En Passant

If unions, advocates for the elderly and health care activists want to draw a line against the Washington establishment’s threats, they would have millions standing behind them.

But taking such a stand will require recognizing that the austerity drive in Washington is being carried out by both parties – and that working people have to confront the Democratic White House every bit as much as the Republican Congress.

Yours truly in today’s The Age on Jenny Macklin, the dole and driving single Mums into more poverty. I argue we need to fight industrially against the neoliberal Labor Party to end this sort of systemic misogyny.   Here are a few snippets:  ‘The rich are getting richer and we are not bothering to fight […]

The hope lies in the huge numbers of people who came out to protest in India. Even better was the willingness to direct that anger against the society and culture that justifies rape and sexual violence. However the dire situation women face in India has led some Western pundits to described the country as the worst place in the world for women.

But the problems aren’t confined to India’s borders. Many countries, including Britain, have shockingly low conviction rates for rape. And attitudes that blame women for rape and sexual violence aren’t confined to India.

The latest attack in India shows the urgent need for a change in the treatment of women and in responses to rape. And the mass protests that followed it show that many people are prepared to fight for that change.