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Number 367
13th 19th September, 1999
IN A TIME OF UNIVERSAL DECEIT - TELLING THE TRUTH IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT - GEORGE ORWELL
Australiaıs policy towards the
Indonesian military dictatorship has been found to be a strategic
and moral disaster. The special relationship that
successive Australian governments have had with the military
authorities in Indonesia, has turned out to be a mirage. Every
Australian government since 1949 has pursued policies that has
supported the expansion of the Javanese military establishment.
Indonesia is one of those artificial post colonial entities that
incorporates a host of different cultures. The Indonesian
state is one of the worldıs last imperialist outposts. The
Indonesian military dictatorshipıs power is based on its ability
to exploit its far flung colonies. Power is centred in the
hands of a Javanese military elite. Over the last fifty
years the people of Kalimantan, Irian Jaya, Aceh, Ambon and other
parts of the Javanese colonial empire, have been ruthlessly
exploited by a military apparatus whoıs main role is preserving
its own interests.
Every Australian government has given its support to the Javanese
military establishment, frightened that the disintegration of the
Indonesian state would lead to the mass migration of refugees to
Australia. Instead of supporting Asiaıs last colonial
power, the Australian people and government should be throwing
their weight behind the national liberation movements within
Indonesia. Unless Javaneseıs domination over the outlying
islands is broken, the Indonesian military dictatorship will be
able to continue its murderous policies. The Indonesian and
Australian peopleıs long term security is tied to the future
success of the various liberation movements in the Javanese
colonial empire, itıs not tied to the survival of the Indonesian
military dictatorship.
On Saturday, over 3 million
Victorians will flock to the polls to elect a new state
government. At the end of the day the winning party will
gain about 51% of the vote and the losers around 49%. Democracy
in Action!! I can hear you shout. Are we witnessing
democracy in action or are we witnessing something else?
What we are witnessing has little if anything to do with
democracy. Every three to four years Victorians have the
opportunity to elect a new bunch of representatives to make
decisions for them. In no other walk of life but
parliamentary elections do people give out blank cheques. The
electors you (not I) are besieged with a bevy of promises about
what your representatives will do for you. You listen to
their lament and on Saturday you anoint a few of these people and
pray that they will attempt to fill their wish list.
Unfortunately as an elector, you are asked to take it all on
trust. If you are anointed, one decides he/she canıt carry
out their promises, there is nothing you can do till the next
election. If theyıve lied to the electorate, bad luck,
thatıs politics. If they are elected on one platform (a la
Senator Coulston), and they change ship in mid-stream, bad luck,
you canıt do anything till the next election.
On top of all this your representatives donıt have the power to
make real decisions. These decisions are made in the
boardrooms of national and trans-national corporations. This
is democracy Australian style Claytonıs democracy. Anarchists
are not interested in electing representatives to make decisions
for them, they want to be involved in the decision making process.
Once a decision is made, they elect or appoint delegates to
co-ordinate these decisions for them. The difference
between representative and direct democracy is similar to the
difference between chalk and cheese. Participation in the
election on Saturday has little if anything to do with democracy.
Itıs not over yet!! As the
United Nations Security Council grapples with the make up of a
United Nations peace keeping force in East Timor, the East
Timorese people are still dying like flies. As the clock
ticks over, the diplomats are still involved in discussion about
what should be done. The hours run into days, the days into
weeks and still nothing has happened.
The only reason the situation reached the attention of the
Security Council is because of the protests that broke out when
the Indonesians began to implement their scorched earth policies.
The public anger that has been expressed about this
terrible situation has provided the impetus that was missing in
1975 when the Indonesian armed forces integrated East Timor into
Indonesia.
Anybody who thinks that the struggle has been won, needs to think
again. The people of East Timor will continue to die while
the Indonesian military authorities are still involved in East
Timor. The U.N. compound in Dili was evacuated on Tuesday
because U.N. staff feared that the East Timorese militias and the
Indonesian military would kill the East Timorese sheltering in
the compound before outside military aid arrived.
Each and every one of us still needs to be involved in activities
that will pressure both the United Nations and the Australian
government to act to prevent the genocide of a people. Until
United Troops are on the ground, the Indonesian army has
withdrawn from East Timor and a civilian administration has taken
control in East Timor, there will be no peace for the East
Timorese.
The Iranian religious
dictatorship had its biggest shock in the last twenty years when
University students took to the streets in July and shook the
regime to its very roots. Over 60% of the Iranian
population are under twenty, their only experiences are of a
religious dictatorship that meddles in the personal lives of itıs
citizens.
Over the past five years religious hard liners have been fighting
a rear guard action with Muslim reformists who want to end Iranıs
isolationist Muslim fundamentalist policies. Many of Iranıs
younger generations feel that the pace of reforms far too slow.
