[Paradigm Shift 14 August 2015 4zzz fm 102.1 Andy and Ian]

Hutchisons Dispute sacked half their workforce (97 workers) by text message. The union responds by use of community assemblies comprising of all unions affiliated with the Queensland Council of Unions – nurses, building workers, clerks, teachers, electricians and so forth.

Today (Friday , 14 Aug 2015) Ian was on the wharves from 6 am to see the workers march back to work after a order by the Federal Court granting a temporary injunction against the sacking. The full case is to be heard later in the month. Hutchison immediately disregarded the court order, not allowing some of the workers illegally sacked to return to work.

Hutchison’s competitor, Partricks, was the employer in the bitter 1998 ‘MUA here-to-stay’ dispute where half the workforce were made redundant. Patricks victory was to introduce, lower wages, poorer unsafe conditions, casualisation and automation to the industry. Chris Corrigan (Chairman QUBE) former Managing Director of Patrick Corporation engaged in  a conspiracy with the federal government (Up yours Peter Reith, John Howard!) against the waterside workers.

Seventeen (17) years later, the battle-hardened MUA together with increasing militancy from the rank and file elected a new state secretary, Bob Carnegie, sweeping aside the more moderate leadership after the resignation of Mick Carr, long-time MUA secretary.

Music from Phil Monsour and video … see the last frames of this clip where the workers march back to work in Brisbane while some are locked out in Sydney.

In Sydney workers are asking to be let back to work. This has become a strike of capital against the workers (a lock=out) orchestrated by a billionaire businessman in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Billionaire Li Ka-shing behind Hutchisons.

It is important for the workers to ‘know our Friends, know our Enemies’ in this pivotal dispute.

Ian and Andy play an interview with new organiser, Paul Petersen about the dispute.

Interviews

Bob’s intro at the wharves

Ros McLennan QCU

Jade from CFMEU on trade union principles

Macca from ETU

Chris from the Miners

Bob on capitalist society and overseas workers

Playlist
Phil Monsour – One more day than them
Billy Bragg – Never cross a picket line
H-Block 101 – Worker’s wage
Redgum – Killing floor
Glitter Rats – Which side are you on?

(Paradigm shift broadcast 7 August 2015 Friday at noon)

Andy also spoke on air with local exponent of the african thumb piano, Russel Svinurai, who sang and played traditional mbira tunes from Zimbabwe.

Andy and Russel spoke about wars of independence in Zimbabwe in 1896 and beyond to de-colonise.

Andy speaks with Stephen Feld, an American anthropologist, about ethics & aesthetics of cosmopolitan listening beyond borders, boundaries and species.

The ways that values associated with cosmopolitanism can be imperial, how the western market distorts music and does not value new music (world music, sic).

Playlist

inforussel svinurai – chemutengure

inforussel svinurai – tora huta hwangu

inforussel svinurai – kugarisana infofela kuti – I.T.T.

[Paradigm Shift 4ZZZ fm 102.1 Friday 31 July 2015]
Camilla, Yani (sp?), Maurie and Andy discuss recent demonstrations organized by Reclaim Australia vilifying Muslims and spreading hate. They discuss possible responses to these rallies and to racism.

Who are the groups involved?
Rise up, United Australia Party. Hate groups and people who are not aligned to any political group and are fearful about current circumstances in Australia.

Why do we need to resist it?
Camilla – Spreading hatred to all Muslim people. Mosque was firebombed in Toowoomba, Muslim people attacked. Deeper layer – spreading a message of a whiter Australia, more English in schools, national anthem …
Yani – game of power, Reclaim think we have more right than others, dangerous game, promotes hate and does not allow people live in harmony with each other.
Andy – There are historical parallels e.g. far right came out of German poverty, Treaty of Versailles. in Greece austerity measures gave rise to both the Left and to right wing parties like Golden Dawn.
Recently Free Papua movement distanced themselves from Reclaim Australia.
Gold Coast rally guy got up and said it (Reclaim) was a fight against Islam.
Yani – good example, moving from a political state mind … immigration and poverty – right wing ideas are much higher … solidarity is strong in Greece.

