GPJA #426: More protests planned Friday against budget cuts

GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND NEWSLETTER No. 426, May 24, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Friday, May 25, 7am, Waipuna Hotel & Convention Centre, 58 Waipuna Rd, Mt Wellington & 11.30am – Langham Hotel, 83 Symonds St
POST BUDGET ACTION AGAINST POVERTY: Kia ora koutou, Since we contacted you a few days ago about our picket of John Key and the National Party planned for 7.00am Friday 25 May, we learned that the PM will also be speaking about the Budget at a business lunch the same day. We’ve decided the best thing would be to organise two pickets, turning 25 May into a full scale Post-Budget Day of Action. We hope you will be able to come along to at least one of the pickets, and that you’ll also be willing to help us get this info out to people in your networks. Core details are: Post Budget Day of Action Friday 25 May – Auckland Action Against Poverty. Picket: 7.00am – John Key speaks to the National Party Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre, 58 Waipuna Rd, Mt Wellington. Picket: 11.30am – John Key speaks to Business Forum Langham Hotel, 83 Symonds St. Decent jobs for the unemployed – not vindictive harassment of beneficiaries! Free quality education for all – no state interference in women’s reproductive lives! Please get back to us if you have any queries or would like to offer any particular help. Look forward to seeing you soon – best wishes, Sue Bradford & Chris Zack (for AAAP). AACP Picket leaflet http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18076151/AAAP_Picketv02%20%281%29.pdf AAAP Leaflet http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18076151/AAAP_Leafletv02%20%281%29.pdf

Friday, May 25, 7.15-8.45am,
THE 12TH ANNUAL CPAG POST-BUDGET BREAKFAST SERIES: Please join us in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Whangarei for: The 12th Annual CPAG Post-Budget Breakfast Series Friday 25th May, 7:15am – 8:45am. Come and enjoy breakfast with us and find out how the 2012 budget affects children and young people.
Auckland: Is the budget relaxed about child poverty? Speakers Prof Jonathan Boston, Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University. Co-Chair, Children’s Commissioner’s expert group on Poverty. Dr Fiona Cram, (Ngati Kahungunu), Member of the Children’s Commissioner’s expert group on Poverty. Assoc Prof Susan St John, Economics Dept, University of Auckland. CPAG Economics spokesperson and founding member. Chair, Alan Johnson, CPAG Housing spokesperson and Salvation Army senior policy analyst. Location School of Population Health, Tamaki Campus, University of Auckland, Bldg 730, Function Room 220 entry via Gate 1, 261 Morrin Road, Glen Innes, Auckland. Free parking in visitors’ section.
Wellington: Post Budget Analysis – how do children fare? Co hosted by the Public Health Association. Speakers Assoc Prof Mike O’Brien, Faculty of Education, University of Auckland. CPAG Director and Social Security spokesperson. Dr Bill Rosenberg, Economist and Policy Director, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU). Asher Emanuel, Young leader, Victoria University of Wellington. Chair Eileen Brown, National executive member, Public Health Association. Location St Johns in the City Conference Centre, Corner Willis and Dixon Streets, Downtown Wellington.
Christchurch: Are we reducing intergenerational inequality? Speakers Prof Paul Dalziel, Dept of Economics, Lincoln University. Alternative Welfare Working Group member. Dr Sue Bagshaw, Paediatrics Department, University of Otago. Youth Health Expert. Chair Dr Bronwyn Hayward, Senior Lecturer, School of Political and Social Sciences, University of Canterbury. CPAG Christchurch convener (021 2727069). Location Reboot cafe, Erskin Building, University of Canterbury (on Science Rd enter off Ilam rd).
Whangarei: Is the budget relaxed about child poverty? Via live video stream from Auckland. Speakers Prof Jonathan Boston, Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University. Co-Chair, Children’s Commissioner’s expert group on Poverty. Dr Fiona Cram, (Ngati Kahungunu), Member of the Children’s Commissioner’s expert group on Poverty. Assoc Prof Susan St John, Economics Dept, University of Auckland. CPAG Economics spokesperson and founding member. Chair : Alan Johnson, CPAG Housing spokesperson and Salvation Army senior policy analyst. Location Whangarei Hospital, Video conference room, 3rd floor (off middle corridor)
Auck, Well & Chch Tickets: $20 waged or $12 for unwaged. Whangarei Tickets: $10 waged or koha for unwaged
Pre-payment is preferred. Direct deposit: Kiwibank 38-9003-0066858-00 please use your name, number of tickets you require and either ‘WhaBB’, ‘AuckBB’, ‘WellBB’ or‘ChchBB’ as a reference e.g. MJones 5 AuckBB. Cheque: Please address cheques to Child Poverty Action Group Inc, PO Box 5611, Wellesley Street, Auckland, 1141.

