As this is written, the people of NSW are going to the polls to elect a state government. Whichever of the two parties wins the elections, the voters will be the losers. Both Labor and Liberal are committed to cutting services, persecuting youth and turning a blind eye to the despoilment of the human and natural environment.
Surely there is an alternative? Throughout this campaign, throughout each election campaign since we began, Green Left has attempted to encourage and present alternatives.
Green Left has interviewed most of the progressive alternative candidates in the election -- Denis Doherty, independent in Port Jackson, Democratic Socialists, Greens, No Aircraft Noise Party candidates -- and presented their policies and positions far more thoroughly than the establishment media.
While these candidates are unlikely to form part of the next state government in NSW, they do represent an alternative way of viewing politics that breaks away from the two big business parties. Unlike the mass media, Green Left knows that such alternatives are the way of the future. If real change is to occur, they will have a hand in it.
The kind of change that many of the progressive alternative candidates are seeking will not be won through parliament. While gaining a few seats may help the cause, that cause will be fought and won by activists and supporters on the streets.
Whether it's campaigning on election day, or campaigning on the streets, Green Left Weekly will be there pushing the issues. We can't do it alone. Time, money and energy are all limited. If you can help, please ring Green Left in your city, listed below. Green Left Weekly -- it's your newspaper. n
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