RESISTANCE!
Young steelworker: why I joined Resistance
Matt Garner, Wollongong
10 October 2009
I've always been pretty passionate about socialism — I read the Communist Manifesto in high school — but I've never been inspired to get active until now. I'd seen Green Left Weekly around but hadn't really considered it seriously until I sat down and started reading through it.
As I did I realised: “Hang on a minute, I really agree with this stuff! It's actually a high quality paper and well-researched.”
After reading a copy, I was invited to contribute to a Socialist Alliance discussion on “greening” the coal and steel industry. At the meeting, I found I agreed with a lot of things raised.
It really inspired me to get involved with what Resistance and Socialist Alliance stand for. Quite a lot of people who work in places like the steelworks are just as passionate about climate change as you and I. They want to see change too.
It's not fair to say that workers in polluting industries don't care about the environment because many really do.
It's great that there's an independent newspaper out there like GLW that's not controlled by any narrow interests. There is real power in the free press.
Lots of people have left-leaning sentiments and could draw a lot of inspiration from such a newspaper. If presented with a decent alternative like GLW, people will grab it. An independent newspaper is really valuable to so many people.
