Occupy Wall Street movement spreads to Australia

October 6, 2011
Issue 
Cover of the "Occupied Wall Street Journal", a newspaper produced by activists involved in the New York protests.

Inspired by the three-week-long Occupy Wall Street protest in New York, which has now spread to more than 100 cities across the US, ad-hoc activist coalitions in several Australian cities have called for similar occupations beginning on October 15.

Wall Street-style occupations have been called for Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. By October 6, close to 1300 people had indicated on Facebook that they would attend the Melbourne event.

Occupy Melbourne’s Nick Carson told Green Left Weekly that the Melbourne action, which will take place in City Square, aims to be “a broad-based, very inclusive grassroots movement of normal, everyday people”.

The first organising meeting for Occupy Melbourne took place on October 2. Carson said the meeting “agreed that we’re in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, that Occupy Melbourne will commence on October 15, and that we will be camping in City Square in Melbourne indefinitely”.

Carson said the protest’s goals are intentionally broad and open-ended. Once the occupation begins, democratic spaces will be set up to allow participants to determine the shared aims of the action for themselves.

“What we all agree on is that our democracies aren’t functioning properly,” said Carson.

“We all agree on our opposition to corporate influence over our democracies. And we all agree that giant lobby groups, wealthy businesses and wealthy individuals, and groups and associations like business councils, have an unequal influence over our politicians.

“Our grievances sound broad, they sound a bit complicated and a bit messy, but that’s ok because that’s what it is.

“When the occupation begins there will be general assemblies held, and that’s where we can put motions up and put things to a vote and we can start to agree on some things … the general assemblies will be informed by working groups and workshops, discussions and open forums and information sessions at the camp.

“We want to get as many people involved as possible. It will start working really, really well when we get lots of people involved.”

In Sydney, protesters will converge in Martin Place on October 15, outside the head office of the Reserve Bank of Australia.



Occupy Sydney’s Larissa Payne told Green Left Weekly that she hopes the action will provoke wide-ranging debate and discussion about how to bring real democracy to Australia.

“The primary goal is to try to create a conversation that the government and the mainstream media frankly aren’t having,” she said. “It’s to unify the 99% of us that feel the government is being swayed or influenced or controlled too much by corporate entities.”

As in Melbourne, Payne said the Sydney protest did not reflect the views of any particular political party or group, but aimed to unite people from diverse backgrounds.

“A mix of people are involved [in Occupy Sydney]. It includes people from all different kinds of political ideologies and persuasions who are trying to unite under the umbrella of placing human need before corporate greed.

“We’re saying we’re unhappy with the way the government is running things right now, we see that the system is failing. We’re all affected in different ways. So to come under that one banner of putting human need before corporate greed is something that can unite all of us.”

Some mainstream and social media commentators have criticised the Occupy Australia protests, suggesting they are a misdirected imitation or echo of a US-specific protest movement. But Carson said many of the issues facing people in the US are very relevant to Australia.

He said: “This Occupy Together movement may have grown out of the United States, but it has now spread to almost every developed country in the world — Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, France, the UK, Ireland — we’re looking at a lot of countries that are going to have occupations running in major cities.

“In terms of the grievances that we share and that are unifying all of us, they are relevant in almost every country in the Western world. These things are not just symptomatic of the United States.

“It’s also worth mentioning that these protests are also inspired, in part, by the people’s uprisings throughout north Africa and the middle east earlier this year and the revolutions that were born out of those movements.

“The model of people getting together, uniting together, on their common interests, instead of getting bogged down on what’s dividing them, is really what has made these movements very successful.”

Payne said she agreed that the Occupy Together movement is “not a nation-specific idea. It’s something that is relevant and important globally.”

Payne said the response to the call to Occupy Sydney was inspiring. “One thing that warms my heart is the support from an array of different groups that may otherwise have different agendas that divide them.

“We need to be active, we need to join together, and what has happened in America has been the perfect catalyst for us.”