Their anger spilled out onto the streets in July and nearly
brought down the fundamentalist government. At the last
moment the reformers concerned about the consequences of the
revolt threw their weight behind the hard liners and strangled
the revolt before it spilled out of Teheran.
On Monday four of the main personalities involved in the July
revolt were sentenced to death by Iranıs Supreme Court. Two
will be executed in the next few days. The other two are
awaiting confirmation of the death sentence. The Iranian
religious authorities believe that they can crush the July
movement by executing a few of its messengers. It looks
like the time is coming for a government that promised so much
but delivered so little. The Iranian people are no longer
willing to tolerate the idiosyncrasy of a religious dictatorship.
the execution of four of the central figures in the July
movement will only harden peoples resolve to throw off Mullahs
yoke.
The ninth International Aids
conference is being held this week in Lusaka Zambia. Over
thirty percent of central Africaıs population are now H.I.V
positive. Although the Aids epidemic has been contained in
Europe, it has reached epidemic proportion in Africa and parts of
India and South East Asia. Over thirty percent of fifteen
year olds will die from aids related diseases before they turn
thirty five in central Africa.
The Aids epidemic is tearing the heart out of the very generation
that creates wealth in any society. Successive African and
Asian governments have turned a blind eye to the spread of Aids.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to preventive programs
in central Africa has been the Catholic Church. The Church
has vigorously restricted attempts to have the safe sex message
taught to people. Its refusal to let its members use
condoms because the use of condoms is against the popes ruling on
contraception, has also aggravated the problem.
Aids has become the single most important health issue in Africa.
Unless efforts are made by the international community to
assist those countries that are in the midst of the current
epidemic, its no exaggeration to say that no one will spared in
Central Africa. Figures that have just been published in
Zimbabwe highlights the seriousness of the problem. If
nothing is done in Zimbabwe to holt the epidemic a fifteen year
old in that country has a 95% chance of contracting the disease
before they reach the age of thirty nine. Shocking
statistics in anybodies words.
Holding the Ninth International Aids conference in Lusaka Zambia,
highlights that the aids virus is still a major health problem.
Prevention is still the best policy. Governments that
continue to drag their feet about prevention programs are playing
with their peopleıs very survival.
A. Yes. Although
green capitalism is all the rage, capitalism whether itıs green,
blue, or red canıt create the conditions that nurture
sustainable development. At the end of the day, green
capitalism will only be able to flourish if it can extract a
profit from its activities. Anarchist economics on the
other hand is based on the satisfaction of human needs, not the
creation of profits.
Today, we have the ridiculous situation of workers fighting to
retain jobs that are bad for the environment, the community, and
ultimately their families and themselves. They fight for
their jobs because they understand that they donıt have a choice
in a capitalist society. The destruction of the natural
environment is their livelihood. They know nobody is going
to provide them with alternative work or compensate them for
their losses if they lose those jobs.
As everybody in an anarchist community has access to the "common
wealth" of that community, people in that community are able
to choose paths that are sustainable. There are no economic
or social impediments to an anarchist community choosing to
follow a sustainable direction. In a capitalist society,
the drive for profit is everything. If you canıt generate
a profit, youıll go bankrupt. The drive to create a profit
becomes the be all and end all of life. Social and human
costs in the drive to generate a profit are shrugged off as so
much collateral damage.
Sustainable development will tend to play a central role in the
life of an anarchist community. Potential human and social
costs are taken into account when decisions are made about
particular economic directions. Long term, as well as short
term options are discussed in the decisions that effect an
anarchist community. The drive for profit for profits sake
takes a back seat in any anarchist society. Sustainable
development is fostered, encouraged, and demanded in every
anarchist community.
ACTION BOX - DELEGATION NOT REPRESENTATION
Weıre all involved in different groups. Social,
sporting, political, cultural, business and work related are just
a few of the groups we participate in. Each one of these
groups has its own decision making processes. Some are
rigid authoritarian, others are ad-hoc and disorganised. As
anarchists, we should try to make a contribution to the decision
making process in the groups weıre involved with.
Instead of replicating the authoritarian structures that exist in
society, we should put forward non-authoritarian decision making
processes as legitimate alternatives to mainstream authoritarian
structures. Instead of electing representatives to make
decisions for us, we should encourage the group to make decisions
and elect or appoint delegates to carry out those decisions.
Instead of putting our faith in the old mantra that the
majority rules, we should explore the possibility of approaching
a problem in different ways. The amount of resources
allocated to a particular method of approaching a decision would
depend on the number of people who support that particular
decision.
Examine the constitution of any organisation youıre involved
with, see what the process for changing the constitution is.
