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Turnbull, Rudd and Australian plutocracy

The Macquarie Dictionary defines plutocracy as 鈥渢he rule or power of wealth or of the wealthy鈥. With the accession of Malcolm Turnbull, the richest person in parliament, to the leadership of the Liberal Party, this definition would seem to provide a pretty good description of Australian 鈥渄emocracy鈥 also.

The Bones of September

Two vast and trunkless legs of steel Like silent Pharaohs over Wall Street stood Scraping the vast canvas of immortality @poetry = How many died erecting those towers: Welders of iron, exoskeletal beams? Manhattan is missing her two front

'Historic changes' shaking Nepal

In April, Nepal held historic elections for a new constituent assembly, a product of years of pro-democracy struggle against the monarchy, including a 10-year-long 聯people聮s war聰 waged by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M), which easily won the largest share of seats in the assembly.

Seven convicted of 'terrorism'

The trial of 12 Muslim men under the 聯anti-terror聰 laws has ended with seven being found guilty of one or more charges, four found not guilty and the jury unable to decide on one.

Climate emergency: birth of a new protest movement

In the room are a chemical engineer from a large mining/energy corporation, a solar energy engineer, a psychiatrist, a veterinarian, an artist and a construction worker. Also present are an ex-Labor Party activist, a Greens candidate in the 2007 election and a socialist student. Where do you find all these people, and more besides, in one room working for the one cause? At a meeting of Melbourne聮s Climate Emergency Network (CEN).

'Do you want to play again?'

War Games
Directed by John Badham, Written by Lawrence Lasker & Walter Parkes
With Matthew Broderick & Ally Sheedy
25th anniversary DVD release

Financial crash: A system in chaos

The latest chaos on Wall Street 鈥 the worst financial upheaval in the US since the 1930s Great Depression 鈥 highlights not just the scale of the world financial crisis, but the needless destruction caused by the blind competition at the core of capitalism.

Huyck Wagmer workers strike for better pay

Workers at Huyck Wagner in Breakwater have been trying to negotiate a new wage agreement for several months. The boss聮s offer of a 2% pay rise would mean, given current inflation, a pay cut in real terms.

Let them eat jam

On September 15, in his last full day as federal opposition leader, Brendan Nelson confronted the Labor government with a tin of baked beans and a jar of jam. 鈥淭hat is the reality for Australian pensioners: baked beans and jam sandwiches鈥, Nelson said, moving a censure motion against the government for its failure to agree to increase the Age Pension by $30 a week.

Anti-Flag: powerful and dynamic

The Bright Lights of America
Anti-Flag
Fat Wreck Chords, 2008
13 tracks, $29.99

Bankers should bail themselves out

Thirty years we鈥檝e had, of unfathomably wealthy bankers and dealers being justified as part of the free market.

Protest against anti-choice bill

Supporters of a woman聮s right to choose rallied outside Liberal anti-abortion Senator George Brandis聮s office on September 16. They were protesting against Tasmanian Liberal Senator Guy Bennett聮s private member聮s bill to end Medicare funding for abortions after 14 weeks聮 pregnancy. The bill, due for parliamentary debate on September 17, has been referred to a committee.