminalised to prevent any further loss of life.

The June 17 elections marked a turning point in the fierce confrontation waged within Greek society. They reflected the major conflicts and divisions that transverse Greek society, the intense social and political confrontations, the big labor and popular struggles of the past years, but also the attempts of the pro-austerity forces to regroup and reorganize after their loss of legitimacy in the May 6 elections. However, the rift opened by the popular uprising, which took an explosive form in the May 6 election, is still active.

A good first start to independence and to building it on the ground would be for Fairfax workers to strike against the planned 1900 job cuts.

The choice we face today is no less stark than that which Luxemburg saw confronting humanity at the height of World War I. The continuation of a system of capitalism built on violence, injustice and poverty for the vast majority of people. Or the struggle for socialism – a society and economy democratically and collectively controlled by workers, in which the vast capacities and resources of humanity are no longer sacrificed on the alter of the market, but can be turned to providing the things we need to live a decent life.

To The Victorian Trades Hall Council: We are writing to object in the strongest terms to the arbitrary cancellation of our room booking for a public meeting on the issue of “racism and police violence” on Thursday 21 June. This meeting is in the best traditions of the Trades Hall Council and the Victorian labour movement, which has long been a defender, not a suppressor, of public debate. We urge you to continue that tradition.

This union meeting on Monday will provide us the opportunity to consider what significant industrial action is now required to support our colleagues in the School of Music and all the other areas that are now clearly on Vice-Chancellor Ian Young’s economic rationalist hit-list.

Most politics, ‘debate’ and commentary today is about discerning the difference between the shit sandwiches on offer. It doesn’t deal with the obvious. It’s still a shit sandwich, whether it is Gillard or Abbott selling it.

It is the class struggle in Greece which offers hope. It is the class struggle in Egypt which offers hope.

The Greek elections reflect a polarized society. It is the responsibility of the movement to make sure that this [new Democracy pro-austerity] government will face popular anger. Now, we are facing the task of helping the movement and social mobilization that will eventually overthrow this government and open up new paths of hope. With determination, unity in struggle and a radical program we can still win.

To confront the challenges ahead of us, the crucial task for the Internationalist Workers Left is to organise these people – to turn people who supported SYRIZA with their votes into activists. Together with this effort, we need to strengthen the left of SYRIZA so it can successfully confront future challenges – to build up support for revolutionary ideas and politics.