If youıre not happy with the way the group is structured
or the decision making processes within the group, then call a
special general meeting to discuss the constitutional
arrangements. You may be surprised by the amount of
interest your suggestion sparks. Itıs bad enough that we
are forced to work within authoritarian structures in the places
we work and live, but why should we be forced to replicate these
structures in our social and cultural lives. Unless we are
willing to make the effort to change these structures, nothing
will ever change. The successful implementation of non-authoritarian
decision making processes within social, cultural and sporting
organisations weıre involved with is one way of introducing
these ideas to the people we live and work with.
In Townsville in North
Queensland, the unions had been attempting to impose "job
control" at the abattoirs in 1919. After the defeat of
the strike, workers had their wages cut. A further strike
developed. During this strike, Mr. Justice McCawley
withdrew the "preference to unionists" clause from the
award covering the Townsville meatworkers. A third strike
ensued when scabs who worked during the previous two strikes were
employed and union members were dismissed.
Two unionists, Pierce Carney of the A.M.I.E.U. and the President
of the Townsville Industrial Council, Mick Kelly were arrested
when cattle were released from the meat yards. At a mass
meeting that same evening, workers demanded the release of Mick
Kelly and Pierce Carney, and threatened to call a general strike
throughout Queensland. When the meeting adjourned, the
workers moved to the jail where Carney and Kelly were held.
The crush of the workers knocked down the fence surrounding
the police station. The police fired twenty blank rounds to
frighten the crowd. When the crowd refused to budge,
without warning, they fired ball cartridges into the protesters.
Seven men fell, some of them were returned service men who
had survived the carnage of W.W.1. On the following day, a
section of the meeting that had been called to discuss the
injuries, rushed Rooney and Shaws Ironmongery and seized all the
guns and ammunition in the shop.
Armed police were sent to Townsville from Brisbane to contain the
situation. The train carrying the police was declared
"black" by railway workers. Railway officers took
over the running of the train from the railway workers. The
train, carrying two hundred armed police from Brisbane eventually
reached Townsville after a derailment outside Charters Towers.
The extra police arrested one man and three boys for the
raid on the ironmongery. Although the man was given a three
year jail sentence, he was released after only serving four
months of his term. The strikers were eventually defeated
by the Townsville meat company.
BOOK REVIEW
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Sheıd been quiet all morning,
taking calls, going through the motions, her heart wasnıt in it,
but sheıd come in to do her job. After an hour of taking
talk back calls, mostly on East Timor, she came into the radio
studio. Her eyes were red, she showed me the ulcers on her
bottom lip, Herpes Simplex I told her, a virus, maybe youıre run
down I told her. She smiled that half smile we use when weıve
nothing to say.
Tears started to roll down her cheeks, big fat tears laden with a
palpable sadness. Iıd never seen her cry before, Iıd
known her for at least a year, this wasnıt a person whoıd
dissolve into tears for just no reason. I waited, I was
going to put my arm around her shoulders, but I didnıt, I waited
for the tears to stop. After a few minutes they stopped.
I waited for an explanation.
She told me she felt so powerless. She wanted to do
something to help but couldnıt. Every news bulletin
darkened her mood, drove her into the ground, she didnıt know
how much more news about the mass slaughter in East Timor she
could stand. She felt utterly helpless, unable to do
anything of any worth. In her mood and her words she
encapsulates what many Australians feel about the lack of
reaction to the East Timor slaughter.
It sits at the back of many peoples minds hour after hour, day
after day. Many of us are experiencing a total sense of
helplessness. I felt like crying but whatıs the point? Her
tears made me feel that this was the moment, when I needed to
rationalise my own helplessness. I talked about the
situation, analysed it, talked about options. It wonıt
help the East Timorese but at least it helps us explore the
possibilities of do something. They want us to feel
powerless, they want us to think we canıt do anything, so weıll
close our eyes and forget. Well nobodies going to forget,
they did in 1975, they wonıt in 1999. We need to keep our
wits about us, we need to be strong, we need to grieve, but we
mustnıt make the mistake of wallowing in our grief. Things
will change as long as we have the energy to fight back.
A weeks pay for a days work (raping,
looting and murder included) Great work if you can get it
Transport training, ammunition and firearms provided gratis.
Where can I join I hear you cry. The French Foreign
Legion - No!! The C.I.A. - No!! The remnants of the K.G.B.
- No!! No!! No!! No!! Just apply at your local Indonesian
embassy and youıll be supplied with everything you need to begin
your new career.
The worlds mass media still clings to the discredited idea that
East Timorıs militia gangs are a product of the independence
struggle in East Timor. The indiscriminate militia violence
is reported as violence that is independent of the Indonesian
military apparatus. Nothing could be further from the
reality on the ground. The East Timorese militias are a
creature of the Indonesian military dictatorship. They were
created by the military, they are financed by the military, they
are armed and trained by the military and they work in tandem
with the military.
The genocide of the people that is occurring as I write these
words is a methodical planned slaughter that has been executed by
the Indonesian government. Itıs not the work of irregular
militia groups. As the world watches, the Indonesian state
believes it has a free hand to kill, rape and maim as it sees fit.
