Biometrics and Surveillance are Weapons of Class Warfare
Biometry is the analysis of biological data. Much more recently, the term “biometrics” has taken on a particular popular focus: specifically, the automated measurement of human features, often for individual identification based on specific characteristics such as face shape. The confluence of improvements in imaging technology and computer processing power can enable somewhat secure personal […]
The Socialist Vision of Technology
Capitalism and technology often seem synonymous. The word technology conjures an image of Google headquarters full of tech bros in suits yapping about how best to maximise ad revenue, but a different vision of technology is possible: one that centres humanity and shared creation. The fundamental problems we have with technology are really fundamental problems […]
The 1956 Hungarian Revolution
There are many differing lines on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956; Stalinists say it was a “fascist uprising” or “counter-revolution” to justify drowning the revolution in blood. The Western line taken up by liberals and authoritarians alike, uncomfortable with the true nature of the revolt, is that the revolution was simply a “nationalist uprising.” The […]
Artificial Intelligence as Class Struggle
When Datagrid’s 78,000 square metre data centre in Makarewa, north of Invercargill, is built, it will use 280 MW of power, making it the second-largest user of electricity after the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter near Bluff. To what end? Local mayors and business representatives are talking up the jobs the project will create, but details […]
L for Lenin
Lenin is a divisive figure, demonised by bourgeois society as a tyrant, and deified by Stalinist regimes who used him as a figurehead to justify their actions. Vladimir Ilyich “Lenin” Ulyanov’s actual legacy is more interesting. Born to an educated family, Lenin became involved in anti-Tsarist politics while he was studying law. His older brother […]
Book review: The Significance of the 1912 Waihi Strike, by Martin Gregory
On the eve of World War One, New Zealand’s labour movement was approaching a crossroads. Down one path lay an end to imperialist slaughter on foreign fields and liberation from colonial capitalist oppression at home. Down the other, government by two alternating parties who differed over how to administer capitalism, but who were equally committed […]
Students and Radical Politics
For as long as there have been calls for radical change, students have been involved in a big way. In the past decade alone, we’ve seen the rise of massive movements led by young people around the world. From global calls to combat climate change and campaigns for a free Palestine to mass protests against […]
D mo te Democracy
Nau mai, whakatau mai e te tī, e te tā ki ngā taihuringa āhuatanga o te wā, ā, ki te puna kōrero nei o A E I O U: Hei Hanga Ao mo te Kai Mahi. I te pānui kotahi kua pahure, kua whakataki ngā korero mo ngā ahuatanga o te pūrawa, ā, tēnā pānui […]
Freedom of Speech
The Left has long fought for the right to freely share ideas. Being able to criticise a government and powerful institutions without fear of reprisal is critical for social progress. Being able to freely access a range of analyses for educational purposes can be personally nourishing as well as help develop the capability of society […]
When Freedom isn’t Free
For centuries, capitalists have claimed that the working class need capitalism because it guarantees our freedom from tyranny and from encroachment into our personal liberties. The capitalist free market is promoted as being our sole means of attaining political and economic freedom because of the way it channels individual workers into consensual relationships of exchange […]
