Anarchist Age Weekly Review 16-22 Nov '98 Number 326 16th - 22nd November, 1998 IN A TIME OF UNIVERSAL DECEIT - TELLING THE TRUTH IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT - GEORGE ORWELL WOW!! Can you believe it, the International Monetary Fund has given the Australian government's report card a big tick for its handling of the economy. I'm beside my self at the thought of the honour the I.M.F. has bestowed on little olde Australia. It's good to know that the I.M.F. is very happy that the Australian government has managed to make the country a corporate paradise. It's important to remember what's good for the I.M.F. is not necessarily good for the country let alone good for the workforce. Examining the fine print in the I.M.F. report it's obvious the I.M.F. is not happy about the money that is spent on the country's social security system. They have suggested that the Australian government cut off unemployment benefits to the unemployed after six months. They believe that if the unemployed were not given any benefits after six months, they would be more keen to look for work. Reading the I.M.F.'s report card on the Australian economy made me realise why people in this country are having such a hard time. Everything is geared towards the corporate sector. Wages and conditions have taken a back seat to corporate needs. Profit, irrespective of the social and human costs, is about the only indicator that the I.M.F. is interested in. A good report from the I.M.F. is something to be ashamed of, not proud of. I can't imagine why Peter Costello was so proud to realise the I.M.F.'s report card. Every word in the report highlights how the Howard regime has bankrolled the corporate sector at the expense of working people and people on social security benefits. APEC MADNESS Johnny Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, is a man who's very keen to please those in power. Watching his performance at the APEC conference in Kuala Lumpur highlighted the pedestrian nature of the man and his thoughts. While Al Gore, the man who's a heart beat away from the President of the United States, waxed lyrical about freedom, democracy and the joys of international capitalism, Johnny Howard did his best to smooth the feathers of the recalcitrant one while he praised his God, International Capital. While students were being shot in Indonesia by Habibie's military forces, Johnny Howard mumbled about how difficult the situation was for the Indonesian government and how the Indonesian government had the sympathy (pigs arse) of all Australians. Watching Howard move from one engagement to another made me sick to be an Australian, not that Keating's or Hawke's performance was any better than Howard's lack lustre appearance at APEC. GET THOSE PRINTING PRESSES ROLLING!! The Japanese government finds itself in a quandary of its own making. In an effort to kick start the Japanese economy it has embarked on an orgy of public spending. In an extraordinary move, it is pumping literally hundreds of billions of dollars into the Japanese economy to get the show back on its feet. Unfortunately for the Japanese people, the government does not have the funds to meet this new financial burden. The value of the Japanese Yen has been kept artificially elevated by the intervention of the United States Reserve Bank. If the Japanese government's package does not stimulate the economy it's highly likely the government will have to print money to meet its massively expanding debts. INEPT AND WEAK Listening to Jeffrey (Glib) Kennett describe C.S.R. as inept and weak when they changed their minds and decided not to build a toxic dump at Werribee in Melbourne because of local opposition, reminded me that these are exactly the same words that I have used to describe the performance of the great man himself. The Kennett regimes performance in Victoria has been inept and weak. Although Glib likes to think of himself as a strong and decisive leader, the facts speak for themselves. The man is a political fraud. Although he is successfully able to project the media image that he is a strong and decisive leader, his so-called victories are few and far between. He seems to be most successful when he is kicking people and projects that have little if any real power. When he's confronted by the corporate sector, or his business mates, he bows respectfully and does all he can to ensure that their interests take precedence over the communities interests. Kennett is one of the ugly breed of foreman who continually belittle those under their supervision, but continually praises those who have more power than them. As a leader he betrays all the traits of a classical bully. The only way to stop people like him is by standing up to them. The more people who do this, the sooner his forceful and decisive image will be replaced with the true picture of Jeffrey Glib Kennett, a man who is willing to do anything to please his boss - the corporate sector. DON'T WORRY Those Victorians who are concerned that the Kennett regime is about to privatise the Gas & Fuel Corporation, DON'T WORRY. Irrespective of who the state sells these assets to, when radical egalitarian social change occurs, and occur it will, the community will not only abolish the state but it will take back any state assets that had been privatised by this and other governments and will not compensate