Blogging Off for a Fortnight.

Hi all.

I have an important project to complete and will be offline for two weeks. My next post will be on Wednesday the 9th of May.

Best wishes to all freedom fighters.

To all the commies, please play fair and stop all revolutionary activities until I return. I know you can do it.

Regards

Trevor Loudon.

Is The "End of History" Nearly Over?

The Pyongyang Declaration was a significant event in the world of international Marxism-Leninism when it was first introduced by North Korea in 1992.

In the last fifteen years the list of signatories to this rallying cry for socialism has risen to 270.

Now the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, one of Russia's several major communist parties and seemingly the best international networker, has re-affirmed its support for the Declaration.

From Korea News

Pyongyang, April 22 (KCNA) -- The Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union made public a statement on April 17 on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the publication of the Pyongyang Declaration.

The statement recalled that 70 communist and workers' parties of the world made public the Pyongyang Declaration "Let Us Defend and Advance the Cause of Socialism" on April 20, 1992, noting that its vitality and justice have been proved by the times.

The Workers' Party of Korea, the great party of President Kim Il Sung, equipped with the Juche idea and Songun idea, has confidently advanced along the road of socialism under the leadership of Kim Jong Il, the statement said, adding that the WPK has taught precious experience in defending and advancing the cause of socialism.

All seemingly insignificant to most observers, but very important to serious communist "spotters" like me.

Some commentators have speculated that the Communist party of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and others will run a united left ticket in the 2008 Russian presidential elections.

This year is the 80th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution and communists from all over the planet will be converging on Russia to celebrate. The world might be very surprised at the communists showing in 2008, if things go to plan.

Nearly 20 years have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. many of the horrors of communism have been forgotten in the West and in the third world were never even noticed by many.

Communism is doing exceedingly well at the moment in Latin America, China, parts of Asia and Africa and several countries in Europe, particularly Italy.

A re-surgence of communism in Russia over the next two years might just might help lift a growing movement back to a leading position on the world stage.

Is the "End of History" nearly over?

Bolshevik Birthday Bash

From Novosti

MOSCOW, April 22 About 2,000 people gathered at Vladimir Lenin's mausoleum Sunday morning to mark the anniversary of the Bolshevik leader's birth.

Supporters and members of the Communist Party of Russia placed wreaths and flowers at the mausoleum on Red Square, where Lenin's embalmed body has been on display since his death in 1924 at the age of 53.

The mausoleum's continuing presence in the heart of Moscow has been a source of considerable controversy since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. There have been many calls for the Lenin's body to be removed and buried, but Communist Party members and others have fiercely resisted the idea.

North Korea Moves on Timor

Since winnining independence from Indonesia, East Timor's "former" Marxist leaders such as Mari Alkatiri and Xanana Gusmao have been busily forging ties to China, Cuba Angola and now North Korea.

From Korea News

Pyongyang, April 20 (KCNA) -- President of East Timor Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao extended thanks to the Korean people for their support to the struggle of the people of East Timor to build a new society when receiving credentials from the DPRK ambassador to East Timor on April 11.

He stressed that East Timor is attaching great importance to the development of the friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and East Timor and it would make all efforts to boost them.

Why are Kiwi troops and NZ taxpayers propping up an emerging neo-communist regime in one of the most strategically important choke-points in the world?

Why are we on the same side as North Korea, China, Angola and Cuba?

Glenda Fryer-Billboard Banning Bolshevik?

Auckland's left dominated City Council wants to ban billboards in the centre city.

They say it is for aesthetic reasons.

Could it really be because advertising is the lifeblood of capitalism and Auckland's socialist councillors want to make a political statement?

From the NZ Herald

Words like "arrogant", "draconian" and "disgusted" were directed at a centre-left City Vision-dominated panel on the first day of hearings into a plan to ban billboards in central Auckland and reduce signs across the city.

The nine days of hearings on the bylaw changes began in dramatic style when the only centre-right Citizens & Ratepayers Now representative on the six-member panel, Graeme Mulholland, resigned, saying City Vision councillor Glenda Fryer had made unwise statements that "could be prejudicial to the process".

Glenda Fryer has been under fire from the billboard industry and business groups over her role chairing the bylaw panel.

She has slammed "really big, ugly billboards" in the city but denied holding anti-billboard and anti-sign views.



Who is this Glenda Fryer character anyway?

Fryer has been a Labour Party member for decades. However she has flirted with some even more extreme forms of socialism at times.

In June 1972, Fryer was joint secretary of the Eden LRC of the Labour Party. A young lefty called Mike Moore was Labour's candidate that year and Fryer was one of his organisers.

There was a small scandal when it was revealed in "Truth" that two of Moore's Mike LRC delegates, Matt Robson and Mike Treen, were members of the Trotsyist Socialist Action League.

Most SAL members worked inside Labour at the time and after a few scandals the party made half-hearted and little enforced moves to ban the Trots.

Fryer was one of several Labour Party members who signed a petition against the party's proscription of the SAL.

In July 1973 Fryer attended, with Norman Tuiasau, Marilyn Tucker and others, the 10th International Festival of Democratic Youth in East Berlin. The organiser, the World Federation of Democratic Youth was the Soviet Union's key youth front and the NZ delegation was organised by the pro-Soviet, Socialist Unity Party. The happy delegates were pictured in the SUP's Tribune of August 1973.

In 1980 Fryer became an organiser for the Northern Hotel Workers Union.

In October 1986 she travelled to Latin America for three weeks as part of Mike Moore's Latin America Trade Mission. She was the first female trade unionist to go on one of Moore's missions and they visited unions in Peru, Chile, Venezuela and Mexico.

Fryer told her union's journal "Shift" of Oct/Nov 1986...

"I will be talking to them about the common problems we face and exchanging information. . . I have personally always been opposed to the fascist dictatorship in Chile. . . I have always followed the course of those opposing the fascist regime and I hope to contact those worker and political organisations that have been struggling for the past 12 years to bring back a democratically run Chile."

Fryer admitted in New Outlook, December 1986 that the trip was in part reward for devoted loyalty to Moore since Eden 1972 days.

In December 16th 1987, the SUP's "Tribune" pubished two articles by Fryer, one on Cuba, one on Chile.


I wonder if Fryer would be so opposed to billboards if they looked like this?

Iran Expands Ties With Latin American Marxists

What do neo-communist Venezuela and Nicaragua, semi-communist Brazil and paleo-communist Cuba have in common with Islamo-fascist Iran?


From the Islamic Republic News Agency

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki wound up his three-day visit to Venezuela and left for Nicaragua Saturday on the second leg of his Latin American tour.

While in Caracas, Mottaki held separate meetings with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, Parliament Speaker Cilia Floras and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro.

The sides discussed the latest international developments and stressed the importance of bolstering bilateral ties.

Also from Islamic Republic News Agency

Following Brazil's Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Jaguaribe's visit to Iran, that country's foreign ministry called for expansion of relations with Iran.

Jaguaribe was in Tehran on April 16 to attend the 5th political consultation meeting of Iran and Brazil.

According to Iran's Foreign Ministry Media Department report on Saturday evening, Brazil's foreign ministry in a statement called for using vast potentials of Iran in bilateral relations and described talks between its deputy foreign minister and his Iranian counterpart Saeed Jalili 'useful and constructive."

Also from Islamic Republic New Agency

A forum to consider trade and investment opportunities between Iran and Cuba was held in Havana.

According a report by Iran's embassy in Havana, deputies commerce ministers from both countries and around 100 people interested in trade and investment attended the forum.

Iran's Deputy Commerce Minister and President of Iran's Trade Development Organization (ITDO) Mehdi Ghazanfari and Cuban Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Pedro Louis Pardon expounded on commercial situation and trade regulations of their respective countries and both expressed their countries' readiness to render services to all who are interested in trade between the two countries.

China Cuddle's Castro

If China is evolving towards capitalism and democracy, why is she busily strengthening ties with Castro?


From La Prensa Latina

Havana, Apr 21 Cuban President Fidel Castro and First Vice President Raul Castro welcomed separately a Chinese delegation led by Wu Guanzheng, member of the Permanent Political Bureau Committee of that country s Communist Party Central Committee.

According to an official note, the Cuban statesman met for an hour with Wu, who gave him a letter from President Hu Jintao, an expression of the excellent links between the two Communist Parties and governments.

After the meeting, the Chinese delegation also held talks with Raul Castro, to analyze national and international issues for Havana and Beijing.

