Wade Michael Page and the (Southern Cross) Hammerskins

Posted on August 15, 2012 by @ndy

[This post was made possible by contributions from Anonymous, HS and PS. As of this date, the main Hammerskins site hammerskins.net is down but the Southern X Hammerskins site is up. Wade Michael Page’s record label, Label 56, has also been restored to Facebook. See also this xclnt post by Rose City Antifa: Wade Michael Page, The Hammerskin Nation, and Pacific Northwest Neo-Nazis, August 16, 2012.]


Above : Members and supporters of Southern Cross Hammerskins in Melbourne. A pseudonymous commenter claims that Kenneth Stewart (centre) has since left the organisation.

Given the horrible and spectacular nature of his crime (as well, of course, as its target and location), Wade Michael Page has managed to generate a massive amount of media reportage in the last week. And despite being of varying quality, this commentary is probably never quite as bad as his music — which is pretty damn bad.

As for his status as a neo-Nazi, it now seems certain that Page was a member of the organisation of boneheads known as ‘Hammerskin Nation’, becoming a full member of the Northern Hammerskins in October 2011 — less than a year before he went on his shooting rampage in Wisconsin.

While having the centre of its activities and most of its members there, the Hammerskins, established in the late 1980s, are not an exclusively US phenomenon. Rather, in addition to six regional chapters in the US (Confederate, Eastern, Midland, Northern, Northwestern and Western), the Nation boasts franchises in about a dozen other countries. Currently, Hammerskins may be found in Canada, France, Germany (est. 1992), Hungary (2006), Italy, New Zealand, Portugal (2005), Spain, Sweden (2009), Switzerland (1990) and, of course, Australia (1992).

The legal situation of these groups varies.

In Germany, the group is considered to be an unlawful association, though this fact means that it has simply entered into the (far larger) neo-Nazi underground. The Hammerskins have also been outlawed and members imprisoned as a result in both Spain and Portugal. The leader of the Portuguese Hammerskins, Mário Machado, is currently serving a seven-year sentence for coercion, robbery, kidnapping and illegal possession of weapons.

Closer to home, relatively little has been made of Page’s status as a Hammerskin in the Australian media. The Age has republished an AFP report which mentions it, while news.com.au carries a not-very-well-written story by AAP which describes the Hammerskins as “a white power rock music group that idealises those like the Vikings and Nazis whom they consider to have been warriors for the Aryan race”(!). For his part, Matthew Hall has written something on the ‘Australian link to US Sikh temple shooting’, noting, inter alia, that one of Page’s bands, 13 Knots, recorded a split 7″ with Melbourne Hammerskin project Kilgore on German label Wewelsburg, and that another local nazi band, Deaths Head, played gigs with 13 Knots while touring the US.

Hall fails to mention that Page was a Hammerskin.

The failure to make much of Page The Hammerskin is slightly (but only slightly) surprising given the hullabaloo over the Hammerskins’ staging of the Hammered Festival in Brisbane just four months ago and the fact that their chief gathering takes place in Melbourne in less than a month (September 8). In a related vein, on newmatilda.com Suvendrini Perera asks Why Didn’t The Sikh Shooting Rate?.

More broadly, as previously noted, Page’s heroic act has generated vast amounts of media reportage. Some of the more interesting accounts I’ve read include those of a liberal on Gawker who’s written a rather bad article titled ‘In Defense of Neo-Nazi Music’ and Nick R. Martin, who traces in some small detail the violent criminal history of the Hammerskins in Two American Terror Cases, One Brand Of Hate (TPMMuckraker, August 10, 2012).

The Columbus-like discovery of a neo-Nazi subculture has produced some anguished commentary, but the history of such groups is not really that obscure, and neither is the occasionally very close connection between such tendencies and institutionalised state violence, whether in Greece or elsewhere. Martin A. Lee’s 1997 book The Beast Reawakens (Introduction) provides a useful and illuminating account of the ways in which elements of the Nazi regime sought to perpetuate its legacy, often in collaboration with Western powers. In a more contemporary vein, the website of the leadership of the world socialist movement draws links between Page’s rampage and the US military in ‘Wisconsin shooting reveals connections between US military and fascist groups’ (Eric London, August 10, 2012).

J.M. Berger draws further connections between Page, the Hammerskins and the American Front (AF) here; Berger makes reference to the arrests in May 2012 of members of AF in Florida (see : ‘Floriduh, Nazis, and the Goddess Kali’, antifa notes (may 14, 2012)) and the fact that Page’s band Definite Hate played a gig organised by the Hammerskins in March 2011. Page also apparently paid tribute to dead nazi David Lynch.

As I see it, the negative publicity surrounding Page’s shooting spree will not aid the Hammerskins’ public image, but it’s unlikely to do much harm to the integrity of the network as a whole. After all, Page is not the first Hammerskin to have killed. Previously, Hammerskins were convicted of the murder of Donald Thomas in Arlington, Texas in June 1991 and of Douglas Garrett in Birmingham, Alabama in December 1991. Others have been convicted of violent, racially-motivated assault and damage to property (especially that belonging to Jewish institutions). Further, members already understand that they belong to a tiny political minority; their pool of potential recruits is limited to the bonehead subculture, with Hammerskins identifying and cultivating positive relations with those individual men (the Hammerskins are strictly Boys Only) considered most dedicated to White supremacy, and seeking to enroll them in their feeder organisation ‘Crew 38’ (so named in reference to the third and eighth letters of the alphabet; ‘c’ and ‘h’ referring to crossed hammers, the Hammerskins’ insignia).

That said, a decision by US authorities to formally designate the group as ‘domestic terrorists’ would significantly alter this picture,* which helps to explain why the Hammerskins have locked their online forum and why other efforts are being made to distance them from their latest star recruit in Page. This includes the decision by Melbourne-based Hammerskin Jesse to withdraw from sale muzak made by Page he previously sold on his website 9% Productions.

When in December last year I raised concerns over the organisation by local neo-Nazis of a gig at The Tote, and made reference to the participation of Geelong resident Taigen Gould in the band Ravenous, I was angrily informed by one of his friends “Get a life you pathetic scum bag, you do not know these people! They are the kindest people on this planet and I will stand by them through anything!” I now think, given Page’s murderous rampage, it would be difficult for even the most naive of individuals to believe that the Hammerskins are some of the kindest men on Earth — difficult, but certainly not impossible. In any event, the ties between local Hammerskins and their parent organisation are very close, as evidenced by this photograph of Taigen with someone who appears to closely resemble a member of Page’s band Definite Hate…

In the US, the nazis who played at Hammerfest 2011 (October 1) were Page’s band Definite Hate and Hungarian boneheads Vérszerződés. According to the FBI informant who infiltrated AF, the gig was held at the Outlaws OMC HQ in Central Florida. A previous Hammerskins gig on St Patrick’s Day (March 19, 2011) took place at a bar called Rat’s Place (or possibly Pat’s Place) in Christmas and starred both Definite Hate and End Apathy (along with Hammerskin Forest Fogarty‘s band Attack). Weirdly, in July 2010 the same informant claimed that Fogarty was preparing to form a new band called ‘Dead Jew’, and that this would involve members of both Cannibal Corpse and Deicide(!). The informant also claims that in September 2010 he was invited by Hammerskin Coby Stonecypher to his house and met with two German members of the Hammerkins — as noted, an unlawful association in Germany — providing further evidence of the international nature of the Hammerskins network. Stonecypher himself is one of the leaders of the Hammerskins in Florida.

