Socialist Aotearoa

Panic and division hits US ruling class Karl Marx famously wrote that “the executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie”. But the political leaders of the US looked more like a shambles when they met in the White House on Thursday of last week. Republican congressmen ignored George Bush’s plea that “if money isn’t loosened up, this sucker could go down”. Hank Paulson, the US treasury secretary and ex-boss of Goldman Sachs, half-jokingly went down on one knee to Nancy Pelosi, Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, to beg for her support. Where does this chaos come from? Essentially, over the past three weeks the global financial system has completely seized up. The turning point seems to have been Paulson’s decision last month to let the Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers go bust. Since then banks have simply stopped lending to each other. The basic problem is that banks are stuck with so called

Stop SH20 PPP & Tolls: Public Meeting Oct 8 Citizens Against Privatisation announce public meeting 7pm, Wed October 8, Wesley Community Centre, Mt Roskill The government continues to ignore public rejection of road tolls and so-called road pricing, privatised roads, and commercialisation and privatisation of public infrastructure and services. National threatens massive spending on public private partnerships (PPPs) - for roads, schools, hospitals, prisons... "In 1996," Rose Hollins, co-spokesperson for Citizens Against Privatisation (CAP) says, "construction of the Mt Roskill/Waterview section of SH20 was costed at only $72 million. Now, the projected tunnel price is $1.89 billion, to be built by a PPP that's been decided over the heads of the public, and followed by up to 45 years of road tolls until it's handed back, probably in poor repair, to our great grandchildren. This is a massive rip off." The government says this PPP will be the model for many

Guest commentary by Irish Marxist Kieran Allen, School of Sociology, University College Dublin Thursday, 25 September 2008 Most people are amazed to witness a new Wall St crash when the spectacle of the 1929 crash was supposed to have vanished forever. For the past thirty years mainstream economists claimed that the market worked perfectly provided there was no state interference or strong trade unions. ‘You cannot buck the market’ was repeated like a mantra against anyone who dared to ask for higher wages, better environmental controls or a more developed welfare state. ‘Market forces’ were seen as wise spirits who knew best about how to run an economy. No one knew who or what they were but they appeared to work anonymously behind the scenes to make everything right. In almost every country, people were told to leave matters to these ‘market forces’ and not to seek too much regulation. In reality, these ‘market forces’ were gigantic financial houses which *could move money around the

Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo .

The Bush administration and congressional Democrats are agreed on a bank-robbery-in-reverse to bail out the titans of Wall Street--but the Republican free-market madmen are getting in the way. Socialist Worker USA editorial- September 26, 2008 BY DAY, it looked like an honorable agreement among thieves--Democratic and Republican lawmakers joining together over a White House conference table to hammer out the basic points of a $700 billion bailout of the Wall Street financial system at the expense of the vast majority of Americans. But by nightfall, the deal was falling apart--with consequences so dire from the point of view of the corporate and political elite that even George Bush could grasp it. "If money isn't loosened up, this sucker could go down," Bush said during the White House summit meeting, according the New York Times ' account. Just to be clear: When he said "this sucker could go down," Bush wasn't talking about the bailout plan. He

Over 300 Go Wellington bus drivers who took industrial action to protest $12.72 poverty wages will be locked out from Thursday 25th September unless they accept the companies meagre offer. This is a clear attack by a large transport corporation on poor but staunch workers. If the company wins then it will boost the confidence of the entire employing class who will attempt to use lock outs to beat poor workers during industrial action. Come along and help collect funds to support Wellington Bus Drivers. 300 Wellington bus drivers locked out and need our support & solidarity TVNZ news HERE Host: Unite Union Type: Causes - Fundraiser Time and Place Date: Thursday, September 25, 2008 Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm Location: Outside Whitcoulls, Street: Corner of Queen and Victoria Streets City/Town: Auckland, New Zealand View Map Google MapQuest Microsoft Yahoo Contact Info Phone: 0212306783 Email: campaign@unite.org.nz Give Workers A Fair Ride- FRIDAY ACTION Rally in support of Go Wellington

Don't Just Vote- Get Active! Socialist Aotearoa forum on the 2008 Elections- where guest speakers from the electoral tickets meet the extra-parliamentary campaigns. featuring- Jared Phillips, Workers Party Elliot Blade, Residents Action Movement, Xavier Goldie, Green Party, Omar Hamed, Auckland Anarchist Network Sarita Divis, the Alliance Chaired by Tania Lim, Socialist Aotearoa Don't Just Vote- Get Active! Host: Socialist Aotearoa Date: Thursday, September 25, 2008 Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm Location: Room 260-219, Owen Glenn building Street: School of Business, Auckland University City/Town: Auckland, New Zealand View Map Google MapQuest Microsoft Yahoo Phone: 0211861450 Email: solidarityjoe@yahoo.com