The "National Question" 26 The Maori Economic Plan

Joe Te Pania's "Maori Economic Plan", surfaced shortly after Labour's 1984 Election victory, with the taxpayer funded Maori Economic Development Summit held in October that year.

At least two members of the conference steering committee, (Jackson Smith and Pat Shepherd) were Socialist Unity Party members.

Others included well known radical Syd Jackson, Georgina Kirby of the Maori Women's Welfare League and the late Bob Mahuta, of the Tainui Trust Board.

The Conference, held at Parliament Buildings, attracted 194 delegates, was a who's who of Maori radicals, nationalists and Marxist-Leninists.

Several old Nga Tamatoa hands attended, including Donna Awatere and Ripeka Evans, Liz Marsden and John Tahu.

Pat Hohepa and Tipene O'Regan were there, as were several Maori unionists, ex Communist Paul Potiki, several Workers Communist League associates and a host of SUP connected activists.

Ostensibly the conference was organised to construct a programme for Maori economic development.The outcome however was not the programme for reduced government controls, lower taxes and increased individual initiative, that Maoridom desperately needed.

As Jackson Smith wrote in a Tribune article entitled "Summit Says Retain Taha Maori" , "What emerged very strongly was a continuing attraction to collective work; collective decision-making; collective enterprises. . . In a world where capitalism destroys rather than retains traditional and cultural values, the retention of taha Maori is a major concern."

In other words, Maoridom's self appointed leaders wanted no part of free markets and individual enterprise. Jackson Smith's "Maori primitive communism" was to be the blueprint for the Maori economic renaissance.

No wonder we're still waiting for it.

The Summit marked the beginning of an accelerating transfer of taxpayers money into Maori hands. A series of Maori Access schemes were born which saw huge sums channelled to radical and gang sponsored "work schemes"

Jackson Smith, coincidentally, became chairman of Maori Access in Wellington.

Another result of the Summit was the Maori Economic Development Commission, set up in December 1984 by the Labour Cabinet.

Ripeka Evans played a key role and was appointed as a consultant and executive officer to the Commission. Evans worked on two major projects: a study of the impact of "negative funding" on Maori people and a report on broadcasting.

Flowing on from this, in late 1985 Evans accepted a position as consultant and executive to the Mana employment-enterprise development project team set up by the Maori Affairs Department

In 1985/86 This project team extracted $13,500,000 from the Labour Department and dispatched it to 22 tribal and regional authorities for schemes allegedly designed to create Maori employment. Another $14,000,000 was wasted later.

Around the country the pattern was the same. Maori business was to be a tribal, collectivist enterprise, designed not to boost individual wealth, but to build tribally based economies and increase Maori political clout.

Ngai Tahu Trust Board leader Tipene O'Regan put it bluntly on the TVNZ programme "Faithfully Yours" of, 6th of December 1988.

"We are committed, tribally, to the communal and tribal ownership of resources. Its the thing the pakeha used to call the beastly communism of the Maori - We're pretty keen on it."

To overturn an existing social order you need a strong economic and political base.
Marxist-Leninist support for Maori tribal development is about building up a Maori "Nation State" within New Zealand's borders. A "Nation State" capable of challenging established power at all levels and winning substantial concessions from the government.

As Jackson Smith told the SUP national conference of 1985;

"It could well be that the development of a Maori Nation which was not achieved through a united resistance to invasion by a recognisable enemy (the British Army) could be accomplished by a Maori Unity developed as a result of fight-back against deprivation and indifference. This attempt to unify Maori people is a most important prerequisite of Maori self-determination".

Grant Morgan is a TRUTHOPHOBE!!!

Why is Grant Morgan so intent on warning us against Ian Wishart's exposes on Islamic extremism?

The answer, in my opinion is simple.

Morgan is a Marxist-Leninist. Until recently he was leader of Socialist Worker, NZ's most influential Trotskyist group. Many members of SW, including Morgan, came to Trotskyism from the Stalinist Communist Party of NZ. RAM Residents Action Movement, is one of SW's several front organisations. Others include Climaction, the Workers Charter Movement and the Solidarity Union.

NZ Socialist Worker is the sister party of the British Socialist Workers Party. The SWP is plays a leadership the RESPECT electoral coalition. RESPECT also emcompasses Marxist rebel Labour MP George Galloway and several prominent radical Muslim leaders.

The SWP is a leading ally Islamic radicalism and it seems its local counterpart is little different.

The alliance of Marxism-Leninism and radical Islam is one of the great open secrets of our time.

The Marxists know they risk losing much support should their backing of the Islamic radicals become common knowledge. That is why they will attack people like Ian Wishart who dare expose the dark side of Islam.

Here is the list of those supporting Morgan's statement. I have added comments about some of the signatories in bold. See if you can detect a pattern.

SIGNED (personal capacity):

