(en) Australia, Anarchist Affinity - The Platform #2 - Contents + Editorial

Contents ---- Editorial ---- Labour and Direct Action in America - The Seattle Solidarity 
Network - by Tom ---- Attacks on Higher Education - by Mali ---- Border Violence as 
Settler Nativism - by Lia ---- Interview with Kojo Barbah from South London Anti-Fascists 
and the Anti-Raids Network ---- Welfare Attacks and Collective Resistance - by Rebecca --- 
Slackbastard on Fortress Australia - an interview with Anarchist Affinity --- Lessons from 
Broadmeadows and Villawood - by Dan ---- Editorial ---- The recent Australian federal 
budget has once again highlighted the need for an effective Left to combat the Right's 
ever-increasing push towards domination of Australian society. This push is no surprise 
given the natural tendencies of austerity capitalism. However, to those of the general 
public who believe wholeheartedly in the welfare state and want to reconcile social 
justice with a capitalist economy, this budget strikes a real blow. We need to show that 
the budget is not only short-sighted but that the existing system is failing to keep its 
promises.

Cutting higher education and pushing towards an American-style education system reveals 
the inherent biases of the capitalist state and the current two-party system. This should 
come as no real surprise considering the cuts already pushed by the previous Labor 
government. These higher education cuts restrict the access of poorer, potential students, 
and also cut along a gender axis that is often ignored.

As the current state of the welfare system shows, we cannot even trust the capitalist 
system to function in a way that it promises. The social security net is being used as a 
disciplinary tool against workers and the unemployed, and a subsidy for business with 
programs like Work for the Dole.

But this Right-ward trend not only makes the time ripe for a Left resurgence, but for a 
further, extreme Right-wing one too, in the form of fascism. Parallels between the rise of 
fascists in Britain and the rise of similar elements in Australia should worry us all. 
This is further exacerbated by the role of the state in the control of the border, and the 
state-sanctioned racism behind it.

Anarchism is at a low ebb in Australia, as it has traditionally been. As anarchists, we 
are constantly having to reinvent the wheel - in how we act, how we organise, and how we 
discuss issues. It is the failure of previous generations of activists that we have little 
history to draw on in that regard. We must have these discussions now in order to be as 
effective as we can be in the present and for those in the future.

- Editors

Anarchist Affinity

You can download the entire pdf of Issue 2 
here.http://www.anarchistaffinity.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Platform-Issue-2.pdf