Friday, May 25, 9-11am, Function Room 220, School of Population Health, University of Auckland Tamaki Campus
Discussion session: Solutions to child poverty. Please join Professor Jonathan Boston for an informal discussion about child poverty. Members of NGOs, community organisations and others working with children and families are welcome to attend and share their insights. As co-chair of the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Poverty Professor Boston wants to hear your thoughts and feedback on: · Examples and experiences of poverty in your day-to-day work; · What you think works to alleviate poverty – policies and approaches; · What does not work well in reducing poverty and mitigating its effects; · New ideas and solutions for reducing child poverty at the government/NGO/community/iwi levels. He will also provide an overview of the work programme for the Experts Advisory Group on Solutions to Poverty. (The School of Population Health is located at North Entrance, 261 Morrin Rd, Tamaki Campus.)

Friday, May 25, 7.30pm, Matakana Village Cinema
FILM SCREENING: STRANGE BIRDS IN PARADISE – A WEST PAPUA STORY. “Music can rise above tyranny.” A ground-breaking documentary that lifts the lid on life in occupied West Papua – and the music and optimism of its people – is coming to New Zealand. Strange Birds in Paradise will screen in New Zealand once only, in Matakana on Friday 25 May. Australian Film-maker Charlie Hill-Smith will be at the screening to talk about the film. Hill-Smith, who spent his formative years in Indonesia and is fluent in the language, made the film after a trip to West Papua opened his eyes to the plight of indigenous West Papuans. He returned with a camera, to document the life of the locals under the occupying Indonesian military – as well as the music, rich heritage and culture of West Papuan friends living in exile in Australia. The resulting documentary, Strange Birds in Paradise had its world premiere at the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) 2009. It’s since garnered praise and festival screenings worldwide. A richly textured journey into the secret life of West Papua, Strange Birds in Paradise paints a fascinating picture of music, culture and repression from one of the last great wildernesses on earth. “The Indonesian army and ‘old-power’ in Jakarta don’t want this story to be told. They run West Papua as a personal fiefdom, stripping the forests and the gold and the oil. The powers-that-be want to keep this window closed to the outside world,” says Hill-Smith. Journalists and film-makers have not been allowed into West Papua for many years. Less than 200kms north of Australia, the Melanesian country was annexed by the Indonesian military in 1963. Yet its international neighbours largely ignore the political struggle, violence and human rights abuses that have ensued. Using music, animation, interviews, historic footage and his own deeply personal perspective, Charlie confronts a basic question: how could these two vibrant cultures be at war – and how can the rest of the world seemingly not care? The screening: Matakana Village Cinema, (7.30pm), Friday 25 May 2012. For media queries or to organise an interview with Charlie Hill-Smith, phone Simon Atkinson 021 242 9868

Saturday, May 26, 3-5pm, Fickling Centre, Three Kings, Auckland
Seminar: Lasting Peace in Sri Lanka – Keeping Issues Alive. Seakers: Keith Locke (Chair); “Reconciliation requires Justice” – Colin S. Henry JD, Barrister of the High Court of New Zealand, Attorney & Counsellor at Law, New York, Florida, Jamaica; “Road to accountability and the role of the international community in achieving a durable solution” – Amanda Brydon, Advocacy & Government Relations Manager, Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ; “Women’s rights are human rights” – Beverley Turner, Deputy Convenor Pacific Women’s Watch (NZ); “What Sri Lanka might learn from transitional justice processes elsewhere” – Chris Mahony BCom LLB MSc (Oxon), Deputy Director, New Zealand Centre for Human Rights Law Policy and Practice, University of Auckland; “The role of media in reconciliation” – Kadambari Gladding Donor Liaison Manager – Amnesty International and freelance TV Presenter/Reporter.

Saturday, May 26, 2pm, Gerry Brownlee’s Ilam Office 283 Greers Rd, Christchurch
In response to the inaction from the Council, the Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority and the Government a protest outside of Gerry Brownlee’s electorate office has been called. You would be forgiven if you had forgotten he is a local MP – after all, we don’t see him unless there’s a camera crew around.