Comments

Thanks for being there.
You do matter! That's why the government wants your vote. You do matter! That's why the banks want your money and businesses push up the prices you pay. You do matter! That's why mass media wants to control your opinion. You matter like an animal in a slaughterhouse! You are what the top predators feed on! What they own is what you used to own. Don't get hungry, weak and disabled feeding the predatory system. It can only stay fat by continuing to extort resources that are ours, the resources of our nation's environment, the resources of our labour, the resources of our knowledge and skills, our generosity and goodwill. Starve off the 1%! Get back what is ours! We are the 99%!
Enough is enough. Too long have the poor and powerless have been pissed on by the wealthy elite with unlimited power. It's time for the masses to rise up once again and make some noise.
What Carson says is absolutely true, we all know that but ... 99% percent of people are like tamed donkeys. They won't risk rocking the boat and challenging "the authorities". Most people either believe or are too scared to act.
Is it too soon to suggest that Socialist Alliance consider offering the full resources of Green Left Weekly without reservations (including name, editorial board, content) to any occupy movement in this country? And if there is going to be commenting on this site can some please fix the awful auto formatting on the first line of text.
I'm coming from Vietnam and will be arriving a little bit late. I'd like to reserve a nice grassy spot at the Melbourne one. I'll be staying for a bit. Ta!
What's happening on Wall Street & around the world right now is enough evidence for me to be convinced that the 99% are waking up and we're taking back what should be ours...
This is a pathetic Australian attempt. I get that the American economy is in shambles and unemployment is at 10%. But it's not the same in Australia. Are you planning to create a home-made poster? Perhaps take the $2.50 you would have spent on cardboard and glitter and give it to World Vision or someone who needs it. Stop whinging about not being in the top 1% of the richest people in the world and, if you want to do something, do something for the people who are really suffering. It's not you, Ms/Mr "I am the 99%".
DEMAND: We want our Australian National bank back! We do not need a central reserve bank that is sucking our country dry just like the federal reserve bank in the USA. The reserve bank is a private institution linked to the ‘too big to fail’ off shore banks. BRING BACK A PUBLIC BANK FOR THE PEOPLE> http://rainmakers-ozeania.com/4-the-immediate-economy/who-really-owns-the-reserve-bank-of-australia.html DEMAND: The private reserve bank has no right to be printing our money and bringing us into more debt. The government should be in charge!
Dragged screaming , sure, on many different levels across the globe... some harder than others ....... My wish that we can work together ! May goodwill, persistance & patience be with you all ......This is not a sprint ,, its going to be a marathon if we are to be taken seriously ... OCCUPY CAIRNS ..... xo
If you live in Australia and have a job or a degree then chances are you are already in the 1%. Like the person above said, rather than waste your time and money on a straw man protest that will only alienate you from mainstream society, why don't you volunteer your time to help the real poor, donate money to a charity or run for parliament.
"Printing more money and bringing us into more debt". Ummm - what planet are you from? Noforkenideaanus?
If the entire 1300 people turn up and the population of Melbourne is estimated at 4077036+, it would yield a rate of participation of.03% which is considerably less than the 99% you claim to be representing..
So what is yours? Please enlighten me and others who see this as a slacker's way of engineering wealth distribution? I would direct you to Michelle Malkin's blog to see the idiocy of this 'movement'. Read the latest about how the crowd will move to protest out front of houses of rich men. Something doesn't gel with what the 'movement' are trying to achieve.
PROTESTING ITS OK BUT NOT ENOUGH LET’S INSTALL A NEW ECONOMIC MODEL TO MAKE THE FORCES SWAP Since the beginning of the modern commercial era the consumer market, formed by the two main economic forces of supply and demand, has been operated from the side of the Supply; it is here where the steering wheel of the economy has resided. The supplier has become the regulator, the lawgiver, the legislator of the other side: the Demand or the so called consumer market. While the Supply has gradually grown in power through the increasing development of technology that has allowed it to manage the consumers by large numbers i.e. in bulk (e.g. base 1000), the Demand, on the contrary, has maintained its base 1 purchasing method (buying one by one) through the retail infrastructure, also from the Supply’s side. This lack of structure from the consumer side has permitted the Supply