Albert Langer requested I post this through the common list which I am
happy to.
I would also like to add some of my reflection after finishing
campagning for the Greens.
Spending most of my time speaking to unemployed people at Centrelinks I
realised how little the whole process has to do with their lives.
Their anger and frustation is swallowed up by the preferential voting
system and their interests largely ignored by both of the major parties.
Not being likely to vote Liberal and being in a safe Labour seat they
are not even given Lip service by politicians.
Each of their lives are mini-tragedies of wasted potential not only for
them but the community at large. They are also bullied by beuracracy
which they are slowly getting angrier at.
I do not consider their worth to be expressed in any vote even a Neither
vote or a vote for me. They deserve a more genuine control and power
over their lives than is offered by the ballot box.
I still happily support the Greens only because they do not aim for a
top -down governing of communities but support local grass roots
community democracy. However the experience has soured me of being a
candidate even if the experience was a great deal of learning.
I also support Neither voting and proportional voting in the house of
reps because it will give these people a clearer voice at the ballot
box. However this is only one front of the fight and I am most
interested in organising collective direct action among unemployed
people. Ciao.
tony camilleri.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: tony Eatrich [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>Sent: Sunday, October 18, 1998 5:46 AM
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: RE: opposing from the left (my 2 cents)
>
>
>
>
>
>You state:
>
>>Seems to me that people with an outlook broadly similar to yours
>>are likely to form the backbone of Neither, with all sorts of
>variations and differences on concrete issues.
>>
>>Personally, I reject the Green party for reasons we can debate
>>later. But I'd be delighted to work together with Greens and anyone
>>else that want to fight against the two party state.
>
>I reply:
>
>I look forward to hearing your comments. I am not defensive at all
about
>
>criticisms of the Greens. While I wouldn't reject working with others
in
>
>a party to achieve change I resist becoming a victim to party
mentality.
>
>No grouping is perfect. Indeed I believe as an individual I benifit
from
>
>being challenged and so too does the Greens.
>I also maintain my seperateness from the Greens when I state I am an
>activist first.
>
>You say:
>No doubt you (and most other Neither supporters) would reject my own
>>political views (revolutionary communist), but I'm pretty sure we'll
>get along fine on what we do have in common.
>
>I reply:
>My own views are a muddled pragmatic anarchism. However we may be just
>arguing semantics. Most of my problems with "communists" are their
>tendency towards vanguards and centralised power. Your involvement with
>Neither indicates a distrust of cnetralised power and lack of choice in
>principle. So we may be more different in name than fact.
>However as you say I also believe a coalition along lines of agreement
>is possible even if we come from different points on the left.
>
>You say:
>>Several Green candidates put out How To Vote cards with the ALP and
the
>
>Coalition equal last in 1996. I guess that will be unlikely from now on
>while the Greens as a party continue their submissive attitude to being
>excluded from representation. But I can't see any reason why that
should
>
>be an obstacle to Green candidates who do WANT to put them equal last
>being members of Neither.
>
>I respond:
>This year no-one (to my knowledge) in the Greens, including me,
>recommended Neither voting on how to vote cards. This was primarily
>because the party advice was that Neither would not succeed in it's
>court challenge AND/OR would not be able to spot a neither vote in a
>booth where they did not have scrutineers. I could not even provide ANY
>scrutineers for the Greens in my electorate. Anita (from Neither)
>actually gave me the name of someone who could scrutineer for Neither
>but I did not have access to my email in time (very bad connection) so
>did not know.
>I should admit that if these conditions were repeated
(re:scrutineering)
>
>I would probably not recommend Neither voting as a candidate. I figure
>it's best to be honest.
>
>You say:
>The problem with membership has not been any desire to exclude Greens
>>from membership but a complete inability to include ANYBODY.
>>
>You also say:
>>My view is that the membership criteria should simply be rejecting
both
>
>the ALP and the Coalition by voting against them both until they agree
>to PR. Within that we should have open public debates about policies,
nd
>
>in the course of those debates adopt policies, such as support for
>increased immigration, that would naturally incline people broadly on
>the left to continue working with us and incline those on the right to
>look elsewhere. But without requiring support for any particular policy
>on anything as a criteria of membership so that winning and losing
>debates votes on policy is seen as a model for a future representative
>legislature rather than a means to establish another faction.
>
>I respond:
>I like what you are saying. Please consider also this idea. Some people
>are already obviously members by their level of contribution.
>Perhaps avenues to contribute then is more important to gain more of
>these members than a formal way of joining.
>Others like myself who (I'm currently suffering burn out) may not do
>much could be listed as "fellow travellers" because of coinciding
views.
>Fellow travellers (F.T.) could be on contact trees and be made aware of
>avenues to contribute so that thay could help out if possible.
>Members though would be regular contributers and thus have a say in any
>specific statements or strategy. Moving from being a F.T. to a member
>would be simple and fluid.
>
>Thanks for your comments. Please keep us posted on the strategy from
>here. Is there a court challenge pending??
"http://angelfire.com/sd/eatrich/index.html"
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