The current discussion about unity on the left in Australia is an important one. It opens up the possibility of the socialist left making significant gains and being reforged on a new basis that transcends some of the historic differences that have divided the revolutionary left for decades.
I feel that in 2013, Socialist Alliance needs a perspective of re-orienting toward campus.
Nine months ago, Green Left TV didn't exist. Of course, we did have comrades with film skills, and members putting up the odd rally or forum video here and there, and occasional videos on the GLW website but it was very much an ad-hoc approach.
Socialist Alliance's draft housing policy includes the following paragraph:
The Socialist Alliance National Executive has decided to extend the deadline for Alliance Voices contributions (new policy, Constitutional Amendments and Towards a Socialist Australia amendments) to December 31, to allow members more time to make contributions.
Jonathan Strauss' useful contribution on a sustainable transport policy skirts an issue that crops up frequently in urban communities: traffic calming.
Below is an updated version of my previous draft submitted to Alliance Voices, which includes suggestions from other comrades that relate more to wording than substance. I have included information on some recent international developments pertaining to this issue. This draft policy only focuses on currently illicit, psycho-active drugs, such as cannabis, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and other drugs.
While the ongoing exchanges have not congealed as yet, a difference I do note is that Socialist Alternative tends to have a modest, sometimes even negative, take on prospects for the here and now.
At Socialist Alliance’s national conference in 2010, we adopted a draft Public Transport policy. In the pre-conference discussion I wrote that the drafting process needed to continue beyond the proposed draft (see Alliance Voices, vol. 8, no. 9, “Steps towards a Socialist Alliance sustainable transport policy” ), which was then put up and adopted as the draft.
We need to update our Tamil policy as some of the points in the policy on our website are out of date.
I want to submit (below) a redrafted version of the ATSI section, rather than just change bits here and there. I also think it should be closer to the front of the document, maybe where we first start talking about Australia, to put the dispossession, stolen wealth and unpaid labour of Aboriginal people right at the heart of Australian capitalism.
Disclaimer — signed articles represent the views of their authors, not necessarily the views of the Socialist Alliance unless otherwise stated. Responsibility for all electoral comment is taken by P. Benedek, 22 Mountain Street, Ultimo, NSW 2007. Alliance Voices submission protocols.