to unscrupulously launch programs after programs of unfair and exploiting conditions to the Demand. The creation of the modern trade methods, such as, credit cards, mortgage packages, innumerable type of saving and cheque accounts, loan programs of every kind and form, among thousands of others, is just the result of the usage of a technological bulk management model of consumers. The recent financial crisis originated in the USA through the creation and bursting of the bubble of the so called subprime markets and the ‘solution packages’ or bailouts that have favored the suppliers instead of the real victims, is one gigantic proof of these kind of abuses from the Supply side of the economy that has spread its consequences all over the world. This condition has been maintained mainly due to lack of awareness and knowledge from the other side of the equation (Demand) that believes that things are and have to be that way. However, when a system is wrong it finally shows and usually pushes its way out of the tunnel. This last crisis has built up the momentum not for new changes and ‘improvements’ from the Supply, but for a real discovery and awareness that the change has to be a real one. Technology properly used in the hands of the Demand will swap the forces and finally uncover the undeniable fact that it is the Demand or the so called consumer market that really holds the power: no demand, supply wasted. The commercial industry, in this context, operates with models that are designed just for the satisfaction of suppliers. The consumer market is continuously bombarded with commercial and financial offers at which it doesn’t have a say, rather a passive position of acceptance of what it is available to choose from. The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement is a commendable emotional reaction, but it needs now to become more rational embodying the sentiment in an intellectual concept that will spawn a new structure from the 99% platform to face the 1% existing establishment. It is not only through political fight that things are going to change. Real change comes from the establishment of new structures. Political outcomes depend from the political apparatus and its owners. The core mission of the 1000 factor™ CLUB is to challenge the economic status quo through commercial packages created from the consumer side instead of keep passively accepting supply impositions. "The owners of the economy are fed by the consumers, lets organize the consumers and the forces will swap. The 1000 Factor CLUB is a new model that balances the forces of the economy." JOIN THE CLUB Information and initial contact: daniel.bedon2@bigpond.com
" They are telling you we are not Americans here. But the conservative fundamentalists who claim they are really American have to be reminded of something. What is Christianity? It’s the Holy Spirit. What’s the Holy Spirit? It’s an egalitarian community of believers who are linked by love for each other. And who only have their own freedom and responsibility to do it. In this sense the Holy Spirit is here now. And down there on Wall Street there are pagans who are worshipping blasphemous idols. So all we need is patience. The only thing I’m afraid of is that we will someday just go home and then we will meet once a year, drinking beer, and nostalgically remembering what a nice time we had here. Promise ourselves that this will not be the case." Slavoj Zizek. http://www.occupywallst.org/ What a phenomenal, anthological and God-willingly historical speech.
Well no, your calculation is incorrect. 1% of the world's population today is about 70 million people. The combined population of first world countries is about 850 million, which is where most of the 1% would come from. But you still have to factor local ruling classes of the third world and their cronies - i dont know how many people that would be. To make a very rough calculation, ignoring those third world elites and discrepencies between first world countries, you find that roughly the top 8% of first world makes up the top 1% of the whole world. Hardly anyone with "a job or a degree". Also, its very ironic that you criticise this movement as "bourgeois", but then suggest the most bourgeois alternatives like "donate money to a charity or run for parliament", as if they will solve any of the massive crises the world is facing.
No one ever claimed 99% would be participating, smartarse. Everyone doesnt have to be there in person to make the general point that the top 1% has a ridiculous amount of wealth and power to the direct detriment of everyone else.
I agree with this guy. Your sign shouldn't read "We are you, the 99%". It should say "We are 1,000 protestors, the 0.03%".
