Neoliberalism and neoliberal capitalism

Left Q&A debates the rise of the populist right

Trump鈥檚 unstable executive orders loomed large at 2017鈥檚 first Left Q&A on 鈥淭he rise of the populist right and the anti-globalisation backlash鈥. Common talking points at the February 4 forum held in Melbourne鈥檚 Trades Hall were Trump鈥檚 xenophobia, the demise of the Labor Party, the breakdown of consensus across the West and the new rejection of neoliberalism.

Panellists from the left lauded the worldwide anti-populist protests, legal battles and upsurge in left-wing action, while advocating an Australian left unity project.

Where does right-wing populism come from and how can we defeat it?

The seeds of the current crisis of confidence in the capitalist parties in Australia go back to the 1980s when the Bob Hawke Labor government implemented its version of Margaret Thatcher鈥檚 neoliberal economic policies. The Hawke government also managed to achieve what previous Coalition governments had failed to do 鈥 seriously weaken the union movement.

While these reforms did not immediately create right-wing populism, once the reforms started to really bite by the late 1990s, it began to develop around Pauline Hanson.

Behind South Australia鈥檚 nuclear waste dump scheme: the dilemmas of provincial capitalism

To most South Australians, Labor Premier Jay Weatherill鈥檚 plan for a vast outback dump to host imported high-level nuclear waste is dead, needing only a decent send-off.

Nevertheless, the Premier keeps trying to resurrect the scheme. Why?

How globalised super-exploitation makes modern capitalism tick

Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century: Globalization, Super-Exploitation, and Capitalism鈥檚 Final Crisis
By John Smith
Monthly Review Press, 2016

On April 24, 2013 a clothing factory in Rana Plaza, Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1133 workers and injuring 2500 others.

This image of super-exploited, fatally-trapped workers, hemmed in by national borders and racist migration policies preventing them from moving to safer, better-paid work opens John Smith鈥檚 book 鈥 and illustrates his outrage.

Privatisation on the nose says ACCC chief

Privatisation continues to be touted as a quick fix, so the mantra goes 鈥減ublic sector bad, private sector good鈥. That is, using community funds and resources to build up a vital service or piece of infrastructure, usually over a period of many years, then when there is a 鈥渂udget crisis鈥 selling it off to yield a quick cash injection and the removal of an expense from the ledger 鈥 regardless of whether it is generating income or not 鈥 while giving sweetheart deals to the new owners to ensure monopoly-like conditions to maximise their profits.

Build the alternative, build it now

The 2016 federal election has confirmed the continuing decline of Australia's two-party system. The relative stability that characterised the decades after World War II was shaped by a phase of unprecedented economic growth, record low unemployment and mass home ownership. But that is long gone, in fact it was an aberration. Our system of single member electorates helped paper over the current period of rising economic insecurity, but inevitably politics is catching up.

Coalition aim is to 'destroy' Medicare: socialist

"The Coalition government's plan is not only to privatise Medicare, but to destroy it as a universal, national healthcare system," Peter Boyle, the Socialist Alliance candidate for the seat of Sydney, said on July 1. "The plan is based on a form of 'creeping privatisation,' together with undermining its coverage of the majority of community health services around the country."

Maximise your vote for a people's movement against corporate greed and racism

Pork-barrel politics and scare tactics have dominated the final weeks of the 鈥渓ongest election campaign ever鈥. Voters in marginal seats have been warned to 鈥渧ote carefully鈥, to not 鈥渨aste your vote鈥 or 鈥渞isk a protest vote鈥 which might result in 鈥 shock horror 鈥渢he chaos of a hung parliament鈥. We have had 鈥渢radies鈥 in political ads trying to convince workers that the Liberal National Party (LNP) is their party, and Labor trying to convince the public that they have 鈥渞ediscovered鈥 labor values.

Protests grow against Powerhouse Museum sell-off

The Powerhouse Museum in inner-city Ultimo is a great place to take the kids for an educational and enlightening experience. The NSW Coalition government's plan to sell off the museum building to private developers and shift the collection to Parramatta in Western Sydney is facing growing opposition. Premier Mike Baird confirmed on April 11 the government's decision to shift the museum, to be constructed on the old David Jones car park site on the banks of the Parramatta River. Construction is due to begin in 2018 and finish by 2022.

Socialist candidate says 'expand public housing, not sell it off'

The New South Wales Baird government has announced an historic decision to privatise public housing. In a $22 billion bonanza for the government's property developer mates, public housing estates will be torn down and rebuilt into places where private tenants and homeowners outnumber social housing tenants by 70% to 30%. NSW Coalition Minister for Social Housing Brad Hazzard announced the state government's "Future Directions for Social Housing" policy. It includes the transfer of 35% of public housing to community housing organisations.

TPP: Good for profits - bad for people and planet

Negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) were finally completed in Atlanta on October 5. Final agreement on the treaty had been delayed for years as negotiating countries tried to protect their own industries while trying to gain market access in others. The TPP was negotiated by countries on the Pacific Rim: the US, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Chile, Brunei, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam and Japan. These countries represent about 40% of global GDP.
TTP rally New Zealand.

Protests reject TPP as corporate power grab

There were huge protests against the Trans-Pacific Partnership held across New Zealand on August 15. About 10,000 protesters marched in Auckland, 5000 in Wellington, 4000 in Christchurch and thousands more in other parts of the country.