How has it been resisted so far? Has that been effective or not?
Counter rally was outnumbered 4 to 1 in Brisbane whereas in Melbourne it was the other way round.
Yani – both counter rally and Reclaim group were diverse and passionate
Why is Brisbane different? Socialist Alternative was at the Marxist conference in Melbourne during the first rally, so numbers were down in Brisbane.
Some Reclaim Australia people gave the Nazi salute. People are fearful about the world that we are in, unknowing. Muslims comprise less than 2% of the population. Islam is based on culture.
Maurie – Slack Bastard puts out and ‘ridiculises’ the far right. Need to do it at each rally. Need to stand there. Violence at the rally … the neo-fascist are both anti-women and anti-fascist. Promoting violence against women. Government doing a job by fighting ISIS – which promotes message of ‘we don’t like them’.
Andy – not much violence
Maurie – like a grand final … was acting as a street medic … half the Reclaim people were listening to Shane (from the counter rally) when he was speaking. Don’t want to lessen the danger of the far-right. Riot squad coppers took them away.
Andy – Slack Bastard is an anarchist blog that researchers crackpot racist groups.

What other possibilities are there for resisting?
Camilla – doing work like putting up anti-nationalism posters … try to interrupt people’s thoughts … a Zine has been written – 24 point demands of Reclaim Australia are countered in it … occasionally there is some kind of truth to what Reclaim says need to give better answers … education.
Yani – idea of a picnic … instead of shouting slogans … going out being happy and colourful … egalitarian messages. Have a lot of fun for love and inclusiveness. Quite successful in getting people see it this way.

How do we go beyond just resisting racism, to creating a just and inclusive society?
Were religious groups involved?
Camilla – No religious groups formally involved … approached one religious group – rare that u see Muslims there … not just because of verbal threats …
Anti-reclaim rally increasing in numbers … continuing process of exposing them … reclaims 24 points … education is the way
Australian society has underestimated the problem … educate ourselves how we can live together … see people as people
Was it effective?
Was there a point? There was a point being there … and handed out zines.
Make up every day discrimination.
Andy – a critique of the counter rallies … promo of the rally. Gold coast … racism counter rally. Walked over to other side … being a racist.
Received a phone call from an aboriginal activist who speaks about aboriginal sovereignty … yet was abuses by all people from the counter rally with pale skin for wanting to engage with the Reclaim people.
No interest in standing there shouting at people … important thing is to show others … look in Europe, street fighting with nazis … extreme right is much stronger there than here … dialogue and empathy. Important to resist.
Camilla – not black & white (sic). Are we dependent on them for our existence? … what will we do if they did not exist? Are we glorifying (the struggle?)… what are we standing for instead of just reacting?
Maurie – maybe we should start rallies rather than counter rallies … support multi-culturalism … does not preach hate … no street fighting.
Andy– I go to multicultural festivals … is the Left there? Are they building networks? Relationships … do we need to build both?
Camilla – organized an anti-bigotry gig … in an abandoned property … graffiti on the walls … abandoned place had asbestos in the walls and people felt that they could trash it – not good.

How do we go beyond just resisting racism, to creating a just and inclusive society?
Camilla – Stop being racists ourselves … I’m not racist or sexist … went to new york … was thinking I’m having so many racist thoughts … book talk in the met library … surrounded by black Americans … intellectual people who are black.
Yani – stop being hypocrites – do we engage with people who are different with us? Easier to mix with people like us, we just don’t care enough. Being inclusive … try harder to talk to our neighbours
Andy – disaffected white people – in the recruiting of the courier mail … build that swaying more to the right
Camilla – dismiss people who are different … my brother will only quit smoking only if he wants to
Maurie – stop preaching to the converted … Pauline Hanson was a great thing … other people said what they believe … we are racists
Racism in the news … adam goodes, cronulla riots

Playlist
Midnight Oil – Redneck wonderland
Tiddas – Anthem
The Glitter Rats – All you fascists
Escape From Toytown – Fish and chip bitch from Ipswich

Some Notes:
Springbok Tour – anti-apartheid struggle – draws a parallel with the heckling of Adam Goodes.
Economic boycott of institutional racism – anti-apartheid struggle against Israel (BDS) and South Africa
Sport can be a way of overcoming racism.
So can Equal opportunity in employment.