The 1% are the people that control the system of which the 99% are controlled by. but yes it may not be all of the 99% that totally agree with what the main subject matter for the protest is, but the real point of it is that we ALL complain of inaiquitcies of our government weather its the allocation of our tax dollars and overspending, our corrupt and faulty law system, mismanagement of our "essential services" ie education,health, housing ect. yes we are lucky in this country, and western society as a whole, but at what price? Is it worth it? knowing the big corperations that are "governed" by western society governments are very rarely repremanded for their ethical and/or legal crimes against humanity. now i have no evidence if australia is involved or not, but there is plenty of evidence of corperate foul play in america (remember, our monetary system has the same framework as ie federal reserve and centeral bank of australia) but also out of the 55 "australian" banks we have... 46 are owned by overseas corperations. America went down... unbelievably fast, economically and socially, our system is mirrored to theirs, what makes u think that it wont happen here? Now England is going down in the same fashion Look up the meaning of "normality bias", the one key that has controlled the 99% and is implemented by the 1%. look for the truth or more to the point the REAL issues on the internet... because it is the last source left that isnt totally corrupted.
If you do not stand on the 15th to be counted, if you do not raise your voice, if you do nothing in the face of tyrannical overlordship that is murdering the physical mental cultural and spiritual lives of billions, who are seizing control of the worlds economic social, military and natural wealth, who usurp your human rights and autonomy right in front of your face with your willing blindess egging them on, if you stay silent in the face of mass murder torture and state sanctioned slaughter carried out *in your name* and masked as 'war"; if you care nothing for a future where your thoughts, mind, feelings, choices and decicions are no longer your own to make and to have, if you consider yourself 'exempt' from a responsibility to ACT upon the society you live in for thsoe to come not just your convenience now - then you WILL DESERVE EXACTLY WHAT YOU *WILL* GET. See those Iraqi torture victims? - YOUR NEXT See Iceland, Greece economic systems? - YOUR NEXT See utter social and moral desolation in Afghanistan and Somalia ? - YOUR NEXT. See India unable to even plant their own seeds?- YOUR NEXT See entire nations of once wise peoples now too stupified to realise they are being plundered and robbed blind? - YOUR NEXT See the mass of people surrendered to convenience and comforts willing to remain "pacfied sheep", living meaningless lives of consumerism- YOUR NEXT See those aged and disabled now warehoused and unable to even get help to the toilet because people are so exhausted and tired and underpaid that they no longer give a damn? - YOUR NEXT See the moonscapes and depeleted uraniaum soaked feilds of Iraq, Chernobal Fukishioma the decemation of Niguragua and Lybia for oil? - YOUR NEXT! NOTHING will stop these people from making YOU their next target - EXCEPT YOU. No one will stand FOR YOU unless you are willing to STAND UP for yourself. There is no 'safe' place, no 'safe country' no 'safe people'. GROW UP. JOIN UP. STAND UP. WAKE UP or SHUT UP - forever. Unlike the german people of 1933, you cannot say from this time on " I didnt know" - or - ' we should have done something, said something, we didnt have support'. YOU KNOW therefore YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. YOU DO HAVE SUPPORT. Eternity starts today - how do you want it?
The World Bank, The World Health Organization, The EU, The United Nations, The IMF: these organizations are the enemy of any real attempt to tackle climate change. Their solutions are stupid! Carbon tax? Ha! Behind The World Bank and the IMF are the SAME people and institutions that brought about the demise of the world's financial system, who planned and orchestrated the collapse of the European national economies. Many of these people and organizations are inseparably connected to the Federal Reserve System (a consortium of private banks i.e. Wall Street). These organizations, whilst pretending concern for climate change, are busy shifting 'resources' from what they call the 'developed' world to the 'developing' world. The instrument for this shift is the United Nations, who transfer funds from the developed world (carbon tax and other money levied supposedly to fight climate change) to the developing world where it is not used to fight climate change but to support the development of those same industries and lifestyles that have helped to create climate change in the first place! How stupid is that? Well, not really, its just good business. Its a case of having your cake and wanting to eat it too...That's capitalism for you, and the Left have swallowed it, hook, line and sinker So, what's the solution? Firstly, we tell the private banks to shove their 'debts' and establish a Bank Protection Act and a Fixed Exchange Rate Credit System. These debts are not real, they are 'virtual' and are used to hold countries to ransom. Secondly, by establishing a National Bank of Australia. Thirdly, by utilizing