The strong links between Hammerskins in that part of the world and the Outlaws is slightly odd given that the Outlaws have chapters in Asia, and fraternisation with non-Whites is usually regarded as strictly verboten by groups like the Hammerskins. In fact, a fight between a Hammerskin and a member of sometime rival group Volksfront took place in 2009 at a meeting of supporters of Holocaust denialist David Irving, seemingly on the basis of this kind of fraternisation (note that Irving has been denied a visa to tour Australia several times in the past, though fellow denialist Paul Fromm has not).

There have been numerous recent confrontations in central Florida that suggest a war is brewing between former longtime allies Volksfront and the Confederate Hammerskins. Michael Lawrence, one of the original founders of the Confederate Hammerskins in 1987, switched his allegiance to Volksfront in 2007, and became the group’s unofficial leader in Florida. Randal Krager, who co-founded Volksfront in 1994 while serving a prison sentence, moved from Portland, Oregon, to Florida with his wife and son to live next door to Lawrence.

Since Lawrence’s defection, his longtime friend and Confederate Hammerskins member, Richie Myers, has steadily gained power throughout the state as the group’s Orlando leader. Myers and his second-in-command, Coby Stonecypher, regularly associate with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club gang. Lawrence and Krager do not. A public indication of trouble brewing between Confederate Hammerskins and Volksfront appeared in a Stormfront posting advertising Volksfront’s annual Martyr’s Day event, to be held this year in Pensacola. The announcement said the gathering was “family friendly [by that we mean no drunks, no non-racial ‘clubs’, no deviate or degrading behavior].” Many readers took that as disapproval of outlaw motorcycle clubs attending recent white supremacist gatherings, which has happened at Confederate Hammerskins events.

In Australia, an agreement between Volksfront and the Hammerskins means that Volksfront — its principal organiser, Chris Smith, blogs as ‘anti-antifa australia’, runs the nazi distro ‘Heathen Noise’ and was convicted of assault and robbery in December 2010 — limits its activities to NSW. Note that, as part of an international day of action against racism and fascism, in Portland, the birthplace of Volksfront, antifascists organised to expose leading members of the group in that city. See : Rose City Antifascists Expose Nazi Neighbors and Coworkers During Day of Action, Call for Community Responses (August 14, 2012).

As for bikies, other OMCs, such as the Hells Angels, appear happy to host neo-Nazi gigs in at least some of their venues (‘The Other Place’), although not without opposition. One such gig in Barcelona in October 2011 was forcefully disrupted by antifa, prompting the intervention of the riot police. (Note that the Hammerskins are outlawed in Spain, and in February, 15 of its members had previous jail terms imposed on them because of their membership upheld by the Supreme Court.)

To Be Continued…

See also : Op-Ed: Shine a light on hateful white power music, Mark Pitcavage (ADL), St Louis Jewish Light, August 12, 2012 | Power of hatecore music to recruit young, James Dao, Serge Kovaleski, The Sydney Morning Herald (The New York Times), August 11, 2012 | Label 56 interview with Wade Michael Page (August 7, 2012) | A Brief History Of Neo-Nazi Music In Australia (December 2, 2010).

Posted in Anti-fascism, Death, Music, War on Terror | Tagged , | 20 Comments

Son of Monash ALP ~versus~ Wholefoods

Posted on August 10, 2012 by @ndy

As noted previously, the Labor-controlled Monash Student Association is attempting to destroy the Wholefoods cafe and restaurant — and doing a bloody good job of it too I might add. The Executive’s latest stunt has been to a) deny petitioners the right to call a general meeting of students and b) install security cameras in the restaurant.

Yesterday afternoon, the petition signed by more than 400 students to call a Student General Meeting about Wholefoods was put to the Monash Student Council. A minimum of 280 signatures is required by the MSA Constitution.

After a series of bureaucratic procedural motions, most members of the political grouping ‘Go!’ – on the grounds of “privacy concerns” – denied the request to organise a mass student meeting. The suggestion was that asking the University Enrolments Officer to verify student numbers was a breach of privacy, even though the signatories of the petition signed a statement explicitly allowing for their enrolment details to be checked.

Obviously, Friends of Wholefoods regards this as a political manoeuver.

Instead the MSC passed a motion that directed the MSA Executive Officer to ensure that “all the signatures are found to belong to students”, before bringing it back to MSC. This could be read to mean that if even one staff member or Monash student enrolled at another campus signed the petition, the petition will not go back to MSC (even if it still has well over the required number of valid signatures). This stalling could also mean that the SGM would not be held before the end of August, which could then be used to claim that the entire petition is invalid, as it called for an SGM in August (which, ironically, was done in an attempt to avoid the MSC delaying indefinitely).

Surveillance cameras in Wholefoods

Over recent days Friends of Wholefoods have become aware of workers installing security data cables within the Wholefoods space.

During the MSC meeting the President admitted that the MSA had asked the University to place security cameras throughout Wholefoods, the initial installation of which has already taken place, ostensibly to prevent ‘graffiti and other damage’.

Since the security cameras were not discussed with the Collective, nor was the Wholefoods Safer Spaces Policy considered, we regard this as yet another example of the contempt for which the MSA President and Managers hold decision making processes in Wholefoods.

Wholefoods has actively opposed security cameras in the past, as an unnecessary and intrusive invasion of privacy in our already highly surveilled lives. In light of the MSC decision above, and given the politically charged nature of Wholefoods at this time, we regard this imposition with the gravest of concerns.

These are not promising developments at a time when the Wholefoods Collective is attempting to engage in good faith mediation with the MSC Executive.

Posted in State / Politics, Student movement, That's Capitalism! | Tagged , | 1 Comment

antifa notes (august 8, 2012) : straya

Posted on August 8, 2012 by @ndy

(Southern Cross) Hammerskins

It’s been A Big Week for the neo-Nazi skinhead Hammerskins as one of the group’s members in the United States, Wade Michael Page, heroically shot dead six unarmed Sikhs before himself being shot dead by police.

