[Marxism] Re Australian and NZ intervention in East Timor

[Peter Boyle <peterb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Philip Ferguson wrote:

> My Australian DSP friends made a very serious error in campaigning for
> Australian troops to go to East Timor back in 1999.  They are now paying
> the price for this error, as they are unable to oppose the current
> Australian-NZ intervention without throwing into doubt the wisdom of
> their 1999 position.
We are not that religious or dogmatic and we don't consider the current 
situation to be the same as in 1999.
And for the same reason we are not  "crossing ourselves" with "Troops 
out of East Timor" slogans
around which nobody on the Australia left, not even those who are most 
supportive of the Fretilin government
of Timor Leste have even  begun to organise any action so far. For 
example, Tim Anderson, who wrote this article "Achievements
of a 'Failed state' " 
<http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=4584>, agrees that
a troops out campaign should not be mounted at this stage.

However, should such a campaign begin I think it is very likely that the 
DSP will be a central part of it
(and probably have initiated it with others in the solidarity movement).

Marcus Ström interrogated our position and I tried to answer it honestly
here: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GreenLeft_discussion/message/30578?l=1>

We will not decide what position to take today on East Timor on the 
basis of defending a position in 1999. Leave that approach
to the professional point-scorers of the left.

Peter Boyle

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