W.A.Y.N.C.R.? Number 9, Luke Coxon
Like his comrade, Helen Te Hira, Luke Coxon is a well traveled and well connected young Marxist.
From an academic family, Luke Coxon grew up in various Pacific countries, including Tonga.
The Tongan Pro Democracy Movement is heavily Marxist influenced. In May 1996, Coxon spoke on behalf of the Neo Maoist, Radical Society at Auckland University, on the Tongan "Democracy" movement. He later spent the 96/97 Christmas holidays in the Philippines at an anti APEC conference.
In 1997/99 Luke Coxon was one the leading lights in Radical Society at Auckland Uni and in 1999 was active in the APEC Monitoring Group.
By 2000, Coxon was in Tauranga, organising for the Service and Food Workers Union.
By 2001, Coxon was active in Asia Pacific Workers Solidarity Links, a pan Asian organisation networking radical and Maoist trade unionists. APWSL is in turn affiliated to the Peoples Plan for the 21st Century (PP21), a Japanese based, Asian, African and Latin American network of radical and Maoist oriented NGOs, Church groups and "people's organisations".
In 2002, Coxon was on APWSL's secretariat and was editing its newsletter. He was also back in Auckland working for the Financial Sector union, Finsec.
In 2003, Luke Coxon helped organise the NZ tour of Emilia Dapulang, national vice chair of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU-May First Movement), the Communist Party of the Philippines' trade union wing.
The same year Coxon was involved in distributing union literature opposing the US invasion of Iraq.
In 2004, Coxon represented APWSL and the Christchurch based ARENA, organisation at the World Social Forum in Mumbai, India. This huge event was primarily organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the even more radical, Maoist leaning, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)
ARENA activists include ex Maoists like Robert Reid, radical academics like Jane Kelsey, Radha D'Sousa and David Small and ex Radsocers, Helen Te Hira and Desigin Thulkanan. ARENA Advisory Board members, David Small, Helen Te Hira and Luke Coxon have all been involved in the campaign to have Ahmed Zaoui released from prison, cleared of being a 'security risk' and granted refuge in NZ.
In August 2005 a march was held in Queen Street, Auckland to support striking public servants in Tonga.
The March was supported by Tongan Ma'ae Fonua (Niulala Helu), Asia Pacific Workers Solidarity Links (Luke Coxon) Global Peace and Justice Auckland (Mike Treen, John Minto) the Council of Trade Unions (Ross Wilson) and the Green Party (Keith Locke).
Coxon is also a leading activist in the Socialist Worker/Matt McCarten led, Workers Charter Movement and is on their 20 strong steering committee. On August the 5th 2005, Coxon reported to the Workers Charter executive on a recent APWSL meeting he had attended in Malaysia.
In February this year, Like Coxon joined fellow ex Radical Society members David Fleming and Helen Te Hira on the staff of the National Disribution Union. Coxon is working in the NDU's "growth unit".
The NDU is controlled by NZ's leading Marxist-Leninist party, the Socialist Party of Aotearoa. It will interesting to see how Coxon and his fellow ex Radsocers fit in, with the "old guard" communists.
posted by Trevor Loudon at
6/18/2006 12:45:00 PM
16 Comments:
Sounds like a good bloke.
I've mey him. A very nice chap, just a bit misguided.
You're living in a parallel univserse. The SPA doesn't even exist anymore, and the CPI is to the right of Tony Blair...
Anon doesn't know what he is talking about. The SPA certainly still exists. The SUP is defunct-maybe thats what you're thinking of. I never referred to the CPI, the Communist Party of India, I referred to two different organisations, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Methinks I know more about commies than many commies do.
You're a bit out of date on this one Trev - Mike Jackson and all his SPA buddies are out of the NDU now
Another point, CPI (Marxist) have been running the state government of West Bengal for the past two decades, and during that time have been busy suppressing strikes and loyally serving the dictates of the World Bank and IMF.
Basically they're about as communist as the Dengist CCP, as they both clearly believe in the mantra that "to get rich is glorious" (but only if you're a capitalist investor or top party official).
Anon. Mike Jackson has left the NDU, but it is still full of SPA members in Auckland, Whangarei, Hamilton,Rotorua etc. Re the CPI (M)It is a mistake to think that because they toe the Capitalist line economically, they are no longer communist. The "line" has been since the mid '80s to concede economic ground to capitalism while seeking gains in other areas. The economic stance can easily be reversed when it suits.
Why would you say that Socialist Party of Aotearoa is NZ's leading Marxist-Leninist party? It would be one of the smallest and lest active groups on the NZ left.
Mainly because it has control of the NDU and its assets and is linked into the network of the old mainstream pro Soviet Parties. It also has its Workers Institute for Scientific Socialist Education. Socialist Worker and the Workers Party etc are more open, but they mainly operate at street level. I believe SPA has far more real influence.
Can you name one active member of the SPA? Basically it was Bill Andersen and he died. His son might possibly be trying to carry it on, but I see no evidence of this. There's been no issue of the group's publication since Bill died, nor has there been any public event involving the group.
Alas, it's hard being a McCarthyite in New Zealand...
Warren Brewer, Brendan Tuohy, Dale Frew, Jennifer Francis, Sam Murray. Harry Nowell....Last issue of Red Flag came out in May this year.
I have never heard of any of those people and I've been hanging around left-wing activist type people for about 4 years now. I only remember once ever seeing SPA people doing public recruiting or newspaper selling. At an anti-war march in Auckland in 2003 the late Bill Anderson was marching up Queen handing out flyers about Red Flag to bewildered looking Asian tourists on the footpaths.
I suppose Trev you might say that is proof that Marxist/Leninists are sneaky. They're quietly taking over NZ's unions and the Labour Party while the rest of us are sleeping.
Strange to be put in the position of defending SPA. These guys are old school hard left. They don't shag around selling newspapers, they do deals.
I'm not saying they have the influence that the SUP had on Labour in the '80s. However their control of one NZ's largest unions does give them influence.
Their close ties to the CPUSA and other leading CPs also gives them some clout.
They may not move much in your circles Cameron, but they are certainly not dead.
Maybe not dead, but none of them are the right side of 50 (mostly a lot older) and so inactive they don't manage to update their website or put out an issue of their paper more than once a year. Yes I'm sure the SPA has the bosses quaking in their boots...
Their newsletter layout is quite shoddy.
dont forget the two newly hired anarchists. perhaps laila is planning a broad coalition with young maoists and anarchists to plan a coup to get the oldies out. but be honest. all of those parties are dead, unless they run a supersizemyparty(marxist-leninist).com or supersizemypay(marxist).com campaign to get all the young ones to join...
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