The Hammerskins have quite a record for murderous violence and like many other Hammerskins, Page was a musician as well as a nazi, playing in bands (Blue Eyed Devils, Youngland) that have previously toured Down Under. His most recent musical projects, however, were Definite Hate and End Apathy. In 2010 a split 7″ by the two was released on Maryland-based bonehead Clemie Richard Haught’s (aka Rick Haught) label ‘Label 56’ (which conducted an interview — since deleted — with the dead nazi murderer in April 2010). The close relationship between the mass murdering Page and the entrepreneurial Haught has resulted in the label’s Facebook page being closed (its MySpace page remains up) and a statement from Haught seeking to distance his theory from Page’s practice.

Antifa in Philly, among others, are unconvinced.

Having celebrated (along with the nazis in Wade’s old band Youngland) its 20th birthday in Brisbane in April, the local Hammerskins franchise — aka the Southern Cross Hammerskins — will be holding its annual ‘Ian Stuart Donaldson’ memorial gig in Melbourne on Saturday, September 8. Playing at the gig will be Deaths Head/Ravenous (Melbourne) and Open Season (Brisbane). The SCHS’s most famous member is Kenneth Stewart (pictured above), who in March 2011 was revealed by The Age newspaper as running around Afghanistan with a gun, mourning the death of Nazi soldiers in WWII, and otherwise making himself useful as a mercenary, being employed by one of several Australian talent agencies that cater to the vast corporate war-machine which is making a killing — both literally and figuratively — in that part of the world.

S’all good!

Speaking of trash, the local Hammerskins sell their propaganda via online retailer 9% Productions. Among the many hundreds of products for sale on the site is an album by Hungarian boneheads Verszerzšdes, ‘Straight, Proud and True’. The album includes a tribute to the Hammerskins called ‘Crossed Hammers Banner’, a song featuring the talents of local nazi rock * Jesse (Deaths Head, Ravenous) as well as Wade’s comrade Brent from Definite Hate. Further, while Label 56 has decided to cave in to pressure from ZOG and withdrawn the 7″ from sale (the site does of course still offer a whole range of other neo-Nazi and White supremacist propaganda) the good news is that the musical masterpiece is available from 9% for the measly sum of $15. So too Wade’s efforts in the Definite Hate album Madder Than Hell.


[Above : The three vinyl releases distributed by 9% in Australia. The first release, Redneck Rebel, comprises songs by Page’s band 13 Knots and 9% owner Jesse’s solo project Kilgore.]

While a commitment to a virulently anti-Semitic form of ‘national socialism’ — and a concomitant opposition to race-mixin’, multi-culturalism and the like — might suggest an unwillingness or inability to play nicely with foreigners, nazis both now and then have quite adept at networking with their comrades from other countries. While Stormfront has become slightly moribund (I last surveyed the site back in 2008, and am unsure if doing so again is actually worthwhile) Facebook remains a worthy vehicle for these hateful passengers. (See also the hilarious Aboriginal memes page. Straya cunt!)

Sydney Forum

Following the ISD gig in September the Next Big Thing on the fascist calendar is the Sydney Forum (October 20/21). Although touted as being independent the Forum is largely the work of the Australia First Party. Its fuehrer, Dr Jim Saleam, is a lifelong fascist militant whose questionable racial and ethnic origins (if not his lengthy criminal record) means he sometimes assumes an awkward place among the far right but is begrudgingly accepted — even by the angriest of Aryans — on account of his undisputed commitment to the White nationalist cause. In recent years the Forum has witnessed some sporadic opposition but, for their part, Australian RSL Clubs continue to provide a forum for the Forum.

Whatever. In my humble opinion, the following presentation by The NeueGermania Zivilisation Movement sounds completely batshit and totally awesome:

24th ERA: Our New Civilisation

The NeueGermania Zivilisation Movement is dedicated to the establishment of a sustainable, technologically Advanced, new civilisation for Odin’s Folk.

It is an application of the New Odinist League, a natural religion of our Indigenous Germanic peoples. We ask, why should our folk be slaves to the system that sets our demise, when we ourselves can build our own better future?

Our movement presents to the Sydney Forum that future – 24th ERA: Our New Civilisation. It will present with its two speakers this model ushering a future society that can be implaced without economic or political dependency on the System.

Super-community analysis, 3-D eco-village walkthrough and its current progress. This is a presentation all preservationists can utilise to our respective self-determination and offers a practical alternative in the current era of peril.

Of course, as well as exciting a small handful of local Greek/Australians, the success of Golden Dawn in Greece has given heart to a number of like-minded ladies and gentlemen Down Under, and Dr Jim will be explaining the significance of the rise in another feature presentation at the Forum. Golden Dawn’s success — and the rise of far-right movements elsewhere in Europe — has also provided an opportunity for local Trotskyists Trotskyites to organise public meetings on the subject, among them Socialist Alternative. Somewhat bizarrely, AF decided to send one of its members along to one such SAlt meeting (July 17) and their report has been published on Stormfront (as well as provided an opportunity for a small clutch of fascist bloggers to wring their hands over the pernicious influence of the dastardly Communists over The Nation’s yoof).

Australia First Party

As for AF, it’s making a concerted effort to gain a seat on local councils this year, running candidates in Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Penrith, Sutherland and Wollondilly in the elections to be held on September 8. A win would be a breakthrough: the party enjoyed a very brief moment of success in 2006 when Bruce Preece was elected to Prospect council in Adelaide but celebrations were cut short when he left only a short while later.

In Blacktown (Ward 5) the party is standing veteran candidate Terry Cooksley, George Atkinson and Joseph Ferguson; when AF ran in 2008 (Cooksley, Atkinson and Tony Pettitt) the party gained a total of 1281 votes (5%). In the Blue Mountains (First Ward), AF is standing Matt Hodgson, Anne Mathews and Mark Slater. In Hawkesbury, Tony Pettitt is being joined by Patricia Crawford, Ted Crawford, Colin Doddrell, Robert Fraser and Trevor Hill: six of 62 candidates vying for 12 seats on Council.

In Penrith (East Ward) the party is standing Maurice Girotto, Michael William Saunders, Geoffrey Thomas Hutchin, Majorie Joan Thomson and Shaun Adams. In Sutherland (Ward A) Australia is First with Michael Chehoff & Co (Martin Augustine and Karl Glas) while in Wollondilly (North Ward) Australianism is being represented by James Carmody, Ray Smith and Gloria Watling: the trio will be battling 14 other candidates (all Independents) for just three Council seats. Chehoff has previously been a serial candidate for Australians Against Further Immigration (AAFI) in NSW state elections: in Ku-ring-gai in 1999 (0.94%), Fairfield in 2003 (2.27%) and Wollongong in 2007 (1.87%).

Australian Protectionist Party

Competing with AF for the hearts and minds of White nationalists in Australia is the splinter group the Australian Protectionist Party. Its last major hurrah was a tiny rally it organised in Sydney in June. Following this utterly puny display the APP’s chief spokesperson (and former dildo salesman) Darrin Hodges announced his resignation from the party and, it seems, from political life altogether. Thus his website, previously used to house a torrent of anti-Muslim, anti-leftist and anti-multiculturalist rhetoric, has been completely wiped of this content and instead now contains Darrin’s thoughts on various software packages and the like. I can’t vouch for his technical expertise but I think this is probably an improvement.

