SA Newsletter 19/02: Power to the People

Kia Ora To All Members And Supporters Of Socialist Aotearoa,

What a whirlwind few weeks it has been. Margaret Thatcher popped her clogs and the champagne glasses came out. New Zealand's Parliament legalised gay marriage and the champagne came out again. In south Auckland socialists and even Lucy Lawless joined the Mana Movement in providing free breakfast and lunch to two thousand school children as part of the Feed the Kids campaign. Five thousand teachers filled Queen Street in a show of power against the government's attacks on education and Labour and the Greens announcement of a single electricity purchaser to keep our power prices down has wiped hundreds of millions of dollars of the share price of New Zealand electricity companies and has the Mighty River Power CEO crying about their 'socialist plan'. And John Key's fiasco with the illegal spying of New Zealanders by the GCSB and his cronyism and constant brain fades continues to hurt the government in the polls.

With the first privatisation commencing and the politics of electricity being hotly debated it's important that Auckland sees a big Aotearoa is Not for Sale march on Saturday against the government. Details are below.

Also this week comes ANZAC Day, in which the armed forces and corporate media collaborate to make sure we remember as little as possible about the wars of the past. With New Zealand's participation in the occupation of Afghanistan coming to an end its important we remember the reasons and the consequences of this conflict. With Thursday falling on Anzac Day our branch meeting will begin with a history of New Zealand's participation in wars of empire from Gallipoli to Vietnam, Iraq to Afghanistan and the contribution of the anti-war movements to their end. It's an important meeting. Until we remember that imperial wars are never fought for peace and security but for power and oil it's only a matter of years before New Zealand soldiers are killing and being killed in another foreign land.

Socialist Aotearoa branch meeting
Lest We Remember: Gallipoli, Vietnam, Afghanistan - New Zealand's role in the wars of empire and our anti-war movements
When: 7.30pm, Thursday 25 April
Where: Unite, 6a Western Springs Road, Kingsland.

Power to the People! - Aotearoa is Not for Sale
It's time for the government to listen to the majority of New Zealand. A National Day of Action with protests in eight cities across the country organised by Aotearoa Not For Sale Coalition to stop asset sales.

"I'm marching on Saturday 27th at the Aotearoa is not for Sale protest action for a number of reasons. My disgust at allowing those who have benefited most from tax cuts being subsidized to buy assets my mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunties, cousins, uncles and brothers have already paid for burns me with injustice but the main reason I am marching on Saturday is for my beautiful 3 year old daughter.The promise of democracy is that we can look into the faces of our children and know they will get a better of it than we did. I refuse to look into her eyes and know she will get less than I did." - Martyn Bradbury, Blogger and media commentator

When: 2pm, Saturday 27 April
Where: Britomart, Queen Street, Auckland
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/151078145052593/?ref=25

---

>>>News and Analysis>>>

Return to torture island
The Australian government has forcibly returned 38 of the 66 Sri Lankan asylum seekers who landed on Australia's west coast this month asking for help from New Zealand.
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/return-to-torture-island.html

Stop asset sales - Renationalise
This year, on Saturday April 27th, people will gather again to say that Aotearoa is Not for Sale. But this time we have a message too, to Labour and the Greens- Renationalise State Assets, and when you do, put People before Profit.
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/stop-asset-sales-renationalise.html

April 27- Time to fight Thatcher's Spawn in New Zealand
Last week, Thatcher died, but we are still fighting a battle against her legacy. The sabotage begun by her acolyte, Roger Douglas, is today being continued by John Key and his National Party government.
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/april-27-time-to-fight-thatchers-spawn.html

The Teachers Strike Back
On Saturday the 13th of April thousands of primary school teachers and supporters marched in Auckland and other towns and cities around the country.
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/education-is-not-for-sale.html

Education is Not for $ale
What could possibly come next on the education agenda of the National Government? Lesson plans sponsored by corporations? "Good morning pupils. Today's recorder lesson is brought to you by iTunes, where all your favourite songs are just a click away."
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/education-is-not-for-ale.html

Charting the Class Struggle
Ding, Dong reached number two in the UK charts after selling over 52,000 copies. The pro-Thatcher campaign could only manage just short of 9,000 sales of an irreverent punk rock anthem 'I'm in love with Margaret Thatcher'. The corporate media may eulogise the Thatcher years, but the public have nothing but disgust for the vile woman and her policies.
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/charting-class-struggle.html

The Blue Rose - Taking on the system
The Blue Rose, TV3's new television series starring Outrageous Fortune's Antonia Prebble and Siobhan Marshall, is taking on the system.
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/the-blue-rose-taking-on-system.html

Jellyfish and Climate Change
Man-made greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet. Scientists predict that by 2100 the planet will be hotter than it's been since the time of the dinosaurs and that both polar ice caps will melt.
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/jellyfish-and-climate-change.html

Socialism or barbarism in Korea
We cannot continue with the current system of international politics. It is fratricide from a moral standpoint, and suicide from a social and economic standpoint. We demand a permanent end to all imperialist wars, occupations, thefts, intimidation and bullying. For peace and socialism on the Korean peninsula.
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/socialism-or-barbarism-in-korea.html

NZ SuperFund investing in illegal Israeli settlements
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund, ($20 billion of taxpayer investments that funds our pensions) currently holds investments in over forty Israeli companies including two Israeli banks that finance the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank.
http://socialistaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/nz-superfund-investing-in-illegal.html

--

See you on the streets,
Socialist Aotearoa
www.socialistaotearoa.org

ENDS

© Scoop Media