our resources based on infusions of money from the NBA at very low interest, with a focus on developing clean industries and technologies. By refusing to sell our resources to countries who have not pledged to use them for the development of clean technologies. By establishing massive infrastructure changes based on national projects which would create full employment. By a more equitable redistribution of the world's food resources. By re-establishing our now defunct manufacturing base industries based on clean technologies, from food and clothing to building materials and so on, which would create full employment. By Scrapping the UN and the EU and all parasitical, anti-democratic subsidiary bodies and setting up a US-RUSSIA-CHINA COMMISSION for global recovery, providing they are willing to give up the old way of doing things and set up THE FIRST 'International' Fixed Exchange Rate Credit System and a Bank Protection Act. By further utilizing and developing internet technologies with a view to bringing the peoples of the world together and to disseminate new ideas the spread of democratic ideals and beliefs. I realize of course, that before these changes come into being our planet may need to experience a few near extinction level events to wake everyone up from the spell 'carbon tax' (bourgeois/ruling class) propaganda has cast over their rational minds. Perhaps then, our decision to hand the problem to the banks, the industrialists and politicians to solve will be seen for what it is - a sham! sinker...
^ Submitted by an Anon. Being Anonymous upholds an idea that it's not important who you are. What IS important is what you have to say. So settle the fuck down.
Not everybody can be in the top 1%, in fact get this.... only 1% can be.. so get over it
when central reserve banks print money it is money created from thin air, given to the banks to promote lending, but the value of the money printed becomes a debt which taxpayers are expected to pay. So essentially the private banks who benefit from the reserve bank printing money have literally stolen the money from the people. what do you think OSW is about?
copying Wall Street's in-gathering of the seriously dispossessed is, here in Oz more than just a little silly. I am all for equitable distribution of everything but I can think of better ways than occupying Martin Plaza[sic]. Must we be so slavish yet again? The Arab Spring is original. Occupy Wall Street is totally misconceived given that it is the US govt that allowed this idiocy to happen. And Americans are so self centred they can't see their own mess for what it is: social compliance. We all deserve what we get. Protesting specifically at Tony Abbot's office or the opposition's minister of labour asphixiation might be more to the point. Letters to the editors, mass blogging, concerts, poetry readings, getting into street theatre-oh this is so 1960 something. And bring a joint.
You guys are so hardcore I can't believe what's happening here. No one in the history of mankind has ever sit in front of a bank holding up signs before. This is courage to the extreme. This is an excellent example of how far people are willing to fight the authorities and we should get the revolutionaries in Libiya or Africa to do the same. Compare to their blood, bullets and bombs this movement is more likely to change the world. Just hold up and sign and everything will get better. I'm willing to bet 10000 dollars that this movement will not change anything but instead will only disrupt the peaceful lives of Australians. When are you gonna stop being naive?
Youre Naive, Its not about Holding up Signs,its about Educating the Population,also its exactly how the Libyan Revolution started,same in Egypt,same as Syria now,same in Greece,France,USA,Ireland,Italy and now Australia etc...... "The World Population" are sick of all Governments and their lies,the Governments are owned by World Bank and were sick of World Bank Running the World.The 'System is set up by the Few Rich who get Richer at the Earths Peril money,money,money :(.Why would any Government bail out Banks with taxpayer money ?? Thats already happened worldwide at Banks insistence.Now they want all countries to do it again,why ? To take all the Money from the People,obviously,and governments are all playing along
I was interested in this, not because I think Australia is in desperate need of this movement (because lets be honest, we're not. If people are going to cry about a less than 10% (less than GST) increase to their livelihoods because we want to have a planet in 200 years time, this is not your grievance platform). I am however, mildly concerned that the Occupysydney.org site is in fact run by someone who is a Tea-Party conspiracy nut. Is that the official Occupy Sydney site? Why is it spilling anti-Carbon Tax, anti-world government, and weirdo-right-wing propaganda (now with real Americanised English!)? Being one of those people that don't have facebook/twitter (I'm not fifty years old, nor am I scared of computers, I just dislike social networking), I've only been able to find sites that can give me some information on what's happening, and that's when I stumbled on that web page. A little concerned with how easily the Occupy Movement can be co-opted by any nutcase platform to spout their irrelevant hate for left-wing governance and ideology (and a garbled response on how Carbon Tax is bad, and backs it up with poll results). What are we doing wrong? Do we seriously have too few corporate greed issues that the truckies from some months ago are going to take over Martin Place to hold Anti-Carbon Tax/Anti-refugee/Anti-GillardBrown rallies? Priorities?
