Socialist Alliance conference to prepare for struggle, Jan. 2-5, 2010
| Host: | |
| Type: | |
| Network: | Global |
| Start Time: | Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 7:30pm |
| End Time: | Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 5:00pm |
| Location: | Women's College, Sydney University, Australia |
Description
For more information, or to register for the conference, visit http://www.socialist-alliance.org, email national_office@socialist-alliance.org, or phone (02) 9690 2508, or contact your local branch of the Socialist Alliance.
*** PLEASE INVITE ALL YOUR POLITICAL FRIENDS (on Facebook and in the real world) ***
Watching the terrible plight of the Tamil asylum seekers aboard the Australian customs ship Oceanic Viking last week brought home the depressing continuity in policy and perspective between the previous John Howard Coalition government and Labor rule under PM Kevin Rudd.
Australia's razor-wire enclosed refugee detention centres are once again filling up with desperate victims of war and oppression.
Howard's “Pacific solution” is now Rudd's “Indonesian solution”, and the supposed threat of “potential terrorists” among the refugees is once again being used to justify the brutal treatment of people from the Third World.
Since federal Labor was elected two years ago, it has never been clearer that Rudd is Tweedledum to Howard's Tweedledee. Whether it's Work Choices Lite, the continuation of the racist Northern Territory intervention into Aboriginal communities, the further privatisation of Telstra, or the ongoing military support for the United States' occupation of Afghanistan, the evidence is rapidly piling up that Rudd's Labor is little more than a mirror image of the hated Howard government.
In the face of global environmental, economic and social crises that threaten billions of lives, if not the very survival of humanity, the need to battle against, and build genuine alternatives, to governments such as Australia's is increasingly urgent.
The world can't wait, and the question of how to build sufficiently strong social movements, fighting trade unions and alternative political organisations that can stop the capitalist parties' neoliberal rampage, warmongering and greenwashing confronts us all.
Answering this question will be the focus of discussions at the Socialist Alliance's seventh national conference, to be held in Sydney over January 2-5, 2010.
“Fighting for Socialism in the 21st Century: Towards Justice, Sustainability and People’s Power”, sponsored by Green Left Weekly, will kick off with a public meeting at 7.30pm on January 2 called “Their crises: our solutions”. It will introduce some of the many issues and campaigns to be discussed over the following three days.
The conference program includes educational workshops, and sessions devoted to discussing and deciding the Socialist Alliance's policies and varied campaign activities in 2010.
Panels of speakers in plenary sessions over January 3-5 will introduce resolutions on: the political situation; socialist electoral strategy and tactics; building the climate action movement; rebuilding militant trade unions; justice for Indigenous people; refugee rights and internationalism; the Latin America revolutions and solidarity; getting Australia out of Afghanistan and Iraq; youth activity and women's and queer rights.
Specific campaign workshops on January 3 will discuss the climate change movement, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights campaigns, anti-war activity, the same-sex marriage rights campaign, and solidarity with the revolutions and anti-imperialist struggles occurring across Latin America.
Workshops on January 5 will discuss and plan activities in many aspects of party building, including GLW content and distribution, election campaigning, and publications and internet campaigning.
On January 4 and 5, educational workshops will focus on: the left-Indigenous alliance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice; understanding the financial and economic crisis; ecology and socialism; and Laborism and radical alternatives, explaining the history of the ALP, the role of the Wobblies, and communist organising experiences in Australian history.
The conference will also launch the 2010 GLW fighting fund at an indoor rally featuring multimedia presentations and a theatre performance. An international cultural performance night will be held on January 4.
The three days of political discussion, education and planning for action is open to everyone interested in joining together with others to fight for a better world, or simply in finding out more about socialist ideas and activities.
The detailed conference agenda and registration forms are available at http://www.socialist-alliance.org, or contact the Socialist Alliance at 02 9690 2508 or email for more information.
Fighting for socialism in the 21st Century: Towards Sustainability, Justice and People’s Power
Socialist Alliance 7th National Conference, Sydney, January 2-5, 2010
Women’s College, University of Sydney
Sponsored by Green Left Weekly
INITIAL AGENDA*
SATURDAY, JANUARY 2
7.30pm Their Crises, Our Solutions. Public meeting to launch the conference
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3
9am Welcome to country
9.15am The Socialist Alliance’s perspectives for struggle in 2010 (panel of speakers and discussion)
10.30am Socialist election strategy and tactics: preparing for the next federal election (panel of speakers and discussion)
12.15pm Building the climate action movement (panel of speakers and discussion)
2.45pm The struggle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights (panel of speakers and discussion)
4pm Multiple workshops to plan campaigning on: climate change, Aboriginal rights, same-sex marriage rights, anti-war and Latin America solidarity
7.30pm Green Left Weekly Fighting Fund rally. An evening of speakers, music and multi-media presentations to launch the 2010 fighting fund for Australia’s # 1 alternative newspaper.
