Green Left Weekly

Austerity rejected

Greeks right to refuse to pay for bankers' crisis

The rulers of the world are panicking over the results of Greek democracy, after voters soundly rejected the savage austerity imposed on working people supposedly because they have "lived beyond their means". But Greece’s “sovereign debt crisis” is not the result of high public spending, but a continuation of the 2008 meltdown of the Western banking system.

Murray-Darling Basin

Climate change, irrigation threaten Murray-Darling disaster

The rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin are dying. While average inflows decline due to climate change, extractions for irrigation remain at environmentally damaging levels. But the plan for management of the basin’s water resources drawn up by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), due to be adopted by federal parliament later this year, ignores fundamental problems.

Spain

Spain's Indignados one year on ― more relevant than ever

In the week before the first anniversary of the indignado (“the outraged”) protests and camps that broke out across Spain on May 15 last year, the Spanish media was full of opinionated wishful thinking about the state of what became known as the 15-M movement.

Green Left TV

GREEN LEFT TV: Sam Watson - police attack on Tent Embassy

Aboriginal leader Sam Watson discusses the brutal dawn eviction by 300 police of the peaceful embassy in Brisbane and where to for the struggle for sovereignty.

This week's Socialist Alliance 'Our Common Cause' column

Cease the attacks on Brisbane’s Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy

The Socialist Alliance expresses its full support and solidarity with the Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy in Musgrave Park, South Brisbane, and strongly condemns the actions of police and Brisbane City Council in forcibly evicting the Aboriginal community members at the embassy on May 16.

THIS WEEK'S COLUMN BY RESISTANCE!, SOCIALIST YOUTH ORGANISATION

Police attack USyd anti-cuts protest

The University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence and the university Senate further displayed their “democratic” views on May 7 by sending riot police to break up protests by more than 500 students and staff.

Australian News

Opposition grows to WA's anti-association law

A proposed new “anti-association” law being debated by the Western Australian parliament would give power to a judge to declare an organisation to be a “criminal association”. Members of declared organisations can be given “control orders” restricting their contacts with other people and could even prohibit their use of telephones or email.

Territory gas boom to bust the environment

Federal resources minister Martin Ferguson released a report on May 14 into Australia’s gas reserves. The report signalled a huge expansion of gas mining in the NT and bad news for the environment.

Further Australian News

International News

Honduras: Violent repression being backed by US and Canada

There is no end in sight to violence and repression in Honduras. There is also no end in sight to the United States and Canadian governments and business maintaining political, economic and military relations with the country's military-backed regime.

Venezuela's Chavez provides economics lesson to Europe

Some years ago, travelling on the presidential plane of Venezulea's left-wing President Hugo Chavez, he asked what were the chances of a move to the left in Europe? Maybe, said Chavez with a twinkle, they could come to our assistance.

Further International News

Comment and Analysis

CSG free campaign grows in regional NSW

Exploration licences for coal seam gas mining (CSG) cover 75% of the land in New South Wales where people live. Residents are worried about the effect CSG mining could have on their land and water, and angry about the lack of consultation by the gas companies.

Carlo’s Corner: We should all sue Geelong Grammar

The news that former Geelong Grammar School student Rose Ashton-Weir is suing the elite private school for failing to secure her a spot at Sydney University's law school has been the source of much mocking on the internet as a classic case of a spoilt brat's temper tantrum.

Further Comment and Analysis

Letters

Letters to the editor

Freedom to protest Congratulations to the Sydney Al-Nakba Planning Committee for successfully defying police and winning its case in the Supreme Court to be allowed to protest on Al-Nakba Day. The Supreme Court decision on May 14 sets an important precedent for future protest groups in Sydney when they come up against police opposition. The police will not be in a hurry to take a protest group to court again.

Cultural Dissent

Anti-nuclear brothers are radio activists

Super Raelene Bros' version of the Redgum anti-nuclear classic "Nuclear Cop" comes highly recommended by none other than Redgum's frontman, John Schumann. "I'm delighted to reflect that 'Nuclear Cop' has stood the test of time," says Schumann. "But the Super Raelene Bros version is better than ours. And I don't say that lightly."

Who, or what, killed the US Socialist Workers Party?

In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States Socialist Workers Party (SWP) was one of the most promising socialist organisations in any imperialist country. Formed in the 1930s, it survived the isolating conservatism of the '50s to play a key role in building many progressive movements, particularly the fight against the Vietnam War.

Further Cultural Dissent

Anti-nuclear brothers are radio...

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