GRANT MORGAN, organiser of RAM ­ Residents Action Movement (Auckland) Ex Communist party, Socialist Worker former leader
ROBYN HUGHES, RAM councillor on Auckland Regional Council (Manukau City electorate)Partner of Grant Morgan
BOB HARVEY, mayor of Waitakere City
Bishop RICHARD RANDERSON, dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell (Auckland)Leftist, peace activist
SU'A WILLIAM SIO, Manukau City councillor ­ Otara Ward Labour Party, former union organiser
PENNY HULSE, councillor on Waitakere City Council Formerly endorsed by the Alliance Party
Dr. JOHN HINCHCLIFF, Auckland City councillor and former vice-chancellor & president of Auckland University of Technology Former member of Socialist Unity Party front, NZ Council for World Peace
CHRISTINE ROSE, Rodney District representative on Auckland Regional Council
Dr. DAVID WILLIAMS, professor of law (Ranui) Longtime left wing activist
Reverend ANTHONY DANCER, social justice commissioner for the Anglican Church (Wellington)
BARRY WILSON, president of Auckland Council for Civil Liberties
JAVED KHAN, president of Federated Islamic Associations of New Zealand (Auckland)
SUE BRADFORD, Green MP (Auckland) Former member of the Workers Communist League, currently runs a Marxist based training school for activists at Wellsford
DAVID WONG, NZ Order of Merit, founding president of North Shore/Rodney Ethnic Council (Auckland)
PAUL G. BUCHANAN, international security analyst (Auckland)
Dr. JAMES LIU, deputy director of Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research (Wellington)
BILL COOKE, vice-president of NZ Association of Rationalists & Humanists and senior lecturer at School of Visual Arts, Manukau Institute of Technology
RAYMOND BRADLEY, emeritus professor of philosophy (Warkworth)
ROBERT WHITE, director of Centre for Peace Studies at University of Auckland
DAVID TUTTY, Auckland Catholic Justice & Peace Office Member of pro-left Philippines Solidarity Network Aotearoa
MATT McCARTEN, national secretary of Unite Workers Union (Auckland)Self proclaimed Marxist-Leninist
GUL ZAMAN, president of Auckland Indo-Fijian Association
HEATHER MACKAY, deputy chair of Pakuranga Community Board
ROGER FOWLER, QSM, manager of Mangere East Community Learning Centre (Auckland) Ex Communist Party, probable Socialist Worker member
MERE KEPA, transcultural educationalist (Auckland)
MUSTAFA FAROUK, vice-president of Federated Islamic Associations of New Zealand (Hamilton)
JOHN MINTO, spokesperson for Global Peace & Justice Auckland Marxist, close associate of Socialist Worker, Workers Charter Movement leader
CAMPBELL DUIGNAN, southern regional secretary of Service & Food Workers Union/Nga Ringa Tota (Dunedin) Former Workers Communist League supporter
HAIDER LONE, executive member of NZ Muslim Association (Auckland)
SHAUN DAVISON, regional chair of Post Primary Teachers Association (Whangarei)Workers Charter Movement supporter
Reverend MUA STRICKSON-PUA, chaplain, community worker & Pasifika development tutor (Auckland) Ex Polynesian Panther supporter, Green Party candidate 2005
OMAR FAHMY, president of New Zealand Sri Lanka Foundation (Auckland)
ANDREW CAMPBELL, campaigns director of Finsec, the finance workers union (Wellington)Formerly Alliance Party and Activism in Aotearoa
MARGO BAARS, co-ordinator of Human Rights Foundation Aotearoa (Auckland)
JIM MILLER, professor of Applied Language Studies & Linguistics at University of Auckland
NASREEN HANNIF, national representative of Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand (Auckland)
Reverend GILLIAN WATKIN, Methodist presbyter at Mt Eden (Auckland)
JUDITH McMORLAND, secretary of Action for Children & Youth in Aotearoa (Auckland)
ISRAR SHEIKH, general secretary of New Zealand Muslim Youth & Sports Association (Auckland)
Reverend BRUCE KEELY, co-president of Council of Christians & Muslims (Auckland)
JILL OVENS, northern regional secretary of Service & Food Workers Union/Nga Ringa Tota (Auckland) NZ/Cuba Friendship Society activist, former Alliance Party co-leader
MARION HANCOCK, director of The Peace Foundation (Auckland) Member of peace delegation to China in 1987Venerable
AMALA WRIGHTSON, spiritual director of Auckland Zen Centre and member of Auckland Interfaith Council
MOHAMED MOSES, secretary of Mt Roskill Islamic Trust (Auckland)
GIAMPIETRO FREN, representative of Italian community in Hamilton
JOAN BROCK, secretary of Council of Christians & Muslims (Auckland)
MAAN ALZAHER, organiser of Working Together Group (Auckland)
Sister CLARE O'CONNOR, Cenacle sister (Wellington)
HANNAH SPIERER, environmental affairs officer for Auckland University Students Association Green Party
JOE CAROLAN, secretary of Solidarity Union (Auckland) Socialist Worker
MAURICE WARD, professor at Faculty of Human & Environmental Studies, Kanto Gakuin University (Yokohama, Japan) Ex Communist Party, probable Socialist Worker sympathiser
ABDUL ELAH ARWANI, chair of South Pacific Mosque (Auckland)
Reverend STUART VOGEL, Presbyterian minister and Council of Christians & Muslims (Auckland) Official NZ/North Korea Society
SYD KEEPA, convenor of Council of Trade Unions Runanga Te Roopu Kaimahi Maori and apiha Maori for National Distribution Union (Auckland) self described Socialist Party of Aotearoa sympathiser
OLIVER WOODS, organiser of The Decembrists, a tertiary student social justice coalition (Auckland) Workers Charter Movement endorser
Reverend DENISE KELSALL, St Matthew-in-the-City (Auckland)
FIONA LOVATT-DAVIS, co-host of Kia Ora Show, Radio Watea (Auckland)
ANNE MOODY, Anglican priest, member of Third Order Society of St Francis (Auckland)
JULIA ESPINOZA, organiser for ClimAction, Auckland's climate change coalition Socialist Worker front
ANILA KETAN, president of Auckland Muslim Girls Association
LEIGH COOKSON, director of Arena and co-convenor of GATT Watchdog (Christchurch)
MIKE WILLIAMS, trade unionist (Wellington) Formerly close to Socialist Unity Party
BERNIE HORNFECK, president of Rotorua People's Advocacy Centre Ex communist Party, Socialist Worker member
CLIVE ASPIN, PhD, senior research fellow at University of Auckland
Reverend DON BORRIE (Porirua) Leader NZ/North Korea Society
LEN PARKER, co-chair of RAM ­ Residents Action Movement (Auckland) Ex Communist Party, Socialist Worker member
ROSEMARY ARNOUX, senior lecturer in French at University of Auckland
BAKER POSTELNIK, environmental activist (Kaiwaka)
ISMAIL WAJA, editor of Al Mujaddid Media (Auckland)
LUKE COXON, organiser for National Distribution Union (Auckland)Maoist, ex Radical Society
GERARD BURNS, Catholic priest at St Anne's parish, Newtown (Wellington) Wellington Palestine Group, an extreme left anti Israel organisation
PAUL BRUCE, lead meteorologist at MetService NZ & co-ordinator of Latin American Solidarity Committee Aotearoa (Wellington) Longtime left activist, Green Party candidate
NUREDIN HASSAN, team manager of Muslim Students Association at Auckland University of Technology
Dr. LISA GUENTHER. senior lecturer in philosophy, University of Auckland
KYLE WEBSTER, West Coast representative on board of directors of NZ Nurses Organisation (Greymouth) Socialist Worker member
JIBRIL MUSSA, president of NZ Nejashi Trust (Auckland)
VAUGHAN GUNSON, artist and socialist (Whangarei) Socialist Worker member
CAMERON BROADHURST, Zen Society of Auckland
JANFRIE WAKIM, Palestine Human Rights Campaign (Auckland)
DAPHNE LAWLESS, editor of UNITY journal (Auckland) Socialist Worker member
Dr. MALCOLM BROWN, lecturer in sociology at University of Auckland
SHAWN TAN, organiser for Finsec, the finance sector workers union (Auckland) Green Party, anti-capitalist
TAHAE TAIT, Te Arawa iwi & spokesperson for Tait whanau in Rotorua Ex Communist Party, probable Socialist Worker member
JO McVEAGH, environmental activist (Auckland) Workers Charter endorser
SIMON OOSTERMAN, publicity officer for National Distribution Union (Auckland) Anarchist
MOHAMMAD THOMPSON, chair of Voice of Islam TV (Auckland)
PAT O'DEA, executive member of RAM ­ Residents Action Movement (Auckland) Ex Communist Party, Socialist Worker
DEAN PARKER, NZ Writers Guild (Auckland)Former British International Socialists, former NZ Socialist Unity Party, close to Socialist Worker, Irish republican supporter
Dr. HILARY CHUNG, lecturer at University of Auckland
JIM HUNT, Council of Christians & Muslims (Auckland)
MIKE TREEN, national director of Unite Workers Union (Auckland) Former Socialist Action League, Communist League, Alliance Party
AHMAD ESAU, teacher and founder of Aotearoa Islamic Impressions, an Islamic art group (Auckland)
DONNA GARDINER, Maori mother and grandmother (Auckland)
MALCOLM FRANCE, organiser for ClimAction, Auckland's climate change coalition Socialist Worker front
OMAR HAMED, organiser of Students for Justice in Palestine (Auckland)Founder Radical Youth
JIM HOLDOM, social justice advocate (Hamilton) Has visited Palestine, Cuba and Nicaragua, on "left" of Labour Party, close to Socialist Party of Aotearoa
VALERIE JABIR, NZ Council of Christians & Muslims (Auckland)
DION MARTIN, organiser for National Distribution Union (Palmerston North) Alliance party, supports Philippines left activists
MOHAMED HASSAN, senior writer of e-newsletter NZDawa (Auckland)
PAUL MAUNDER, NZ Writers Guild (Blackball) Formerly close to the Workers Communist League, Cuba supporter
NIK JANIUREK, technical manager of Maidment Theatre (Auckland)
TAYYABA KHAN, peace activist and former president of Auckland Muslim Girls Association, winner of the Sonja Davies Peace Award in 2005
TOM BUCKLEY, organiser for Unite Workers Union (Auckland) Workers Charter endorser
MERYL ZOHRAB, Anglican priest and plunket nurse (Auckland)
TRACEY McINTOSH, senior lecturer in sociology at University of Auckland
EVA NAYLOR, peace & environmental activist (Wellington)
QUENTIN FINDLAY, education co-ordinator of Lincoln University Students Association (Canterbury) Socialist, Alliance Party activist
MEREDYDD BARRAR, spokesperson for Citizens Against Privatisation (Waitakere City)
CATHERINE BINDON, ex-organiser for National Distribution Union (Wellington)
DON POLLY, retired journalist (Paekakariki) Formerly close to the Workers Communist League
MOHAMED & FARHANA NALAR, Working Together Group (Auckland)
VALERIE MORSE, Peace Action Wellington
FELICITY PERRY, lecturer at Victoria University (Wellington)
ANJUM RAHMAN, Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand (Hamilton)
GRAEME YOUNG, ex-organiser of National Distribution Union (Christchurch) Ex Communist Party, probable Socialist Worker
CHRIS SULLIVAN, Catholic (Auckland)Former writer for Socialist Action League newspaper
LYN DOHERTY, Maori mother and grandmother (Auckland)
RICHARD KELLER, peace activist (Wellington)Longtime left activist
HEATHER LYALL, social worker (Auckland) Socialist Worker
ILIYAS DAUD, pharmacist and sports administrator at Ponsonby Soccer Club (Auckland)
DON ARCHER, delegate for Engineering, Printing & Manufacturing Union (Christchurch) Ex Communist party, Socialist Worker member
MADENEYAH GAMILDIEN, commodity trader (Auckland)
FRANCO MANAI, senior lecturer in Italian at University of Auckland
BILL ROSENBERG, researcher for Campaign Against Foreign Control in Aotearoa (Christchurch)Longtime left activist
GRANT BROOKES, delegate for NZ Nurses Organisation (Wellington) Socialist Worker member
NIBRAS KARDAMAN, marketing co-ordinator (Auckland)
SALLY McARA, PhD candidate and author (Auckland)
GARRICK MARTIN, mental health nurse (Wellington)
VICTOR BILLOT, national president of Alliance Party (Dunedin)
EMILY BAILEY, environmental & community worker (Wellington)
OMAR KHAMOUN, Wellington Palestine Group
GLYNNIS PARAHA, daughter, grand-daughter, sister, niece, aunt, grand-aunt & friend (Auckland)
AFIFA CHIDA, Bachelor of Design student (Auckland)
WARREN BREWER, secretary of Socialist Party of Aotearoa (Auckland)
TIM HOWARD, community worker (Whangarei) Workers Charter endorser. Supports Philippines leftist activists. Trustee of Sue Bradford's marxist training school
JOHN POLKINGHORNE, undergraduate student in economics & chemistry (Auckland)

Ian Wishart is an ISLAMOPHOBE!!!