It's nice of you to give an opinion, then give someone else's opinion (someone who obviously agrees with you) to back up your opinion. While I agree (and have previously said) that I think this movement is currently a tad redundant in Australia because we don't have such a huge gap like the U.S. (we don't yet have Republicans, but we're getting there). However, I would like to address the question, since there is so much taken for granted in that sentence I might as well as a rhetorical just as stupid: Please enlighten me and others who see your post as a bigot's way of justifying his/her work being worth more money than someone else's. So what is your equal share of this wealth? To answer what you're asking, I point out that in most reputable studies ever done on wealth, wealth distribution, tax figures and income, the top 1% does NOT share the over-all trend of 'payoffs'. That is, there is a trend (pretty accurate and consistent one), that the more educated and the more hours a person works, the more money they earn per measured period. However, the rise stagnates for the top rank of 'earners', this is true in most cases, and even more vivid if you include income earned not from work (most graphs don't even use this, because it's just too easy to prove the point that way). Now, essentially, you're saying every person who supports the Occupy Movement must, in your understanding, be a bum who totally wants to not work but still earn money. What the actual point of the wealth-distribution element is, is this: There is limited total wealth (no, really, it's not a wonderful formerly unknown form of meta-rubber, it doesn't grow and stretch on forever). Wages come out of the total wealth generated, so the more wages going to the top out of the total profits earned, the less goes to the bottom (see, I'm totally simplifying this, it's pretty easy to understand, hope the enlightenment is good to you, and I'll stop being patronising as soon as you do). So. Since salaries in the top income brackets have grown faster and faster (by dollar amount AND by percentage) in every single major, capitalist society, and bills have climbed higher in the ever-needed drive for more profits in a tougher to produce stuff world, the poor are struggling more and more to cope, with no sympathy or help from those at the top. They aren't asking people to hand them money for sitting in the park. In the U.S. People are ASKING for bloody jobs, and education to be affordable, perfectly reasonable demands. What people want in Australia (as demonstrated by the industrial action within QANTAS), is fairer wages. If a CEO of a bank can pat himself on the back to the tune of half a million quid for really doing an awful bloody job, why can't a student demand his/her student loan owner to give them a bonus for being a good customer? What the people deserve is a fair go, and that's what they are asking for. They are asking for the people in the top to stop earning $100 an hour while the people doing menial, back-breaking work at the bottom earn $15/hr. At some point, you can't explain the disparity away in education or skill. You can't tell a boy who wants to grow up to be a fireman to save lives that "sorry kid, that dooms you to be less rich than a hedge fund manager, because you chose to save lives, instead of going into banking, you deserve less for choosing that line of work". And don't argue that I'm taking you out of context. You didn't exactly ask anyone what their job was before accusing them of being a slacker. I've just finished my fifth straight day of 17 hour work because I'm self-employed and work on a project-by-project basis. Am I a slacker for not being a top-income bracket earner because I chose to go into a creative industry? Am I a slacker for choosing to charge a reasonable and affordable price for the job I do? While I'm not part of the mill anymore, I certainly can't get a loan to actually kickstart a business in the current economic environment, or get a loan for a mortgage. Is this because I'm a slacker? I don't think so. I went to Uni, I did well at high school (a selective one by the way), and I'm self-employed and working hard. I still don't believe that people should earn exponentially, stinkingly more than someone else just because they chose to go into the private sector, mining, or law. Teachers shouldn't earn peanuts when they in effect have to learn much more