Monday, May 28, 5.30pm, salvation army Church, 16D Bakerfield Place, Manukau, Auckland.
Friends, We are holding an initial meeting of a proposed South Auckland Social Justice Network , to be held at the Salvation Army’s church at 16D Bakerfield Place from 5:30pm to 7:00pm on Monday 28th May. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the idea of setting up a network of social justice activists living and/or working in South Auckland. At this meeting we will discuss the specific purpose and focus of such a group and the steps we need to take to set the network up. I hope that you are able to come along and support this proposal and share your ideas around it. Please extend this invitation to anyone your know who is also keen to work for social justice in the South. We want people to come along as citizens in their own right and not as representatives of any church or union or political party ,organisation or government agency. If you need more information about this idea please contact me via email or on mobile -0274 791958 or Esteban on 021-02278572 or email at : fideluna Kind regards, Alan Johnson/Esteban Espinoza. WE WILL SEE YOU THERE MONDAY 28Th AT 5;30PM

Wednesday, May 30, 3.30-5pm, CTU, 7th floor, Education House 178-182 Willis St, Wellington
Building support for 26 weeks paid parental leave. You are invited to a meeting to establish a campaign to promote the benefits of extending paid parental leave and to support the passage of Sue Moroney’s Paid Parental Leave Extension Bill. We will discuss the formation of a campaign coalition, how organisations and individuals can participate in the campaign, and activities around the first reading of the Bill. If you are in Auckland we may be able to connect using the CTU’s video conference facilities- please let us know. Can your organisation / group send a representative? Please RSVP to Rebecca.matthews by Monday 28 May.

Thursday, May 31, 5.30-8pm, Auckland District Law Society, Level 5, Chancery Chambers, 2 Chancery St, Auckland CBD.
Contracting – good for businesses and/or employees? New Zealand Employment Relations Society and the New Zealand Work and Labour Market Institute invite you to hear Professor Erling Rasmussen (AUT University), Helen White (Barrister) and James Ritchie (New Zealand Dairy Workers’ Union) discuss current employment and legal trends of contracting in employment, and the ramifications of those for employees and businesses. Light refreshments will be provided Please RSVP to nzwalmi for catering purposes

June 8 & 9, Aotea Square, Auckland
8/9TH JUNE AUCKLAND PEACE CITY PUBLIC LAUNCH & NUCLEAR FREE NZ EVENT AOTEA SQUARE. Calling all people who support the ideals of peace, justice and a nuclear free world. ADVANCE NOTIFICATION –put into your diaries NOW, circulate among group networks to include in your calendar of major events, newsletters etc. Auckland Peace City Public Launch ~ Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone and Disarmament Legislation of 1987.
8th June Friday 2:00-3:00pm – Mayor Len Brown’s official Auckland Peace City Declaration launch at Auckland Council Reception Lounge-Town Hall Queen St.
9th June 12:00-3:00pm Aotea Square, Auckland
AUCKLAND CITY for PEACE & NUCLEAR FREE New Zealand Celebration. Auckland City for Peace Declaration Public Launch Event ~ Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone and Disarmament Legislation of 1987. Music, dance, poetry, info/education stalls. Children can make their own ‘Auckland Peace City’ flaglets. Peace Exhibitions inside Concert Chamber. The Peace Parade bearing the carved Maori wooden torch from the 2009 World Peace Run will be returned to New Zealand by NZ Peace and Disarmament International NGO Representative Alyn Ware. This will be followed by runners with flags of the 192 nation states in the United Nations. Release of Peace Doves and ringing of the Peace Bell. Everyone is encouraged to bring their own peace banners and flags, both historical or new celebrating Nuclear Free New Zealand to make a display together for a Nuclear Free World.
Wet weather Event plan: Concert Chamber Town Hall – Inside 12:00-3:00pm. The Peace City Public Launch Event Team welcomes volunteers and offers of help. If you want to be involved in any way please contact: laurie-ross Coordinator Laurie Ross on 818 0696

Friday & Saturday, July 6-8, Wellington.
Environment and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand Inc. Annual Conference 6-8 July 2012. Environmental Responsibility: Leadership, Inclusion and Good Governance. Friday 6 July – Saturday 7 July | Salvation Army Citadel, 8 Jessie Street, Wellington.
Sunday 8 July | Turnbull House, 11 Bowen St, Wellington. Full draft programme and online registration can be found here: eco

November 9-11. Waihi
Remember Waihi 9-11 Nov 2012. It will be the 1912 Waihi Gold Miners’ Strike Centenary and Commemoration of the death of Fred Evans. Further details will be coming. Please some of the events for this weekend in this brochure: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18076151/Remember_Waihi.pdfbn