those corporations that have bought these assets. FACT OR FICTION Wilson Ironbar Tuckey the Federal Minister for Forestry and Conservation may have to reassess some of his most cherished beliefs. Our little mate has been at the forefront of the rabble that think global warming is a plot that has been hatched by greenies who have had one too many magic mushrooms. If the recent audit of the world's coral reefs is anything to go by, it looks like Wilson and his mates are the ones who have been taking mind altering substances. The world's coral reefs act as global warming canaries. Small increases in water temperature can and does have devastating effects on coral reefs. Analysis of data generated by satellite, has shown widespread bleaching of coral reefs in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific. Thousands of kilometres of corals have died as a result of increases of surface water temperatures of over one degree. Coral reefs are extremely sensitive to temperature variations, increasing levels of bleached coral on the Great Barrier Reef is an indication that global warming is a fact not fiction. Coral reefs support over 90,000 fish species, over 25% of the world's total. Although reefs occupy only 0.3% of the sea surface, they provide shelter and food for tens of thousands of marine species. Reefs act as natural breakwaters and prevent beach erosion and tidal waves. The wholesale destruction of the world's coral reefs will occur if water temperatures rise another two degrees. The loss of this ecosystem will inevitably be followed by the loss of other ecosystems. Unless more efforts are made by nation states, corporations and individuals to decrease global warming, the destruction of the world's coral reefs will occur in our lifetime. YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET!! Habibie, Suharto's shadow puppet, has been confronted by mass demonstrations just seven months after Suharto was forced to hand over power to his loyal deputy. One of the most enduring pictures in Indonesian's minds was the sight of Habibie kneeling and kissing Suharto's hand when he arrived in Jakarta after demonstrations forced him to return from a meeting with Muslim heads of state in Egypt seven months ago. Indonesians know nothing has changed. The head of state may have changed, but power and wealth still remains in the hands of the old guard. The meeting of Suharto's discredited parliament in Jakarta last week, was the catalyst which led to this weeks mass riots. The Indonesian people want an end to the corrupt dictatorship that still rules the country. They are willing to meet Habibies puppet government, head on, in the streets. Habibie's (Suharto's) response to the situation has been more of the same - promise the people bodgie elections, unleash the police and military on them and arrest and imprison influential militants. As Habibie battles to control the forces of change, governments in the region and the west, tremble at the thought that their own people will break through state and corporate sponsored tissue of lies that temporarily blinds people from reality. Governments, whether parliamentary or dictatorial, may be able to fool most of the people all of the time, but they can't fool all of the people all of the time. What we are witnessing today in Indonesia is a struggle that will lead to the disintegration of the Indonesian state (a post colonial entity that has no legitimacy in the eyes of the people). What type of society will replace it, is anybodies guess. What is certain, is the region will be in turmoil until power and wealth is wrestled out of the hands of the current corrupt oligarchy. P.S. I've heard a rumour that Suharto the Butcher and his brood have transferred money to Australia and have bought property in Australia, in case they need to flee Indonesia. I wonder if Suharto has bought a property near his good mate, Paul Keating's hacienda in Sydney. Wouldn't it be nice to see these two former leaders, chat about the good old days when Keating sat at the masters feet (a la Lang) and listened to Suharto the Butcher's gems of wisdom. ANARCHIST QUESTION AND ANSWER Q. What role if any, will leaders play in an anarchist community? A. The Spanish anarchists overcame the dilemma of leadership by calling some anarchists "influential militants", this wasn't a mantle that individuals placed on their own shoulders, but one which the community placed on their shoulders because of the influence they exerted on society. In any community, even an anarchist community, some peoples' determination, intelligence and strategical knowledge will mean that people will listen to what they have to say and may be influenced by their experiences and thoughts. When we examine the question of leadership, we need to ask ourselves what is the difference between a Durruti or Emma Goldman and a Stalin or Margaret Thatcher? The crucial difference between these two groups of people is power. Although Durruti and Emma Goldman were both influential anarchists, they did not have the institutional power that guaranteed that their wishes would be carried out. They had to publicly argue their cases and rely on their powers of persuasion. The difference between Stalin and Margaret Thatcher is one of degrees. Both controlled state institutions, one totally, the other had to present her political party to the people every five