Australian Labor Party in the grip of mining companies

The great evil of Native Title Act was that it pretended to legitimise ‘extinguishment’ of land rights for the great majority of Aboriginal people…….

The Trouble with Labor, – Westender – Brisbane’s Oldest Independent, Online Newspaper. 15 Feb 2011, Tim Anderson sees trouble ahead for Australia, while we still cling to our illusions about the Labor Party The mining companies – at the centre of the Australian oligarchy – were the main beneficiaries of the East Asian boom, yet have refused to share the benefits. Nor have we demanded it of them. This issue, of course, was behind the coup against Kevin Rudd….
The fall of ‘Kevin 07’ shows that illusions about Labor are rife within as well as without the party. It was a perfectly reasonable proposition to raise taxes on mining companies in the midst of a minerals boom; reasonable, but suffering from the bureaucratic illusion that government rules in Australia.

Within a short space of time, the mining companies and their mates in the media monopolies were able to portray a tax rise as a threatening move. If there had been a campaign to educate people on the move, to mobilise public support, it could have been a very popular policy. But Kevin thought he was in charge……

the High Court’s Mabo decision forced on Labor what seemed a very limited and discriminatory recognition of land rights. In fact it was worse than this. The great evil of Native Title Act was that it pretended to legitimise ‘extinguishment’ of land rights for the great majority of Aboriginal people…….

Labor MPs (including a raft of ex-union leaders) now sit in parliaments across the country, speaking and voting for things most privately disagree with and which their constituents hate – wars, racism and privatisations – yet they are too weak and scared of losing their jobs to speak out….Home – Westender – Brisbane’s Oldest Independent, Online Newspaper. Latest Westend News, Sport, Weather, Arts and Reviews

February 15, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics

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1.This month.

The Road to War brings a sharp focus to why it is not in Australia’s best interest to be dragged into a war with China which will almost inevitably go nuclear very quickly. The filmmaker has interviewed some of Australia’s senior foreign policy analysts who have vast experience behind them in analysing what really is going on here as the United States rattles its sabres with China. And sets us up to be its proxy, like the poor Ukranians have been fed into the Meatgrinder. So America can remain the Top Dog. The Road to War reveals how the United States through its spy base at Pine Gap and by stationing six nuclear capable B52 bombers in the Top End (without permission from the traditional owners) is making Australia a prime nuclear target if the current war of words suddenly melts down into full scale war.

The Road to War shows the implicit connection between Carbon emissions (the US military uses a whopping 70% of America’s annual petroleum to move its armies and vast War Machine around the globe to its 800+ military bases..but under a loophole wangled at Kyoto, the US military does not have to report its C02 annual emissions). The Road to War starts screening at selected cities and regional centres in March. See the trailer end for details.

Antinuclear

Australian news, and some related international items