The Sound of Solidarity

Australia's rulers have been working on joining the nuclear club for almost 80 years. Solidarity has published a new pamphlet that traces the history of uranium mining, nuclear testing and bids to buy, borrow or build nuclear weapons. David Glanz highlights some of the lessons. The pamphlet is available from Solidarity branches or by emailing solidarity@solidarity.net.au. 

A delegation of 50 union officials and rank-and-file union members visited the Pilliga Forest in NSW to hear from leaders of the Gomeroi traditional owners about their struggle against the Santos Pilliga/Narrabri gas project. Penny McCall-Howard talks about the delegation and its significance. Penny is the national research officer with the Maritime Union of Australia and a member of Solidarity. To support the campaign, visit https://gomeroingaarr.org/ 

The AUKUS agreement, nuclear-powered submarines and US nuclear-capable B52 bombers in the NT. Is this a simple case of US domination? Clinton Fernandes, whose book Sub-Imperial Power: Australia in the International Arena has just been published, discusses the issues. Clinton is a professor of international and political studies at the University of New South Wales.

This talk, recorded in 2015, provides an historical account of the invasion by British imperialism of Eora and Darug Country, what is now known as Sydney, Australia. Paddy Gibson discusses the dynamics driving the invasion and the war of resistance waged by Aboriginal people defending their homelands. Since this talk, historian Stephen Gapps has published a major book The Sydney Wars which is highly recommended.

Jonathan Sriranganathan, a Greens councillor on Brisbane City Council, talks about why Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe is being hounded by the establishment. He discusses the hypocrisy behind the attacks and why everyone on the left should stand with Lidia Thorpe.Jono's blog post on the subject can be found here: https://www.jonathansri.com/associatingwithlidia 

Up to 14,000 refugees are living in a hellish limbo in Indonesia, unable to build their lives locally and barred from coming to Australia. Margaret Sinclair, a Refugee Action Collective activist in Melbourne, has just returned from a factfinding trip and tells us what she found.

For decades, governments have tried to find places to dump radioactive waste in Australia. The latest proposal focuses on Kimba in South Australia and is being fought by Barngarla Traditional Owners. Dave Sweeney, the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Nuclear Campaigner, talks about the dangers of the nuclear industry and the campaign to stop the Kimba dump.

The courageous struggles in Iran right now reflect a long tradition of resistance. David Glanz recaps current events and then looks back to the 1979 revolution against the Shah for inspiration and for lessons we can use today.

Paddy Gibson outlines the anti-colonial politics of the early years of the Communist International (Comintern), formed in the wake of the Russian Revolution in 1919. He explores the way the Comintern theorised the relationship between workers' revolution in imperialist countries and anti-colonial revolts shaking the world, particularly the importance of anti-racism and commitment to the defeat of imperialist forces.

Climate science tells us that the planet is at risk but greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Now a group of scientists have published a call for a moratorium on climate research to highlight the urgent problem. We talk to Professor Tim Smith, a co-author of the appeal. Tim is a human geographer and professor of sustainability at the University of the Sunshine Coast. You can read the full paper here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17565529.2021.2008855 

What's been the impact of the overturning of Roe v Wade? Hear from Virginia Rodino, executive director of the Coalition of Labor Union Women and a member of Solidarity's US sister group, Marx21. Solidarity member Matilda Fay gives an introduction looking at abortion rights in Australia.

Early educators, members of the United Workers Union, joined rallies around the country demanding better pay, lower workloads and respect. "We're educators not babysitters" was one of the chants. Solidarity spoke to early educators and parents at the rally in Naarm or Melbourne.

Does the working class still exist and will it ever rise up? Adam Adelpour answers those questions and more, painting a picture of a system that creates crises and resistance around the world, including in the advanced economies like Australia.

Starting with left debates about the nature of the Korean War, Ian Rintoul describes how British Marxist Tony Cliff defended the centrality of working class power to our understanding of socialism. He talks about how the argument is still vital for dealing with issues raised by war today.

People celebrated when the Nadesalingam family was allowed to go home to Biloela in Queensland. But behind the happy headlines nothing has changed for thousands of others caught up in Operation Sovereign Borders. Ian Rintoul, an activist with the Refugee Action Coalition in Sydney and a Solidarity member, discusses the issues.

Labor won office days before the Wall Street crash of 1929. Elected to defend workers' rights, it responded to economic crisis with savage austerity. In response, many thousands of workers turned to "socialism in our time". David Glanz tells the story and draws conclusions for today.

On 6 August 1945, the US dropped a nuclear weapon on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing 140,000 people. Three days later it dropped a second bomb, this time on the city of Nagasaki. Why did the US commit this crime against humanity and what can we do to ensure it never happens again? Phil Griffiths discusses the issues.

Wage theft is everywhere, yet another reason to rebuild fighting unions. We talk to Ben Schneiders, an award-winning journalist with The Age, who has reported on the scandal in hospitality, retail, farming and universities. Ben has just written a book entitled Hard Labour: wage theft in the age of inequality, published by Scribe.

The Black Moratorium marches on 14 July 1972 saw thousands take to the streets in the largest demonstrations in support of Aboriginal rights up to that time. In Sydney, thousands of workers struck to attend. Bob Makinson was involved in organising meetings in Sydney as a high school student. He spoke to Solidarity editor James Supple.

Today, many activists know the term apartheid best in relation to the struggle of the Palestinian people against Israel’s brutal control. But the system of apartheid was born in South Africa and involved institutionalised, rigid and vicious racism. Solidarity member Melanie Lazarow, who was born in apartheid South Africa, talks about the waves of resistance that broke white control.