Having exited stage right the scene has been set for another Sydney resident, Nicholas Hunter-Folkes, to mount the party platform. You may remember Nicholas from such TV shows as Dumb, Drunk & Racist. Nicholas is a house painter and will be badly losing in his attempt to enter Leichhardt council. Worse, Nicholas is the only APP member in NSW actually willing (or stoopid enough) to enter the political fray in this manner, the party’s appeal for other candidates falling on ears that are deaf (as well as bRanes what are dumb).

Right Wing Resistance New Zealand

Across the water in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Kyle ‘The Pieman’ Chapman — a practicing Mormon (pictured above shaking hands with Dr Jim) and NZ’s answer to Mitt Romney — has been successfully gathering together the dregs of the White supremacist cause under the umbrella of ‘Right Wing Resistance New Zealand’ (RWRNZ). A former Hammerskin, despite (or perhaps even because of) his inability to write good, Kyle has nevertheless attained a degree of success in his latest organising project that appears to have eluded him during his previous outings as a National Front and Hammerskin organiser. Somewhat oddly, Kyle & Co not only make no secret but boast of their love of guns (see below) and preparations for a racial holy war on the North and South Islands: the apparent decision by authorities to handle him and his thugs with kid gloves not only constituting a stark contrast with the extraordinary efforts the state has gone to in order to criminalise radicals in that part of the world, but one which begs the question as to the precise nature of the relationship between them…

Posted in Anti-fascism | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Label 56 interview with Wade Michael Page

Posted on August 7, 2012 by @ndy

Further Update (August 7) : Facebook has apparently deleted the page belonging to Wade’s record label (Label 56). The label’s website also appears to have deleted the interview with Wade (see below) it conducted in April 2010. The label is run by a bonehead from Maryland called Clemie Richard Haught (aka Rick Haught), who in turn is a member of a neo-Nazi skinhead group calling themselves the ‘Maryland Skinheads’.

Update : According to One People’s Project, Wade was a member of the Hammerskins, a global neo-Nazi network with origins in the United States. Label 56, Wade’s neo-Nazi record label, has issued a statement http://www.label56.com/2012/08/press-statement/ claiming to be nice (unlike Wade)… Oh, and the ADL has lots more here, including a photo of one of Wade’s fellow band members wearing a t-shirt belonging to Brisbane band Open Season, who will be playing the ISD gig in Melbourne next month. In any case ‘Shooting Suspect Wade Michael Page’s White-Power Past’ (Eliza Shapiro, The Daily Beast, August 6, 2012) provides a useful summary of Page’s glorious career as a neo-Nazi propagandist. NB. Label 56 is run by a bonehead from Maryland called Clemie Richard Haught (aka Rick Haught).

…

Wade Michael Page is the dead neo-Nazi allegedly responsible for murdering six people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on Sunday. As well as loving guns and hating non-Whites, Wade was a nazi artiste who reportedly played with numerous reich ‘n’ roll bands including Youngland and the Blue Eyed Devils. Youngland (minus Page) played the Hammered Festival in Brisbane in April to celebrate Uncle Adolf’s 123rd and the (Southern Cross) Hammerskins’ 20th birthday in Australia; Blue Eyed Devils (minus Page) played the Ian Stuart Donaldson memorial gig in Melbourne in 2010. The 2012 ISD gig is being held on September 8.

Wade’s last band was called End Apathy…

This interview with End Apathy was conducted by Label 56 in April of 2010.

Good evening Wade, this interview is long overdue due to my own fault but with all the good stuff going on with your band now I don`t think the timing could be more perfect. I`d like to do this interview to let everyone know about End Apathy from the very beginning up until now. It was at least three years ago when I first got in touch with you after hearing your music on your [MySpace] page [http://www.myspace.com/endapathyband: deleted in the 24 hours following the massacre]. Can you give the readers a quick background to End Apathy? More specifically- how long ago did you actually come up with the idea for End Apathy (and why you choose the name End Apathy) and start writing music for it?

End Apathy began in 2005 and the concept was based on trying to figure out what it would take to actually accomplish positive results in society and what is holding us back. A lot of what I realized at the time was that if we could figure out how to end people[‘]s apathetic ways it would be the start towards moving forward. Of course after that it requires discipline, strict discipline to stay the course in our sick society. So, in a sense it was [a] view of psychology and sociology. But I didn’t want to just point the finger at what other people should do, but [sic] also I was willing to point out some of my faults on how I was holding myself back. And that is how I wrote the song “Self Destruct”.

As you said End Apathy was entirely your own creation. What was your inspiration for wanting to do the band?

Yes, it was entirely my own idea. The inspiration was based on frustration that we have the potential to accomplish so much more as individuals and a society in whole.

The music you write is very clean sounding and to me has an oldschool 80`s California skate punk sound to it. Am I totally off base here? Lol. How would you describe your music and can you tell us why you choose to write in this style?

When I first started writing these songs I didn’t have a set plan on the style of sound, it just came together. I think it is mainly based on the mix of my influences and that is 80′s punk, metal, and Oi.

What kind of topics do you write about in your lyrics?

The topics vary from sociological issues, religion, and how the value of human life has been degraded by being submissive to tyranny and hypocrisy that we are subjugated to.

As mentioned you have been writing music for End Apathy over 5 years but until now it has been a solo project. I`m very happy you stayed persistent with it because I personally love the music style you create for the band. Your persistence has paid off as you now have a complete line up. Can you let everyone know what is going on with End Apathy now?

End Apathy as a band has taken a long time to develop, mainly because it was a one man project. But now there is a full line up with Brent on bass and Ozzie on drums – both from Definite Hate and 13 Knots. We have the luxury of living close to each other and are able to have practice often, as a result we are ready to record our first release which is a 7″ split with Definite Hate, then another song that we’re contributing to the UPRISE compilation and our full length CD will come out after that.

I`m really glad that worked out for you. Just in this short time you have already done a live show playing with Definite Hate and you guys are all practicing together. How long do you think it will be before we will see End Apathy on stage live?

End Apathy will be playing at the Independent Artist Uprise fest, but we will also be playing at some local clubs here in North Carolina and possibly playing the midwest this fall.

You guys are also getting ready to do some recording for both bands. Label 56 will be releasing a split 7″ this summer between End Apathy and Definite Hate. We are also planning to do your full length sometime early next year. Is there anything you want to let the readers know about these[?] What else do you guys have planned?

Even though End Apathy, Definite Hate, and 13 Knots share some of the same members each band has it’s own unique style and sound. Our main focus is the upcoming recording and playing shows.

Aside from your band I`d like the readers to know a bit about you. Not many people may be aware but you used to play with Youngland out in California before moving out to the east coast. How long have you yourself been involved in music and are there any other bands you have been involved with?

