Thanks to Ed and Aussie Blog, Andrew Landeryou’s The Other Cheek
Here is the agenda for the Resistance “Unfu*k the World conference to be held in Sydney this weekend.
Note to presence of Cuban and Venezuelan officials, the demo outside the US consulate in Sydney, the emphasis on East Timor, Palestine and Venezuela and the activities of Joe Carolan of our very own UNITE union. Nobody told these little stirrers that communism is dead.
Unfu*k the World- Fighting for Socialism in the 21st century
35th national Resistance conference,
July 8-10, Glebe Town Hall, 160 St Johns Rd, Glebe
Featuring international guests
Gilda Chacon, Cuban Federation of Workers (Cuba)
Joe Carolan, radical union UNITE, Socialist Worker (New Zealand)
Hendrik Ervan Baldus, National Front of Papuan Students, Peoples Democratic Party (Indonesia)
Nelson Davila, charge d’ affaires for Venezuela in Australia (Venezuela)
FRI JULY 7
“STOP BUSH AND HOWARD’s WAR ON THE WORLD”
“JUSTICE FOR PALESTINE” – “TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ” – “DON’T ATTACK IRAN” –
“HANDS OFF VENEZUELA”
Action outside US Consulate, 5pm
Speakers from Palestine solidarity campaign, New Zealand, West Papua
SOCIALISM IN THE 21st CENTURY – TOAST & DRINKS
RESISTANCE CENTRE (23 Abercrombie St, Chippendale), 7pm
Featuring international guest speakers:
Hendrik Ervan Baldus – Peoples Democratic Party & West Papuan Student
Front (Indonesia)
Joe Carolan – Supersize My Pay campaign & Socialist Worker (New Zealand)
SAT JULY 8
8am – Registration, Glebe Town Hall
9am – Bolivarian Socialism – The unfolding socialist revolution in Venezuela Featuring Guest Speaker: Nelson Davila, charge d’ affaires (Venezuelan Embassy)
9.40am – Discussion
12pm – Workshops:
Revolutionary Cuba
Lapdog or Pit Bull – Australian Imperialism in the region
Origins of women’s oppression
Marxism for beginners
1.30pm – Lunch
2.30pm – Fighting for Socialism in the 21st Century – a look at the
international political situation
3.30pm – Discussion
5pm – Workshops
Bolivia’s indigenous revolt
A socialist guide to East Timor
Socialist strategy for changing the world
Fighting Racism in Oz
7pm – Film Screening: Supersizemypay.com, the struggle of fast food
workers in NZ
Introduced by UNITE organiser Joe Carolan
. Jointly organised with Actively Radical TV
SUN JULY 9
9am – Workshops
Queer liberation
Organising on university
High school revolt
10am – Cuba’s Revolutionary Challenge to the Empire
Featuring Gilda Chacon, a representative of the Cuban Federation of Workers
10.30 -discussion
11.30 am – Resisting Howard
12.10 – discussion
1.30pm – Lunch
2.30pm – continue discussion
3.30pm – Young Workers and Students fightback
4pm – Discussion
7pm – CONFERENCE RALLY: Political hip-hop, speakers, meal and drinks!
Newtown Neighbourhood Centre
MON JULY 10
9am – Building Resistance
9.40am – Discussion
12pm – Workshops
The struggle in West Papua
Capitalism, Environment and Socialism
A socialist guide to Venezuela’s revolution
Palestine and National Liberation
1pm – Lunch
2pm – STOP BUSH! STOP APEC 2007! People before profits!
Featuring Joe Carolan (New Zealand), Hendrik Ervan Baldus (West Papua)
and Stop Bush 2007 campaigner
2.40 – Discussion
4pm – Conference close
Trev, the Marxist conference in London that I blogged about last week, was pretty similar. Scary stuff!
I agree it would be ridiculous for any political party in NZ to take an active stand on West Papuan independence. That should be an issue for Papuans to decide, not New Zealanders.
However, NZ political parties can get behind lobbying Indonesia to allow foreign aid workers and journalists the right of access to Papua, to enquire about the welfare of people imprisoned for flying the Morning Star flag, push for the Indonesians and OPM/other Papuan representatives to sit down and try to sort out some peaceful solution for Papua etc
Andrew, I most appreciate the much more level headed stand you have taken on this issue than Trevor.
Maybe you could discuss this kind of stuff at your next ACT on Campus meeting?
Cameron,
I should note that these are my own opinions and not necessarily those of the ACT Party.
Largely I do agree with you. The abuses occurring on both sides of the conflict in West Papua/Irian Jaya are disturbing. Particularly the curbing of freedoms such as the banning of the Morning Star and some of the massacres in recent years.
However, I don’t see how ACT taking a firm stance on this issue will in any way aid the situation. I do agree with your final points, that our Government should be asking Indonesia to allow foreign aid workers and journalists into the region.
Backing West Papuan independence would be an entirely inappropriate step for ACT to take. While I do back some form of increased political representation for the region, and a bigger slice of funding the Government earns from forestry and the mining industry, West Papua simply would not survive as a sovereign nation.
Communism, dead? It’s coming back in Russia. COmmunism never dies (lol)
That’s awesome I wish I was able to go over there for the conference. I notice that the Resistance young socialists are having quite an emphasis on West Papua. When will the ACT Party make a stand on this terrible genocide happening on our doorstep?
Indonesia has been backing Muslim fundamentalist groups, like Laskar Jihad, to intimidate the local population who are largely christian. Since 1962 the Indonesian Military is estimated to have killed 100,000 people. You make a big noise about Stalin and Mao and other historic monsters. Why not make a big deal about this injustice happening right now?
ACT could show that it is clearly more compassionate than National and Labour on the issue of Papua. National and Labour don’t really care. Only Greens and the Maori Party really seem to care at the moment. This shouldn’t be a ‘left’ or ‘right’ issue, people are dying and NZ could do a good job to lobby Indonesia to allow journalists and aid workers to enter West Papua. They are currently banned.