[Paradigm Shift broadcast 24 July 2015 on 4 triple z (FM 102.1 Fridays at noon)].

Today’s show was about using the law to defend the environment.

Andy, Merret (sp?) and Ian discussed this issue.

The show began with Andy interviewing Sean Ryan from the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO). Sean spoke about Legal remedies regarding the coal mines in Queensland contribution to Climate Change.

Specifically Sean spoke about the Wandoan coal mine; the Alpha coal mine that is being mined by Hancock coal; and about the Adani’s  Carmichael mine owned by Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners.
They briefly discussed New Hope’s plans to expand Acland mine on the Darling Downs.

Sean commended the Queensland Government on its reinstatement of the right of the community to object on the basis of environmental impacts.

Andy and Sean discussed an environmental group called “Agenda”. This group, based in the Netherlands,  sued the Dutch government for not doing enough to protect it citizens from the effects of climate change.

The court said that the Dutch government has ‘a duty of care’ to protect its citizens from the impact of climate change.

Sean discussed the ‘tort of negligence’ and judicial review.

Andy questioned Sean about the Hunter Valley where a Rio Tinto mine was reinstated.

Sean said that the benefits of going to the courts was that they are supposed to be independent of money and politics. Witnesses have to be sworn under oath or affirmed so they can go to jail if they lie. Therefore more likely to get the truth. For example, the courts have to accept the scientific evidence relating to climate change. The mining industry cannot deny climate change in the witness box.

Nor can Adani claim that there are 10,000 new jobs at the Carmichael mine. Sean Ryan (EDO) said at most there would be 1,464 jobs on offer if the Adani project goes ahead.

Andy asked Sean about the ‘Agenda’ case in the Netherlands.

Sean said that there are penalties and fines for the government if it does not abide by the court ruling.

Andy, Merret and Ian then discussed the pros and cons of a legal defence strategy.

Ten Minutes to Midnight
At the end of the show Andy interviewed Paul Brown about the atomic testing in in Montebello Islands and Maralinga. there is an exhibit on at the block at QUT Kelvin Grove and it is  called 10 minutes to midnight. It is about community groups in South Australia and the projection of images showing what happened at montebello Island and Maralinga where atomic testing was done on Australian soil.

They discussed the minor trials. These were particularly dirty atomic tests during the 1950 s and 1960 s. Paul discussed the case of a whistleblower by the name of Aidan Hudson who was talking about veterans rights from the minor trial and the Royal Commission into atomic testing in the 1980 S. the name of the exhibition is nuclear futures and it does talk about the past but give some insight into what can happen in the future. They talked about the arms race and how the British use the Australian land Aboriginal land to test the bomb. The exhibition nuclear Futures is on at the Queensland University of Technology at the block which is a building at Kelvin Grove campus. & B exhibition features films that a showing between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day.

10 Minutes to Midnight
where The Block
when 21 July – 7 August
hours Weekdays 2.00pm – 6.00pm
Saturday 25 July 10.00am – 3.30pm
Sunday 26 July 8:30am – 3:30pm
admission Free

Playlist
Billy Bragg – Think Again
Coloured Stone – Chasing Rainbows
Combat Wombats – Alternative Energy
Rankin & Dub Ainu Band “You can’t see it, and you can’t smell it either “

[Paradigm Shift 4zzz fm 102.1 17 Jul 2015, fridays at noon]

The Talisman Sabre joint military exercises are now into their 10th year of training for interoperability between the Australian and US military. This year a total of 27 000 troops took part, including 18 000 US soldiers and a handful of Japanese. The exercises in the northern territory and central qld also attracted a small but dedicated group of peace activists, 18 of whom were arrested trespassing on the shoalwater bay base during the war games. Andy spoke to Margaret Pestorius, Lucy Allan, AJ Van Tonder and Sam Quinlan about the peace convergence and about taking direct action against war.