information than a banker or speed-investor will do in a lifetime. Thank you for being such a good example of the kind of bigotry that tries to paint the Occupy movement's supporters all as naked, dirty hippies or non-workers. Unless you're in the top income bracket, you're being stuffed in the face for every hour of work you do too, but since you're comfortable obviously, you don't mind that. Just think of people who are not so comfortable, who didn't have a good start in life (bad neighbourhood, poor family, chronic illness etc). If you were one of those people who fell through the holes in the safety net, would you feel motivated by some comfortable, middle class person saying: Hey slacker, you just want to redistribute my wealth. Knee-jerk reaction. It's not even your wealth they are talking about, unless you're Gina Rhinehart.
Yes, www.occupysydney.org is nutty conspiracy theory stuff. The site of the actual Occupy Sydney movement, the main one being run by the media team from Martin Place, is www.occupysydney.org.au. You can't stop whoever taking the label and setting up their own site.
I have given up hope that the current system can put human wellbeing and the environment ahead of profit. Think this idea through, disposable society or quality that lasts. Nothing wrong with a profit or a product, but lets keep it sane.
#Occupy Melbourne and #Occupy Sydney stand for: 1.Forced Superannuation that don't confer voting rights to workers and vote on 2.Corporate salaries that don't match performance 3.Bank profits right through the GFC on Australia's sovereign debt rating.
France and Europe went through this in the late 1700's. Where a select few had all the power and wealth. It was the end of most monarchies and the beginning of Republics. This time it's on a global scale.... The corporations are not only greedy...they are criminal, and corrupt. Most Governments are controlled by these forces. They are in bed with each other. Politicians are not paid that well by their own Governments. They are in position of power to line their own pockets by these corporations that instruct the powers that be to set ridiculous laws and policies that benefit the few and enslave the masses. The revolution of the 21st Century has began.
Unfortunarely at this very moment I do not count on much time as I have other commitments however; All systems are flawed, because humans are flawed, we are not fighting a system, we are fighting human weakness, greed and lack of respect for your fellow human brothers and sisters; this goes for religion too. The system is only as good as its people, so, to answer to your question what makes u think that it wont happen here? Well, because of its people, our people, ALL Aussies, in general (and I do not mean to put anyone down) most of us are pretty well educated compared to most of the pulation in the US and other countries, we don't believe everything we hear or everything we read, we are well travelled (in general as a nation) and are generally well informed. Most people who came here from other countries came here for a better future, it is the collective human spirit that has seen this nation thrive and will see it through. So, just because the ship is sinking in the US does not mean that we will too, yes I sympathise, yes, there are economic links between economic sectors, but we are pretty stable (economically), ok, maybe 46 banks out of 55 are not aussie owned (Although I haven't researched this myself yet, and I will) So?, I don't bank with them, as consumers Aussies are savvy, I like to put my money locally, I buy local produce, I drive an aussie car. Yes I buy from O/S, but even when I do so I use a aussie online retailer. Our system is strong, because its people are strong, resourceful and here to stay (and that includes out pollies who although sometimes incompetent and not perfect, do [compared to other countries] stand up for our rights) We shouldn't expect the "System" to look after us, we should expect that people working in the system do the right thing by others, hence why AU is still a beautiful place to live, here, people still stop at the traffic lights and crossings, call the owner of a lost phone and hand it in, politicians are still not above the law, we use bins and everyone still gets a fare go. We are still in part a Capitalist system, but the system will only be as good as its people. This is all just common sense . So instead of putting your worries on us, pull up a chair, grab a beer, take a deep breath and take those worries somewhere else. The only threat I see to AU, is people with ulterior interest slowly dividing us a nation for their own personal gain. Like I said, we are fighting against corrupt and selfish individuals not the "system", we are fighting agaist human flaws that has always existed.
it seems like yo read that somewhere, it is a very limited view of the financial systems that, like it or not keep our economies going. Now I am not saying that some pollies in some countries are NOT corrupt.