The tragedy behind the tragedy thatıs unfolding in front
of our very eyes is a direct consequence of Australiaıs and
United States support for the Indonesian military dictatorship.
This is a government that has no qualms about unleashing
the military machine the U.S. and Australia has bankrolled and
trained to commit genocide against its own people.
The present military dictatorship was built on the corpses of a
million dead in 1966. It continues to kill tens of
thousands in West Irian, Aceh, Ambon and Kalimanton. The
difference between 1966 and today is that the Indonesian military
butchers canıt hide behind the communist threat. The
slaughter in East Timor marks the beginning of the end of a
killing machine that has acted with impunity for over four
decades.
JOSEPH TOSCANO (Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed
Society).
… BLU No.2,
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Has been awarded to Suhartoıs
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itıs nice to see a mass murderer win this weeks award.
Politically manipulated and scorned? Sick of being a
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Send a stamp self-addressed envelope to
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Written and authorised by
Joseph Toscano, Covenor Vote Informal Today Direct Democracy
Tomorrow, 5658 Eastment St. Northcote Melbourne
Thursday 30th September, 1999, 8.00pm
at the Pink Palace, 56-58 Eastment St, Northcote 3070 Melbourne.
All Welcome. Bring along food, drinks and yourselves
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Eastment St, Northcote 3070 Melb.
(Arguments for resource recovery
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THERE ARE MORE STARS IN THE UNIVERSE THAN THERE ARE GRAINS OF SAND ON EARTH
All electoral material in this weeks edition of the Anarchist Age Weekly Review is authorised and printed by Joseph Toscano, 56 58 Eastment St. Northcote Melbourne.
Number
366
6th - 13thSeptember, 1999
WHAT DID YOU EXPECT!!
Successive Australian governments are up to their arm pits in
East Timorese blood. They have provided aid to the Indonesian
military dictatorship, they have recognised Indonesia's illegal
annexation of East Timor. They have trained the thugs who direct
the pro-autonomy militias, they have stopped aid going to the
East Timorese independence movement, they have attempted to expel
East Timorese refugees in Australia, they have turned a blind eye
to Indonesian atrocities in East Timor and last but not least
they have pushed the East Timorese independent movement into a
blood bath. The only people in Australia who have consistently
supported the East Timorese independence groups are a small
minority of Australian radicals, who over the past 24 years have
supported the East Timorese against attacks by successive
Australian govern ments. Two former Labor Prime Ministers, Gough
Whitlam in 1975 and Paul Keating in 1995, have consistently
thrown their weight behind the Indonesian military dictatorship.
Keating signed a defence pact with his mentor Suharto the Butcher
in 1995. Anybody with even the most rudimentary understanding of
the Indonesian military dictatorship knew what would happen if
the East Timorese voted for Independence. Not only have
successive Australian governments trained, armed, fed and
provided intelligence for the military goons in Indonesia, they
have also cut a deal with the Indonesian government to share the
spoils of the Timor gap oil supplies. Australia's role in this
whole sorry business from 1974 to 1999 has been one that every
Australian should be ashamed of. As thousands of East Timorese
are slaughtered, kidnapped, raped and dispossessed, the
Australian government continues to sit on its hands. As the
Indonesian military launches attack after attack on defenceless
civilians and on the Australian ambassador in Indonesia and the
Australian consulate in East Timor, it continues to tut tut about
Indonesian excesses in the region. If the world is not willing to
send troops into East Timor to prevent another Rawanda, the
Australian government should be arming the independence groups in
East Timor. If they are not willing to commit troops, they should
at least stop all military contacts, severe defence ties, stop
aid, expel the Indonesian ambassador from Australia, stop all
trade and pressure the I.M.F. to cease the billions of dollars of
loans the Indonesian military needs to survive. As well as these
measures, they should smuggle arms and logistic support to the
independence forces so they can strike back at the Indonesian
butchers who operate with impunity in East Timor.
TOTAL ANARCHY!!
East Timor slides into anarchy, the media screams!! Anarchy I ask
myself? What is happening in East Timor today is diametrically
opposed to everything that anarchism stands for. The word anarchy
is derived from the ancient Greek word anarchos without rulers.
