John Passant

Site menu:

 

July 2010
M T W T F S S
« Jun    
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  

Tags

Archives

Authors

Site search

Miniposts

Gillard's gender pay gap
Evidently Julia Gillard has the interests of working people and retirees at heart.  So I ask her to explain her role as Employment and Workplace Relations Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for almost 3 years in addressing the gender pay gap? Under Labor it actually increased to 18.2%. So apart from platitudes, what will Prime Minister Gillard offer to redress the imbalance and cut the gender pay gap to zero by 2013 if she is re-elected? Or could it be that such a policy would be too costly for her key supporters – business? So she will talk about equal pay for equal work but do nothing.  Add equal pay to the mining tax, climate change. WorkChoices Lite, the Australian Building and Construction Commission and many other examples of Gillard and Labor not being prepared to upset their real masters – the rich and powerful. (0)

The grate debate
I am  looking forward to the grate debate and the victory of the worm over the two grubs. (0)

The worm will win
My prediction is that the worm will win tonight’s debate, not the two grubs. Vote for the worm, not the grubs. (0)

Build a socialist alternative

Labor and the Liberals have the same policies on war, refugees, attacking living standards, cutting public services like schools and hospitals, screwing Universities and doing nothing about climate change. They both run the system for the bosses and their profits. It’s time for a real alternative – a socialist alternative of democracy where production is organised to satisfy human need. The first step in that process is fighting against the attacks of whichever party is managing capitalism for the bosses. Come along to hear John Passant from Socialist Alternative argue the case against capitalism and for socialism and why you should be a socialist on Thursday 22 July at 6 pm in room G 40 Haydon-Allen Building ANU.
(6)

Refugees are welcome here
If a regional processing centre for refugees is such a good idea, why not set it up in Australia? With safeguards for refugees  like community housing rather than locking people up. (0)

The real face of the mining maggots
Remember those nice mining company people who opposed the Resource Super Profits Tax for purely altruistic reasons – the economy, their workforce, mine workers’ jobs and wages? Xstrata workers have gone on strike and set up a five day picket line to win a decent deal from these caring sharing bastards. (0)

Canberra meeting: Onine interview with Sherry Wolf

Canberra Socialist Alternative forthcoming public discussion:
 
Politics and LGBTI rights today: online interview with US activist and author Sherry Wolf
 
Thursday 8 July 6 pm Room G 31 Copland Building ANU 
 
Sherry Wolf is the author of Sexuality and Socialism, an American socialist and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Intersex rights activist. In her book Sherry argues that to see a world free of sexual oppression, it is essential that we get rid of capitalism. It is the politics of looking to the working class that is key to this, and she reminds us that “What humans have constructed, they can tear down”.
 
(0)

Equal pay for all women
Will Julia Gillard be paid 17% less than Kevin Rudd? Equal pay is the right of all women, not just bosses like Gillard. (0)

A sick system
Know how when you are sick you lie in bed on one side and then after a while roll over to the other side? Then after a little while you roll back again? But rolling around from one side to the other doesn’t cure the illness. Politics in Australia is like that. At the moment. (0)

An early election?
The Sydney Morning Herald today shows first preferences for the ALP up 14 percent to 47 percent after the leadership change. The Greens are down 7 percent. On a 2 Party Preferred it would be 55 to the ALP and 45 to the Opposition. On these figures Labor would romp home.  The Gordon Brown effect maybe? Gillard must be tempted to go very soon. Perhaps in August before the footy finals begin? ‘To legitimise my leadership and give us a fresh mandate’ no doubt. (0)

Advertisement

Links:

Canberra’s equal love demo – the struggle has just begun

Posted by John, November 28th, 2009 - under Australian Labor Party, Australian politics, Equal love, Homophobia, Rudd Government, Rudd Labor, Same-sex marriage.

150 people demonstrated for equal love in Canberra today.

There were really good speeches, with some of the speakers emphasising that civil partnerships were not equality.

Then we marched on our streets to the Legislative Assembly demanding equal rights for all. As we marched, we chanted, we laughed and we hoped.

“Hey hey, ho ho, homophobia has got go!”

“Kevin Rudd doesn’t dig it, that’s because he’s a bigot.”

It was a good demonstration – vibrant, committed and with a good political understanding of what is going on.

I learnt why we should oppose the local ACT Government’s civil partnership law. To quote Rodney Croome:

Regardless of whether civil union ceremonies are “legislative”, “binding”, “effective”, “officially recognised” or pink with polka dots, they are not and can never be full equality or an end to second class status.

As the Equal Love speakers at the rally today said, we want equality not second class citizenship.  So like them I oppose the ACT Labor Government’s civil ceremonies’ law and changes they will make to appease the homophobic Rudd Labor Government.

While the local laws and changes mean some sort of recognition exists, and this has sent the Christian right apoplectic, it is still not equality. 

Every move of Labor both nationally and locally has been to water down equal marriage rights.

The fight for equal love is a fight against Labor; it is a fight to force Labor to introduce real equality.

We will not go away. We will not rest till we win.

Here is a link to footage of the Melbourne equal love rally and march today.

« »

Advertisement