what a joke, seriously? This just sounds like something that you heard somewhere, why not focus on movie stars and singing stars too, sports stars, top models, and to be more direct lets also include Facebook founder too, ???? This movement sounds like it has the backing of old political powers with a new face using the younger generation, otherwise we wouldnt just be targeting corporate business.
If you like butcher the English language - YOUR NEXT! For the rest of us - YOU'RE (well, WE'RE) NEXT!
This movement sounds like it has the backing of old political powers with a new face using the younger generation, otherwise it wouldn't just be targeting corporate business, they are not the only ones who earn big bucks. Here is the thing, why not focus on movie stars and singing stars too?, sports stars, top models, and to be more direct lets also include Facebook founder too, According to what is being writen and discussed people like Steve Jobs shoulda been targeted ages ago, why not be genuine (if thats what this movement is?) and start with your favourite music/entertainment stars, doctors even who earn heaps too?, be genuine and start with your street, find out who in your street earns more than you do (how ever you define "earning too much money") and go door knocking on those people's homes and tell them straight up what you think.???? It suddenly doesn't seem so logical or easy does it?, because the "corrupt system" (as many call it) takes on a human face, a person who probably worked real hard to get there to begin with who would most likely ask, "I worked real hard to get here, why should I hand over most of my wealth to those who haven't worked as long or as hard as I have?" Let me be frank and say that I do believe that human weekness, Greed mainly, do exist at all levels of any society, even in government and corporate business, even in religion; people within the system who are corrupt, but this does not mean that the system is corrupt, it means that the idiots chosen to take care of the system are corrupt. So we have some work to do people, we need to weed these individuals out and replace them with knowledgeable, compasionate, proffessional (and any other quality you may want to add) people, whom you ask?, well why not you?, is it such a crazy idea to think that you could lead a country?, and wouldn't it be sensible to prepare for such a challenge?, now, If you were preparing to make a real difference in the world, would you spend your time printing our banners etc, congregating with other like minded people with good intensions but questionable methods and chant away into the night? , or would you spend as much time as you can learning the system in and out backwards so that you can climb to a position of power where you can make a real difference for the "%99"??.
Any system that wants to "Starve off" a %1 of the population is not worthy of my time, you are talking about people, not a number; I would never back a system that wants to kill off a certain type of individual, is that what you stand for?. Sounds more like old class hatred instead of new and progressive ideas.
About time we all took a stand and stop acting like kids at a magic show. What about the Carbon Tax hasn't anyone realised that the big business who pollute and make billions in profit are crying poor and taking the focus off them and putting on someone else. Why would paying a tax out of their billions of dollars of profit be such a big deal. The only reason people are going to lose their jobs and we are going to pay more is so they can keep lining their pockets with the dollars. I don't agree or disagree with a carbon tax, but i do disagree with their actions to rob the poor to keep feeding the rich moet and lobster and for breakfast because they dont want to be fair.
To anyone who hasn't read his blogs,more than worthwhile!An almost Hunter S.Thompson like red eyed rage!who not only verbally shreds billionaire who buy his own artwork,he takes it to anyone,including our own government in Oz!good on ya james,even though the mainstream media censors your work,I hear you!,.(jamesdeweaver.com) for curious types!
to those who haven't seen this collaboration piece of and the aussie Artist James DeWeaver and U.K. stencillist-streetartist BANKSY should see it while they can as the grapevine whispers are that this one might be on the market soon,and DeWeaver is going to apparently donate to the Green Left and other Occupy related groups & causes!for what BANKSY's pieces go for, 6 figures normally!How Cool is that!
Sorry but any individual that has made a stand against the system or the fed has been assassinated, think about it. We are just modern day slaves. Utube Zeigiest if u have a couple of hours to spare the whole movie is worth watching In 3 parts part 1 religion (the biggest bullshit story) part 2 world trade centre inside job and other wars set up for the same reason. Part 3 why we are in the mess we are today regarding who has All the money and how they did it!. Enjoy

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