Socialist Aotearoa

Yvonne from GI names the price- "Old people will die alone"- Local Unite organiser Joe Carolan- "Young workers will never have a house"- Tory tells the people- "Sit down and be quiet" Bureaucrat Graham goes to the Markets- PPP behind social cleansing Evil Tory is a "Change manager"- if you want jobs and houses, you need to upskill Evil Tory Bureaucrat Part Two

100 Marton meatworkers look set to spend Christmas on the picketline as their employer refuses to backdown on its attack on these workers living standards. ANZCO CMP, a profitable overseas owned corporation wants a 20% pay cut from these workers and cuts to allowances The workers have been locked out over 40 days now but are standing strong, bolstered by donations of food and money from unionists and socialists around the country as well as solid community support. The workers are also reaching out to other union members and have been joined on the picket by firefighters, meat workers from around the country and students from Wellington. The locked out union members are holding their headhigh and know that what happens in Marton will have an impact all around the country. If the working class can get a win here against a greedy multinational then workers will be inspired to fightback all around the country for more pay and against attacks on workers' rights. As locked out worker St

In the working class suburb of Glen Innes 160 families are preparing to resist mass evictions as Housing New Zealand (HNZ) moves to sell off huge blocks of state housing land to private developers. The struggle has been bubbling away in Glen Innes for some months and several protests have been held but now community opposition is building as family after family pledge to stay in their homes and resist the evictions. At a public meeting held at the end of the November an action committee was formed and a march on Town Hall is being planned for 10 December to send a message to the Government and Len Brown's city council that working class families will not not be moved from their homes. During the heated meeting it was revealed that the Chairperson of the project to "redevelop" the land into private sections was also the branch President of the local National Party. Tenants shouted loudly for her resignation. Many of the residents described to the HNZ reps what the real con

Kauaeranga valley, Coromandel: On November 28, just two days after the general election in the beautiful, native forest covered valleys of the Coromandel peninsula resistance to John Key's new National Government and the corporate plunderers they bring with them was already beginning. 50 locals, Coromandel Watchdog and Green MP Catherine Delahunty escort from the valley of waterfalls, walking tracks and mountainbike trails, surveyors from gold mining giant Newmont. Coromandel Watchdog co-ordinator Renee Annan told the media, “The public needs to know that the mining companies are still intent on mining Schedule Four land and that despite the victory in 2010, exploration activities cannot be legally stopped on this land. That is why we are taking non-violent direct action. Today's peaceful protest is just the first of many unless Newmont leave our area.” Despite the election of a right wing Government the massive swing to the Greens and the rise of the Mana Movement show that h

IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE with special guests Akir & Poison Pen and local support from DJ Substance on Friday 20th January at The Studio, Karangahape rd. After many attempts over the years, Immortal Technique will finally bring his raw political commentary to New Zealand in January 2012. Born in a military hospital in Peru, Immortal Technique moved to Harlem, New York with his family in the early 80's. Here, he became captivated with Hip Hop culture, writing graffiti and discovering his passion for rhyming. After some trouble with the law, he spent a year in prison, where he began to prolifically write down his ideas about what he had lived and seen in the struggle of New York and his visits back to his native land. On parole, he attended political science classes while selling his music on the streets. During this time he built his reputation as a ferocious battle emcee, winning numerous freestyle rap competitions in the underground hip hop scene. In 2001, Tech released his debut al

On Sunday morning the left woke up with its biggest headache in three years. Although we all expected Key to be re-elected, the shock of his victory along with wins for the right in Epsom, Ohariu Belmont, Auckland Central and Waitakere were gutting. Added to this the modest vote for Mana at 1% alongside the disappointing showing of many of the candidates, including Bradford and Minto, made the defeat even more painful. But below the surface appearance of the next Parliament, with its tiny majority for National-Act-United Future and Maori Party are some interesting trends. These are the numbers behind the numbers that activists should understand. The numbers behind the numbers "A million eligible New Zealanders did not bother to vote in Saturday's election, producing the lowest turnout in percentage terms in 120 years. Turnout dropped by just over 90,000, from 79.5 per cent of those on the rolls in 2008 to 73.8 per cent." This must be influenced by the fact that 100,000 Ne

As the economic crisis deepens globally the ruling class continues to push its austerity agenda. On every continent the class struggle grinds on but it is clear that this is just the beginning of a major depression and a major shift in global politics. Globally the picture is mixed. In Egypt a second revolution, this time against the military government, is unfolding in Tahrir square but in Syria the bloody suppression of democracy protests has quickly created a situation of revolutionary civil war. In the UK and Portugal general strikes this month are planned against austerity attacks and could derail the cuts to workers living standards but in Greece, Spain and Italy administrations promising more pain for working people have taken control forcing millions of European workers, students and youth to increase the militancy and combativity of their protests and strikes . In the US the Occupy movement appears to be losing traction in city squares as local authorities brutally evict m

Army officer greeted by crowds. He leads the chants "down with the Scaf" Nearly a year into our glorious revolution, the regime of oppression and corruption led by the SCAF has not ceased to impose itself by force, attempting to erase traces of the revolution and to prevent the impoverished, toiling masses from reaping the fruits of their great struggle. The regime of repression that is protected by the military had imagined that the revolution was buried and ended, and that the people that rose up last January and destroyed the massive machines of oppression would today submit in the face of tear gas canisters, cartridges and live ammunition. The multitude now facing death in the name of rescuing the revolution, in confronting remnants of the criminal regime shall triumph as they have triumphed before. And the tools of oppression that were smashed on 28th January will be destroyed anew at the will of the revolutionaries. The regime has proven beyond a doubt t