I had the opportunity to play bass with Youngland for 2 years back in 2001 – 2003 and during that time I filled in for various bands on guitar and bass including Celtic Warrior, Radikahl, Max Resist, Intimidation One, Aggressive Force [and] Blue Eyed Devils. I have been playing music since I was 13, off and on over the years.

Are you originally from out in California? How did you wind up moving from one side of the country to the complete other?

I am originally from Colorado and had always been independent, but back in 2000 I set out to get involved and wanted to basically start over. So, I sold everything I owned except for my motorcycle and what I could fit into a backpack and went on [s] cross country trip visiting friends and attending festivals and shows. I went to the Hammerfest 2000 in Georgia, over to North Carolina, up to Ohio, down to West Virginia, and out to California and that’s when I joined Youngland.

What do you see as any differences between the east and west coast whether in the music scene or just lifestyle in general?

In some ways things are generally the same, but each area has it’s own unique style and traditions. Influenced by surroundings and events. The southeast is much more laid back and relaxed with more of a hillbilly attitude and that is reflected in the music. SoCal was more of a fast paced, tense environment and that definitely comes across in their music.

Well I`m glad you have made yourself a home out here and things are coming together for you. I hope to see End Apathy around and making music for years. The closing words are yours.

I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone at Label 56 for believing in End Apathy and putting out our music!

Posted in Anti-fascism, Death, Music, War on Terror | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair 2012 (Review)

Posted on August 6, 2012 by @ndy

I went to the second annual Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair on Saturday. It was noice, but not much different from last year (other than in size — bigger) and not really unusual in other respects.

Of the stalls, there were something like 40, about a third of which could be described as anarchist. The presence of the Communist League (a local satellite of the US-based Socialist Workers Party, a Trotskyist organisation) was exciting from a spotters perspective, but very odd given their political antagonism.

I dunno how many people attended the Fair but it was certainly many hundreds, and my impression was more folks attended this year than did last — I wouldn’t be at all surprised if next year’s attracted an even larger audience; there’s obviously a desire for gatherings such as this to discuss anarchy, organisation and social change. Speaking of which, the decision by the organisers to book several additional rooms to hold workshops was a good one and also indicative of the project’s broadening appeal, both in Melbourne/Australia but also across the many other territories in which bookfairs take place.

I didn’t attend the workshops as I was busy doing other things. You can read some of Kieran’s thoughts on a handful of the workshops here. Kieran’s comments have not been appreciated by all, some displeasure being expressed inre his reaction to Robbie Thorpe‘s presentation (see also : Anarchism and Aboriginal sovereignty, July 16, 2008). Be that as it may, I dunno if anybody else has written any other critical or semi-critical reflections on the event but I may post links to these if/when I find them.

After the Bookfair I went to The Retreat, ‘a warm and friendly pub with old world charm where they filmed The Sullivans‘. The pub was not the MCG, but news outta the MCG only added to the warmth, and was a fitting end to a good day out:

My thanks to the organisers, stallholders and other attendees. If I’m not dead or otherwise indisposed, I’ll probably see you again next year.

Coming up in November : Latin American Grassroots Movements Solidarity Conference / Conferencia en Solidaridad con los Movimientos de Base en America Latina: November 9–11, 2012 @ Latrobe University City Campus / Victorian Trades Hall [LASNET].

Posted in Anarchism, Media, State / Politics, That's Capitalism! | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Evasion of Rational Discussion in the Radical Milieu (Jason McQuinn, Anarchy, #56)

Posted on August 6, 2012 by @ndy

Evasion of Rational Discussion in the Radical Milieu
Jason McQuinn
Anarchy, #56

All too many anarchists – along with most other would-be radicals – seem to have mastered the evasion of rational discussion. This can be rather annoying and disappointing for those who would like to participate in the creation of a coherent new revolutionary movement which could genuinely confront and subvert state and capitalist power on the basis of anarchist theoretical principles and uncompromising practice. This evasion of sensible discussion seems to be the worst on the web, but often it is nearly as bad elsewhere.

On the internet this evasion is facilitated by the ease, immediacy and lack of responsibility – especially with regard to pseudonymous or anonymous posts – involved in writing for message boards, e-mail lists, and web sites. It may be partly a function of immaturity, since from my observations it appears that younger people more often seem to have the worst problems engaging in thoughtful and respectful discussion. (To be fair, this may also be more a reflection of the demographic of the contemporary radical milieu, in which people are sometimes already considered “older” when they’ve reached their mid- or late twenties!) It usually involves the refusal to reflect, self-critically evaluate and self-edit responses. The more unthinking, belligerent and vociferous participants tend to drive out the more thoughtful and considered opinions by making a never-ending stream of attacks, demands, and frivolous comments that must be dealt with (or, at least, patiently and consistently ignored by everyone else). With a plethora of ongoing irrational or illogical arguments, no one can engage in very intelligent discussion because anything self-critical and thoughtful – generally requiring carefully nuanced interpretation – is immediately lost in the tumult of relatively mindless noise.

In other anarchist media the evasion of discussion tends to be most obvious in the letters columns of periodicals (including, of course, the letters column in this magazine), and in some of the rants that sometimes pass for personal, point-of-view articles. These are also formats that tend to lend themselves to those writers too irresponsible, unprepared and unself-critical to put together more coherent essays that would need to be more thoroughly thought through, more logically structured, and more self-critically examined in light of other perspectives.

Wherever the evasions and whoever employs them, they most often seem to boil down to strategic or tactical decisions (whether conscious or not) to avoid dealing with particular perspectives or arguments simply because these writers have no intelligent arguments or rebuttals to make in their turn. We’ve all seen examples of this many, many times. Frequently, in response to a thoughtful and carefully worded essay that takes a principled stand on a controversial subject, an irrelevant (and often irrational) attack is launched on the author of the essay (she or he is castigated as “racist,” “sexist,” “elitist,” “bourgeois,” “fascist,” etc. with no convincing justification, or no attempted justification at all). Alternatively, or sometimes simultaneously, there is often an attempt to put some other undefendable ideas into the original author’s mouth, which can then be easily knocked down; or an attempt is made to change the subject and talk about something else, in order to ignore the controversial topic at hand; or else there is an attempt to bend over backwards making the most flimsy of excuses for the targets of the author’s critique, while in turn criticizing the most irrelevant details of this critique to excess.

In past editorials I’ve tended to interpret some of these gambits of evasion as examples of simple bad-faith. But I’m increasingly beginning to realize that many, if not most, of these gambits are the result less of bad-faith than an inability to make a rational defense of one’s own perspective. Perhaps there is less irrational hatred in the radical milieu and a bit more inarticulate ignorance than I originally perceived. Still, the cures will be similar, whatever the bases for the evasion of discussion.

1) Always attack the comments rather than the author.

This is accomplished by avoiding a number of things, and by accomplishing one simple goal. Avoid making spurious, irrelevant, or patently false accusations by sticking resolutely to actual points made in the words and context in which the author you want to criticize has actually made them! If you can’t quote the author (without distorting the context) and address your criticisms directly to the quoted words, then simply don’t comment!

