The Struggle for Equal Marriage Rights
There are signs the struggle for equal marriage rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people may be emerging as a live issue in New Zealand. Labour’s Lousia Wall and the Greens’ Kevin Hague both have plans for bills raising the chance of parliament granting equal rights for same-sex couples. It’s a sign of the widespread support for […]
Capitalism, the Environment, and Socialism
It’s apparent to everyone today that the world is going through an ecological crisis. Wilderness is disappearing fast as whole ecosystems – from forests to grasslands to marshlands – are becoming endangered. For the past two centuries, factories have spewed forth pollution into the atmosphere, poisoning the very air we breathe while lakes, rivers and […]
“Overpopulation” is not to blame for the ecological crisis
Overpopulation is a common theme when discussing environmental destruction. It’s undoubtedly true that since the 1960s an ecological crisis has emerged causing loss of biodiversity, plunging fish stocks, deforestation, and dangerous climate change. Coincidentally since this time the global population has doubled. It might seem logical therefore to link the two. The idea that ‘overpopulation’ is to blame for […]
The Rena Oil Spill: One Year On
Friday the 5th of October marked one year since the container ship MV Rena struck an artificial reef off the coast of Tauranga as it headed into port, triggering New Zealand’s worst ever environmental disaster. The clean-up that followed took months, and is still not complete: the Rena remains grounded on the Astrolabe Reef and […]
The Fire Last Time: The Rise of Class Struggle and Progressive Social Movements in Aotearoa, 1968-1977.
“A dramatic upsurge in working class struggle, surpassing in magnitude the rise of the Red Feds from 1908 to 1913 and the 1951 Waterfront Lockout, took place in New Zealand from the Arbitration Court’s nil general wage order in June 1968 to the union movement’s defeat of the Muldoon Government’s attempted wage freeze in 1976. […]
The Significance of the 1912 Waihi Strike
This year marks the centenary of the 1912 Waihi miners’ strike, one of the most important – and violently contested – strikes in New Zealand history. Frederick Evans was matyred; political ideas and organisational questions clarified; and the role and force of the state made clear. The strike offers many lessons for today. To mark the occasion, […]
Auckland bus drivers’ spirit prevails over dead hand of union bureaucrats
At a mass meeting Auckland bus drivers working for NZ Bus Ltd had thrown out a pay deal recommended to them by the First Union and the Tramways Union, and the drivers were set to strike on Monday, September 24, and every Monday thereafter. Every socialist and trade unionist should be aware of what happened […]
Issue 40: Editorial
This issue of Socialist Review takes up two key debates in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In a six page feature Andrew Tait looks at the debate raging over Māori rights over fresh water. It is argued that power companies should not be for profit but run for need by the workers who work them alongside representatives of […]
South Africa: Miners strike back
Some 4,000 striking Marikana platinum miners confronted heavily armed police and strike spread to other mines. They chanted “The white men are shaking!” and “The police who shot us are shaking!” in the face off at the mine. The strike remains solid despite an agreement reached between management and the official miners’ union the NUM. The striking […]
Frustration spreads protest around world
What started as little-seen, low budget, YouTube video in July became a trigger for demonstrations throughout the world in September. Josh Lees from Socialist Alternative was at the protest in Sydney. Hundreds of police have savagely and repeatedly attacked a Sydney demonstration opposing racist insults to Islam. Police used tasers, pepper spray, police dogs and […]