An anarchist society is a society without rulers, not one without
rules. What the whole world is witnessing in East Timor is a
classical example of what happens when a minority attempts to
impose their will on a majority. The carnage and destruction that
has descended on the East Timorese people is a calculated,
centralised, state sponsored reign of terror that is being
perpetuated by an unholy alliance of pro-autonomy militias that
are armed, bankrolled and supported by the Indonesian police and
the Indonesian military. Centralised hierarchical forces that are
dominated and controlled by an authoritarian leadership, they are
using the resources of the Indonesian state to impose their will
on the East Timorese independence movement. An anarchist society
is a society where people rely on rulers to tell them what to do
or rely on a central authority to control them. An anarchist
society is a voluntary non-hierarchical society that is based on
the creation of political and social structures that are based on
equal decision making power direct democratic principles and that
allow all people equal access to societies wealth. Rulers,
centralised authority and inequalities in power and wealth are
the ingredients that have plunged East Timor into the difficult
situation it finds itself in today. If the Australian government
and the international community are unwilling to commit troops to
protect the very people who they have exposed to the wrath of the
Indonesian irregular and regular military apparatus, they should
at least do all they can to arm and support the East Timorese
people, so they can defend themselves against the excesses of a
centralised authority that is trying to extinguish the flame of
independence and egalitarian change in East Timor through brute
force.
KENNETT - POTENTIAL THUG
If anybody had any doubts about what motivates Kim Il Sung's
Victorian clone, Jeffrey Glib Kennett, one only has to listen to
the man to realise that he is a potential thug. Listen to his
campaign speeches as he travels around Victoria and you' ll soon
understand that he is little more than a stand over man. Ballarat,
Dandenong, Mildura, Geelong are a few of the campaign stops that
have given Victorians an insight into Kennett's thinking. In all
four situations, he has told electors in these marginal
electorates that if people vote for the Liberal/National Party
everything will be alright. If they don' t vote for his party,
they've only got themselves to blame if they become stagnant
backwaters. In effect he is saying to the voters in these
electorates, you are either with me or you are against me. If you
are with me, I will use the resources of the state to guarantee
your future. If you are against me, don' t expect any extra
support from the state. We' ll do what we have to do to ensure
you' ll survive, but don' t expect any extras. Only our
supporters can expect cream in their coffee. These are the
sentiments of a potential thug. What' s amazing about Kennett' s
attempts at thuggery is the manner the mass media deals with his
threats. They either ignore them, dismiss them as hyperbole or
gloss over them. It looks like Kennett and his mob of blow up
dolls, the voiceless ones, are subscribers to that old military
adage to the victors go the spoils. This man needs to be publicly
exposed for what he is, a bully and potential thug. A man who
rewards his supporters and punishes those who oppose him.
GIVING THE FOX THE KEY TO THE CHICKEN COOP
The imposition of martial law in East Timor has given the
Indonesian military the right to kill with impunity. What was
illegal and immoral, now becomes legal. What the world is
witnessing in East Timor is the genocide of a people. It's state
terrorism at its worst. This is no irregular random blood lust.
This is not an army running amok. This is a well organised,
methodical attempt at gennocide. The disgusting aspect about this
whole sorry mess is the way the United Nations and Australia have
delivered the East Timorese people to the sacrificial altar. The
pro-autonomy militias, the Indonesian police and the Indonesian
military are working hand in glove to remove a people from East
Timor. The international community including Australia looks on
while the slaughter continues unabated. For the second time in
the last 24 years, the world community has failed the East
Timorese people. A people who were promised so much, have been
dealt a hand that has delivered nothing. What' s happening in
East Timor couldn' t have happened without forward planning and
support from the Indonesian government. Believing that a
declaration of martial law will solve anything is tantamount to
giving the fox the key to the chicken coop The Indonesian
military and government only respect two things, money and force.
If an international force cannot be organised to intervene all
trade and financial links with Indonesia, it should be put on the
back burner. The Indonesian military would soon get a gist of
what' s at stake.
VOTING A RIGHT OR A DUTY?
On Friday I appeared in the Melbourne Magistrate Court because I
failed to vote at the Federal Election on the 3rd of October 1998.
After a spirited defence which revolved around the question about
whether voting was a right or a duty, the magistrate fined me
thirty dollars and ordered me to pay thirty three dollars in
court costs. Over 20,000 writs were issued against people who did
not vote at the Federal election on the 3rd of October 1998. If
everybody exercised their right to go to court, the courts would
soon be clogged with a backlog of cases. In an attempt to
encourage more people to go to court, I' ve outlined my defence.
Please feel free to use it if you decide to go to court. Over the
next few months I' ll be exploring the possibility of mounting a
High Court challenge against this ridiculous piece of legislation.
I'll keep you informed of my progress with this. Last but not
least, I' d like to personally thank all those people who come to
support me at the Melbourne Magistrates Court last Friday.
Solidarity is what makes us strong as individuals and as a
community.
HEARING - MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES COURT - FRIDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER
1999 10.00AM
Informant: Peter Williams (Australian Electoral Commission)
Defendant: Joseph Toscano
Charge: On the 3rd day of October 1998, the defendant did fail to
vote to an election without a valid and sufficient reason for
such failure.
Thank you for giving me three to four minutes of the court' s
times to present my case. I have what I believe are three valid
reasons why I failed to vote on the 3rd of October 1998.
