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VSU campaign needs leadership

By Mark Abberton MELBOURNE — The Student Unionism Network (SUN) is at a crossroads in its planning for the Victorian day of action against "voluntary student unionism" (VSU) on March 31. SUN has pressured the Victorian branch of the National

A nostalgic company history of Australian Stalinism

A nostalgic company history of Australian Stalinism The Reds By Stuart Macintyre Allen & Unwin, 1998. $49.95.  Review by Bob Gould Stuart Macintyre is a competent historian where either his past Althusserian

Indonesian political prisoners may be pardoned

Indonesian political prisoners may be pardoned Stop press: Indonesian political prisoners may be pardoned Following the registration of the People's Democratic Party (PRD) for the June 7 Indonesian general election (see article page 18),

Anti-capitalist movements linking up

By Eva Cheng BRUSSELS — Between 500-1000 social movement activists from around the world will be meeting in Brussels on March 12-13 to map out a strategy for an international campaign to press the rich countries to waive the crushing debt they

Students — a catalyst for revolution?

By Zanny Begg On May 10, 1968, thousands of students and police clashed on the streets of Paris in the infamous "night of the barricades". The night has come to symbolise, with fear by conservatives and enthusiasm by radicals, the revolutionary

And Ain't I a Woman: Unsuccessful suit makes women pay

Unsuccessful suit makes women pay In the longest medical legal case in Australia's history, a suit against Nutrasweet, makers of the Copper-7 IUD (intra-uterine device), was lost on February 22. Nine women who used the Copper-7 IUD contraceptive

PRD finally registered as a political party

By James Balowski In a surprise turn of events, on February 24 it was announced that the People's Democratic Party (PRD) has been officially registered as a political party. Earlier, the body overseeing the election registrations had "postponed" a

The government's jobs plan fraud

By Dick Nichols Federal treasurer Peter Costello has announced that a 5% official unemployment rate is now feasible. Have Costello and industrial relations minister Peter Reith, the ministers who cut $1.5 billion from labour market programs and

For peace and justice in Afghanistan

MOHAMMED ISSA is president of the Afghan Watan Party. He was interviewed in Brussels on February 10 by AMJAD AYUB for the Pakistani Marxist news magazine Struggle. The following is abridged from that interview. Question: What is the present

VSU: it's time to turn up the heat

By Aaron Benedek To defeat the federal "voluntary student unionism" (VSU) legislation it is essential that the student movement launch a campaign immediately. Despite many students having heard of VSU, it is clear that many do not understand what

Union summer school

By Melanie Sjoberg ADELAIDE — Around 80 people left the Adelaide Hills with concrete campaigning plans following the third SA United Trades and Labor Council (UTLC)-organised Summer School on February 26-28. Among the speakers was Kathryn Heiler

Getting the word out about cultural activism

Getting the word out about cultural activism By Dave Riley Scott M.X. Turner describes himself as a "punk rock/trad Irish/reggae guitarist and singer". The mix may seem a strange one, but Turner's approach to his music is far from eclectic. When