MONDAY, JANUARY 4
9am Rebuilding the trade unions for the fights ahead (panel of speakers and discussion)
10.15am Building the socialist movement among young people (panel of speakers and discussion)
11.30am Refugee rights and internationalism (panel of speakers and discussion)
12.15pm The Latin American revolutions and solidarity (panel of speakers and discussion)
2pm Campaigning for environmental sustainability (panel of speakers and discussion)
2-4pm Challenges of building a radical alternative to Labor 1 (concurrent educational workshop)
3pm Getting Australia out of Afghanistan and Iraq (panel of speakers and discussion)
4pm Multiple workshops on building the Socialist Alliance and strengthening left unity, covering Green Left Weekly, election campaigning, internet activism, etc.
4-6pm Understanding the financial and economic crisis (concurrent educational workshop)
7.30pm International Cultural Night: Performances from many lands and peoples
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5
9am Campaigning for women’s and queer rights today (panel of speakers and discussion)
9.45am Socialist Alliance policy session 1 (discussion and voting on a range of policy proposals from members)
11.30am Taking action in 2010: discussion and voting on Socialist Alliance building resolutions
11.30am-1pm Ecology, socialism and human survival (concurrent educational workshop)
2pm Taking action in 2010: discussion and voting on Socialist Alliance resolutions on the climate movement, Latin America solidarity, anti-war, women's rights and LGBTI rights
2-3.30pm Building the Left-Indigenous alliance (concurrent educational workshop)
3pm Socialist Alliance policy session 2 (discussion and voting on a range of policy proposals from members)
3-5pm Challenges of building a radical alternative to Labor 2 (concurrent educational workshop)
4pm Socialist Alliance elections
All welcome
Whole conference: $60 solidarity/$50 waged/$30 unwaged
Two days: $40 solidarity/$30 waged/$15 unwaged
One day/session: $20 solidarity/$15 waged/$5 unwaged
Childcare will be available for a small fee if booked by November 30, 2009
For more information, or to register for the conference, visit http://www.socialist-alliance.org, email national_office@socialist-alliance.org, or phone (02) 9690 2508, or contact your local branch of the Socialist Alliance.
* Some changes will likely be made to this agenda before the conference. For the latest agenda, visit http://www.socialist-alliance.org.
*** PLEASE INVITE ALL YOUR POLITICAL FRIENDS (on Facebook and in the real world) ***
Watching the terrible plight of the Tamil asylum seekers aboard the Australian customs ship Oceanic Viking last week brought home the depressing continuity in policy and perspective between the previous John Howard Coalition government and Labor rule under PM Kevin Rudd.
Australia's razor-wire enclosed refugee detention centres are once again filling up with desperate victims of war and oppression.
Howard's “Pacific solution” is now Rudd's “Indonesian solution”, and the supposed threat of “potential terrorists” among the refugees is once again being used to justify the brutal treatment of people from the Third World.
Since federal Labor was elected two years ago, it has never been clearer that Rudd is Tweedledum to Howard's Tweedledee. Whether it's Work Choices Lite, the continuation of the racist Northern Territory intervention into Aboriginal communities, the further privatisation of Telstra, or the ongoing military support for the United States' occupation of Afghanistan, the evidence is rapidly piling up that Rudd's Labor is little more than a mirror image of the hated Howard government.
In the face of global environmental, economic and social crises that threaten billions of lives, if not the very survival of humanity, the need to battle against, and build genuine alternatives, to governments such as Australia's is increasingly urgent.
The world can't wait, and the question of how to build sufficiently strong social movements, fighting trade unions and alternative political organisations that can stop the capitalist parties' neoliberal rampage, warmongering and greenwashing confronts us all.
Answering this question will be the focus of discussions at the Socialist Alliance's seventh national conference, to be held in Sydney over January 2-5, 2010.
“Fighting for Socialism in the 21st Century: Towards Justice, Sustainability and People’s Power”, sponsored by Green Left Weekly, will kick off with a public meeting at 7.30pm on January 2 called “Their crises: our solutions”. It will introduce some of the many issues and campaigns to be discussed over the following three days.
The conference program includes educational workshops, and sessions devoted to discussing and deciding the Socialist Alliance's policies and varied campaign activities in 2010.