POINT ONE The Constitutional Fathers clearly stated in the
Australian Constitution that voting was a right. Although voting
in Australia has been compulsory since 1921, the Commonwealth
Parliament has never had the Constitutional power to force
Australian electors to exercise their right to vote. Section 245
(I) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 states It shall be the
duty of every elector to vote at each election . Section 41 of
the Australian Constitution states No adult person who has or
acquired a right to vote at the elections of the more numerous
House of the Parliament of a state shall, while the right
continues be prevented by any law of the Commonwealth for voting
at elections for either House of the Parliament of the
Commonwealth. The Australian Constitution clearly recognises that
voting is a right \endash a LEGAL ENTITLEMENT.
Section 245 (I) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act states voting
is a duty \endash A LEGAL OBLIGATION. The fundamental difference
between a legal entitlement (right) and a legal obligation (duty)
is choice. Although the Commonwealth Parliament clearly has the
Constitutional power to determine who shall exercise the right to
vote, it does not have the constitutional power to force electors
to take up that entitlement. As an elector I chose not to
exercise my Constitutional right to vote on the 3rd of October,
1998.
POINT TWO
Section 245 (14) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 states
Without limiting the circumstances that may constitute a valid
and sufficient reason for not voting, the fact that an elector
believes it to be part of his or her religious duty to abstain
from voting constitutes a valid and sufficient reason for the
failure of the elector to vote . Your Worship I am 47, I have
never voted at a Local, State or Federal election, I believe in
Direct Democracy not Representative Democracy. I am not willing
to give a representative a blank cheque to make decisions for me.
Section 245 (14) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act discriminates
against electors who have a conscientious non-religious objection
to voting. As section 116 of the Australian Constitution prevents
the Commonwealth from legislating in respect of religion. The
Commonwealth Parliament does not have the po wer to discriminate
between electors with a religious and those with a non-religious
objection to voting.
POINT THREE
I believe I have done more than my duty. I have stood as a Senate
candidate at the last four Federal Elections. On each occasion I
have encouraged people to VOTE INFORMAL to express their
dissatisfaction with the parliamentary system. As an active
participant in the Electoral Process, I believe I have done more
than my so called duty under the Electoral Act.
Joseph Toscano 3rd September 1999.
Joseph Toscano (Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed Society)
NORM GALLAGHER
When I attended the remembrance gathering for Norm Gallagher,
former General Secretary of the Builders Labourers Federation an
Friday the 3rd of September 1999, I expected a remembrance
ceremony that was befitting of a hero of the Labour Movement.
Like the one I attended in December 1997 for Wharfie Ted Bull at
Trades Hall, maybe I and others expected too much. The whole
evening seemed to me that it was a taken affair, that their
hearts were not in it, it could of been a boys night at the pub.
There were buckets of Icy cold beer and yes I have been known to
be partial at times to one or two cans, but for people who weren't
they had nothing, no soft drink, wine etc. About 200 people
gathered at Harry Danahes Hall, as I have stated for the purpose
of remembering Norm. After about 90 minutes of people talking and
drinking beer and eating snags, and that seemed to be it. Anne
Fahey, Anarchist Activist approached a well kno wn former B.L.F
official and now a top office bearer of the C.F.M.E.U. and really
shamed him into saying a few words. The few words he did say (or
his theme) remember Norm for the good things was not worth the
effort. I could sense the hostility of the Split was still very
much in his mind. The Split in the B.L.F happened just after ALP
State Governments of Victoria and New South Wales and of course
the Hawk led Federal Government with as usual support from the
opposition parties (all). Thankfully, Marco Masterson, a former B.L.F
organiser who was there when Norm become a B.L.F Shop Steward and
in the early 1950' s gave us an inspirational speech, positive
and it gave us an insight into Norm's care for communities assets
to name a few The City baths, Vic Market, Shareline public
housing Development (South Melbourne) and historical pubs around
Vic. I am told that the B.L.F carried this on in other states as
well what it means if the B.L.F had not acted to save these
assets they would be just a memory. In stark contrast today where
it seems the Unions will pull down anything, and build anything
from Gas Chambers (City Link Tunnel) to de-humanise private
prisons Stephen Reghenzani
ANARCHIST QUESTION AND ANSWER
Q. How does an anarchist community deal
with mind altering substances?
A. Like any other rational community. Mind altering substances
have been used for spiritual and pleasurable purposes since the
beginning of human existence. In many cultures their role in the
life of a community has been regulated and restricted by
religious and moral taboo. The 20th century has been marked by an
increasing interest by the state and the corporate sector in
peoples activities. State and religious intervention in the
behaviour of its citizens and adherents has br ought in its own
raft of problems. Consuming mind altering substances does have
inherent risks, these risks are magnified when the use of these
substances is prohibited by law or custom. Once a drug is driven
underground it spawns a whole host of problems which are directly
related to its illegality. The problems that are related to its
illegality far outweigh the problems that are directly related to
the consumption of the drug. Interestingly the most devastating
drug in the world is a legal drug tobacco. Its destructive
effects have been aided and abetted by its commercialisation.