ANNOUNCEMENTS

BLOOMSDAY! JUNE 16! THIRSTY DOG!
Missed May Day? Make up for it in June. June 16 is “Bloomsday”, a sort of literary St Patrick’s Day. It’s a commemoration of the fictional day in 1904 in which James Joyce’s comic masterpiece Ulysses unfolds. All around the world there are Bloomsday celebrations. In Auckland for the past decade a Bloomsday cabaret has unleashed itself in the red-light district of Karangahape Rd. This year it will be at the Thirsty Dog Tavern and feature Outrageous Fortune’s Robyn Malcolm reading from the notoriously explicit 50-page soliloquy of Molly Bloom, and George Henare playing pale young poet Stephen Dedalus, girlishly winsome Gerty McDowell and fierce transvestite dominatrix Bella Cohen. With the addition of klezmer music by The Jews Brothers Band, it’s the only Hiberno-Hebrew Bloomsday in the known world! Cast of thousands: Dublin actor Brian Keegan, mezzo soprano Yuko Takahashi, international busker and former Auckland Equity secretary Farrell Cleary, political tenor Chris “Crubeen” Trotter, Unite union organiser Joe Carolan (and dog) plus a barbershop quartet singing “Danny Boy”. Can’t beat it. Saturday night, June 16, 7.30-10.30pm Thirsty Dog Tavern, Corner Howe St & Karangahape Rd, Auckland

SOLIDARITY BRIGADE TO VENEZUELA: HALF-PRICE FLIGHTS AVAILABLE FROM AUCKLAND
Join the 2012 Presidential elections brigade to Venezuela. Register now to witness the final election campaign for President Hugo Chavez and observe first-hand a living people’s power revolution. Brigade dates: September 27th – October 8th, 2012. Half-price flights Sydney-Auckland-Venezuela return are currently available through Aerolineas Argentina. The 2012 brigade is the 13th study tour organised by the AVSN. Reports from previous brigades are posted at: http://www.venezuelasolidarity.org We are also happy to put you in touch with people who have participated in previous AVSN brigades if you would like to find out more.
Brigade registration and costs: The deadline for registering for the 2012 presidential elections brigade is May 31, 2012 (including payment of registration fee, unless otherwise arranged). Participants will need to book their own international airfares, but accommodation, transport and English-Spanish translation within Venezuela will be organised by the AVSN. In addition to your international airfare, you will need to budget for approximately $1200-$1350. This will cover your brigade registration fee ($500 for waged workers or $350 for students/pensioners), and your food, transport and accommodation (on a shared basis) for 12 days in Venezuela.
To register for the brigade visit: brigades or phone Jim McIlroy 0423 741 734, Roberto Jorquera 0425 182 994 or Lisa Macdonald 0413 031 108.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“Dramatically higher tax rates on the top 1 percent would produce enormous revenues, improve the distribution of income, and most likely lead to greater economic growth.” Alicia Munnell, director, Boston College Center for Retirement Research, High Tax Rates for the Wealthy,

STATS OF THE WEEK
– Something to occupy your mind next time you’re filling up your gas tank: Last year’s highest-paid CEO in the USA, new data from GMI Ratings show, appears to have been ConocoPhillips CEO J. J. Mulva. His total compensation: $154.7 million.
– In 2011, GMI Ratings reported last week, U.S. CEOs registered their second consecutive year of double-digit pay hikes. Since 1978, the Economic Policy Institute added midweek, CEO compensation — after inflation — has soared by 759.3 percent. The average U.S. worker pay hike over that same period: 5.7 percent . . .
– In 2011, America’s average millionaire received nearly $450,000 worth of benefit from mortgage interest deductions and other federal “tax expenditures,” about $1,225 in benefits a day. The average daily food stamp benefit, notes Center for American Progress analyst Michael Linden, came in at $4.30.