Auckland's Resident's Action Movement has done the public a great service by warning us of a grave danger in our midst.

Well known writer and publisher, Ian Wishart is an ISLAMOPHOBE!!!


According to Morgan's post on Indymedia

The March 2007 edition of "Investigate" magazine carried a lengthy article by Ian Wishart which claimed that the New Zealand Muslim community is being infected by "Islamic extremism".

"Mr Wishart's 18-page rant is New Zealand's first full-on example of Islamophobic gutter journalism," said Grant Morgan, organiser of RAM Residents Action Movement.

"The most basic fact is that nobody in the New Zealand Muslim community has ever been charged with any act of 'terrorism', let alone convicted. That puts the lie to his propaganda of fear, suspicion and hate."

"As the organiser of RAM, I was requested by a meeting of senior Muslim leaders in Auckland to pen a letter-in-reply to Mr Wishart's article," said Grant Morgan. "My letter has been co-signed by over 130 community leaders, the vast majority of them non-Muslim, who are equally disgusted at the article's contents."

These community leaders include:

* The mayor of Waitakere City.
* Five regional and city councillors.
* Many religious leaders from Christian, Muslim and other faiths.
* Top academics and lawyers.
* Senior trade union officials.
* Representatives of Maori and ethnic groups.
* Other leaders in the community.

"While more signatures are arriving all the time, I have today emailed our letter to Mr Wishart's magazine," said Grant Morgan.

"Will Mr Wishart have the integrity to publish it in full, along with the complete list of co-signatories, without appending the sort of conspiracy fantasies that he regularly attaches to critical letters under the guise of 'editorial comment'? That will be a test of his professed belief in freedom of speech."

GRANT MORGAN
Organiser of RAM ­ Residents Action Movement
gcm (at) actrix.co.nz
021 2544 515

Russian Science Focused on Military

Russia is our friend. Russia wants peace. Russia is our friend. Russia wants peace.....

From Novosti

YEKATERINBURG, April 19 Russia's military industrial complex makes up 70% of the country's total science intensive production, a Russian first deputy prime minister said Thursday.


Sergei Ivanov, who in mid-February was promoted from defense minister and charged with the task of supervising the country's nuclear power and defense industries, said half of Russian scientists work in the military industrial sector.

"Russia has been gradually restoring its leading positions in the export of arms and military-oriented products and gaining new sale markets," Ivanov said, adding that military industrial enterprises has also been increasing the production share of civilian-oriented products.

The first deputy prime minister said that it is necessary to work out a system of measures that would stimulate the modernization of defense enterprises and inspire innovations, adding that introduction of nanotechnology in Russia is one of country's mega projects.

"Nanotechnology could not only change our whole economy and the quality of life of Russian people, but can also drastically change all our perception about modern warfare," Ivanov said.

The importance of nanotechnology for Russia was also stressed Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said the state would spare no effort to provide financial support to nanotechnology research programs.

"It is an area of activity in which the state is ready to invest on a grand scale. The only question is that this work should be well organized and effective, yielding practical results," Putin said.

He said nanotechnology will lay the groundwork for new weapon systems, both offensive and defensive, adding that nanotechnology is already being used in high-tech sectors of industry, medicine, transport, space research and telecommunications.

Birds of a Feather...

From North Korea's Korea News Agency

Pyongyang, April 18 Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Zimbabwean President Robert G. Mugabe on April 14 on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

Expressing the belief that the good relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries would grow stronger, he wholeheartedly wished the president and the people of Zimbabwe greater successes in the work to defend the sovereignty of the country and achieve its social stability and economic development.

Another Labour/Union Money Scam

Another Labour/union money-go-round scam, courtesy of David Farrar's Kiwiblog

CYFS has been a department under siege with critical report after critical report into it. So what are they spending their money on? A $650 bonus to PSA union members. Yes only to PSA members. They were not obligated to give it, they just decided to make it a birthday present to celebrate their partnership anniversary!

And this was all kept secret,and only came to light through a leaked memo. And unions complain about transparency of electoral donations. Let's look at the union financing scheme.

1) Labour elected to Government

2) Labour funnels state funds to unions through employment education funds

3) Labour funnels state funds to union members by approving special bonuses just to union members

4) Unions gain more members and more funds

5) Unions campaign for Labour

6) Labour elected to Government

No wonder the CTU wants to ban private donations to political parties!

Gorbachev's True Colours

There are two main schools of thought on Gorbachev.


The majority view-Gorbachev was a genuine reformer who destroyed the power of the communist party of the Soviet Union and in so doing, wrecked the union and handed the West the "Cold War".

The minority view-Gorbachev was the tool of the CPSU, whose role was to stage a fake destruction of Soviet power, in order to break up the Western alliance and pave the way for a Russian/Chinese final assault on the West.

I remember some years ago interviewing a former member of the NZ Socialist Unity Party who had trained in Moscow in the '80s at Lenin's Institute for Higher Learning.

This school trained thousands of foreign communists in subversion and Soviet strategy.

This man was told by one instructor, that Andropov had been chosen by the party hierarchy to lead a stunning "liberation" that would rock the West.

"Unfortunately" Andropov died of kidney disease, so Chernenko the old style hardliner was installed in the top job, while a new man could be groomed.

As soon as he was suitably trained, Gorbachev took over.

Now that China has openly allied with Russia, Gorbachev seems to think it safe to show his true totalitarian colours.

MOSCOW, April 17 (RIA Novosti) - Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, now head of a socioeconomic and political think tank, said opposition marches in Russia only undermined stability in the country.

Opposition protests, March of Dissent, were held in Russia's two largest cities over the weekend. Rights groups, oppositionists and journalists have accused Russian police of abusing their power in dispersing the unsanctioned opposition demonstrations. A total of 250 and 170 people were detained respectively.

"Somebody wants to complicate the situation in the country and push for instability," Gorbachev told a RIA Novosti news conference. "We must learn our lesson, and tell those who arouse fear in society that it is unacceptable."

The first and the last U.S.S.R. president backed President Vladimir Putin, crediting him with the current stability in Russia.

"He has done a lot to turn the country towards modernization, I support Putin," Gorbachev said.

Cuban Communist "Spies" To Visit Auckland

From John Minto's Global Peace and Justice Auckland's latest newsletter.

CUBA ~ BEYOND THE SPECIAL PERIOD – HEAR TWO VISITORS SPEAK
PUBLIC MEETING: 1pm, Saturday 21st April, at Descarga Cubana, 280 Karangahape Rd, Auckland.


Speakers: Buenaventura Reyes-Acosta (centre), ICAP Vice President, and Alicia Corredera (far right), Director of ICAP’s Asia Pacific division.

Two leaders of ICAP, Cuba’s international solidarity organization, are visiting New Zealand for a week in mid-April to speak about the challenges and accomplishments of the revolution. Come along and hear their story. Sponsored by the Auckland NZ Cuba Friendship Society.

OTHER MEETINGS:
- Union Reception, 4pm, Thursday, April 19, NDU Offices, 20 Church St, Onehunga.
- Latin America community reception, 6pm, Friday, April 20, 37 Selwyn St, Onehunga.
- Auckland University meeting, 2pm, Friday April 20, Robb Lecture Theatre, B09, (Basement). University of Auckland Medical School, Park Rd

Hear the two ICAP speakers, followed by a free showing of the film ¡Salud! at 3pm. ¡Salud! find out what puts Cuba on the map in the quest for global health …

Filmed in Cuba, South Africa, The Gambia, Honduras and Venezuela, the cameras of ¡Salud! reveal the human dimension of the global health crisis, and the complex challenges faced by developing nations struggling to provide decent health care. The documentary examines Cuba’s example and its cooperation programs, in which 28,000 health professionals volunteer to meet emergencies and staff public health systems in 68 countries.

