hard as steel, clear as glass?

On July 27 the Geelong Trades Hall Council passed a resolution listing what is called the People’s
Demands, apparently and allegedly subsequently adopted by the rally on 28 June opposing the new IR regime.

The version adopted was slightly amended, to remove some particularly vulgar nationalist labourism about stopping foreign workers coming in and taking Aussie jobs, but the final version isn’t very different despite polite language and pretence of concern for "guest workers and refugees".

According to Sue Bolton, who coordinates Socialist Alliance union work: "The original demands were drafted by a rank and file unionist an put to Geelong Trades Hall. The original had a point which said "Stop the importation of skilled workers". This was changed to "Stop the exploitation of guest workers and refugees". The original drafter of the resolution was happy with the amendment. I gather that the rank and filer who did the original draft had no idea that the original Point 7
could have been interpreted in a racist way. The problem was fixed when it was debated and discussed by the council. The demands were unanimously adopted by Geelong Trades Hall Council on 27 June, the day before the big union protest."

The problem was fixed… The new version reads:

7. END THE EXPLOITATION OF GUEST WORKERS & REFUGEES

The federal government has relaxed the controls of 457 visas. This
allows employers to bring in skilled and unskilled labour instead of
recruiting workers from with in Australia. Guest workers have no ability
to access welfare, Health or other services in Australia and are
employed on lower pay and conditions. These workers are under continuous
threat of deportation is they raise any safety or wage issues and are
therefore placed in a situation that is open to exploitation. To address
any skill shortages that may arise from time to time the Government and
companies should properly fund public technical colleges and increase
the number of apprentices employed. We demand that all persons working
in Australia, must be entitled to, and must be paid, minimum Award
rates of pay.

Now does anyone seriously believe that this isn’t reproducing the exact same sentiments under a repulsively hypocritical cover familiar from many of our Left union buddies? Well, yes, the DSP and Socialist Alliance people seem to think this is just great. easily pleased or what. Learning to divide and fuck over the dominated and exploited and call it anti-racist and Left: this is the new, post-Fairwear skill defining the radical edge of a trade unionist horrorshow.

Fucking hell. The struggles of the mediating institutions of late social democracy for new and improved roles in a neoliberalising state and economy lead us to some ugly, ugly ‘progressive’ phenomena.

I eat rage, shit poison.

And while I’m talking proletarian organisation, Matthew sent me an e-mail asking if the title of this blog implied my taking a side in the KAPD/ultra-left debates/splits precisely around ideas including the "theory of the offensive", seen as a pro-leadership, even pro-party position. Well, no: I don’t really think either side gives any answers for the present, or even particularly precise questions anymore - but both were better than what became the KPD, and better than the kind of nationalist politics currently circulating as proletarian in this claustrophobic, suffocating nation-state. I’ll try to give a more coherent answer when my head isn’t hurting, or you could just go read Theorie Communiste…either way, and much love.