2) Refuse straw man arguments.

Challenge the actual meaning of the words you quote by either accepting the definitions used by the author you want to criticize, or by making it clear why you think the author’s definitions are so inadequate as to require different definitions. If you can’t find any place where an author actually has said something you want to criticize, don’t argue that she or he has said it, or would agree with it, or secretly believes it. If one person makes a particular statement, this does not mean that all people you may want to group with that person agree with that statement. If you want to draw some logical conclusions from the author’s statements in order to criticize them (or to show that the statements lead to absurd conclusions), then first run your alleged logical conclusions by several people to make sure that your conclusions are more solid than idiosyncratic, and then be sure to acknowledge that it is your conclusions that are absurd, and not the author’s.

Above all, read any texts you want to criticize with extreme care. Avoid superficial readings and always make a conscientiousness effort to understand what is at stake. If there is something you don’t understand, then simply ask about it before you criticize it.

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Tractors ~versus~ Cops

Posted on August 3, 2012 by @ndy

zero

one

A Guy Just Drove A Tractor Over Seven Cop Cars In Vermont

“A Vermont resident just took to a farm tractor and ran over seven police cruisers. We spoke to police and they currently have “no idea why” this happened.

And yeah, seven cars…”

two

Nineteen Years Ago, A Guy Drove An Army Vehicle Into Eight Cop Cars In Perth

From Episodes in Western Australia’s Policing History, Western Australia Police Media and Public Affairs, 2006:

In May 1993 WA Police were confronted with a rampaging 11 tonne tracked vehicle driven by Gary Alan Hayes, 31 years, who had stolen the vehicle from an army depot. His first attack was on the Wembley Police Station, located 10km from the city, at 4.40am crashing through a fence, damaging a police vehicle, as well as the building itself. Detectives from this station had been dealing with him over other criminal offences. He had previously been charged over $78,000 worth of counter-terrorist equipment stolen from the SAS barracks in November 1992. Police attended and he then crashed into the rear of their van knocking them into a lamp post. He then travelled into the city, to Police Headquarters and the City Police Station where at 5.15am he smashed through security gates. He then commenced to run over six police vehicles and a motor cycle, as well as private vehicles, parked in the secure area. Crashing his way out and demolishing the exit gates, he then travelled to the Central Law Courts, slamming into the masonry supports to this building. He then travelled to the CIB building in Beaufort Street, Perth and caused further damage, but could not get past the bollards guarding the building. Travelling onto Parliament House, he circled the building and stopped. Police negotiators attempted to talk to him through a slit in the front of the vehicle, but he set off again into the central city.

Police had noticed that a hatch on the vehicle was not totally secure. Three officers climbed onto the vehicle from the rear. The driver became aware and he attempted to dislodge them by driving into a bus shelter, which he demolished in the process. The TRG officers managed to drop a tear-gas grenade into the vehicle through the loose hatch, which also gave them entry, finally arresting the offender who resisted arrest violently at about 6.15am. It was then discovered that the vehicle was not carrying ammunition for its guns. He was charged on 19 counts of Criminal Damage, burglary and Assault of Police Officers.

The preparedness of police to confront and neutralise such varied situations only comes with our commitment to planning and training for all contingencies, with each decade bringing further challenges.

Constable D. Shaw and Constable A.J. Power received a Commissioner’s Certificate of Merit for their actions resulting in the arrest of this person.

Note that local anarchist group ‘Angry People’ produced a pamphlet titled Gary Hayes: His Own Story in 1994. A copy of their zine (#9) is available for download here (PDF).

Posted in !nataS, Broken Windows, History, State / Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Monash ALP ~versus~ Wholefoods

Posted on August 1, 2012 by @ndy

LOL.

Labor students at Monash University have declared WAR! on the Wholefoods restaurant — and by most accounts they appear to be winning.

For those of you coming in late, “Wholefoods is a non-profit, collective-run, vegetarian restaurant, café and grocery, situated in the campus centre at Monash University in Clayton.”

Or was.

While (almost) maintaining its commitment to the provision of fruits, legumes and vegetables to the student body, over the last few years Labor students — presumably in preparation for their future roles in the state and corporate bureaucracy — have been doing an excellent job of sabotaging Wholefoods as a collective effort, imposing one-man management, higher prices, and destroying the collective’s volunteer base. Most recently, the Labor-dominated Executive of the Monash Student Association decided to trash the furniture at Wholefoods, reportedly spending $10,000 on tables and chairs to replace the icky old ones with others considered less likely to give a yuppie a splinter (in the unlikely event one should accidentally wander in and sit down).*

In response to their attempted sabotage, a belated campaign in defence of Wholefoods has been launched.

Anger at the MSA’s incompetence has reached boiling point etc, and a few weeks ago the restaurant was (almost) smashed to pieces by a (very small) horde of vandals, necessitating its temporary closure.

Well, kinda sorta.

Last week Wholefoods was vandalised [see img below] and Wholefoods staff received anonymous abusive phone calls. Due to these developments the MSA has had no choice but to close Wholefoods while the matter is being investigated by Monash University security and the Victorian police. These actions are a disgraceful attack on student services and student money, and are incredibly disappointing to everyone at the MSA. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this temporary closure.

The ding-dong battle between yuppie future Labor MPs and lentil-eating hippies is no doubt TO BE CONTINUED…

*Supposedly, the tables were “made in the late ’70s from recycled timbers from the Otways forests, off-cuts from logging operations collected by Wholefoods Collective members who were part of the successful campaign to turn the Otways into a National Park“.

See also : Thousand cuts death of Wholefoods, ZOG (“Jew On This”), July 12, 2012.

Posted in State / Politics, Student movement, That's Capitalism! | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Joolya, working families, and political rhetoric

Posted on July 30, 2012 by @ndy


Above : Members of a working family.

“This is why workers and working Australians — the “working families” phrase long since having been taken out the back and shot — recur so frequently in the Prime Minister’s domestic speeches; not merely on industrial relations laws (the other area where Labor still leads the Coalition) but on fairness. This is the one piece of Labor turf left to her from which she can launch an attack that stands a chance of being effective.” ~ Bernard Keane, Crikey, July 16, 2012

Bernard is right about Joolya’s work fetish, but I’m unsure if it’s true that the working families working families working families meme (cf. 2007 and 2010 federal election campaigns) is dead. Certainly, the phrase appears in numerous speeches, press releases and transcripts by Joolya, the most recent reference being in June, and many more times than does the hated phrase “working class” — which, interestingly, occurs just a few times. Oddly, in the first of two references to the working class so far this year, Joolya chose the occasion of the awarding of the G20 to Brisbane to declare that “Australia is [a] nation of a number of working class cities and Brisbane is certainly one of them” (interview with Steve Austin, ABC Brisbane, July 11, 2012); a week later, she acknowledged the fact that in her inaugural speech a retiring MP described herself as “a proud daughter of the noble working class of Newcastle” (media release on the retirement of Sharon Grierson).