New Zeal

Instituto Cubano de Amistad con Los Pueblos: The Cuban Institute for Friendship Between People (ICAP) was founded in 1960 to "strengthen the bonds of friendship and solidarity between the peoples of the world. From the beginning, ICAP helped coordinate the International Brigades which came from around the world to support Cuba through aid in agriculture, construction and other parts of the economy. Now they continue to facilitate visits and exchanges between friendship organizations. The Institute organizes delegations for international groups to visit Cuba."

Unsurprisingly, ICAP is regarded as one of Cuba's main espionage and propaganda fronts, staffed from Castro's two leading spy agencies, the DGI and the Department of the Americas (DA).

From US Blog Herald Watch

Mr. David Landsberg, Publisher
The Miami Herald

Dear Mr. Landsberg: Attached you will find a bilingual copy of an FBI debriefing report of Jesús Raúl Pérez Méndez, taken when he defected in Miami on July 13, 1983. Pérez Méndez at the time was chief of the Department of the Community Abroad of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) and was also a captain in the Cuban Directorate General of Intelligence (DGI)...

Pérez Méndez acknowleged during his TV interviews that he "gave birth" to the Antonio Maceo Brigade (BAM). This group was created by the DGI in 1977, with Cuban Americans under the age of thirty, whose mission was to act as agents of influence in the United States on behalf of the Cuban Revolution....

Sincerely,

Dr. Antonio de la Cova
Latino Studies
Indiana University, Bloomington

According to the blog Miami's Cuban Connection

Pérez Méndez also claimed that the America Department of the Cuban Communist Party (DA), the ICAP, and the DGI control the ANTONIO MACEO BRIGADE (BAM), CASA DE LAS AMERICAS, CIRCULO DE CULTURA CUBANA, CENTER FOR CUBAN STUDIES, VENCEREMOS BRIGADE (VB), NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD, NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BLACK LAWYERS, PARTIDO SOCIALISTA PUERTORRIQUEÑO-NYC, AND THE COMMUNIST PARTY USA.

They are all controlled by ALFREDO GARCIA ALMEIDA, chief of the North American Section of the Americas Department and former political counselor at the Cuban Mission to the United Nations in NYC, with the exception of CASA DE LAS AMERICAS, which is controlled by HECTOR MANUEL ZAYAS QUIALA, of the DGI, and second secretary of the Cuban Mission NYC.

Almeida performed ICAP functions while based in New York.

According to the website Intelligence Resource Program

America Department (DA)
former National Liberation Directorate (DLN)
Operated by the Central Committee Communist Party of Cuba

The DA has control over covert Cuban activities for supporting foreign liberation movements and coordinating Cuba's secret guerrilla and terrorist training camps, networks for the covert movement of personnel and material from Cuba, and a propaganda apparatus.

The DA is organized into four regional sections: Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and North America, as well as a Center for Latin American Studies (CEAL) and a Center for North American Studies (CEA). Covers used by DA staff include diplomats, Cuba's Prensa Latina news agency, Cubana Airlines, the Institute for Friendship With the Peoples (ICAP), and Cuban-front companies. DA is reportedly the most powerful of Cuban's security agencies.

In November 1982, Rene Rodriguez Cruz, then head of ICAP and a senior officer in the DGI was one of four Cuban officials convicted by a Miami federal grand jury on drug trafficking charges.

One of the ICAP visitors to NZ, Buenaventura Reyes-Acosta is the former Cuban ambassador to Zimbabwe.

Given his background and the dubious credentials of ICAP, there must be cause for suspicion.

Also given the communist origins of the inviting body, the NZ/Cuba Friendship Society (it was co-founded by Chilean covert NZ Socialist Unity Party member, Victor Batista), it is odds on that the Cuban visitors will be up to no good.

Zimbabwean Marxist to Speak in Auckland

While we'd all like to see Zimbabwe's Marxist dictator, Robert Mugabe, behind bars, some of his opposition is little better.

Ever wondered why many of our vocal anti Apartheid activists, like John Minto, who indirectly helped bring Mugabe to power are now helping his opposition?

Zimbabwe's main opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change is heavily influenced by leftists and unionists. Until 2002, it was also infiltrated by the Trotskyists of the Zimbabwe International Socialist Organisation.

ZISO's, NZ sister party, Socialist Worker supports the Zimbabwean Trotskyists and Minto is very close to Socialist Worker.

Now Socialist Worker is bringing a leading Zimbabwean opposition leader to NZ.


His name is Munyaradzi Gwisai.

He will be speaking at the Global Peace and Justice Auckland Forum in Auckland Trades Hall, Great North Road, on Monday April 23rd at 7.30pm.

According to Indymedia

Munyaradzi Gwisai has been a;

* Member of the National Co-ordinating Committee of the International Socialist Organisation – Zimbabwe (1994 up to date)
* Deputy Chairperson, Zimbabwe Social Forum (2007 – current)
* MDC Member of Parliament for Highfields (2000 – 2002)
* General Secretary, University of Zimbabwe Students Union (1989 – 1990)

According to Gwisai;

Growing up as a small boy during the anti-colonial war of liberation led by a guerilla movement that proclaimed itself Maoist – Stalinist Socialist, l like many in my generation were to be strongly influenced by the radicalism and proclaimed socialist ideology of this period and struggle. However, I got seriously involved in organized revolutionary socialist politics when l entered the University of Zimbabwe under the influence and mentorship of lecturers at the Faculty of Law who were mainly steeped in Maoist - Stalinist politics.

In October 1989, the Students Union president, Arthur Mutambara (now president of one MDC faction) and myself as the secretary general, along with ten other members of the Students Reprsentative Council (SRC) were arrested and subsequently detained for three weeks for having planned to hold an anti-government rally at the university and issuing “subversive” literature. The university was closed for the first time after independence following massive student riots in protest against the arrests whilst Morgan Tsvangirai, then ZCTU secretary – general was also arrested when he issued a statement in support of the students.

Subsequently l have been engaged in politics and struggle as a member of the International Socialist Organisation, whose Zimbabwe chapter was formed in 1989 but which l joined in 1991.

As a member of the ISO, l joined the MDC at its formation in 1999 based on the entrist tactic. I was elected a Member of Parliament for Highfields (one of the radical townships in Harare and which used to be represented by Mugabe in the period before he became President).

The ISO was expelled from the MDC in April 2002 following serious disagreement with the massive rightward shift of the party to fall under the control of local and international forces and its soft – soft cowardly approach of dealing with the Mugabe dictatorship.

Contrary to the strategy of relying western sanctions, flawed elections or the courts, the ISO and myself had fought for a radical mass action based approach steeped on anti-neoliberal and anti-imperialist platforms.

Matters came to a head in 2002 when the party leaders embarked on talks with ZanuPf brokered by South African president Mbeki and Nigerian president Obassanjo. Following our massive oppositiont o the same and our general support of the land seizure programme the ISO was expelled from the MDC in April 2002, and l subsequently in November 2002, leading to my expulsion from parliament.

Whilst part of the struggles against the dictatorship of Muagbe we have therefore not been cheerleaders of the bourgeois opposition but have called for and supported the emergence of a broader and more progressive anti-neoliberal and anti-imperialist united front to the dictatorship. It is in that context that we have been quite active in the local and regional social forum processes as well as the strikes and demonstrations by labour and other social justice activists.

Shane Jones Honest About Corruption.

The left control the unions, the unions control the Labour Party. The left campaigns for Labour. In return Labour seeks to ban free speech for all significant lobby groups but unions.

Is this corrupt or what?

From David Farrar's Kiwiblog

Labour MP Shane Jones on Newstalk ZB this morning.

The host was interviewing Katherine Rich and Shane Jones on the proposed electoral law changes and restrictions on third parties. He then asked Shane Jones

"Why would you exempt Unions?"

The reply from Mr Jones:

"They're valuable and long term supporters of ours..."

High Level Cuban Delegation Visits China

One of the great political delusions of our era is the premise that China has abandoned Marxism-Leninism and is on the road to capitalism.

China is happy to use capitalism to build up its economic power base, just as Lenin used his capitalistic New Economic Policy in the '20s to save the near bankrupt Soviet regime.