USS Blue Ridge is the flagship of the 7th fleet which was born in Brisbane during World War II during the battle of the Coral Sea. At that time, US General MacArthur decided to draw a line through Brisbane and give the northern part of Australia up to Japanese imperial forces.

It was called the Brisbane Line.

At that time a family member told me that, as a boy, from his back steps in Camp Hill, he saw ambulance after ambulance carrying wounded soldiers from the battle of the Coral Sea. This sad spectacle continued throughout the day along Old Cleveland Road to the US military hospital at Carina. It planted a life long memory in Elice who died only recently.

It was only 50 years ago that the US took Australia into its longest war in Indo-China during the 1960s and 70s. A war that killed millions of Vietnamese people.

It seems the war as never ended for the warmongers, the US wishes to use Australia to protect its strategic interests in the Pacific and South China Sea after conducting murderous wars of aggression in the middle east over the past 10 years. It has a new base in Darwin and runs exercises in Queensland with uncritical support from Queensland hob nobs, Governor Paul de Jersey and Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll, who were on-board the command ship of the US Navy’s seventh fleet as it sailed under the Gateway Bridge before docking at Hamilton.

As part of a PR campaign, some of the 170 officers and 800 enlisted men and women will spend the next few days visiting schools and hospitals across Brisbane.

For mine, US troops and bases out!

But what of China? No to capitalist China.

And a truly independent Australia in the Pacific and Indian Oceans is the way forward …

Andy Paine & Ian Curr
July, 2015

Playlist

Sister Rosetta Tharpe sings ‘Didn’t it rain’
Jumping Fences ‘Candile de Nieve’

References
https://au.news.yahoo.com/qld/a/28820063/us-warship-docks-in-brisbane/

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-16/uss-blue-ridge-sails-into-brisbane-after-talisman-sabre-exercise/6624106

As U.S. war games continue in Shoalwater bay in Central Queensland, Paradigm Shift [Friday 10/7/15 12pm-1:05pm 4zzz fm 102.1] explore alternatives to the United Nations.

Ian speaks with Justin from Basewatch in Darwin (an Independent & Peaceful Australia Network IPAN member).

Radio premier of Glenn Major’s anti-war song Sit and Watch the Children Play [ http://www.reverbnation.com/glennmajor ].

Speech by Professor Kozue Akibayashi about the experience of Japanese people’s struggle around the giant US military base in Okinawa and the campaign top stop the violence against women perpetrated by the U.S. military.

Ian and Glenn discuss Glenn’s plan for a reform of the United Nations.

PlayList
Glenn Major – Sit and watch the children play
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – If I were Free

THE WORKING CLASS HAVE NO COUNTRY - Karl Marx, Communist Manifesto

Paradigm Shift Broadcast 19 June 2015 Friday at noon

Andy and Ian speak with Hossein, a Rohingynan, refugee from Rakine state (near Myanma [Burma] and Alfi, a refugee from West Papua.

Andy interviews David Sprigg who threw his shoe at Immigration Minister, Peter Dutton.

Refugees are a mass movement with 2.59 Million refugees displaced in 2015 alone

Highest percent per population

1. Jordan – refugees from Syria, Palestine, Iraq

2. Lebanon – refugees from Syria

3. Nauru – refugees from Afghanistan, Hazaras, Sri Lanka (Tamils), Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, placed there by Australia.

Playlist
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS John Butler Trio

Alfi played West Papuan freedom songs