Once a drug becomes a commodity that is openly marketed and
promoted by the corporate sector or the State, its destructive
effects are accepted as the price that the community pays to
generate private or state profit. Although all drugs that are now
available in the community would be available in the Anarchist
society, there would be no commercial gain derived from producing
or marketing the drug. Those who want to experience the effects
of a particular drug would have to rely on their efforts and the
efforts of other people with a similar interests. Advice would be
available about potential problems and the community would make
efforts to minimise the harmful effects of the drug. Keeping
potential problems out in the open, providing users with
information about the best way to use a particular substance
minimising harm, removing the monetary imperative and limiting
the commercial production of mind altering substances, would all
help to control potential problems that drugs could cause within
an anarchist community
ACTION BOX - SELF DEFENCE
If the events in East Timor are anything to go by, the thugs come
out of the shadows when there is a breakdown in central authority.
Whether the thugs triumph depends on peoples ability to defend
themselves, from unprovoked attacks by people who are willing to
use force to impose their will on the population. Anybody who
believes in radical egalitarian Social change needs to understand
that sooner or later they will be subjected to violence. No
ruling class is willing to give up power without struggle.
Radical activists need be aware that now is not the time, when a
crisis erupts is the time to learn about self-defence. Many
totally legal and above board outfits provide training in self-defence.
In Australia a quick flick through the Yellow Pages will
highlight a number of legal options you can pursue. Although you
may think that learning self-defence techniques is a waste of
time, you will soon realise that the skills you gain help to
improve your level of self-confidence and they help you to manage
potentially violent situations. Self-defence techniques are many
and are varied, many do not require you to react in a violent
manner. Individuals and groups that are attempting to assert
their authority in a community will think twice about upsetting
people who have even a rudimentary understanding of how to defend
themselves. Think about it, how would you react if you found
yourself under personal attack? Do you have any ideas about what
you would do? If you don't have any idea about how you would
react in such a situation, think about commencing a self-defence
course. Have a look at a number of them and pick the one you are
most comfortable with. Different people will tend to gravitate
towards different methods of self-defence. Even if you are
fortunate enough to have not to use what you had learnt, just
doing the course will pay both short term and long term personal
dividends.
AUSTRALIAN RADICAL AND ANARCHIST HISTORY AUSTRALIA' S EARLY
UNIONS
The earliest Australian unions were called Trade Societies. Their
membership was restricted to skilled workers. Unskilled workers
weren' t welcomed into the union movement till the late 1880's.
The first trade society formed in Australia was the Shipwrights
in Sydney in 1929. The Cabinet makers formed a trade society in
1833. The Typographers formed their own society in 1831. Another
seven societies were formed in 1840. Plumbers, glaziers,
assistant drapers, tailors, housepainters and bootmakers
organised into Trade Societies in 1840. Trade Societies sprung up
in Victoria within a decade of colonisation. Bakers, tailors,
carpenters, joiners and printers had all formed trade societies
by the mid 1840' s. The depression that hit the colonies in the
early 1840' s saw trade societies establish Mutual Benefit
Societies. By 1843 the Mutual Protection Society in Sydney had
439 members. The Mutual Benefit Society accepted both
tradespeople and labourers. The Mutual Protection Society paid a
dole of 18 shillings to mechanics and 12 shillings to Labourers.
Interestingly, a Union Benefit Society was formed in Melbourne in
1839, before the formation of individual trade societies. Members
of the various trade societies were just as interested in working
conditions as they were interested in wages. The early closing
movement become a priority of many trade societies. In the early
1840's. Fourteen hour days were not uncommon. In 1844, the Master
Drapers agreed to decrease the working day for assistant drapers
from 14 to 12 hours per day. Working hours became an issue for
all workers. By the early 1850' s the stone masons were able to
organise a 48 hour week. The trade union slogan in the 19th
century was 8 hours work, 8 hours rest, 8 hours sleep. It' s
ironical that today many workers are now working six days a week,
10 hours a day. The threat of individual contracts and low youth
wages have all conspired to break down the walls surrounding the
Trade Union Movement. Assassination, rape, torture, sabotage,
infiltration, agents, provocateurs and fabrication of evidence
are just a few of the F.B.I.' s tactics that are catalogued in
this 500 page exposure of the F.B.I.'s illegal criminal
activities. The F.B.I.' s secret deadly war against the Black
Panther Party and the American Indian Movement is exposed in this
seminal work on the hidden role of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. Anybody who believes that the F.B.I. had its horns
filed when Edgar J. Hoover died, only has to examine what
happened at Waco Texas in 1993 to realise that the Leopard can' t
change its spots. Churchill and Wall have to be congratulated for
writing this meticulous exposure of the F.B.I.'s tactics. The F.B.I.
