The heroism of Héritier Lumumba
“I arrived at this football club in 2004 as an 18-year-old from Perth with the name Harry O’Brien. And now in 2014, we find ourselves in a very interesting time, not only for this football club but for this whole world. The landscape is changing. And I know that if the Collingwood Football...CONTINUE READING
A special kind of justice for pro-Palestine student activists
The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) has a reputation for smearing supporters of the Palestinians. AUJS is an avowedly Zionist organisation. Though it claims to welcome all Jewish students, its members must agree to “actively promot[e] the interests of Israel”. This is somethin...CONTINUE READING
A meeting of kings
French president Emmanuel Macron is very short. Like Napoleon. He is also very young. Like Napoleon. And Macron’s adoration for Napoleon is profound. He is the most king-like leader the French republic has ever had. So where better for Macron to take his guest of honour, Donald Trump, than...CONTINUE READING
Liberals propose new higher education attacks – it’s time for students to take to the streets again
Students are facing yet another attack from the federal government. If the Liberals pass their latest education package, announced Monday by education minister Simon Birmingham, fees will be increased and higher education funding will be slashed. The government has proposed a 7.5 percent f...CONTINUE READING
This election was not about sexism
Donald Trump is an unreconstructed misogynist and a threat to women’s rights. But it is outlandish to attribute the US election result to sexism. Attempts to do so are designed to excuse Clinton. Van Badham, who recently wrote a piece praising Clinton without qualification, wrote of her he...CONTINUE READING
Van Badham’s defence of Hillary Clinton is insufferable right wing crap
Most defences of Hillary Clinton start by conceding two obvious realities: first, that she is deeply unpopular, and second, that she has no credibility among the left. Because of the reluctance of many progressive people to support Clinton, the liberal press has felt compelled to devote mu...CONTINUE READING
These welfare ‘reforms’ are like curing oxygen dependence with suffocation
The government has announced that it’s going to get tough on welfare. Again. Earlier this month, with the help of Labor, it waved through an omnibus bill that will cut payments to more than 2.2 million people on welfare, among other attacks. This time, carers and single parents are in the...CONTINUE READING
Students can’t trust the ALP
Two years ago, I stood with dozens of other student activists in the north courtyard at Melbourne University and witnessed Bill Shorten declare his opposition to the Liberals’ attacks on education. For good measure he signed a pledge: “I Bill Shorten pledge that the ALP will block proposed...CONTINUE READING
The fight for education must continue
Education minister Chris Pyne won’t give up on fee deregulation. Despite overwhelming opposition from students, staff and the public, he remains fiercely committed to allowing universities to control the cost of education. He also wants to cut government funding by 20 percent. The impact o...CONTINUE READING