I wonder which other Australian cities, apart from Brisbane and perhaps Newcastle, Joolya considers to be ‘working class’… and which ones she does not?

As for the rest, in her address to the ALP national conference in December 2011 Joolya refers to the party’s commitment to establishing “an education system that [gives] working-class kids a chance”, a sentiment also expressed in her September 2011 address to the Chifley centre (“we have worked for an education system that gives working class kids a chance”). As an historian, Joolya notes that literacy is important: “A glance at British social history, for example, will reveal how working class families prized having someone in the family who could read” (2010 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, November 2010). Finally, in an interview with The Parrot (June 2010) she’s referred to by him as having a working class background.

Somewhat remarkably, Joolya only refers to the middle class in reference to its growth in Asia: this growing body of consumers is understood to provide Australians with abundant economic opportunities, a market which will “demand services and tourism, fine food, fine wine, all [of] the … things that Australia is so good at and has to sell” (interview with John Laws, 2SM, September 21, 2011).

Unsurprisingly, as far as Joolya’s concerned, the ‘ruling class’ does not exist, and nor does ‘capitalism’ or ‘imperialism’. For its part, ‘socialism’ exists only as an historical curio, and is trumped by feminism (“The 20th century was a century of big political movements and ideologies such as fascism, socialism and modernism. And yet the movement that outlasted them all, and surpassed them all in what it has achieved for humanity, is feminism – the struggle for women’s emancipation and equality”, Inaugural EMILY’s List Oration, September 13, 2011).

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes: working families.

June

June 12, 2012: “And anyone here who was a bit reluctant to leave home and get up to Brisbane for this night will have a bit of insight into why working families need some convincing that their next job is on the other side of the country.”

May

May 11, 2012: “We’ve had the opportunity this morning to meet some working families, some people invited by the local Member Gai Brodtmann…”

May 11, 2012: “For the Federal Government, what’s our role? Well, our role is to support working families with cost of living pressures and we’ve added in this budget with the Schoolkids Bonus and the family payments for things that are at risk under Mr Abbott, and we’ve provided cost of living relief through a wide range of policies that are helping people.”

May 10, 2012: “I was making a very simple point, which is Mr Abbott, who represents one of the wealthiest electorates in the country, came into the Parliament yesterday with his Liberal Party membership ticked in one pocket and used his vote to stop working families getting money they need… I believe Mr Abbott is out of touch with working families, because only someone out of touch could have decided to vote against giving people a helping hand of around $400 for a primary school student and $800 for a secondary school student and I really objected to the tone taken by Mr Abbott and the Liberal Party yesterday, where they were basically saying working people couldn’t be trusted with $400 and $800, couldn’t be trusted to look after their kids. I thought it was insulting.”

May 6, 2012: “It’s why we created Paid Parental Leave – first time ever in this country, to do something to help working families at the time you have a baby and with the costs of the baby and needing to leave work to look after your newborn.”

May 3, 2012: “Mr Abbott already has such a big financial mess that he’s basically got to take $70 billion out of services to working families.”

April

April 24, 2012: “So when it comes to understanding the needs of Australians, Mr Abbott just doesn’t get what working families need.”

April 23, 2012: “So, to take just one example, it has enabled us to end the spectre of hardworking taxpayers’ money going to support the private health insurance of millionaires. So that money can be available for front-line services that families need. Now that is important to working families. They are the sorts of goals that I have as Prime Minister: looking after working families and making sure that we best meet their needs, for the services they rely on, great schools, good hospitals, family payments support which assist them, like paid parental leave and the like… And, to fully answer your question, yes that is in the interests of working families because I have met too many people, from the kind of families you live next door to, the kind of families you feel you know really, really well, but what you don’t know is happening behind those closed doors is that they can’t meet the mortgage, they can’t put food on the table, they can’t get the kids to school with everything paid for that the kids need, because too much money is going down the poker machines.”

April 13, 2012: “These reforms promise to deliver far-reaching changes that will make a difference to the lives of millions of Australian working families.”

April 4, 2012: “So that means you face some tough choices and how we’re dealing with some matters involving public service employment are one of those tough choices, but it’s all about doing the right thing by the economy, the right thing by managing it in the interests of working families and that’s bringing the Budget to surplus exactly as we promised.”

April 1, 2012: “The Opposition has got itself in a position that even after it endorses all of our budget savings it will need to provide $70 billion more of cuts into things that working families rely on and Tony Abbott’s always telling us to judge him on his track record.”

April 1, 2012: “I know what it’s like to be in a family where people puzzle over the bills and worry about how you are going to get those bills paid and as we engage in this time of change for a clean energy future, I am not going to leave working families behind, which is why we are providing them with money through tax cuts, pension increase and family payment increases to help them through.”

March

March 31, 2012: “[Abbott’s] already in a position where he’s going to have to slash and burn $70 billion of services that working families rely on… We’ve just had a discussion about cost of living pressures, imagine ripping child care support dollars out of the hands of hard-working families… We have that clear plan, it’s about sharing the benefits of the mining boom, it’s about making sure our future economy can offer people jobs and prosperity, it’s about managing the economy today in the interests of working families and helping them with the pressures that they face, the cost of living pressures they face as they raise their families.”

March 29, 2012: “When the world was threatened by the global financial crisis, we stepped up; we managed the economy in the interests of working people, we supported jobs and we also worked to provide new benefits to working families to help them with cost of living pressures.”

March 26, 2012: “They want to see us working alongside working families whether its tax cuts, pension increases, which obviously will be delivered by the government… We are about creating the future economy which means people have got an even better opportunity to get ahead tomorrow in tomorrow’s economy and of course we are about delivering the benefits working families need… As we make the choices to bring the budget to surplus, we will take our Labor values about supporting working people and working families with us as we make those decisions.”

March 19, 2012: “These reforms promise to deliver far-reaching changes that will make a difference to the lives of millions of Australian working families.”

February

February 28, 2012: “We’ll be continuing to provide a package of benefits to working families, paid parental leave, our new education tax refund, more money going into childcare than ever before and of course we’ll be building a new platform for the future and fairness in the future and that is a better way of helping Australians with disabilities and their families so we’ve got to lot of work to do.”

February 25, 2012: “And I said to those who love the Labor Party here today that after Monday’s ballot we must come together and unite. Be a united Labor Party that is continuing to deliver the reforms and policies and plans which mean that we are running the economy in the interests of working people, supporting working families with the benefits that they need and creating the economy of tomorrow so people can live a stronger and fairer future… We vote on Monday and then we unite. And we get the job done of governing each and every day. Of delivering what we know will make a difference for working families today, for their jobs, for their health, for their education, for their communities, as we shape the future. That’s what I’m determined to do.”