Commentators at the time crowed that the Soviet socialist experiment had failed and that Russia would return to capitalism.

A study of China's foreign policy offers clues as to the Communist Party of China's real allegiance.

From Cuba's La Prensa Latina

Cuban FM Begins Official Talks in China



Beijing, Apr 16 Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque began on Monday a wide program of contacts in this capital, a new step in the growing bilatral relations.

The Cuban minister accomplishes an invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing with whom he will hold official talks and signs a protocol of bilateral collaboration.

Perez Roque official visit to China begun last Sunday in the southern province of Guangdong, where he inaugurated a new Cuban general consulate, a city of 12 million of inhabitants very linked to the Caribbean island due to the Chinese migration since the 19 century.

The collaboration plan between Cuba and China will establish political consultations of their respectives Foreing ministries, dealing with international situation and issues of reciprocal interest as well as collaboration in the United Nations.

The Cuban delegation is also made up of deputy minister Marcos Rodriguez and the directors of Asia and Oceania, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean and Multilateral Affairs, among others

The visitors will hold meetings and consultations with their counterparts of the Chinese ministry showing the highest level achieved between the two countries´ relations.

The program also envisages meetings between Perez Roque and the Chief of the International Department of the Central Committee of China Communist Party (PCCh), Wang Jiaru and the Trade Minister Bo Xilai.

The Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong, who is also member of the Permanent Committee of the PCCh Politic Bureau, also expects to receive the Cuban Foreign Minister in the afternoon at the Peoples´ Great Palace.

During his stay in Beijing Perez Roque will deliver a conference on Cuba and the International Situation to investigators and specialists at the Institute of Contemporary International relations, following the program.

Rudy's Last Chance to Save New York

Hat Tip Lindsay Mitchell

Was Gerry Adams a Terrorist Leader?

The son of two of Belfast's leading Irish republican families, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams claims he never joined the Irish Republican Army.

Most informed commentators think he is a liar.

From Wikipedia

Senior political, security and media figures, including the Minister for Justice in the Republic of Ireland assert that, from the 1970s until mid-2005, Adams is alleged to have been a member of the Provisional IRA's governing army council


In January 1973, Adams was photographed at the funeral of IRA man Francis Liggett dressed in the IRA's black beret marching alongside the coffin with other IRA members.

In 2002, Marion Price, convicted for being part of a bomb team that attacked London in March 1973, said in public that Gerry Adams was "my commanding officer" at that time.

In early 1977, Adams went to the home of a Belfast journalist who lived near Turf Lodge and worked for the BBC Spotlight program. He presented himself as representing the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA.


He was arrested after the La Mon Restaurant Bombing in February 1978 and was charged with IRA membership. Adams denied the membership charge, threatened to sue reporters who repeated the charge, and applied for bail. The case went to court but the charges were dismissed. Many senior Republicans at that time were surprised by Adams's denial of membership, for they had usually taken the approach of offering no comment to such a charge. In this fashion, they offered no information and did not contribute to speculation (see for example pp. 265-66 in Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary}.

In 1980, an undercover Special Branch officer followed Adams across the border during an investigation into an IRA counterfeiting operation.


Sean O'Callaghan, a former IRA member, Garda and MI5 informer from County Kerry, has claimed he spoke to Adams at IRA meetings in the 1980s. He states that Adams was a battalion quarter-master responsible for weapons, then the age of 22 Adams became Officer Commanding of the Second Battalion, Belfast Brigade IRA.

On 20 February 2005, Irish Minister for Justice Michael McDowell publicly named Adams as a member of the seven-man ruling IRA army council during a radio interview.


According to the British government, he has been a member for over 20 years, although he has never been convicted of IRA membership and continues to deny it. In July, McDowell said that, according to senior police sources, three Sinn Féin leaders, including Adams, had stepped down from the IRA command in a prelude to a peace move. Adams denied the report. "We can't stand down from a body of which we were not members", he said.

In Memoirs of a Revolutionary, the autobiography of Seán Mac Stíofáin, Provisional IRA Chief of Staff during 1969-72, Adams is described as commander of the Belfast Brigade (albeit only in the caption of a photograph).

Gerry Adams to Tour New Zealand?

While H Block/Armagh and Information on Ireland have been defunct for several years, Irish republicanism is still alive in New Zealand.

A new group "Friends of Sinn Fein" is active in Auckland and they want to bring the man himself, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, to New Zealand.



From Global peace and Justice Auckland's latest newsletter

2007 Monday, April 9, 7pm, Tom Fordes bar, Anzac Ave, City

A Chairde, I am sending this to you all as both notification and an invitation to attend the 1916 EASTER RISING COMMEMORATION HERE IN AUCKLAND. The purpose of the commemoration is two fold, firstly to commemorate the Easter Rising and secondly to raise funds for the proposed visit to New Zealand by Sinn Féin Party President, Gerry Adams. To this end we will be holding raffles and asking for donations.

Friends of Sinn Féin would like all financial transations to be accountable and transparent to those making them, receipts will be given. In the event that the proposed tour does not go ahead we will refund all the donations made. We would appreciate any material assistance that people feel comfortable making...this could include providing music, food, posters, publicity of various sorts...please liaise with myself if you wish to make a special contribution.

I would like to thank all those people who attended the Bloody Sunday Commemoration in February. It gave me good heart that so many people turned up at relatively short notice. The movie footage of the Bloody Sunday was new to me as I'm sure it was to many who attended. I would also like to specifically thank Joe Carolan who organised it and Pat O'Dea who spoke and Dean Parker for working so hard on the magazine Saoirse and the H-Block/Armagh Committee/Information about Ireland for so long.

Friends of Sinn Féin would also appreciate it if this email were forwarded to potentially interested parties e.g. The Palestinian Community here in Auckland, the Tamil Community and other interested political groups.

Is mise le meas, Nik Warrensson, Friends of Sinn Féin.

Red Maxine Joins NDU

New Zealand's most militant major union, the National Distribution Union has hired one of the country's most militant unionists as its new Wellington regional secretary.


"Born into a working-class family" in Timaru, Maxine Gay (formerly Duggan, formerly Goldsack) started her working life as clerical worker in a textile factory in Napier.

She was first attracted to unionism when she heard Sonya Davies, then with the Clerical Workers Union. Gay worked for YWCA as a programme director and protested against the Vietnam War and the '81 Springbok Tour. She was also active active in the feminist movement, Women's Refuge, the Battered Women's "movement" and "anti-racism".

However, according to the Christchurch Press of 18/12/97 "It became increasingly apparent to me that I was ever picking up the bits at the bottom of the cliff. So I made a conscious decision to get into class issues rather than just gender or race."

During the '80s, Maxine Goldsack was reputedly a member of the Maoist leaning Workers Communist League, while working as Manawatu Organiser of the Clerical Workers Union.

Goldsack's partner was (and is, Robert Reid, long time international secretary of the WCL and one of NZ's leading Maoist radicals). In 1990, Reid and Goldsack's Palmerston North phone number was a contact for the Philippines Solidarity Network and Left Currents, the shortlived revamp of the WCL, which had dissolved that year.

In late 1989, Goldsack travelled with Reid to Tokyo and Osaka, as part of a 9 person NZ delegation to attend a "workers conference".

The conference was actually highly significant. It was the launch of the "People's Plan for the 21st Century."

Launched as the Soviet Bloc teetered, PP21 coordinated dozens of NGO's and "peoples organisations" across South Asia and the Pacific. The grouping was unusual because it united Maoist leaning organisations with organisations known to be influenced by the Soviets-even the KGB.

In October 1989 Goldsack co-wrote with Robert Reid and George Talbot a double page article on PP21 "Pacific Century or Japanese Century?", in the pro-Soviet, Socialist Unity Party's "Tribune" newspaper.

PP21 was active in NZ, through the Peoples Assembly/Peoples Network and the Building Our Own Futures project, a network of former WCL Maoists and Marxist "Christians".

On November 19, Maxine Gay spoke, with former WCL member and Peoples Network activist, Sue Bradford at a "Building for Real Political Change", run by the Campaign for People's Sovereignty at the WEA Centre in Cristhurch.

Gay spoke as a member of "People's Plan for the 21st Century" (an Asia-Pacific organisation she described as similar to the "Campaign for People's Sovereignty".

Local PP21 activists worked to unite the formerly Maoist and radical Christian left into a series of organisations powerful enough to challenge Labour and its tame union allies.

