John Passant

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Canberra: Left Unity Public Forum
Left Unity: A Forum with Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance on Left Unity 6 pm Thursday 16 May Room G 52 Haydon-Allen Building ANU Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance are in talks about unity, and as part of that process we will hold a joint forum here in Canberra on left unity in Australia. If you are interested in this exciting development and want to learn more or be involved, come along to this public forum and hear the discussion and debate. https://www.facebook.com/events/452603648150763/ (0)

Labor's super back down: a party rotten to the core
Me on superannuation and the death rattle of the ALP in The  Conversation. (0)

Marxism 2013 Conference
“Marxism is one of the best forums for debate in Australia” John Pilger gives a glowing review of the Marxism Conference. He will be returning to speak at Marxism 2013. Buy your tickets online today at www.marxismconference.org The talk on Saturday at 4 pm about taxing the rich looks interesting too.  Wonder who is giving that one? (0)

Marx and taxing economic rent in Australia
A very amateurish first draft by me on Marx and taxing economic rent, with too much explanation of basic ideas and then off on tangents and misunderstood ideas. http://docs.business.auckland.ac.nz/Doc/51-John-Passant.pdf

(0)

An article of mine on superannuation tax rorts in the Canberra Times
This is an article of mine in the Canberra Times on Tuesday 12 February. I argue that the benefits of the superannuation tax concessions go disproportionately and overwhelmingly to the rich and that it’s time to end the super tax rorts. (3)

Me in the media recently on tax
‘Mining Tax shortfall: the experts respond’ The Conversation 8 February 2013 ‘Current super concessions favour the wealthy – so why aren’t we supporting reform?” The Conversation 8 February 2013 (0)

Tax the rich
I am speaking at Marxism 2013 on taxing the rich. I will be talking on Sunday 31 March at 11.30. The Conference is the biggest left wing event of the year, over Easter at Melbourne University. Others speakers among the 70 or more include John Pilger, Gary Foley, Billy X Jennings, Brian Jones, Bob Carnegie, Jeff Sparrow, Antony Loewenstein, Toufic Haddad, and speakers from parties from Indonesia, The Philippines, Pakistan, New Zealand, the US and many many more….Check out the link here. (2)

The 99 Passant
I am about half through compiling the first volume of my most read (readers’ view) or most interesting (my view) articles from this blog.  Keep an eye out for Volume I of the 99 Passant when it is published later this year. I’ll keep you updated. (0)

More threats
As some of you may know I have been censoring the posts of a serial pest who makes anti-Muslim and racist comments and has in the past threatened me. He has posted again saying that the next time he is in my area – he names my street – he’ll ‘drop in to say g’day’. Clearly this is an attempt to further intimidate me. If anything happens to me or my family here are his details to provide to police.  jack 58.96.105.106  He has a druid name email at txc. (0)

Doctors and other bruises
I am having various tests and analysis done with a range of doctors over the coming weeks so may not be as communicative as normal on this blog. Bear with me. Hopefully I will be back in the New Year fighting fit. (4)

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Egypt: no to dictatorship, no to trading on revolution and martyrs

Egypt’s Revolutionary Socialists issued this statement on Friday in response to the constitutional declaration by president Morsi. It is republished from Socialist Worker UK.

Today all the masks fell from Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood organisation, who trade in revolution and for whom the revolution is nothing but a means to reach the seat of power. They and the remnants of the old regime are two sides of the same coin, which is tyranny and enmity towards the people.

Morsi has issued a constitutional declaration in the name of the revolution. It appears on the surface to show compassion, but in reality it promises torment.

He has started to open investigations into the murder of revolutionaries, dozens of whom fell at Maspero, in Mohamed Mahmoud Street and outside the Cabinet Offices. The Muslim Brotherhood had previously ignored them.

He announced the removal of the attorney general, whose sacking we have been demanding since the beginning of the revolution since he is a part of the old regime. This is the same regime whose leadership Morsi has largely preserved, such as the current interior minister, or the businessmen who accompany Morsi on his plane when he travels abroad.

The declaration then moved on to its real object: to give immunity to the president’s decisions until the election of a new parliament. This will also preserve the Shura Council [the upper house of Egypt’s parliament] and the farcical Constituent Assembly, which has seen a large number of its members resign in recent days.

This assembly does not represent the Egyptian masses. It was the result of a deal in a hotel room between the Brotherhood, the Salafists and the parties of the old era. Its members aren’t concerned with economic and social rights. They are more interested in the age of marriage for girls, in abolishing the divorce law—and in expanding the powers of the president.

The declaration also gives Morsi the right to take any decisions necessary in the face of threats to the country, national security, the revolution or national unity.

Threat

We say to Morsi: you and your organisation are the real threat to the revolution, as you embrace Mubarak’s businessmen, run panting after loans from the IMF, trade in religion, threaten national unity and sell the revolution.

The words “social justice” are not even in your dictionary. You’ve forgotten the minimum and maximum wage. You’ve raised prices and left the poor eating mud while they still need a bottle of oil and kilo of meat before the elections.

We will not accept a new pharaoh. You will not succeed in stabilising your tottering government which crushed dozens of children with neglect, killed and injured hundreds of young people with bullets and tear gas, and detained hundreds after severe beatings and torture from the dogs of the interior ministry.

But we will not accept remnants of the old regime returning to the revolutionary scene under the pretext that “we are all against the Brotherhood”. We will not work with anyone who worked hand in glove with the deposed dictator, because these people participated for many years in looting and killing the best sons and daughters of the people. We call on our comrades in the revolutionary march to step back from this game of shuffling the decks of cards.

The Revolutionary Socialists call on the revolutionary people to save the revolution which has been stolen by an alliance between the Brotherhood and the remnants of Mubarak’s regime. We call on people to come out into the streets with the slogans: bread, freedom, social justice.

We demand:

  • the cancellation of the supplementary constitutional declaration which entrenches tyranny and autocracy
  • the formation of a new Constituent Assembly which represents all sections of society, including workers, peasants, civil servants, professionals, women, Copts, Nubians, the people of Sinai and Upper Egypt, fishermen and others
  • the resignation of Qandil’s failed government and the formation of a revolutionary coalition government to take office until the completion of the new constitution and the election of a new parliament
  • serious steps towards achieving of social justice, such as: implementing a minimum wage of 1,500 Egpytian pounds a month [£150] and a maximum wage; seizing the assets of corrupt companies and Mubarak’s businessmen for the benefit of the people; imposing progressive income taxes; renationalising companies that were sold in corrupt deals and cancelling the privatisation programme

 

All power and wealth to the people!

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Comments

Comment from Ross
Time November 25, 2012 at 8:34 pm

Have you ever considered why Egypt has to borrow money from the IMF who just create it with the click of a computer mouse John?

Egypt like many countries should be able to create their own money but our international cartel of banksters won’t allow it.

China played the game for a while but 80% of their money is still created by their Govt.China will not allow the Western Banking Cartels to further enslave them.

This is why China is being demonised.If Egypt creates it’s own currency,then trade embagoes will starve them of goods and technology.

The solution is not Global Goverance by a few private elites but respecting the sovereignity of small nations that have real democracy.

The West is far from being a true democracy.Oligarchy has ruled us for the last 300 yrs.

The country that can produce most of their own food and goods cannot be held captive by international banking cartels who have interests in most of our multi-nationals.

Comment from John
Time November 27, 2012 at 8:47 pm

From Kay:

Not a surprising outcome! It complies with my view that regardless of the supposed purpose of any ‘revolution’, the result will always be the same – a dictatorship or some other form of tyranny by the few against the many. That’s why I value our political system, as flawed as it may be.