Panels of speakers in plenary sessions over January 3-5 will introduce resolutions on: the political situation; socialist electoral strategy and tactics; building the climate action movement; rebuilding militant trade unions; justice for Indigenous people; refugee rights and internationalism; the Latin America revolutions and solidarity; getting Australia out of Afghanistan and Iraq; youth activity and women's and queer rights.
Specific campaign workshops on January 3 will discuss the climate change movement, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights campaigns, anti-war activity, the same-sex marriage rights campaign, and solidarity with the revolutions and anti-imperialist struggles occurring across Latin America.
Workshops on January 5 will discuss and plan activities in many aspects of party building, including GLW content and distribution, election campaigning, and publications and internet campaigning.
On January 4 and 5, educational workshops will focus on: the left-Indigenous alliance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice; understanding the financial and economic crisis; ecology and socialism; and Laborism and radical alternatives, explaining the history of the ALP, the role of the Wobblies, and communist organising experiences in Australian history.
The conference will also launch the 2010 GLW fighting fund at an indoor rally featuring multimedia presentations and a theatre performance. An international cultural performance night will be held on January 4.
The three days of political discussion, education and planning for action is open to everyone interested in joining together with others to fight for a better world, or simply in finding out more about socialist ideas and activities.
The detailed conference agenda and registration forms are available at http://www.socialist-alliance.org, or contact the Socialist Alliance at 02 9690 2508 or email for more information.
Fighting for socialism in the 21st Century: Towards Sustainability, Justice and People’s Power
Socialist Alliance 7th National Conference, Sydney, January 2-5, 2010
Women’s College, University of Sydney
Sponsored by Green Left Weekly
INITIAL AGENDA*
SATURDAY, JANUARY 2
7.30pm Their Crises, Our Solutions. Public meeting to launch the conference
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3
9am Welcome to country
9.15am The Socialist Alliance’s perspectives for struggle in 2010 (panel of speakers and discussion)
10.30am Socialist election strategy and tactics: preparing for the next federal election (panel of speakers and discussion)
12.15pm Building the climate action movement (panel of speakers and discussion)
2.45pm The struggle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights (panel of speakers and discussion)
4pm Multiple workshops to plan campaigning on: climate change, Aboriginal rights, same-sex marriage rights, anti-war and Latin America solidarity
7.30pm Green Left Weekly Fighting Fund rally. An evening of speakers, music and multi-media presentations to launch the 2010 fighting fund for Australia’s # 1 alternative newspaper.
MONDAY, JANUARY 4
9am Rebuilding the trade unions for the fights ahead (panel of speakers and discussion)
10.15am Building the socialist movement among young people (panel of speakers and discussion)
11.30am Refugee rights and internationalism (panel of speakers and discussion)
12.15pm The Latin American revolutions and solidarity (panel of speakers and discussion)
2pm Campaigning for environmental sustainability (panel of speakers and discussion)
2-4pm Challenges of building a radical alternative to Labor 1 (concurrent educational workshop)
3pm Getting Australia out of Afghanistan and Iraq (panel of speakers and discussion)
4pm Multiple workshops on building the Socialist Alliance and strengthening left unity, covering Green Left Weekly, election campaigning, internet activism, etc.
4-6pm Understanding the financial and economic crisis (concurrent educational workshop)
7.30pm International Cultural Night: Performances from many lands and peoples
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5
9am Campaigning for women’s and queer rights today (panel of speakers and discussion)
9.45am Socialist Alliance policy session 1 (discussion and voting on a range of policy proposals from members)
11.30am Taking action in 2010: discussion and voting on Socialist Alliance building resolutions
11.30am-1pm Ecology, socialism and human survival (concurrent educational workshop)
2pm Taking action in 2010: discussion and voting on Socialist Alliance resolutions on the climate movement, Latin America solidarity, anti-war, women's rights and LGBTI rights
2-3.30pm Building the Left-Indigenous alliance (concurrent educational workshop)
3pm Socialist Alliance policy session 2 (discussion and voting on a range of policy proposals from members)
3-5pm Challenges of building a radical alternative to Labor 2 (concurrent educational workshop)
4pm Socialist Alliance elections
All welcome
Whole conference: $60 solidarity/$50 waged/$30 unwaged
Two days: $40 solidarity/$30 waged/$15 unwaged
One day/session: $20 solidarity/$15 waged/$5 unwaged
Childcare will be available for a small fee if booked by November 30, 2009
For more information, or to register for the conference, visit http://www.socialist-alliance.org, email national_office@socialist-alliance.org, or phone (02) 9690 2508, or contact your local branch of the Socialist Alliance.
* Some changes will likely be made to this agenda before the conference. For the latest agenda, visit http://www.socialist-alliance.org.