BEST ON THE WEB

NEW ZEALAND

A miscarriage of justice http://norightturn.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/miscarriage-of-justice.html

Rights of asylum seekers the focus for award-winning campaigner http://www.tewahanui.info/twn/index.php/rights-of-asylum-seekers-the-focus-for-award-winning-campaigner/

Corporate beneficiaries will gain from Mining Drive – not Northland communities http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00327/corporate-beneficiaries-will-gain-from-mining-drive.htm

No Mining in Northland – SIGN NOW http://www.petitiononline.co.nz/petition/no-mining-in-northland/1523

Louis Crimp: the face in our mirrors http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/louis-crimp-face-in-our-mirrors.html

Return of the DIY Abortion: A hostile law, and stretched services, are pushing women onto the Internet for abortion care by Alison McCulloch http://werewolf.co.nz/2012/05/return-of-the-diy-abortion/

Hone Harawira speaks to Aotearoa Not For Sale Hikoi at parliament

Would Jesus Support Asset Sales? The role of the Almighty in political debate by Gordon Campbell http://werewolf.co.nz/2012/05/would-jesus-support-asset-sales/

Anti mining rally for all http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/news/anti-mining-rally-for-all/1388960/

Minorities shut out of public service http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6953300/Minorities-shut-out-of-public-service

Hikoi 2012: Uncut http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=432241763452495&set=vb.100000000266391&type=2&theater

UN Report: Government’s Performance On Economic, Social And Cultural Rights http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00324/un-report-governments-performance-on-rights.htm

Corrections union slams ‘degrading’ extended search powers in prisons http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10808024

‘Don’t take peace for granted,’ warns Pakistani journalist http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2012/05/dont-take-peace-for-granted-warns-pakistani-journalist/

BUDGET

Austerity-lite budget risks recession http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00389/austerity-lite-budget-risks-recession.htm

CTU Report on the 2012 Budget http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18076151/CTU%20Report%20on%20Budget%202012.pdf

Mana: Just Another Neo-Liberal Failure http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00345/just-another-neo-liberal-failure.htm

Govt too focused on surplus – expert http://www.3news.co.nz/Govt-too-focused-on-surplus—expert/tabid/1607/articleID/255360/Default.aspx

Budget tricks: myths about government debt http://robertwinter.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/budget-tricks-myths-about-government.html

Health Budget on track for a $150m shortfall http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00332/health-budget-on-track-for-a-150m-shortfall.htm

EDUCATION

Students protest ‘black’ budget http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00374/students-protest-black-budget.htm

Student protesters end street blockade http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/budget-2012/6979244/Students-take-to-the-streets-against-Budget-cuts

400 attend South Auckland Charter School Meeting http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00331/400-attend-south-auckland-charter-school-meeting.htm

Budget protest: Students call for ‘no education cuts’ http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/budget-protest-students-call-no-education-cuts-4899789

URUWERA 4

GPJA – outrageous sentences for Urewera Four – prison protest from 6.30 tonightUrewera Four to be sentenced https://gpjanz.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/gpja-outrageous-sentences-for-urewera-four-prison-protest-from-6-30-tonight/

http://news.msn.co.nz/nationalnews/8472398/urewera-four-to-be-sentenced

Watch Urs and Emily on Marae Investigates http://tvnz.co.nz/marae-investigates/ta-ent-marae-index-group-2744668

If you haven’t seen the Urewera 4 on Native Affairs, be sure to check it out! http://www.maoritelevision.com/Default.aspx?tabid=636&pid=212

For a write up of the show: http://mauistreet.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/native-affairs-on-urewera-terrorists.html

October 15th Solidarity Newsletter No. 33 – Sentencing 24 May in Auckland http://www.indymedia.org.nz/article/82398/october-15th-solidarity-newsletter-no-33

WAR ON POOR

Matt McCarten: Derisory Budget wages war on working class http://unitenews.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/matt-mccarten-derisory-budget-wages-war-on-working-class/

Why the poor are becoming poorer – MANA Leader Hone Harawira http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1205/S00372/why-the-poor-are-becoming-poorer.htm

Investment Approach for welfare loses sight of social goals – Child Poverty Action Group http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00299/investment-approach-for-welfare-loses-sight-of-social-goals.htm

LIVING WAGE CAMPAIGN

Living Wage Aotearoa New Zealand https://www.facebook.com/LivingWageAotearoaNewZealand

Living Wage campaign: ‘There’s no quality of life’ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/employment/news/article.cfm?c_id=11&objectid=10807860

Barely surviving on minimum wage http://unitenews.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/barely-surviving-on-minimum-wage/

Campbell Live Part 1: Barely surviving on minimum wage http://www.3news.co.nz/Barely-surviving-on-minimum-wage/tabid/367/articleID/255177/Default.aspx

Campbell Live Part 2: Minimum wage while studying equals poverty http://www.3news.co.nz/Minimum-wage-while-studying-equals-poverty/tabid/367/articleID/255333/Default.aspx