years. The difference between these two groups of leaders is one of substance not style. In one case leaders show the way but can't force people to follow them. In the other case a leaders authority is backed up by the state apparatus, if people decide not to follow such a leader, the leader can initially by a system of sanctions and finally by physical coercion, force them to carry out the leaders demands. It's no accident that the original meaning of the Greek word anarchos, the forerunner of the word anarchist revolves around concepts that are based on the exertion of authority (rulers) not example (leadership). ACTION BOX - 1+1 = 3? For a movement that prides itself on self-organisation and spontaneity, it's very strange how most anarchist groups continue to hoe the same furrows that their predecessors hoed. The single most important failing of the post-modern anarchist movement is its inability to explore new tactics and strategies. When one group strikes out in a different and new direction, it's not unusual to see "wiser" heads dim the initiative before its even tried. The anarchist movement seems to be bereft of original let alone lateral thinking. Although the central tenets of anarchism don't change, conditions, people and institutions can change radically. Applying "true and tried" strategies to these new situations can be a recipe for disillusionment and failure. If you've been involved in the same campaigns and have continued to hoe that familiar furrow, but haven't been able to get that seed to grow, then stop what you are doing. Sit back analyse the whole campaign. Call a conference to discuss the matter. It's no use saying that people "don't understand, their apathetic". Why don't they understand, why are they apathetic? Are you part of the problem, or are you part of the solution to the problem? Either way, there's no point in wasting your time bashing your brains out against a brick wall. Martyrdom may give you a warm inner glow, but it ain't going to change much. Can't seem to get that addition right? Keep getting three every time you add up 1+1? Then stop what you are doing, analyse the situation and try to find a new strategy that takes account of the local situation and then go for it!! It's no defeat to admit that the strategy that you have pursued doesn't work. It's sensible and realistic to discard tactics that don't work and embark on a search for new strategies. AUSTRALIAN ANARCHIST HISTORY - CONFESTS Remember the Confests? There still a feature of Australian life. Around Easter, thousands of alternative "lifestyles" live it up in a remote corner of Australia. Anarchists have been involved in many Confests. As individuals and groups they have been attracted to the alternative movement. One of the earliest Confests I can remember is the 1978 Confest in Beri in South Australia. Over ten thousand people camped and enjoyed an alternative experience in the great Australian bush. In 1978 there was very little interest in anarchist ideas, among most of the people who made their way to Berri. Most were interested in the trappings of change, not change itself. In an attempt to inject some theory into the practice and practice into the theory, the folk who were involved in the Black Rose Anarchist bookshop in Sydney took an active part in organising the self-managed village at a number of Confests. The self-managed village was a part of the Confest that was more interested in the practical application of anarchist ideas at the Confest, then selling the trappings of an alternative lifestyle. I personally don't know how successful the self-managed villages were. I only have personal recollections of one such village. Although the participants in the village ensured it ran efficiently, I don't have any recollection of other participants in the Confest taking much of an interest in its activities. Any participants in the Confest self-managed villages who have the time and inclination to place their experiences down on paper are welcome to send us their thoughts. It's important that anarchists who have contributed to the Confest movement, share their experience and thoughts with those anarchists who experienced the Confest as consumers and those anarchists who for a variety of reasons were never part of the Confest movement. BOOK REVIEW THE CASE AGAINST THE GLOBAL ECONOMY (And For a Turn Toward the Local) Edited by Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith 1996, ISBN 0-87156-865-9, Sierra Club Books - San Francisco publication Feel inadequate, every time some grotty world leader pops up on the television screen and drones on about the benefits of globalisation? Do you vomit over the furniture every time some clean cut economic guru, messianic glint in his eyes, waxes lyrical about free trade and the life enhancing values of privatisation and corporatisation? Do you sink into your armchair and close your eyes when the realisation hits you, that what you are seeing and hearing has been tried before and has been found to be specularly unsuccessful? Struck dumb, lost for words. DON'T DESPAIR, grab the Case Against the Global Economy, immerse yourself in this 534 page monolith and learn to wipe the smiles off the smiling faces of the snake oil salesman and women who are pedalling lies that are ruining the lives of billions of people. This book is mandatory reading for anybody who wants to cross swords and intellectually pulverise the harbingers of death who control the global economy. It's well set out, easy to read and the ideas discussed are accessible to most people. Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith have brought together a number of authors, who not only slay the savage global beast, but use its body to prepare the planet for new economic thinking that shifts economic forces from global dependence to local interdependence. The information in this book will give you the ammunition you need to shoot down the arguments of those invincible looking, clean cut economic gurus who manage to look so sincere, thoughtful and trusting as they sentence another billion people to the economic margins. If ideas are weapons, the Case Against the Global Economy is a veritable high tech nuclear arsenal. Review copy of the Case Against the Global Economy and For a Turn Toward the Local, kindly provided by Anarres Books. It retails for $20.80. This book and other radical and anarchist publications are available from Anarres Books PO Box 150 East Brunswick 3057, Melbourne Australia. If you have access to the net, e-mail your orders to mailorder@anarres.org.au Look at their website http://www.anarres.org.au for information about other books they have in stock. PERSONAL OBSERVATION Viagra, Cellasene, Viagra, Cellasene pathways to the body beautiful. Over the past few weeks Australians have been submerged in waves of media induced orgasmic fantasies. Pharmacies across the nation have stocked their shelves with the phallic vasodilator - VIAGRA - guaranteed to inject steel into the jaded male member. At seventy dollars for four good times, a steal in anybodies language. Pharmacists across the nation, stocked their shelves with this wonder drug, waiting for hordes of the impotent to cross their palms with gold. Two months later their shelves are still weighed down with their initial purchases. It looks like not too many men or their partners seem to want to, or need to have their partners members pharmacologically stimulated. As the nation's pharmacists lick their wounds, up pops Cellasene, the brain child of one Gianfranco Morizzi, one of Italy's more flamboyant entrepreneurs. In a blaze of publicity, the new Messiah claims that he has discovered a cure for cellulite - yes folks cellulite, "orange peel skin". The bane of post-modern existence. At sixty dollars for 40 tablets, a steal in anybodies language. Within days of the rumour that Cellasene "cures" cellulite hit our shores, women have been falling over themselves trying to purchase the magic pills that will "cure" their cellulite and help their men throw away their Viagra. Within two weeks of the story breaking, 300,000 orders for Cellasene have been placed with pharmacists and naturopaths. Does the stuff work? Who knows? Who cares? Three hundred thousand people (mostly women) will soon find out if Morizzi's magic juice is up to the job. The moral of the story, performance always takes a back seat to appearance. STOP PRESS - POOR BILL!! Poor Billy Clinton, ready to bloody his mates Sadam Hussein's nose and the bugger throws in the white towel. Saddam and his brood continue to rule Iraq courtesy of the West and the United States. In 1991 the international community held back on destroying. Saddam Hussein's regime, because they were concerned about the spreading influence of Muslim fundamentalism. In 1998 seven years after the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein and his family continue to wield power in Iraq because it's convenient for the United States and the West to have him and his family in power. The sanctions that have been imposed against Iraq, have been directed against ordinary people, not the dictatorship. Bill Clinton needs Saddam Hussein. Like clockwork he can count on the ageing dictator to flex what atrophied muscles he has left. It's time the Iraqi peoples' collective punishment was stopped. Hussein and the Presidential Guards rule by brute force. If the United Nations is serious about defusing the situation in the Middle East, it's time they implement all their resolutions, not just the ones directed against Hussein's regime. It's interesting to note that none of the United Nation resolutions against Israel that have been passed in the last thirty years have been acted on. Bill Clinton and his cronies are furious that Saddam Hussein has once again catapulted just before they were about to bomb Iraq back to the dark ages. What's the point of doing all you can to keep your opponent in power, if he won't fight when you need to draw some blood to bolster your own flagging fortunes. JOSEPH TOSCANO (Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed Society). OPINION - (Letters to the Editor, THE AGE) - Wednesday 11th November 1998 Our silent 'heroes' - (Their heading, not mine) As Australians spend a few moments remembering the sixty thousand Australians who died in World War One, they should spend a few seconds reflecting on the actions of Australian men and women who's courageous stand saved the lives of tens of thousands of young Australians. The Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) the forerunners of the modern Australian Anarchist movement were bashed, jailed, ostracised, deported and executed by an Australian government that was hell bent on conscripting young Australians to fight the War to end