The Socialist Vision of Freedom
Freedom from Oppression, Freedom from Exploitation Freedom is a contested word, but the real freedom at the core of the socialist vision – freedom for everyone – must be fought for. Socialists envision a world where everyone has the freedom to take the time we want to do the things we want. A world where […]
US: Hands Off Venezuela!
The following statement was released on the evening of 3 January 2026, in the moments between Maduro’s abduction and the Trump administration’s declaration of responsibility for the attack. It is published here, with a few updates, for the record. Early reports indicate that the bombing of Venezuela’s capital city, Caracas, is the doing of the […]
Dire Emergency: Solidarity with the Firefighters! Shame on FENZ!
The following article was written after the 9 January Firefighters’ strike. The Ōtepoti Dunedin strike was attended by ISO members, including ISO editor Oscar Bartle, who conducted an interview with the local NZPFU branch secretary, Mike Taylor. Firefighters with the New Zealand Professional Firefighters’ Union (NZPFU) have, as part of their “Dire Emergency” campaign, been […]
Extended Interview: Alma de Anda on Crisis Pregnancy Centres
The following is the minimally edited transcript of an interview conducted in October/November 2025. A short commentary article based on this interview was previously published on this website and in Issue 17 of The Socialist. Welcome, Alma. First off, could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about ALRANZ and the work you do? […]
Strike Wave 2025: Reflections From a Unionist
The 23 October public sector strike was the largest industrial action taken in Aotearoa since the one-day General strike in 1979. On 28 October Te Whanganui-a-Tara branch of the International Socialist Organisation hosted a panel discussion on this historic action. Nurse and unionist Grant Brookes was among the speakers, giving his perspective on the struggle. […]
“God’s Bankers”: Capitalism and Religion
This article was published in Salient earlier in 2025. This version expands on Stewart’s philosophy, notes the utilisation of missionaries, and contains other minor editorial differences. Few things have been as devastating for the socialist project than its span as a state religion. For much of the twentieth century, so-called “communist” states raised Marx and […]
Protesting the Ōtautahi Aerospace Conference
To quote from the 2025 Aerospace Summit website, New Zealand is a “global space leader”. Our low population density and open skies make us the perfect arena, in logistical terms, for testing and launching aerospace technology into the world’s shared skies. Rocket Lab, a New Zealand-based company, has been receiving USA military contracts since 2009, […]
Working Class History: The 1959 Oil Workers Strike in Fiji
In the late 1950s in Fiji, the cost of living was rising. Indigenous Fijian workers, along with the formerly indentured Indo-Fijian workforce, chafed under the exploitation of the colonial, capitalist system. Some workers, like unionist Apisai Tora, had been radicalised by the experience of fighting in WWII and returning to continued hardship at home. It […]
Anti-Māori Attacks on Education: Tracing the History
Papers released earlier this year have revealed the government’s plan to cut words in te Reo Māori from primary school curricula. According to a Ministry of Education report in August, te Reo Māori will now be effectively banned from any new books in the Ready to Read Phonics Plus (RtRPP) series for five-year-olds. This is […]
The Lost Decade of Revolutions
The following is a lightly edited version of a public talk given to the Tāmaki Makaurau branch in March 2025. If you are attending a meeting of the International Socialist Organisation then we are going to start with the assumption that you want to change the world for the better: that you are at least […]
