Momentum is building for real government and civil society action to address the world’s serious environmental crisis. One such organisation is Get-Up. This Sunday morning, in Canberra’s fine spring weather, Get Up orange clad activists and their children gathered to welcome the environmental climate torch relay, and with songs, and speeches. Bob Brown was in [...]
Archive | October, 2008
Repressive IR laws against building and construction workers have to go now
I have read many legal cases where the conduct of Howard’s industrial policeforce the the ABCC is in question. The latest on friday is the acting chief justice of the Federal Court Justice Jeffery Spencer accusing the ABCC of bias in pursuing an unfounded coercion case against the plumbing union and its leader while ignoring [...]
After black friday… if she blows!
If she blows? by Humphrey McQueen 11 October If it is dodgy to speculate about the timing of, or the immediate trigger for a depression, six consequences can be predicted with almost 100% accuracy. >Above all, a collapse of real existing capitalism is not going to move the world one toenail closer towards being a [...]
The market for futures by McQueen
If Main Street despises bankers, then it loathes the brokers who trade in futures. Bankers, at least, assemble the money necessary for expanded production. Traders in futures make their fortunes by speculating. Worse still are the brokers who trade in financial derivatives. 1. The market for futures by Humphrey McQueen and 2. A poem by [...]
Superannuation: SRI and CSR – hype or reality?
THE SUPERANNUATION QUESTION SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY HYPE OR REALITY? 2004 I take up one key issue, that of the question of Socially Responsible Investment, SRI, often called ethical investment together with Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR. SRI is superannuation fund investing in socially responsible companies. CSR refers to those companies that report [...]
Socialists on the financial crisis
This is a link to a challenging socialist analysis of the current world capitalist financial crisis by Leo Panitch and Sam Gindin ‘They say they won’t intervene. But they will.’ This is how Robert Rubin, Bill Clinton’s Treasury Secretary, responded to Paul O’Neill, the first Treasury Secretary under George W. Bush, who openly criticized his [...]
Stand Up for the Burrup
When recently in Perth we attended an afternoon with FARA Friends of Australian Rock Art. This was the day before Labor Carpenter, who had supported Woodside and failed to protect this unique national heritage listed site, lost government. Now with the Liberal government FARA continues to campaign to save the Burrup/Murujuga. Contact Conservation Council fara.perth@gmail.com [...]
McQueen on ‘How to lose a trillion’ and ‘McValue’
How to lose a trillion. (2 October) When the radio news reported that the New York Stock market had “lost†a trillion dollars, my eyes glazed over. A trillion is what Douglas Hofstader calls a Very Big Number, meaning that we have no way of coping with so many zeros after the one ($1,000,000,000,000). Those [...]
ACTU on the economic crisis and unions a debate where to now.
On 1 October, I first attended ACTU Sharan Burrow’s address at the National Press Club. I was anticipating some further union criticism of DPM Gillard on her IR reforms, but Sharan did not do this despite anguish amongst unions. She refused to name it WorkChoices Lite when quizzed…wait for the details she said. At 6pm [...]
News from LabourStart
- Ireland: IMPACT calls on Government to deliver reforms on collective bargaining and employees' rights
- Australia: Unions wrap up ACTU Congress with renewed vigour to campaign for rights at work and fairer Australia
- Colombia: Urgent Action: Colombian union leaders in danger
- Europe: IndustriALL-European Trade Union Born Today with Merger of Three Federations
- Bangladesh: Workers suffering from low wages end days of strikes and riots sparked by disappearance of trade union leader
- Switzerland: Unions hold protest at International Olympic Committee to support Canadian Rio Tinto workers
- Philippines: Radio network employees gear for a strike against union-busting
- Global: Full coverage of IUF congress in Geneva
- Turkey: Turkish Government ’s anti-democratic attack on the right to strike
- India: Jet Airways pilots back striking Air India pilots
Recent Comments