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'Being in Labor is a matter of managing embarrassment'

By Tracy Sorensen Hawke's maiden speech in parliament centred on unemployment. In March 1983, when he was elected prime minister, there were 650,000 officially out of work. That year, he was moved to tears during a televised discussion about its

Emir's nephew on drug charge

Emir's nephew on drug charge The nephew of the emir of Kuwait has been arrested in Cairo on charges of trafficking in heroin. Talal Nasser al Sabah was arrested as he allegedly tried to sell two pounds of heroin to an undercover policeman. The

George Bush, cocaine and Panama

The US government's pretext for the invasion of Panama in December 1989 was the alleged involvement in drug trafficking of Panamanian President Manuel Noriega. That pretext is now becoming seriously unstuck with revelations that Noriega's

... and ain't i a woman?: Paid housework?

Paid housework? According to the Meadow Lea margarine ad, married women with children who do all of the housework, cooking and child caring "ought to be congratulated". The Dove soap ad says mothers are unsung heroes. Now there is a suggestion

Police racism exposed

Police racism exposed By Leon Harrison PERTH — Police in WA, Queensland and NSW have been severely criticised in a report on violence against young Aborigines. Interviews with youths held in detention revealed 88% claimed to have been

Chamorro connection

Chamorro connection A former Nicaraguan contra leader accused two government ministers of drug trafficking on April 13. The ex-contra claims that development minister Brooklyn Rivera and fisheries minister Javier Morales have been helping the

What's intended by May meeting of Greens?

Comment by Steve Painter Five individuals have called a national meeting in Sydney on May 18-19 to discuss setting up a national green party. According to a letter accompanying the invitations sent to green electoral groups last week, the

Changes - for whose benefit?

Agenda for Change: An International Analysis of Industrial Relations in Transition Edited by John Niland and Oliver Clarke Sydney: Allen & Unwin. 1991. Paperback, 208pp. Reviewed by Melanie Sjoberg Using a series of case studies of industrial

The Australian peace movement - moral queasiness

By Ian Bolas The day after Kuwait's "liberation", the Australian press ran lurid stories of alleged atrocities committed by Iraqi troops during the occupation. The same papers also ran photos of the aftermath of the slaughter of retreating civilians

Green lesbian network spreads

By Kerry Parnell SYDNEY — The fundamental cause of world environmental destruction, according to environmental activist Georgina Abrahams, is heteropatriarchy. She says that the key to a green future lies in phasing out masculine values on both a

Czechoslovak economy takes a nosedive

By Peter Annear PRAGUE — A grim picture of the performance of the Czechoslovak economy during 1990 is painted by the Report of the Federal Statistical Office on Economic and Social Development, released in March. The report says defensively that

Britain's killers in Ireland

By Steve Painter "Maggie Thatcher has used the word 'war' quite often in relation to the north of Ireland, but there is not a declared war. IRA and other paramilitary prisoners are not treated as soldiers but as criminals. But then the British