February 25, 2012: “Delegates, I am absolutely determined that we use every day of government and every ounce of our energy to deliver today to working people, to run the economy in their interests, to make sure that we support hard-working families, that we give them the benefits that they need, whether they’ve got a child just born, a child in kindergarten, a child at school, a child in an apprenticeship, a child going to university – that we are there with them… And he apparently started having the tantrum because he was concerned about government debt, but here he is now with a $70 billion black hole, more debt or $70 billion of cuts to services that hard-working families need.”

February 24, 2012: “During 2012 I’ve got a very clear agenda that I want to lead our government and our nation in. It’s about jobs, it’s about education, it’s about skills, it’s about the future of our economy, it’s about getting working families the services they need.”

February 23, 2012: “And of course we don’t know where the $70 billion of cutbacks to the services working families need are going to fall. But there’s only so many places in the budget you can get huge money like that – cutting pensions, cutting Medicare, to take just two examples.”

February 19, 2012: “I have the strong confidence of my colleagues, their strong support and my focus is on getting on with my job as Prime Minister. We’re doing that today marking a very special and important event in Australia’s history, but we’re doing it every day. Building the strong economy we need for the future while we make sure we deliver a package of policies to support working families today. So that’s where my focus is and that’s where it will remain… And we’re working today too to deliver the benefits of a strong economy to working families through policies that support them like Paid Parental Leave, like our expanded Education Tax Refund to help with the cost of getting the kids to school, like more money into childcare than ever before.”

February 8, 2012: “And of course we don’t know where the $70 billion of cutbacks to the services working families need are going to fall. But there’s only so many places in the budget you can get huge money like that – cutting pensions, cutting Medicare, to take just two examples.”

February 6, 2012: “It will be a debate a between the Labor Government’s approach; between our approach of managing the economy in the interests of working people or the approach of our opponents who are determined to slash $70 billion out of services for working families… Do we make sure that we support working families with the assistance that they need or do we succumb to the Liberal Party agenda of cut backs for working families. These are the issues that [are] at the core of the economic debate which will happen in 2012… I have made up my mind about all of the choices in this debate. We stand for managing the economy for working families… Do you want to go with the cheapest plan for change – our plan, or do you want to impose a bill of $1300 per year on working families to pay for a scheme that won’t work and can’t work? …We are being invited by the other side of politics to stand still, to rip benefits off working families and to stop supporting jobs – we won’t be doing it.”

February 3, 2012: ” I’m going to be here working to support working families today, because a lot of people are finding it hard to make ends meet, so we’re increasing benefits for families, like being able to put your school uniforms as you buy them on your tax and get a rebate for them – that matters.”

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#StrikeColes v.2.0 : NUW 1 Coles/Toll 1 (w/- BONUS! HSU & SDA & WTF &…)

Posted on July 28, 2012 by @ndy

NUW!

The two-week long strike at the Coles/Toll warehouse and distribution centre ended on Monday with both Coles/Toll and the NUW declaring victory. Thus:

In the end, the striking workers got most of what they had asked for.

Their union argued it was a win for workers, while Toll said tonight that it was little more than a re-working of the cash offer it put on the table before the strike began.

Toll’s Andrew Ethell said the value of what Toll had been offering its workforce through the two-week-long battle had not changed. “It remains an effective four per cent annual wage rise over three years,” he said.

The negotiated settlement had been achieved by shuffling the structure of how wages and conditions were allocated, he said, “effectively reducing some conditions in order to be able to increase others”.

Patrick O’Connor — recently a candidate in the Victorian state by-election in Melbourne (where he received 156 votes or 0.57%) — expresses his distaste for the NUW in ‘Union shuts down warehouse strike, imposes sell out’ (wsws.org. July 25, 2012). According to Patrick, the NUW sold the workers out. “After deliberately isolating and wearing down the workers, while allowing Coles to avoid any significant disruption to its business by stepping up operations in other warehouses, the NUW rammed through a regressive enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) that meets none of the workers’ central demands.” Elsewhere, Victorian employers expressed disappointment at the failure by police to smash the picket. “The capacity to freely enter and exit a business premises remains a fundamental right and businesses should not be forced to launch expensive legal action in order to do so. The Victoria Police must play its part in upholding and enforcing the law where court orders are obtained because the ramifications for all businesses are frightening if it does not.”

On a spotterly note:

…the NUW was backed by the pseudo-left organisations. Socialist Alternative functioned as the chief cheerleader for the union bureaucracy throughout the dispute; now the organisation has hailed the sell-out as a “victory.” The Socialist Party is yet to write on the outcome, but it posted an article on its web site on Monday, just hours before the agreement was imposed, urging the Victorian Trades Hall to organise flying pickets at every Coles warehouse and to “mobilise all their affiliates and call for a mass community assembly at Altona tomorrow.” After these pathetic entreaties to the union bureaucracy, the Socialist Party regretfully concluded: “Disappointingly the NUW leaders have so far responded at a glacial pace.”

HSU!

One union bureaucracy that’s in heap ’em big trouble is the HSU (East). Apparently, several thousand of its members have failed to renew their memberships after revelations that its leadership, especially the union’s (former) boss, Michael Williamson, may have been slightly greedy and possibly even engaged in some corrupt and nepotistic practices(!). Former HSU boss Craig Thomson has his own battles, of course, some of them playing themselves out on the ah, Internets, especially Wikipedia. For what it’s worth, I think the most sensible solution would be for Thomson to go on a study tour of the United States (and possibly Cancún) to find out how the intarweb works and — in accordance with the requirements of Clause 9.2(b) of Remuneration Tribunal Determination 2006/18 — submit a statement reporting on his overseas study travel.

SDA! Here to stay!

In other news, Australia’s biggest and bestest union the SDA has successfully applied to FWA for a six-month adjournment to EBA negotiations with pizza chain Domino’s (see : Anarchists Deliver Fair Pizza, Conal Thwaite, newmatilda.com, June 15, 2012). This is plusgood news for both Domino’s and the SDA but ungood news for workers covered by the agreement, which now dates back to 2001. The best news is of course that Domino’s is now ranked 6th among Queensland-based businesses, its market capitalisation now estimated to be $289 million, an increase of 69.7%.

More on that later. In the meantime, a group of workers has decided to form a ‘General Transport Workers Association’ to see if a more direct and democratic approach to union organising is possible. (See also : SDA : Australia’s Worst Union? (November 30, 2009).)

Finally, the IWW has a new branch in Radelaide and Wobblies in Melbourne have a blog. In Queensland, in response to the LNP’s attacks on the public sector, a Workers’ Audit is being undertaken. One “written by angry workers’ for angry workers”, the audit “is an attempt to provide information and analysis on the LNP’s attacks on us all”. See also : An Appeal to Reason: the future for maritime workers and the MUA | Unite.

Bonus!

Posted in State / Politics, That's Capitalism!, Trot Guide | Tagged , | 4 Comments