Lift grass roots action – Go beyond Parliament

Vanguard October 2010 p. 1

In the immediate period, with the formation of the new Gillard ALP minority government, a lot of attention is directed to the parliamentary manoeuvrings, machinations and horse trading between the ALP and Liberal/Coalition parties. Activities around the important demands of working people and communities that were clearly spelled out in the election results should not be allowed to be drowned out.

Parliamentary reform is hailed as the only answer to all the problems of the people. The ruling class of big business clearly prefer the certainty and reliability of the 2 main parliamentary parties, over whom they wield decisive control and power. The larger parliamentary presence of Greens and independents, whose policies more closely reflect the progressive demands of the people, has unsettled the ruling class of monopoly capital.

No doubt Abbott’s scheming to destabilise the minority ALP government and create conditions for an early election (bloodless coup) represent the manoeuvrings and manipulation by one section of the monopoly ruling class who prefer a more reactionary approach.

The avalanche of media talking heads concentrating on parliamentary administrative technicalities of the minority government and pushing aside the important demands of the people shows how little has changed. Officious pronouncements by the Business Council of Australia, Minerals Council, BHP-Billiton and peak corporate organisations continue to be forcefully promoted, whilst the demands of the people are silenced.

The new parliamentary administration appears to be paralysed by the technicalities and bickerings between the two major parties, but in reality the real business of governing the country continues behind the scenes, hidden from the public view. This is where the real decisions and deals are made by main political parties with big monopoly corporations.

The Gillard government’s sudden embrace of the carbon tax, after stubborn refusal for past 10 months, was announced within hours of BHP-Billiton’s also unexpected about face and declaration of its support for it. In the background, but always present, are the interests of global imperialism, especially the interests of US imperialism.

The concerns of the people about real issues affecting their lives get scant attention. Even the Greens and the independents, with some good ideas and progressive policies, find it hard to keep focus on the main issues they were elected on, with constant pressure and diversions of horse-trading and empty talk fests.

Go beyond parliament
It’s essential for the people that the focus is fixed on the real issues and activities in the workplace and communities away from the parliamentary circus. There’s no doubt parliament should be made use of for widely broadcasting and lifting people’s demands when individual, honest parliamentarians take a progressive stand in the interests of the people. This is now more likely than in previous parliaments, with more scope for private members’ bills. Whenever this happens the people should take advantage of every opportunity to advance their demands, as in the case of the Greens’ policies to abolish the ABCC and their open support for the superprofits tax on the mining monopolies.

But making use of parliament to advance the interests of the people plays only a small part in the campaigns, whilst the main focus should always be on political work among the people, well beyond the confines of parliamentary politics, which should never be promoted as a substitute to real mass work and organisation at the grass roots.

The election result demonstrated a certain turning away from parliamentary parties and parliamentarism. It is important to channel this disillusionment and cynicism into progressive and positive direction. What is needed is united front action that mobilises working people and communities against the greedy local and foreign monopolies.

Ark Tribe and ABCC – Workers Rights
On November 3rd the bosses courts will hand down the verdict in the ABCC case against construction worker Ark Tribe. Really it is the monopoly capitalist ruling class and their instrument the ABCC are on trial.

If Ark is found guilty, workers and their unions have pledged to call for a national strike and continuing industrial action. Wide sections of the union movement and the community are waiting to be brought into the decisive solidarity activities. “Touch one, touch all” echoes in all corners of the country. And waiting in behind Ark Tribe is another construction worker in Queensland summonsed by the ABCC. The fight to abolish the ABCC and defend the rights of all workers and unions is never ending and has the power to gather around it wide support and mass activities.

Tax the mining monopolies, tax polluters – not the people
The mining monopolies don’t want to pay taxes for more ports, roads, railways and other infrastructure and services to the people. Instead, together with the Business Council of Australia, they want ordinary people to pay more in GST. The power generating monopolies and other polluters want to jack up the prices for gas and electricity to cover any increased costs of pollution reduction, whether an emissions trading scheme or a carbon tax. In both cases, the cost burden is shifted onto the people and big business can push for more cuts in company tax.

Manufacturing, food security, farmland and water
The neo-liberal policies of global multinational corporations have gutted Australia’s manufacturing industry and now wiping out Australia’s food production. Australia’s production and retail of food is dominated by Woolworths and Coles monopolies who control farmers’ and consumers’ prices. Multinational agribusinesses and unfair trade agreements are forcing small and medium farmers off the land.

These urgent demands and issues around which people want immediate action and mass organisation should be popularised widely.