At its meeting following the very successful rally it organised on November 23, the Anti-Racism Campaign (ARC) in Ipswich discussed the outcome of the rally. One non-aligned activist said that it was extremely positive to hear a young speaker at the rally condemning both the Liberals and Labor over their racist policies. Others agreed.
The ALP did not have to defend itself in this discussion, however — the International Socialist Organisation did it for them. One ISO member made a defence speech for the ALP saying that if it wasn't for Labor the rally would have been half the size. But it was activists outside the ALP that built the rally. Those ALP members that did help did it as individuals.
The ALP might have built such an action for purely opportunistic reasons (i.e., to help get itself re-elected), but not from a principled position. Why would it when it supports many of the racists policies that the Liberals are implementing.
Rather then building illusions that the ALP can be reformed, why doesn't the ISO encourage progressive and socialist activists in the ALP (if there are any left) to leave it and build a party that will seriously campaign against racism and provide a real alternative to the working people of this country?
Roberto Jorquera
Mansfield Qld
[Abridged.]
Thanks
I'm sure Green Left readers would like to hear news of some of the places where I leave bundles of the paper each week for sale.
First, the Mercury Cinema, a victim of government cuts to its funds (aren't we all!). Adelaide's only alternative and experimental cinema for many years, and originally the media resource centre, Mercury finally closed its doors last month. Sadly missed!
Clearlight Cafe on the other hand is thriving. This popular vegetarian cafe has not only supported Green Left by buying copies of the paper, it has also given free meals as gifts for our fundraisers.
Clearlight Cafe is situated in the basement at 203 Rundle Street and is open Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm. All food is freshly prepared and healthy (no micro-waving, irradiated or genetically engineered food), and is offered at reasonable prices and by friendly staff. Many thanks for their continuing support.
Connie Frazer
Findon SA [Abridged.]
Piece of mind
I find it lamentable that, here in the United States, and worldwide, the poor and working classes are subject to overly hostile environments that hinder their chances of leading a full life. Pollution and violence are part of an augmenting storm of hazards that plague ordinary people living in today's cities.
Without their physical health secure, how can they ever get ahead? It is anathema to the privileged of America to spend their money to hire more police or to clean up the streets, because it would be helping the lower class. If one is concerned only with staying alive and avoiding stray bullets, one will tend not to be active politically. The power of the people is the only weapon against elite domination, but the people cannot organise when they are afraid to step out of their houses.
Joshua David Kienitz
USA
Slavery
I was vaguely aware that an Anti-Slavery Society existed but I assumed that it surely had disappeared by now. I was wrong. Its recent report refers to "an estimated 29,000 - 35,000 slaves, mainly girl children in West Africa, principally from Ghana, but also to a lesser extent in Togo, Benin and Nigeria."
The illustrated extract from their report tells of parents who deliver their child to the priest "to appease the Gods" and she becomes a slave in every sense of the word, from the age of eight she will be beaten and raped by her master, sex with the priest will result in endless pregnancies from around the age of 14. Such slavery has survived from the pre-colonial era.
Near slavery applies to the carpet industry in India involving about 250,000 children with a similar number in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and up to 150,000 in the Kingdom of Nepal.
The Society's executive includes Elizabeth Evatt AC, Justice Marcus Einfeld, Dr Keith Suter and Sid Spindler. I was happy to become a member ($10 concession) by writing to International Secretariat, Anti-Slavery Society, GPO Box 438C, Melbourne 30001.
Norman Taylor
Henley Beach SA
Anti-Semitism 1
I was very interested in the letter of Doug Lorimer (GLW 27/11/96) refuting the allegation that Karl Marx was anti-Semitic.
Marxism is a social science, and Engels defined it "as a guide to action and not a dogma". Guided by this premise, we should not regard Marx or any other leader as sacrosanct. We should apply objective standards to evaluate merits and defects.
In his Theses on Feuerbach Marx wrote "while practise is conceived and fixed only in its dirty-Judaical form of appearance". In the preface to the Critique of the Gotha Programme Engels wrote "Nevertheless, I have omitted a few sharp personal expressions and judgements where these were immaterial and replaced them by dots. Marx himself would have done so if he had published the manuscript today."
It comes as a cultural shock to young Marxists that Marx, whose fundamental philosophy was internationalism, could employ vituperative anti-Semitic language.
Engels in an article deals very effectively with the evil of anti-Semitism. As Marxists we should promote what is relevant and praiseworthy in Marxian philosophy and we should not be inhibited from criticising and rejecting what is not. Engels has set us a very good example to follow.
Bernie Rosen
Strathfield NSW
Anti-Semitism 2
Doug Lorimer (GLW 27/11/96) contests my earlier description of Karl Marx as an anti-Semite, claiming that Marx was opposed to the Jewish religion rather than to the Jewish people per se. He also questions the validity of the anti-Jewish quotes I attribute to Marx.
In a study for the Australian Journal of Jewish Studies, I examined numerous writings on Karl Marx's attitude to Jews. The evidence (based on Marx's public and private correspondence) is conclusive. Marx was an anti-Semite who shared the populist anti-Jewish prejudices of 19th century Europe. Nevertheless, he [also] supported equal civil rights for Jews as a collective group.
The analogy Mr Lorimer draws between Marx's anti-Jewish and anti-Christian views is simply erroneous, and trivialises the brutal reality of anti-Semitism. Christians in 19th century Europe were not subject to pogroms and massacres and allegations of ritual murder. Jews were. Socialists who subsequently fought anti-Semitism received little comfort from Marx's writings. It was easy for some followers of Marx to interpret support for Jews as the defence of capitalists and money-lenders, rather than as defence of an oppressed people.
In closing, Mr Lorimer refers to the old Stalinist definition of Jews as a "religious group", rather than a people or nation. I thought the Left today granted oppressed groups the right to determine their own collective identity. Since 99% of Jews today define themselves as a people and nation as well as a religious group, surely this should also be good enough for Mr Lorimer.
Philip Mendes
North Caulfield Vic
[Abridged.]
NOLS
Several members of NOLS (Labor Left) have assured me that next year Resistance and NOLS will be able to work together in Perth to build the campaign against education cuts. These individuals are very apologetic about the past, but confident that they will be able to win NOLS back to a left wing, activist organisation.
This comes after a series of sell-outs by NOLS this year, from giving minimal support to a combined TAFE, high school and campus action in September, to stopping an activists' ticket winning the Curtin guild elections, to joining forces with the Unity (Labor Right) at the NUS state conference to lock out left activists from playing a role in the state branch.
Years ago many of us would constantly be told to join the ALP, because activists inside it were fighting a battle to win it back to the left. Now we are told that activists are fighting a valiant battle to win the "left" of Labor back to the left.
I welcome the opportunity to work with sincere NOLS activists in 1997 but perhaps it's time they gave up playing their "ALP number crunching games" and join those of us who see the need to make a break from both Tweedledee and Tweedledum!
Arun Pradhan
East Victoria Park WA
[Abridged.]