On the international tour of SEP presidential candidate Jerry White
I’ve been intently reading on the world tour by Jerry. I’m proud that you guys are doing the hard work of connecting to real workers. Revolutionary coordination is hard work, requiring acolytes to take up tools alongside the proletarians and peasants in order to effectively spread the word and coordinate dissidence. It’s far easier, and more fun, to march down the boulevard and party at the end.
Vance O
California, USA
1 September 2012
On “Three New Zealand soldiers killed in Afghanistan”
At the same time that New Zealand loses five soldiers, forcing John Key’s government to consider bringing back NZ troops, Australia also loses five soldiers in Afghanistan but PM Julia Gillard merely insists on “staying the course”. This in spite of the fact that the Australian soldiers were killed by people they were training.
Even so, it is superfluous to exclaim, “Why doesn’t the Australian government bring our soldiers home?” or “Isn’t Gillard aware that the Afghans are stabbing us in the back?”, because whatever happens to Australian soldiers there, Gillard will not bring them home. She depends too much on Washington’s support and the continued approval of the Australian mining industry to consider the wishes of the Australian public.
Meanwhile Afghan Hazara refugees continue to make the hazardous trip to Australian shores and the Gillard government can only dither and fudge about where to put them all instead of admitting to its responsibility as an ally of the US to give them refuge.
Jennifer H
Australia
1 September 2012
On “Lufthansa cabin crew launch strike”
I’m inspired to read of the older Lufthansa workers’ concern for the younger employees who are encountering worse conditions than their own. Nice, too, to see these workers taking the initiative and resolving to battle back. Unfortunately I’m imagining the union leaders in the traditional role of trying to figure out how to convince the workers to accept their conditions and to have faith that things will change if they’ll only be patient or some such. Hopefully the Lufthansa workers will be onto this tired script and insist on change. As has been expressed so often and so well in this site, only a Socialist government will be able to provide what’s needed here: fair wages and decent working conditions. Thank you all for your tireless work in this endeavor.
Geraldine C
California, USA
2 September 2012
On “The Democratic convention opens”
It is my opinion that both the Republican and Democrat parties belong to the one percent. It does not matter which one wins, we will have the same government. This election is nothing but a smoke screen to make the people think they have some control of their government. As I understand it there are 13 candidates for president and most people cannot name but a few of them. It is my understanding that candidates have the right to television time equal to what other candidates get. With all of the TV coverage of the conventions, should not the other candidates have equal TV time? Let us have a real election and if no one gets 50 percent of the vote let us have a run-off. Jesse Ventura scared both major parties enough that they have tried to silence other parties.
RD
Oklahoma, USA
4 September 2012
On “France, Turkey push for Syrian no-fly zone at UN”
There is another interpretation of these events based on the Ecuador model. The constant stream of statements emanating from the US, UK, and French governments are part of a coordinated bluff. None of these states has in fact fired a single shot in the direction of Syria. The US has not used its NATO proxy Turkey to stage an intervention for “humanitarian” reasons.
Now the assistant NATO general secretary says nobody in NATO has ever suggested doing anything about Syria. And that NATO hasn’t even bothered to formulate any plans for any intervention… Clinton didn’t turn up in France because the US bluff has been called and exposed.
Chris
Ireland
31 August 2012