Cambell Live: Mr and Mrs Middle New Zealand: Median NZ household income falls http://www.3news.co.nz/Mr-and-Mrs-Middle-New-Zealand-Median-NZ-household-income-falls/tabid/367/articleID/255039/Default.aspx

Living wage campaign; time for political discussion http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1205/S00375/living-wage-campaign-time-for-political-discussion.htm

Living wage campaign launched http://www.3news.co.nz/Living-wage-campaign-launched/tabid/309/articleID/255226/Default.aspx

CTU backs campaign for a Living Wage http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00353/ctu-backs-campaign-for-a-living-wage.htm

Green Party supports living wage campaign http://www.greens.org.nz/press-releases/green-party-supports-living-wage-campaign

First Union: Living wage campaign will capture public mind http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00351/living-wage-campaign-will-capture-public-mind.htm

Faces from Living Wage Campaign Launch http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150988674054739.476648.693039738&type=3

London hotel staff to receive wage boost of almost £5,000 after first hotel chain offers London Living Wage http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/london/london-hotel-staff-to-receive-wage-boost-of-almost-5000-after-first-hotel-chain-offers-london-living-wage-7777612.html

WORKRIGHTS NZ

Author traverse stormy waters of union’s history http://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/books/208808/author-traverse-stormy-waters-unions-history

The Union Report – 21 May 2012: The Union Report – with CANZ President Beven Hanlon and the PPTA’s Angela Roberts. Issue 1: National promised not to cut back frontline services, how much more frontline are teachers? Are larger class sizes the answer? Issue 2: Who should have the power to incarcerate – The state or a private company. What is the real cost of prison privatization? Issue 3: Are the new labour law announcements a negative for workers and unions?

Save Our Port booklet http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18076151/SaveOurPort%20book.pdf

Performance Pay Could Cut Teacher Salaries http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00297/performance-pay-could-cut-teacher-salaries.htm

Crackdown on foreign fishing boats http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10807590

Foreign fishing boat moves need to be quicker – critics http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6969884/Foreign-fishing-boat-moves-need-to-be-quicker-critics

CTU: Government Action on Foreign Charter Vessels Welcomed http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1205/S00337/government-action-on-foreign-charter-vessels-welcomed.htm

Minorities shut out of the public service http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6953300/Minorities-shut-out-of-public-service

AFFCO & MEATWORKERS

Hone Harawira: Workers WIN – again! http://mana.net.nz/2012/05/workers-win-again/

Meat workers union newsletter for members on the dispute http://www.mwu.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/2012-05-22-MWU-RatificationLetter.pdf

The last day of the Horotiu picket? http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150989150829739.476680.693039738&type=1

Affco dispute settled (Joint press release) http://www.mwu.org.nz/2012/05/22/affco-dispute-settles-joint-press-release/

Affco dispute settled http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/6963345/Affco-dispute-settled

AFFCO meatworkers dispute settled By James Ihaka and Paul Harper http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10807508

Affco and meatworkers reach agreement http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/affco-and-meatworkers-reach-agreement-4896284

Video: David Shearer visits picket line http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10807508&gallery_id=125648

AFFCO workers to get pay rise under new deal http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/106376/affco-workers-to-get-pay-rise-under-new-deal

Iwi leaders force AFFCO’s hand http://mauistreet.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/iwi-leaders-force-affcos-hand.html

Meatworkers win http://thestandard.org.nz/meatworkers-win/

AFFCO Workers Stand Strong in Te Puke http://isonz.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/affco-workers-stand-strong-in-te-puke.html

Talleys AFFCO Wiri picket http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150980349489739.475763.693039738&type=1

NZ ECONOMY

Budget 2012: Creating jobs no easy task http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10807469

GDP growth: Further nonsense from government Ministers by Rob Salmond http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/gdp-growth-further-nonsense-from-government-ministers

FEATURES

A European Spring? A new Left is emerging in Europe to lead the anti-austerity struggle. David Jamieson argues that it’s development is based on a break with dogmas old and new. http://tinyurl.com/84gcmj5

Tariq Ali talks on the current global political situation, the Arab Spring and what constitutes a vision for socialism today. http://tariqali.org/archives/2384

CULTURAL DISSENT

Leonardo Da Vinci: artist, thinker and revolutionary – Part One http://www.marxist.com/leonardo-da-vinci-1.htm

Paint it red: Picasso and Modern British Art http://tinyurl.com/83of4jd

Author traverse stormy waters of union’s history http://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/books/208808/author-traverse-stormy-waters-unions-history

