10 October 2007

Free Burma Rally

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Posters have been appearing around the traps recently promoting a rally under the title “Show your solidarity – Free Burma” – for those interested, it’s on this Saturday, October 13 at 11am in Civic Square. The listed principles are:

* Support the Burmese people’s struggle for democracy.
* Stop the killing.
* Stop the repression.
* Free the political prisoners.

…which all seems very worthy. The organising group is named as “Canberra Network for Democracy in Burma”, about whom the web seems to divulge very little. A clue is in the listed contacts, which are a committee member of the Australia Mon Association, the general number 6247 7844 for UnionsACT (formerly the ACT Trades and Labour Council), and two individuals with no affiliation listed.

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The situation there goes far beyond the whites being chucked off their farms (some light reading).

I sure hope that the practice of “the left” opposing only rightist regimes and “the right” opposing only leftist regimes has been left back in the cold war era, where it belongs.

Yes, I support the MDC in Zimbabwe too. I was wondering about that myself, and perhaps the reason that there haven’t been many similar events about Zimbabwe is the lack of a significant Zimbabwean diaspora presence here? (Recalling the involvment of the Mons in organising the Burma rally).

The only hypocrisy would be if “the left” who had opposed military action to enforce regime change in Iraq were advocating the same against Burma.

hingo_VRCalaisV69:17 am 11 Oct 07

So an ACT Union is supposed to support overseas workers? How silly of me, its so obvious!

damnintellectuals8:10 am 11 Oct 07

I thought it was a goal of unions to support workers everywhere, not just the particular country where it exists. Thus, support for the democracy of Burma seems like something a union should be vocal about.

Once again the left shows their hypocrisy over Burma.

Funny, I never heard shrieks like this:

The listed principles are:

* Support the Iraqi people’s struggle for democracy.
* Stop the killing.
* Stop the repression.
* Free the political prisoners.

I realise this is getting a tiny bit OT but the CPSU now provides all members with journey cover, to make up for the compo protection for the trip to work recently removed by the government.

Doesn’t sound so evil to me. International solidarity forever I say. I heard that when you quit the Liberal party, they eat your children.

I can’t imagine that terribly much money would be being spent on this. How much can placards and a bit of paint possibly cost?

I believe the ideological underpinning of trade union support for these kinds of campaigns is the belief that labour solidarity transcends national borders.

hingo_VRCalaisV64:57 pm 10 Oct 07

Unions are nothing but a waste of money. If you try to cancel your union membership, they will critisise you for your decision and even go as far as making threats. There is no way in hell I would ever join one again. Unions are full of tighwad pricks who pretend they are fighting for the average Aussie when in fact they are fighting to fund their political agendas.

I realise that. But I also don’t recall the last time my Union asked the members if it was okay to waste money on campaigns to Free Burma, etc. I don’t have a problem with the anti-WorkChoices ads per se, apart from the fact they’re a bit lame.

I would rather have my Union spend “our” money on things like supporting families who have lost their breadwinner through industrial accidents and to support families during strikes, etc.

Deadmandrinking4:33 pm 10 Oct 07

No-one’s forcing you to join the unions, mr evil.

Yep, how typical is that – your hard earned Union fees being spent promoting revolution in another country?

Mind you, when compared to the lame arsed ads they’ve been playing on TV against WorkChoices, then maybe it’s not such a bad thing?

hingo_VRCalaisV62:49 pm 10 Oct 07

ewww…Unions…

Has it changed back from being Myanmar?

The ironic thing is that the people attending the rally will all show up in Subaru’s.

Just like the Subaru Rally of Canberra.

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