Racism, sexism and homophobia are all issues that impact the working class. That starts with recognising the working class is black, female, immigrant, LGBTQI and much more. For that, we need the politics of solidarity: understanding that the oppression of all is tied to the inequality of capitalism, and that if we unite, we can radically transform society in our interests. Signals to Aboriginal sovereignty and culture are no more than hypocrisy while they send in police to intimidate Aboriginal resistance protecting Djap Wurrung heritage. The Victorian Andrews Labor government is digging its feet in to ensure the destruction of the Djap Wurrung ceremonial trees. Labor sat by Adani bankrupting Adrian Burragubba, Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners Council Spokesperson, for daring to speak out and challenge the mine. Witness their support for the Carmichael coalmine, and Senator Penny Wong’s statement on ABC’s Insiders when asked if Labor supported shutting coal down – her response: “Of course not”. Labor is wedded to helping big business make a buck, particularly in the mining sector. Any politics arguing that a Labor government is the road forward is a dead end in my opinion. I’m an anti-capitalist, and it’s clear to me who is on our side and who is firmly opposed. If we want to fight for a better world, politics matter. As Marx said, “capitalism creates its own gravediggers”. Workers already cooperate on a global scale to make the economy run, and it’s not hard to see how through this cooperation, if organised, workers can strike to bring the entire system to a grinding halt. We have a lot to learn in Australia from the movement for democracy in Hong Kong which has brought millions to the streets The boss can’t make profits if there’s no workers to flip their burgers. But when McDonald’s workers in the US stood together a year ago, they felt the confidence to stick up for themselves, and they went on strike. Anyone challenging stolen wages – or a sexist boss – as an individual would be sacked in a heartbeat. A struggle for even the most basic demands in a workplace requires unity. Workers have an interest in fighting together. In hindsight it’s clear they weren’t just fighting for their own wages and conditions they were fighting for better classroom resources, more teachers and appropriate learning environments – they were fighting for my future. I didn’t understand what that meant – that these teachers could shut down an entire state school system by withdrawing their labour. I remember as a kid not going to school because, “the teachers are on strike”. The world will not fix itself: it’s up to us. The multi-racial international working class is the key to crippling the entire system, and bringing about the structural change we need to build a better society.
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