What Marxists say about religious freedom
Defence of religious freedom is the war cry of No campaigners. It is a cynical attempt by the likes of Tony Abbott, John Howard, Eric Abetz and Cory Bernardi to divert the debate away from the core issue of the democratic right of same sex couples to be married in a civil ceremony. Civil m...CONTINUE READING
The role of Queensland Native Mounted Police in genocide
The premeditated use of murderous violence against Indigenous people by agents of Australia’s early colonial order is often glossed over. For many commentators and politicians, it is too much to admit any element of malice. Take Malcolm Turnbull describing the adorning of statues of Captai...CONTINUE READING
Separate but unequal
Attempting to present the case for a No vote on marriage equality on ABC’s 7:30 program recently, former Woolworths CEO Roger Corbett instead gave a rambling and at times contradictory interview in which he unwittingly exposed the deeply segregationist logic beneath the right’s defence of...CONTINUE READING
Owning up to Australia’s slave labour past
This year marks the 170th anniversary of the beginning of “blackbirding”, the kidnapping of people from Pacific islands and bringing them to the Australian colonies as indentured labour. In 1847, “pioneer” Benjamin Boyd, in an effort to maintain a failing pastoral and whaling business, kid...CONTINUE READING
Understanding the 1917 general strike
On 14 August 1917, readers of the Sydney Morning Herald were treated to the following passage by Mr W.D. Carmalt, the manager of the refreshment rooms at Central Station. He was relating the scandalous behaviour of the young women whom he employed as waitresses: “For the past few days the...CONTINUE READING
150 years of Karl Marx’s Capital
For Karl Marx the author, there was something smile about. The first of three volumes, called Capital: A Critique of Political Economy , became a success in his lifetime and by the 1880s it was known across Europe as “the bible of the working class”. One reason, according to Frederick Enge...CONTINUE READING
Foucault’s History of Sexuality
Why should socialists care about Foucault’s History of Sexuality? He is, after all, widely promoted as the bald-headed and turtle-necked prophet of postmodernism, long the pseudo-radical arch rival to Marxism in the halls of academia. In his writings, many a smug first year social theory s...CONTINUE READING
Why North Korea has every right to hate the US
North Korea, for the first time, has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a long-range rocket with nuclear capabilities. This is a major development in the country’s weapons program, which includes short-range missiles capable of hitting South Korea and Japan....CONTINUE READING
The nasty business of cricket
The struggle between administrators and players is a re-emerging theme in Australian cricket. Cricket boards typically seek to monopolise power, unilaterally issue directives and manage the game singlehandedly. Players have responded by demanding greater opportunity to participate in crick...CONTINUE READING