all Wars. The I.W.W. were at the forefront of the Anti-Conscription struggle. Their determined and principled actions contributed to the defeat of conscription referendums that were held in late 1916 and in 1917. As we mark the 80th Anniversary of Armistice Day, it's no exaggeration to say that another 60,000 Australians would have been sacrificed on the European killing fields, if the men and women of the I.W.W. had been intimidated by the actions of a government that was hell bent on sacrificing young Australian lives for the glory of God, King and Country. Joseph Toscano/Anarchist Media Institute. ANARCHIST PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED THIS WEEK BACK FLAG No 215 Oct '98, BM HURRICANE, LONDON, WCIN 3XX, ENGLAND. GRASWUZZEZ REVOLUTION No 231 Sept '98, Kaiserstrabe 24, 26122 Oldengerg(Qldb) D4025E, GERMANY. LE MOND LIBERTAIRE. No1139 5th - 11th Nov '98, 145 RUE AMEZOT, 75011, PARIS, FRANCE, tel.0148053408 fax. 0149299859. ORGANISE No 49 Summer '98, Newspaper of the Anarcho-communist Federation, National Secretary, P.O. Box 375, KNAPHILL, WOKING SURRE, GU 21 2xL, Great Britain. SICILIA LIBETARIA No 169, Oct '98. VIA GALILEO GALILEI 45, 97100, RAGUSA, ITALY. OTHER PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED THIS WEEK BEYOND LIMITS, (Creating Wealth Through Educational Investment Strategies) P.O. Box 800, MULLUMBIMBY 2482, AUSTRALIA. tel fax. (02) 6684236. tel. (02) 66855960. email: wisard@mullum.com.au DEBT ELIMINATION APPEAL - BACK TO THE BAD OLD DAYS Our debt stands at $1392.00. Our frenzied activities over the past month have pushed our debt WAY OVER the $1200 mark. Once again we need your urgent assistance. We know its a bit boring asking for financial help but unfortunately we need the money. We especially ask our web site readers to help us meet this debt. Subscribers to the Anarchist Age Weekly and Monthly Review cross subsidise our net expenses. DEBT 18.11.98 - $1392.00 please send STAMPS, MONEY ORDERS OR CHEQUES to L.W.S.S. PO BOX 20, Parkville 3052, Melbourne, Australia. Overseas Donors please note - please have cheques at your end made out in Australian dollars as it costs us ten dollars to convert one overseas cheques to Aust dollars. PARTY TIME PARTY TIME PARTY TIME To celebrate another successful year of activity, the Anarchist Media Institute/Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed Society invites our supporters to an END OF YEAR get together at the LINCOLN HOTEL, 91 Cardigan St, Carlton, Melbourne. (Corner of Queensberry & Cardigan St) on Wednesday the 25th of November GET TOGETHER STARTS AT 8.00PM, ALL WELCOME. THE ANARRES ANARCHIST BOOKSHOP COLLECTIVE WILL HAVE A STALL ON THE NIGHT. FOOD and DRINKS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE PUB. Barricade Books/Info Shop presents... "Jedda" A 1950's Australian film about an Aboriginal girl in the racist outback. Saturday 21st November, 6.30pm (film starts around 7pm), Cost is $4 and includes a vegan meal. ********************** And on Friday 27th November 6.30pm onwards... The Great Debate "Marxism Vs Anarchism" Come along to speak or just listen... ...but don't miss this event which promises to be bigger than the split in the First International. Cost is $4 and includes a vegan meal. All are welcome. Both events will be held at: Barricade Books/Infoshop - 115 Sydney Road, Brunswick. #19 tram route. A) ANARCHISM TOWARDS THE 21ST CENTURY B) TOWARDS AN ANARCHIST SOCIETY - Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed Society Position & Activities 1998. Send $4.00 of stamps to L.W.S.S. PO Box 20 Parkville 3052 Melbourne Australia and we will post out both booklets to you. TALK BACK WITH ATTITUDE - NEW RADICAL TALKBACK PROGRAM on Community Radio 3CR (855am dial)- EVERY THURSDAY 9.00AM - 10.00AM, Co-hosted by Joseph Toscano and Sasha Shargot. Ring On (03) 9419 0155 between 9am to 10am every Thursday morning if you want to participate. ANARCHIST MEDIA INSTITUTE OBSCENITY OF THE WEEK Has been awarded to the State Premiers for their pathetic performance at the Premiers Conference - good one BOYS. If You Like What You Have Read, Photocopy This Publication and Leave It In Doctors, Dentists, Vets Waiting Rooms and In Railway Stations, Bus Stops, Libraries and Restaurants Etc. The articles in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review express the opinion of individuals within the Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed Society/Anarchist Media Institute. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Libertarian Workers for a Self-Managed Society/Anarchist Media Institute. P U B L I C A T I O N S Anarchist Age Weekly Review - 4 pages of Anarchist commentary on Local, National and International events. $50.00 for 50 issues $10.00 for 10 issues Anarchist Age Monthly Review - Issue 80 out July 1998 $48.00 wage earners - 12 issues $30.00 non wage earners - 12 issues Make out cheques or money orders to: Libertarian Workers, PO Box 20, Parkville, 3052 Victoria Australia. All material in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review can be used by anarchists, anarchist collectives and non-profit organisations as long as the source of the material is mentioned in the article. The Anarchist Age Weekly Review reserves all rights as far as commercial publications are concerned. NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD - MARGARET MEAD.