The ability of real politics to focus debate is impressive. The climate movement has long debated what policy mechanisms can best combat climate change.
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About 8000 people marched on the Western Australian parliament on March 15 to demand more local jobs from the resource export boom.
The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Maritime Union of Australia all mobilised big contingents for the protest.
Manufacturing employers also supported the rally. Local workshops are sitting idle while billions of dollars of infrastructure is being imported for the mining and offshore oil and gas industries.
Having now come across several leaflets, statements and interviews arguing that the NSW Greens have put former NSW Construction Forestry Mining Energy secretary Andrew Ferguson鈥檚 election at risk on March 26 and urging people to therefore vote 1 ALP, I feel compelled to write the following.
Many people know Andrew as a committed campaigner for just causes.
However, if Andrew is not elected on March 26, the blame will lie with the current right-wing, anti-worker ALP government. Worse, it will be Labor鈥檚 fault that after 16 years the Liberals could return to government.
Legal action was launched on March 16 against Wisconsin鈥檚 Republican lawmakers in an attempt to repeal the anti-union bill that was signed into law on March 11. The law bans collective bargaining for most public sector workers in Wisconsin. Associated Press reported on March 16 that a legal challenge was mounted by Dane County district attorney Ismael Ozanne. AP said: 鈥淒emocrats in the Wisconsin Assembly had alleged that Republican leaders did not give enough public notice that a committee planned to meet to amend the bill.鈥
There's every likelihood that radioactive by-products of Australian uranium have spewed into the atmosphere from the nuclear reactor plant at Fukushima in Japan.
In a significant break through, a rank-and-file ticket 鈥 Members Voice (MV) 鈥 won the presidency in the NSW Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) elections in February.
Members Voice stood on a clear platform of opposition to privatisation. This was the first challenge to the ALP-controlled leadership since the 1980s.
麻豆传媒 Weekly鈥檚 John Coleman spoke to incoming president Tony Clear about his vision for the union.
Why did you decide to run in the elections?
In the midst of widespread anger at the on-going privatisation agenda, blatant corruption and developer connections of the New South Wales Labor government, the Liberal/National Coalition appears set to romp home in the March 26 NSW elections.
With a Coalition government likely to extend the privatisation agenda even further, including massive cuts to the public sector and public services, the NSW Greens鈥 have come under fire for failing to direct their preferences to Labor.
Thousands of people packed into Sydney鈥檚 Town Hall on March 16 to hear journalist John Pilger, independent MP Andrew Wilkie and Julian Burnside QC speak out in support of WikiLeaks and its editor-in-chief Julian Assange.
Assange fears he may be extradited to the US and face Guantanamo Bay-style incarceration for publishing leaked US embassy cables.
Sydney Peace Foundation chairperson Mary Kostakidis presented the forum. She asked the audience to send a message to politicians in Canberra saying, 鈥淗illary Clinton says WikiLeaks is a danger to the world 鈥 what do all of you think?鈥
The government of Bahrain unleashed a brutal crackdown and invited in foreign troops on March 14 in an attempt to end pro-democracy protests that have lasted for more than a month.
The standard of living for the people of Greece has dropped dramatically since the signing of the first 鈥渕emorandum鈥 鈥 the agreement signed by the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) government with the IMF and European Union (EU) representatives last May.
The agreement has meant 鈥 among other things 鈥 unprecedented salary cuts, a rise in the allowed number of dismissals and a reduction in termination pay, and a cut in the minimum wage for those entering the workforce.
鈥淲e have intelligence that your government has been exchanging information with foreign powers about Australian citizens working for WikiLeaks,鈥 Julian Assange told Prime Minister Julia Gillard in his video question as part of ABC's Q&A on March 14.
Assange's question came after Gillard had said: 鈥淚 can respect whistleblowing if your motivation is to right wrong.鈥 But she said she did not see any 鈥渕oral purpose ... at the centre of WikiLeaks鈥.
Gillard said she didn't have a 鈥済reat deal of respect鈥 for Assange and described his motivation as 鈥渟ort of anarchic鈥.
On March 17, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 鈥渆ffectively authorized the use of force in Libya鈥, the UN News Center said that day.
鈥淎cting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which provides for the use of force if needed,鈥 the report said, 鈥渢he Council adopted a resolution by 10 votes to zero, with five abstentions, authorizing Member States 鈥榯o take all necessary measures 鈥 to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamhariya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force.鈥欌
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