Volunteers Organising Meeting This summer the Unite Union, a community union of low paid workers is taking on some of the biggest, ugliest corporations in the land to secure living wages and fair working conditions for workers. Workers in call centres and fast food restaurants like McDonalds are organising for justice but they need community support! We need you and your mates to help us build our campaign for fairness and justice. This isn't just about workers rights, this is about building a movement of ordinary Aucklanders who are sick of corporations exploiting and abusing the underpaid and overworked. So come along and find out about how you can put your skills and talents to good use in helping us get rid of poverty wages and poor working conditions! Host: Unite Union Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Time: 7:00pm - 8:00pm Location: Unite Union Office Street: 6a Western Springs Road, Morningside City/Town: Auckland, New Zealand View Map Google MapQuest Microsoft Yahoo Phon

A secret Free Trade Deal with the USA was sprung on an unsuspecting public, as the neo-liberal NZ Labour Party revealed both its contempt for democracy and its affinity with the blood soaked regime in Washington. However, the fact that this deal was done in secret also betrays the fact that such bilateral Free Trade deals are deeply unpopular with workers, despite being supported by most mainstream political parties and the craven CTU. The support of both Labour and the CTU for the preceding Chinese Free Trade deal with the Butchers of Tienanmen Square has already resulted in disaster for Chinese workers. Fonterra gained a 43% stakehold in the corrupt Sanlu corporation , whose Managing directors are also provincial leaders of the murderous Communist Party. Sanlu ensured that the poisoning of Fonterra's dairy products were covered up during the "scandal free" Olympics, which also saw the imprisonment of leading activists and the oppression of Tibetan and Uighur indepe

Maranga mai te hunga mahi Wetekina ngä here Ko te mana hinengaro Ko te waka mö tätou Käti rä te wehi noa E te iwi, e tü, e tü Ka huri rä te ao katoa Ka eke rä te taumata Anei te whana kai tangata Whakapiri mai, aku hoa Ko te hunga mahi, Ko te ao katoa Anei te whana kai tangata Whakapiri mai, aku hoa Ko te hunga mahi, Mö te ao katoa

A giant union rat will be appearing outside McDonald’s restaurants throughout Auckland over the coming weeks. Unite union is asking the public to support workers who will be striking to gain pay equity with other fast food companies. ‘The Rat’ joined McDonald’s workers at Otara McDonald’s yesterday as they wakled off the job in protest over pay negotiations that have been stalled by the company. Negotiations between Unite union and the fast food giant have been underway since March this year but broke down this week after McDonald’s failed to meet the deadline for a revised offer. FROM TV3 NEWS- Watch it HERE McDonald's workers in Auckland have begun a series of short strikes which they are planning to stage during the busiest times of the day - lunch and dinner. The workers say while McDonald's claims to be looking after coffee growers overseas, it is not providing the pay and conditions staff deserve here in New Zealand. Tearoa Rio hoped working at McDonald's would ge

The neoliberal dogmas that have dominated for more than 25 years are discredited, but they need to be replaced by more than proposals for re-regulating the banks. Socialist Worker USA- editorial September 19, 2008 THE WORLD financial system is in the grip of the most severe crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s--and there's worse to come, not only for the banks and speculators of Wall Street, but far beyond, in every part of the U.S., and around the globe. The business world has been struck by a man-made earthquake, and people will be paying for this economic disaster for years to come in a number of ways--higher prices for food and other necessities, millions of foreclosures and evictions, greater unemployment, growing poverty, government programs cut back or eliminated, and rising tensions throughout society. The claim will echo around the corporate media that this was the inevitable consequence of all Americans "living beyond their means." Don't be

Aotearoa goes to the polls on November 8th, in what many see as one of the tightest electoral contests in New Zealand's history,where the main choices are between the Coca Cola-Labour led bloc and the Pepsi-National opposition. Trade union militants and genuine socialists bemoan the fact that there is no credible united left electoral ticket, and although there are candidates and campaigns from groups such as the Workers Party, the Alliance and the Residents Action Movement, none expect to get any MPs elected, let alone break through the 5% list vote threshold necessary to secure representation. So what should be done? Many anarchist comrades will refuse to take part in the electoral charade, refusing to vote for another bunch of leaders whose promises transform in a Cinderellic sparkle into lies once the votes have been cast. Activists in Socialist Aotearoa have great sympathy with this position, but are not dogmatically opposed to people using the weapon of the ballot box tac