By 1993, Gay was secretary of the Trade Union Federation, a leftist breakaway from the Council of Trade Unions. She was also on the National organising group of the Peoples Assembly/Buililding Our Own Futures movement, the leadership body of NZ's PP21 aligned organisations.

Another offshoot of the PP21 project was the Next Step Democracy Movement. Active in 1993/94, the NSDM wrote up six leftist petitions and tried to gather enough signatures to try and force binding referenda on the government. Gay served on the leadership body of the NSDM, but "sadly" the required number of signatures was not treached and the movement failed.

Like her partner Robert Reid, Gay became very active in the anti Globalisation movement in the mid '90s. She was heavily involved in the anti APEC movement and in July 96 helped organise the NZ tour of Mexican Anti Free Trade activist Dr A V Calderon.

In June 1999, Gay served on the organising committee of the Women's Conference Against APEC in Wellington. Other committee members included;

Leigh Cookson (CORSO, GATT Watchdog) Bronwyn Cross (PPTA), Caroline Hatt (Peoples Network, UNITE union), Prue Hyman (feminist "economist"), Tanja Shutz (NZUSA co- president), Luci Highfield (Service Workers Union legal officer, Wellington Working Womens Resource Centre), Jane Kelsey (Auckland law lecturer), Annie Newman Service Workers Union-supporter of Filipino communist front unions), Christina Rizos (Radical Society, ex NZUSA), Gillian Southey (GATT Watchdog, CAFCA), Tali Williams (UNITE, Engineers Union)

In 2001, Gay's anti globalisation commitments took her to Switzerland.

From Peace Movement Aotearoa

Maxine Gay, President of the New Zealand Trade Union Federation has her arm in plaster after breaking her wrist during the anti-World Economic Forum activities in Davos Switzerland. She and other anti-WEF activists were forced by police to take a treacherous route back to their guest house in the icy sub-zero conditions rather than the well lit and ice free main road. Maxine slipped and broke her wrist in the fall.

Since 2001 Gay has also been a trustee of Christchurch based anti-globalisation organisation ARENA, with Robert Reid, Peter Cranney, Joe Davies, Jane Kelsey, Gillian Southey, Nick McBride and Prue Hyman.

The Philippines revolution has also been a major focus for Gay, through her longstanding membership of the Philippines Solidarity Network Aotearoa.

The Kilusang Mayo Uno is the Philippines' largest trade union federation and is widely regarded as a front for the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Gay has helped to organise two NZ tours by KMU leaders-Crispin Beltran in 1999 and KMU vice chair Emilia Dapulang in 2002.

Gay also has had a an influence on NZ's mental health servives in recent years. She has served on several mental health advisory bodies, most recently with the

"Improving Mental Health 2005-2015: The Second New Zealand Mental Health and Addiction Plan"

Gay was for several years secretary of the Wellington Clothing and Laundry Workers Union.

Her new job should give her far more scope for revolutionary activity.

"Pyongyang Declaration" Still Attracting Support

1992 was a rough year for international communism. The Soviet Union and the East European socialist bloc was no more, Cuba was near bankruptcy and China was seemingly going capitalist.

To cheer up the comrades, the North Korean's decided to rally what was left of world Marxism-Leninism behind a declaration affirming their commitment to a socialist world.

According to Wikipedia

The Pyongyang Declaration was originally signed by communist, workers, socialist and progressive parties, on the occasion of the 80th birthday of Kim Il-Sung in April 1992. It is entitled 'Let Us Defend and Advance the Cause of Socialism'.

Originally the document was signed by 70 party's-many of them miniscule sects such as Jatiyo Samjatantrik Dal, Bangladesh, the League of Communists of Poland "Proletariat" and the February 18th Movement of Trinidad and Tobago.

However most were mainstream communist parties, including those of Cyprus, India, Jordan, Sri Lanka Belgium, Britain, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Argentina, Venezuela, South Africa, the USA, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

Also included were the supposedly non-communist Arab Socialist Baath Party, South West Africa Peoples Organisation, Italian Movement for Peace and Socialism, the Caribbean National Movement and the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola

I don't know if our own Socialist party of Aotearoa ever signed, but it did report the event very favourably in its magazine, SPA News.

Now 15 years later, parties are still lending their name to a Declaration which has grown to well over 245 signatories.

The latest party to sign is from the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzia.

From North Korea's Korea News

Pyongyang, April 12 The Marx-Lenin Reunification Communist Party of the Kyrgyz People signed the Pyongyang Declaration "Let's Defend and Advance the Socialist Cause" on March 30.

The enlarged meeting of the party central committee attended by Chairman A. Uspbayev and core members of the party underscored the justice of the historic Pyongyang Declaration and extended full support to the Workers' Party of Korea and the Korean people in their drive for socialist construction and the country's reunification.

Expressing support and approval of the Pyongyang Declaration, the meeting called on all the political parties of the world to boost solidarity, international unity and cooperation in the struggle to defend socialism on the principles of independence and equality.

The meeting adopted a decision calling on the party to sign the Pyongyang Declaration.

Islamofascist/Socialist Alliance

Islamofascist Iran allied with neo-communist Venezuela. A match made in Hell?

This is the 21st century version of the Hitler/Stalin pact.

The left seems willing to swallow this socialist/fascist alliance, just as their grandparents were in 1939.


From Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency

According to the approval of cabinet, Iran-Venezuela cooperation headquarters will soon be established.

A report released by the secretariat of the government's High Council on Information Dissemination, the joint cooperation headquarters will be headed by the first vice president, Parviz Davoudi.

Allocation of funds and credits to Venezuela, export of technical and engineering services, decision making on mutual economic and trade relations are among the issues to be pursued by the joint cooperation headquarters.

The joint cooperation headquarters members will include the vice president for executive affairs, ministers of foreign affairs, interior, information, economic affairs and finance, oil, roads and transportation, energy, commerce, communication and information technology, head of Management and Planning Organization as well as governor of Central Bank of Iran.

Roy on State Funding of Political Parties

ACT MP Heather Roy sums up the state funding of political parties debate.

From Heather Roy's Diary

Talk back radio has been running red hot on the subject of state funding for political parties this week. Hosts have asked to see the mandate from the people and lambasted politicians (all lumped in together) for wanting to misuse the public purse - and in my view quite rightly. The proposed $10 million every three years would buy a lot of hip replacements.

ACT vigorously opposes any move by Labour to introduce state funding for political parties. Many people already think that political parties receive public money but this is not the case.

The reality is that political parties have been self-funding throughout New Zealand's history. At one point Members of Parliament did not even draw salaries although this was changed at Labours instigation as it was felt that a lack of salary confined the job to the landed gentry.

In today's parliament MPs are not only paid by the taxpayer but also hire staff courtesy of the state. Constituency MPs are entitled to two electorate agents (working outside Parliament) and one secretary and list MPs have one of each. There is also a "Leaders budget" which covers such things as research staff and press secretaries. There has traditionally been a tight restraint on what the staff in parliament are allowed to do.

Taxpayers' money is not allowed to fund ventures to secure votes or to raise party funds. In other words an MP should be able to communicate with constituents and deal with injustices. However, taxpayers' money is not supposed to be used to advance the career of the MP or the interests of the party.

The latest Auditor-General's report drew a much tighter line as to what taxpayers' money could be used for. Few escaped criticism but the most outrageous breach of the rules was the use of the Prime Minister's Leader's budget to pay for the "Pledge Cards". The pledge cards were naked electioneering and Helen Clark wrongly spent over $800,000. The Prime Minister promised to repay the money but seven months later the debt remains outstanding. It is entirely possible that the Labour Party doesn't have the money. This week, after weeks of swirling rumours and speculation, it has come up with the scheme that political parties should be taxpayer funded.


Details of Labour's opportunistic swindle have been leaked to the press and include financing political parties to the tune of $2 per vote, up to 20 percent of the vote at the previous election, thereafter $1 per vote to a cap of 30 percent and funding would be indexed to the Consumer Price Index. Using the 2005 election as a base National and Labour would receive around $1.1 million each a year, NZ First $260,000, the Greens $240,000 and ACT $69,000.

Other changes would include:-

Cutting anonymous donations to parties from $10,000 to $5,000.
Cutting anonymous donations to individuals from $1,000 to $500.
Ban donations by foreigners.
Cap third party spending at $60,000 nationally and $2,000 in an electorate but Unions and companies would be exempt when communicating with members or shareholders.
Extend the start date for official campaigning (currently 3 months before an election) to January 1 of election year.
Create a special search warrant for suspected illegal practices.
Require any candidate who spends more than 75 percent of the spending limit to have the expenses audited.

