Re: On Melbourne & S11 - a discussion??

["Tom O'Lincoln" <red_sites@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Carrol:
>>The general impression has been growing on me that these gatherings
>>are losing their punch. The police are prepared to prevent them from
>>blocking business as usual, and the media re going to cooperate with
>>the police. Perhaps the target is too diffuse


That's not my feeling. The ruling class is still shocked here. The
demonstrators had the experience -- for the first time in most of their
lives -- of launching an action which inflicted a discernable defeat on the
ruling class.

Anti-globalism is indeed a diffuse target, but the action opened up a
productive debate that might help us clarify it.

I agree with what Gary says:

>there is in ruling circles a nervousness about the re-emergence of a Left -

>The media, compliant as always go along with what the masters want them to
>do.  But there are as always again cracks in the master class.  To some
>extent this is reflected in the attitude of the union bureaucracy.  The
>pull of nationalism is strong here,

but on the last point, the S11 demonstrators were generally
internationalist. The nationalism reappeared when the trade unions arrived.
Even here, the leading advocate of protectionism (err, sorry, "fair trade")
Doug Cameron of the metal union, had to finish his speech with "long live
international solidarity".
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