The 2013 federal election campaign is occurring at a time
when there is widespread dislike of both major parliamentary parties and their
leaders.
The danger of increased attacks on the working class from
an Abbott-led coalition government is on the minds of many people.
Gillard follows the
Hawke-Keating path. There is not much left of traditional social-democratic
values in the Labor Party. It is a party
fully committed to US-led neoliberalism.
People may not be clear that the genesis of this embrace of neoliberalism
has always been present in the Labor Party, but they feel the effects of its
current approach and they do not like it.
In previous elections,
we have called for more time for Labor to expose its service to US imperialism
in particular, and to capitalism in general, so that people may reconsider and
move away from their deeply-held illusions about the Labor Party.
To reiterate this
call in this election is to keep those illusions alive.
People know that the
differences between the two main parties are very small, that they have
essentially the same policies although they pursue them with somewhat different
tactics.
Under these conditions
we working people need to more strongly advocate an independent working class
agenda and have our own immediate demands at the forefront of our political and
organizational work.
It is too early to
have formal commitment by a range of people’s organisations to such an agenda.
But it is already
taking shape as people share the knowledge that they cannot rely on Labor in
office to protect and defend the people’s interests.
Components of that
agenda include the need to get serious about a real tax on mining
super-profits, a complementary financial transactions tax on the big banks and
financial institutions, the fight against privatization, demands for a new
funding system for schools.
Communities are
organizing for better public health systems, for improved and expanded public
transport, for more and cheaper community housing.
They are confronting
the property developers, the politicians in their pay, and the big end of town
that has taken over so many of the previous functions of government.
The development of
this agenda under appropriate and careful leadership will build an unstoppable
movement for anti-imperialist independence and socialism.
Whilst taking account
of tactics and different circumstances, above all else we must put forward and
encourage mass struggle around this agenda as the most effective means of
defending the interests of the people against the attacks by capital.
This is consistent
with our view that parliament is a talking shop and that parliamentary
“democracy” is a deception.
We do not support
channeling such an agenda into parliament.
This is a diversion from the path towards real
democracy as exercised by the people in direct struggle against the ruling
class.
In certain future circumstances we may
consider utilising parliamentary elections if it will assist in organizing the
people in struggle and help in promoting revolutionary ideas.
The people must keep
Abbott out but not be led into believing that keeping Gillard in is in any
sense to select and support the best of a bad lot.
A bad lot by any
measure is not as good as persevering in the task of developing our own
independent agenda.
Central Committee
March 2013
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