is the United States secret weapon in the governments attempts to
keep the lid on internal dissent. The Black Panthers and the
American Indian movement were targeted because many blacks and
American Indians identified with the aims of these movements. The
1960' s, 70' s was a period when the American establishments hold
on the carotid artery of blacks and minorities was loosened by
collective effort. American ideology was an ideology under siege
both in the United States and abroad. While the C.I.A. ran guns,
drugs and tortured and murdered at will outside the United States,
its domestic counterparts the F.B.I. unleashed and continues to
unle ash a reign of terror on anybody who dares challenge the
American State. The authors have been able to present a well
researched and fascinating account of how the F.B.I. used every
illegal trick in the book to entrap, murder, rape and bash all in
the name of Uncle Sam. This is one book every serious activist
should get a hold of. Although you may have an intellectual
understanding of how the beasts praetorians guards work or you
may have come off second best in your conflict with the state,
you' ll never understand the depths of depravity of the beasts
internal police until you read Agents of Repression. Although the
book' s expensive at $33.00 (Australian), it's worth every cent
you pay for it. Thank you to Anarres Books for providing the
review copy of Agents of Repression. The book' s available for $33.00
(Australian) from Anarres. Order your copy via then net email mailto:mailorder@anarres or
via snail mail PO Box 150 East Brunswick 3057 Melbourne Australia.
Write to them for their 1999 catalogue. Look them up in their web
site http://www.anarres.org.au
P.S. Just in case you think Agents of Repression is just a
catalogue of Churchill' s and Wall' s personal opinions the book
includes over 80 pages of notes, an extensive bibliography an
extremely useful index and over fifty black and white photographs
PERSONAL OBSERVATION
Five foot nothing in his work boots, he stood just before me in
the queue at the bank. A little man in a tight light blue jacket,
workpants and very ordinary steel cap boots. He looked like he
had been transplanted from the streets of Teheran to the streets
of Melbourne. He was compact, nuggetty and straight as a die. His
hands were the badge of a lifetime of physical work-calluses. He
stood there quietly shuffling forwards every time somebody at the
head of the queue was served by a shrinking pool of bank tellers.
He eventually reached the head of the queue and waited to share a
few words with the teller. His left hand held a bundle o f fifty
dollar notes, his skull cap hugged a head that had seen more than
its fair share of pain and suffering. He pushed the money to the
customer service officer behind the glass. Nice ring, customer
service officer, I suppose it beats being a customer. He handed
over a bundle of fifty dollar notes. She counted out seven and
wrote out a deposit slip that he signed without reading. It was
obvious our friend couldn' t read, although he held an important
construction job. He took his share of the receipt and walked out
a proud little man in an alien land. He fingered his prayer beads
as he pondered his next move. An alien man in alien land
sacrificing his present and his future for the sake of children
who will be prostituted to dominant culture. Maybe he should have
remained in Teheran, a hostage to a life that' s dominated by
ritual not initiative. He strode out of the bank, a little man,
dirty steel cap boots, clean pants and a threadbare jacket that
fits him like a glove.
STOP PRESS PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE
Between now and the 1 July 2000, the corporate sector, specially
the service sector will embark on an orgy of price rises. The
leaders in this round of rises will be the big four banks. The
banks are positioning themselves to make a killing out of the
introduction of the G.S.T. In an attempt to maximise shareholders
returns they have begun increasing their exorbitant charges. When
the G.S.T. is introduced they' ll proudly announce that they won't
need to pass the full 10% onto their customers. With an eye out
for the unwanted attention of the Australian competition and
Consumer Commission, they have decided to recoup any G.S.T. costs
to their organisations by increasing prices before the
introduction of the G.S.T. The A.C.C.C. is helpless to monito r
these price rises as they have little if any power to squash
unreasonable price rises before the 1st of July 2000. The massive
increase in banks profits have not been made because of
efficiencies of scale, or smarter practices. They have been made
from increased customer fees. In 1998 the four largest banks made
over 1.3 billion dollars from fees they charged retail consumers.
You can imagine the amount of money they rake in from individual
accounts. It's no exaggeration to say that the bulk of the six
billion dollar profit that banks made last year, comes directly
from banking fees. The government has made it very easy for the
corporate sector to pass on any G.S.T. costs associated with the
introduction of the tax. The money that some customers will make
when some state deposit and withdrawal taxes are removed with the
introduction of the G.S.T. will be eaten up by increased bank
charges. The Coalition government understands that increased
prices will ultimately decrease consumption, as few people will
have access to the disposable income they need to survive.
Joseph Toscano (Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed Society)
All electoral material in this edition of the Anarchist Age Weekly Review is authorised by Joseph Toscano, 56-58 Eastment St. Northcote Melbourne.