Hone Harawira delivers the State of the Nation speech in Mangere, on behalf of the Mana Movement. Introduction Being here at Kia Maia for MANA’s State of the Nation address recalls a relationship forged 75 years ago between Ratana and Labour, when Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana and Michael Joseph Savage charted a path to give succour to te pani me te rawakore – the poor and the dispossessed. Back then NZ was coming out of the Great Depression – times were tough, Maori and the poor had suffered hugely, and the state responded with job creation schemes, state housing programmes, a quality education system and solid healthcare programmes built by Savage, and endorsed by Ratana. And underpinning everything was a call to honour the Treaty of Waitangi to bring equality between Maori and Pakeha. That Ratana / Labour alliance continued right up until the 1980’s when Labour launched an asset sales programme which led to massive employment, gave tax breaks to the rich and increased taxation on the poo

As movement grows so does the repression Past week has been challenging and invigorating for the Occupy Wall Street movement. On Tuesday morning protesters were evicted from Zuccotti Park, on Thursday over 30,000 people marched over the Brooklyn Bridge. From New York mayor Mike Bloomberg’s attempted death blow, to a resounding “hell no!” This Sunday I was outside Bloomberg’s residence on the Upper East Manhattan (no, not where the poor live) taking photos of demonstrators on one side beating their drums, and police on the other side holding their batons. In between I noticed an older women holding a sign that read: “We didn’t start the class war” Indeed, it is only “class war” when the majority from the bottom starts complaining, but when the tiny minority (aka 1%) plunders with impunity, it is just free market capitalism. In the country where people are still traumatized by McCarthyism and the Red Scare, it is very easy to discredit anyone seeking social justice by accusing them of b

Working class people- fight for your freedom! New mix by Jay Gee, Tauranga MANA massive!

Police look set to conduct raids on four media organisations including two publicly owned broadcasters this Wednesday if the High Court rules against the legality of the recording of the Epsom tea party. The police search warrants and threat of raids on media organisation that do not have copies of the tape just out from an election brought condemnation from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 131 countries. “While there are ethical questions about how the recording was made, the police clampdown on news media organisations just nine days before New Zealand's general election is alarming, and may be interpreted as an attempt to suppress media freedom,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said. Ironically if the police do raid media organisations Wednesday in a fishing exercise on the orders of John Key then the attack on media freedom will coincide with an international day of protest against the killings of jour

Marama Davidson and Joe Carolan were amongst the speakers at the Occupy and Theory symposium hosted by the Tertiary Education Union and We are the University in Auckland Uni.

160 families are facing eviction from their homes in Glen Innes, as the working class face social cleansing to enable private property developers build luxury villas where state houses once stood. It's the age old battle of poor people on rich land- and the greed of property developers and yuppie gentrifiers who want beautiful views of the Bay comes before the needs of poor Maori, Pasifika and Pakeha families. The Mana Movement sings the old Civil Rights song- "We shall not be Moved". At a time of a massive housing crisis, where many are homeless and jobless, and workers on pverty wages spend over half of their income on rack rents, its time for us to build a massive new 20,000 State Houses over the next two years. This will create jobs, reduce rents and provide shelter for all our people- all of which are basic human rights. When it comes to the point of eviction, Mana argues for direct action. Houses will be occupied and defended, as Auckland's rent rebel Len P

After 20 years missing in action the local MP for Manukau East failed to appear last night at the first candidate forum in the electorate. When it was announced that Ross Robertson was a “no show” (non appearance and no apology received by the organizers) members of the 60 strong audience held up signs (see pic below) asking where their MP has been for 20 years. Prior to the meeting Mana Party candidate John Minto said publicly he would call for the MP to resign at the forum. “Ross Robertson is an epic fail as an MP” said John Minto “and now doesn’t have the courage to show his face. Sitting MPs normally stand on their record but Ross has no record to stand on." “It’s an outrage that the MP for one of the lowest income electorates in the country can spend 20 years in parliament, draw a huge salary and yet remain invisible on any of the issues facing the struggling families he is supposed to represent. “I searched the internet for ANY sign this MP has spoken out on ANY i

Home Brew - Listen To Us feat Tourettes by homebrewcrew

Socialist Aotearoa activists joined with the Otara branch of the Mana Movement early Saturday morning, blitzing the market with thousands of new stickers. Whilst "Feed the Kids" and "Abolish GST" were massive hits, the surprise favourite of the day was the bolshie "Tax the Rich" sticker. Working people, the poor and Maori are sick of being ground down by the selfish greed of the 1%, and in a land of high prices, high taxes on the poor and low wages, many Otara shoopers went one further, asking why stop at just Taxing the Rich. :) The Rich are the ones who have attacked our unions, lowered our wages, disrespected our Tangata Whenua and stolen the wealth we have created. They have had it all their way for many decades now, but internationally, their reign is coming to an end. Its good to see some working class pride and healthy disdain for the ruling class alive and well in South Auckland- SA and Mana activists will be working hard in the constitunecy