In the interests of fairness, accountability and transparency New Zealanders deserve a referendum on this one Labour isn't listening to the people - they seem to have learnt nothing from the 85 percent kiwi opposition to the anti-smacking bill. This week the people are saying no and calls of "Wheres the mandate?" are entirely appropriate.

Will Iraqi Communist Party Be Major Beneficiary When Carnage Ends?

The horrible thing about Iraq is that even if the US succeeds in stabilising the country, the resulting government may not be a great improvement.

Most commentators focus on the danger of pro-Iranian forces coming to the fore.

Equally to be feared is the likely influence of Iraq's increasingly powerful Communist Party.

Many Iraqi radicals opposed to militant Islam see their best hope in the Communist Party.

Are US soldiers dying for socialism in Iraq?


From the Communist Party USA's Peoples Weekly World

Some 10,000 Baghdad residents packed a sports stadium March 31 to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the Iraqi Communist Party. It was the first mass event in Baghdad in years by any secular democratic group.

Similar events took place around the country. In Basra, Iraq’s second largest city, 2,000 overflowed a cultural center for a celebration featuring music, poetry and dance.

The response in Baghdad was so great that the party issued an apology to those who could not get into the filled stadium. The throng, including many families, children and youth, was mobilized on three days’ notice due to security precautions. The party, seasoned in organizing through decades of repression, distributed invitations carefully via e-mail, printed notices and word of mouth.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who heads one of the main Kurdish parties, and Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, of the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front, sent representatives who read greetings. Representatives of a wide spectrum of political parties and civil society organizations also participated. Well-known poets and singers performed, including the head of the Iraqi Writers Union.

As crowds arrived outside the stadium, a jubilant atmosphere prevailed, with traffic policemen helping participants snap photos of each other. The event “had a tremendous uplifting impact on the political mood,” said ICP spokesman Salam Ali.

The huge turnouts in Baghdad and elsewhere point to a “change of mood among the people, especially the young, towards the Islamic parties,” Ali said. “People are just fed up” with sectarianism and violence. “The Communist Party appeals to people because it is not tainted with corruption and does not have blood on its hands from sectarian killings. People are seeing the party as hope, as a potential alternative, something different.”

Celebrations also took place in Najaf, Karbala, Nasiriya, Diwaniya, Omarah, Nineveh and Wasit provinces and elsewhere. At least 1,000 turned out in Alqosh, in the northern Nineveh plain near Mosul, a predominantly Christian Chaldean and Assyrian area.

The ICP’s Baghdad celebration received wide coverage in the Iraqi media. An Internet search found not one word about it in the U.S. corporate media.

New Book on State Destruction of the Family

Conservatives who call for laws to "strengthen" the family, might do well to read this book.

Socialists who question the value of traditional family structures might also.

From Maxim Institute

A new book by Patricia Morgan has sparked debate in Britain about the correct balance of responsibility between the state and the family.

Published by British think-tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, The War between the State and the Family: How the Government Divides and Impoverishes examines family policy in the UK, and argues strongly that governments of all stripes have done more harm than good by intervening in family life.

Morgan argues that policies, from all political parties, which attack "collaboration," commitment and relational connectedness are counterproductive and damaging. She cites policies including the ideological attack on marriage; the rise of cohabitation as a legal equivalent to it; the failure to pursue child support from absent fathers; government incentives which promote idleness; and dependency and no-fault divorce laws, as factors which attack human connectedness—atomising and disconnecting people.

As a result, she argues, the support, care, welfare and connection nurtured by stable family life is absent. The state has to step in and pick up the mess, and the tab. She argues that the state's increasing role as provider, breadwinner and child-carer deprives people of responsibility and care while not in fact delivering better outcomes.

The debate raging in Britain over family breakdown and the role of the state is mirrored in this country too. Addressing issues of family and social disconnection is vital for building a decent and cohesive society. Controversial and challenging though it may be, we cannot afford to ignore voices like Patricia Morgan's, and a greater depth of debate on the social policies of the last decades is something to be welcomed.

Read the book The War between the State and the Family: How the Government Divides and Impoverishes

Russian Media Freedom on the Decline

From Bloomberg

Hat Tip La Russophobe

April 10 President Vladimir Putin has already brought Russian newspapers and television to heel. Now he's turning his attention to the Internet.

As the Kremlin gears up for the election of Putin's successor next March, Soviet-style controls are being extended to online news after a presidential decree last month set up a new agency to supervise both mass media and the Web.

``It's worrying that this happened ahead of the presidential campaign,'' Roman Bodanin, political editor of Gazeta.ru, Russia's most prominent online news site, said in a telephone interview. ``The Internet is the freest medium of communication today because TV is almost totally under government control, and print media largely so.''

All three national TV stations are state-controlled, and the state gas monopoly, OAO Gazprom, has been taking over major newspapers; self-censorship is routine. That has left the Internet as the main remaining platform for political debate, and Web sites that test the boundaries of free speech are already coming under pressure.

In December, a court in the Siberian region of Khakassia shut down the Internet news site Novy Fokus for not registering as a media outlet. The site, known for its critical reporting, reopened in late March after it agreed to register and accept stricter supervision.

Anticompromat.ru, which wrote about Putin's pre-presidential business interests, had to find a U.S. Web server after a Russian service provider pulled the plug March 28, saying it had been warned by officials to stop hosting the site.

Last year, the authorities shut down a Web site called Kursiv in the city of Ivanovo, northeast of Moscow, that lampooned Putin as a ``phallic symbol of Russia'' for his drive to boost the birthrate.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Russia isn't restricting media freedom and that the new agency isn't aimed at policing the Web.

``If you watch TV, even federal TV channels, you'll hear lots of criticism of the government,'' Peskov said in an interview. ``This new agency will be in charge of licensing. It's not about controlling the Internet.''

India's Communist Enemies

India's Maoist Naxalite rebels are running effecient espionage and arms procurement networks, that have the central government worried and perplexed.


From Naxal Terror Watch

A large cache of government-issue explosives seized recently from Maoists by the Jharkhand police has unnerved the security establishment.

The explosives were reportedly obtained by the rebels from the defence ministry’s ordnance factory in Wardha, Maharashtra.

The revelation has exacerbated security agencies’ anxiety, which was initially brought by the discovery that the Maoists had ready access to the government’s secret anti-Naxal deliberations.

DNA had reported on March 31 that government forces had recovered classified documents from a guerrilla unit after an encounter in Chhattisgarh.

The documents contained minutes of two meetings held last year in which anti-Maoist operations were discussed. One of the meetings was chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The recent seizure of explosives affords more insights into rebel operations. First, the Maoists’ supply of arms and explosives is not limited to those looted from police and security forces or procured from mines, or from crusher operators. Security agencies are worried that Maoists seem to have fixed conduits in sensitive government organisations and the defence establishment.

Second, the haul reveals a link with Maharashtra, and a network so efficient that it facilitated untraced procurement and delivery to Jharkhand.

The haul included gelatin sticks, fuse wire, and electronic detonators — in sufficient volumes to produce hundreds of landmines.

The menace from the growing capability of Maoists is exemplified by a string of almost daily attacks in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh. The most recent incursion was recorded last week. The large number of Maoist cadres involved in these incidents has worried security agencies. The numbers indicate the expansion of Naxal influence and support base as well as the failure of intelligence agencies to obtain information.

India's Communist Friends

India is being subverted from below by a widespread and growing Maoist insurgency.

Meanwhile, China, Russia, Iran and Cuba are trying to draw India into ever closer economic and political relationships.

From Islamic Republic News Agency

Cuban Minister of External Relations, Felipe Perez Roque, is to arrive here Wednesday on a two-day visit.

In his first-ever visit to India, he will be accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister, Marcos Rodrigues Costa and several other senior officials, said an official press release.

The Cuban FM will meet Minister of State for External Affairs, Anand Sharma and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss further expansion of ties between the two friend countries.

Bilateral cooperation in different areas, including agriculture, science and technology, sports, health and energy, was reviewed in the sixth Indo-Cuban Joint Commission meeting held in Havana in February 2006.

The Cuban government has awarded two off-shore oil exploration blocs directly and another six blocs as part of a Consortium to ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL).

Meanwhile, an MOU on sports cooperation was signed during the February visit to Cuba of the Minister of Sports, Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar.