Write on: letters to the editor
Terrorism
Doug Lorimer's original article distancing socialists from terrorist actions was — perhaps understandably — misinterpreted by some of us as referring to "terrorists" in the widely accepted dictionary sense, namely that all "armed resistance to the established authority". It now turns out that Lorimer wants us to use the term in the way Trotsky and Marx applied it under what appear to be quite different historical conditions. It seems a pity he didn't make this clear in his original article.
Just to make sure that we are now on the same wavelength, would Lorimer please name the terrorist groups he had in mind in his article, define which Australian socialists need to be warned against succumbing to these devils' wicked charms and explain why this issue deserved a special article at this time.
Blackburn Vic
SA elections and Democrats
I got a laugh when the Democrat spokesperson commenting on the major swing to them away from Labor and the Liberals, did a faux pas, giving the impression that the South Australian voters, sick of being duded first by one then the other party, had decided to give the Democrats a chance to dud them instead! I must admit, I'm not convinced that a vote for the Democrats isn't just a another case of changing which party's duding Australians at present.
Let's look at their record. Started by Libs, infested by DLP pollies. Most of their candidates are career politicians. Democrats voted for the end of voluntary euthanasia along with Labor and the Libs. At the last election Cheryl promised to, "block the sale of Telstra and keep the bastards honest". They've failed to even try to keep either of those promises.
We greens were silly enough to accept their word on working together for a green outcome at the last federal election. They showed the depth of their deceit by coming out at the last minute and launching a scathing attack on us. We fell for the classic political back stab! The fact that the attack was tripe was irrelevant. The damage was done on National TV. We were politically naive for believing them. We greens won't make the same mistake again. What about you?
Canungra, Qld
Northern Ireland
In my reply to Ken Cotterill (GLW #291) I would suggest that it is he rather than Denis Kevans that suffers form historical amnesia, and needs to be updated about the reality of the situation in Northern Ireland.
Ireland is divided into two states, Northern Ireland (a misnomer, as it is really the north-east part of Ireland), consisting of six of Ireland's thirty two counties, and Southern Ireland (a quasi republic), consisting of the remaining twenty six counties.
The division of Ireland by Britain defied the will of the majority of Irish people, and was implemented solely for the convenience of the London government. Neither statelet in Ireland was the result of the process of self-determination, quite to the contrary, Ireland was always one unit until 1920. No group of any political traditions sought division, this was strictly a British idea. It had been maintained ever since by fostering bigotry and sectarianism, the old colonial policy of divide and rule.
The IRA is not waging a war against the majority of non Catholics in the six counties, in order to coerce them into an IRA-controlled republic as Ken Cotterill states. The war is against Britain's claim to the ownership of any part of Ireland, to see an end to bigotry, sectarianism and hatred fostered by Britain, and to let the Irish people, as one unit, determine their own destiny. If these aims can't be achieved by peaceful means, then the only way is armed struggle.
Finally, Ken Cotterill made reference to the two children killed by the IRA in the North of England. All deaths in any war are regrettable, none more so than children's, whether they be from bombs dropped by B52 bombers and Chinook helicopters from the safety of the skies, or from the tactics of ground guerilla warfare. What a pity Ken Cotterill could not balance his reference by mentioning some of the 118 children killed in northern Ireland because of British policy.
An English author wrote in The Nation in 1920, in utter disgust of the British army, "We maintain our rule at a moral cost, which none of us, were we judges in another's cause, would attempt to reconcile with the general interests of civilisation". In Northern Ireland, nothing has changed.
Reynella, SA
[Abridged.]
Shell and the M2
Negotiations concerning the M2 Tollway at North Ryde, Sydney appear to indicate that Shell and friends are willing to treat the peoples of the world most even-handedly.
Shell and Abigroup (representing Hills Motorway) approached Ryde City Council with a concept which they believe is appropriate for Australia.
The application to Ryde Council suggests provision of such motoring necessities (for a 21-km urban roadway) as liquor, stationery, film processing, baked goods, fruit and veg, both take-away and sit-down meals, mobile phones etc.
The motorway company expects to earn more from general retailing than from petrol bowsers. In a recent interview on Hills Motorway's inability to pay shareholders a dividend from tolls received since the M2 opened in May, the chairman said the company would now open service centres, sell advertising rights and promote the tollway to major trucking firms.
The chosen location for the service centres is the Lane Cove River catchment affected by the M2 itself — adjacent to Lane Cove National Park and near a former tip site which already has raised concerns of nitrogen leachate entering the Lane Cove river.
Many pedestrians depend on local businesses whose owners fear that they may not survive if the M2 Service Centres proceed. Two local shopping strips near the M2 serve more than 300 people with special needs. Most of these people reside in sheltered housing or in Macquarie Hospital. They are encouraged to use the neighbourhood shopping and services at their doorstep.
NSW government has no formal definition of a "service centre", but the M2 proposal is larger than anything existing on other motorways within the State, including those in country areas. It appears that if the private M2 owners and Shell get their way at North Ryde, there will be a precedent for similar developments wherever corporate-owned tollways are permitted.
Secretary, Coalition of Transport Action Groups
Sydney
[Abridged.]