LAND, LABOUR & THE ENVIRONMENT

We will not let this pipeline cross our land! The proposed pipeline would cross lands owned by the Wet’suwet’en people and never ceded to Canada or B.C. http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/05/20/we-will-not-let-this-pipeline-cross-our-land/

Get the Shell out! Indigenous activists expose dirty oil business http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/05/17/get-the-shell-out-indigenous-prpotes/

The UN’s ‘Green Economy’ plan is a destructive illusion by Pablo Solon http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/05/16/the-uns-green-economy-plan-is-a-destructive-illusion/

The Real Hunger Games: How Banks Gamble on Food Prices – and the Poor Lose Out http://tinyurl.com/7ptxblp

WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

Promise-breaking at the World Bank: Why Jim Yong Kim will be a heartbreaker http://links.org.au/node/2814

Inequality: the cause of crisis and depression? http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/inequality-the-cause-of-crisis-and-depression/

New ILO Leadership Could Push For Better Economic Policies by Mark Weisbrot – The Troika (the European Central Bank – ECB, the European Commission, and the IMF) is dragging Europe into its second recession in three years. http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/new-ilo-leadership-could-push-for-better-economic-policies

Financial crisis ‘will drive up debt repayments for poorer nations’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/20/poor-countries-debt-repayment-economic-crisis

AFGHANISTAN

AUSTRALIA

7,000 march against fracking http://climateandcapitalism.com/2012/05/14/australia-7000-march-against-fracking/

Eyewitness: Brisbane tent embassy eviction was an outrage http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/51057

BANGLADESH

Bangladesh in ferment by Lal Khan http://www.marxist.com/ferment-in-bangladesh.htm

BURMA

Two sides to Burma’s elections http://links.org.au/node/2809

CANADA

Protesters and police clash Tuesday, Day 100 of Quebec student strikes http://ca.news.yahoo.com/day-100-quebec-student-strikes-red-river-protest-184233938.html

Quebec protests: Student rebel with a cause http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18164796

All hell breaking loose in Quebec student strike http://www.rogerannis.com/all-hell-breaking-loose-in-quebec-student-strike/

Quebec government bludgeons student strikers with emergency law — but the struggle continues http://lifeonleft.blogspot.ca/2012/05/quebec-government-wields-emergency-law.html

Quebec student protesters find creative ways around controversial new law http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1181357–quebec-student-protesters-find-creative-ways-around-controversial-new-law

Quebec Students Mobilize Against Draconian Law Aimed at Breaking Four-Month Strike by Roger Annis

http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/637.php#continue

Bill 78: Quebec Protests Go International And Mock Emergency Law On Day 100 Of Student Strikes http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/05/22/bill-78-quebec-protests-students_n_1536919.html?ref=quebec-student-protests

Anatomy of a conflict after 100 days of student protests http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Anatomy+conflict+after+days+student+protests/6655852/story.html#ixzz1vlzfnTWV

CHILE

Chilean students rise up http://tinyurl.com/79rbzug

CUBA

U.S. Grants Visa to Mariela Castro but Denies Visit by Cuban Academics http://cubasolidarity.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/us-grants-visa-to-mariela-castro-but.html

GERMANY

20,000 people march at a Frankfurt Occupy protest: German police – http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/world/20000+people+march+at+a+frankfurt+occupy+protest+german+police/6442644693/story.html

#blockupy. Frankfurt am Main, 19. Mai 2012

GUATEMALA

Photo essay: Guatemala — Indigenous, peasant and popular march arrives in Guatemala City http://links.org.au/node/2807

GREECE

Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras: ‘It’s a war between people and capitalism’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/18/greek-leftist-leader-alexis-tsipras

Greek austerity: The end of the line – After two years of self-defeating austerity measures, a Greek default looks more likely than ever. http://tinyurl.com/6ut7d9o

Greece heading for the exit http://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/greece-heading-for-the-exit/

Greece’s political elite gear up for new elections. http://tinyurl.com/7sqmlrj

HONDURAS

Honduras: Which Side Is the US On? http://www.thenation.com/article/167994/honduras-which-side-us?rel=emailNation

IRELAND

MEXICO
Populist Lopez Obrador Moves Up in Polls – Keynesian Impulses Give Way to Appeals to Business by Dan La Botz http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/639.php#continue

PACIFIC

Emerging investigative journalism “culture” featured in latest Pacific Journalism Review http://www.pjreview.info/

Tagata Pasifika reporter tells the good and the bad Pacific stories http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2012/05/tagata-pasifika-reporter-tells-the-good-and-the-bad-pacific-stories/

PALESTINE

‘Fire on the Marmara’: This Friday will mark the second anniversary of the Israeli commando attack on Gaza aid ship “Mavi Marmara” which left nine Turkish humanitarians dead. Please watch this moving doco about the Mavi Marmara, and consider donating to Kia Ora Gaza’s next aid mission to the besieged Palestinian enclave. http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/fire-on-the-marmara/

The Nakba: 2012 by Richard Falk http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=8&p=88164&s2=21

BDS victory: South Africa strips Ahava’s ‘made in Israel’ label http://mondoweiss.net/2012/05/bds-victory-south-africa-strips-ahavas-made-in-israel-label.html

Co-op bans settlement produce in Israel boycott http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/67113/co-op-bans-settlement-produce-israel-boycott

Is U.S. going above and beyond for Israel? http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/2012/05/16/gIQAJhikUU_story.html

The one-state reality vs. the two-state idea http://972mag.com/the-one-state-reality-vs-the-two-state-idea/46151/

PHILIPPINES

The Philippines: The Family Plot http://www.globalpolicy.org/social-and-economic-policy/world-hunger/land-ownership-and-hunger/51611-the-philippines-the-family-plot.html?itemid=id#1292

SOUTH AFRICA

South African metalworkers: ‘Workers must lead the transition to a green economy’ http://links.org.au/node/2813

Interview with Soweto socialist councillor http://links.org.au/node/2811

SPAIN

Spain: The great fear – Confidence in the structures of European finance is fast disappearing. A bank run in Spain might have catastrophic consequences for the whole system, writes James Meadway http://tinyurl.com/82dqfd9

TIMOR

TUNISIA

UK

Tariq Ali, British left on George Galloway’s surprise re-election http://links.org.au/node/2803

USA

Chicago protests http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/natosummit/chinews-nato-summit-obama-metra-lake-20120519,0,3320279.htmlstory

NATO Reality Check: Protestors in Chicago Can Fatally Fracture NATO by Michael Skinner http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/638.php#continue

Why Protest NATO? http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/9234-why-protest-nato

The Empire Holds Its War Council in Chicago http://blackagendareport.com/content/empire-holds-its-war-council-chicago

Five Facts That Put America to Shame by Paul Buchheit https://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/05/14-0#.T7gM7hWHXjg.twitter

Nato protesters arrested in Chicago raid held on terrorism charges http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/19/chicago-nato-protesters-terrorism-charges?CMP=twt_fd

Studs Terkel: American genius – The late oral historian talks about what textbooks never tell us, and how he gets his riveting real-life interviews http://www.salon.com/2012/05/18/studs_terkel_american_genius/

VENEZUELA

OLDER ANNOUNCEMENTS

XXX SOUTHERN CROSS BRIGADE TO CUBA – DEC 27 – JAN 18

Receive warm greetings from Cuban Institute for Friendship with Peoples (ICAP), that every year receives, with great satisfaction, all friends that spontaneously decide to join us in the Southern Cross Brigade of voluntary work and solidarity with Cuba. Main objectives of the brigade are to provide a great deal of knowledge about Cuban reality so that the visitors could understand it as well as to work voluntarily in the agricultural fields in order to help in the development and productivity of the country. The program of the brigade includes visits to historical, cultural and social places. Participants will receive lectures on national and international topics and will also interact with representatives of Cuban organizations and people in general.

Program of the Brigade starts on December 27th, 2012 and finishes on January 18th, 2013. It includes 15 nights at Julio Antonio Mella International Camp (CIJAM), which is located in Caimito municipality, 45 kilometres away from Havana City; 2 nights in The Friendship House in Villa Clara province and 5 nights in a hotel in the revolutionary Granma province, where many of the historical events lead by Fidel and other guerrilla fighters during the war to achieve our total independence from 1956 to 1958 took place.

Program costs 580.00 Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) per person. It includes accommodation in 5 or 6 persons´ rooms in CIJAM, three meals daily in CIJAM and also in province, accommodation in the hotel in Granma province and Villa Clara ICAP’s facility, transfer in-out as well as transportation to all activities included in the program. Each extra night in CIJAM, previous to the beginning or after the brigade will cost 10.00 CUC per person and should be paid directly in CIJAM, as well as optional activities during the extra period. It is compulsory to stay at least 7 days in the brigade. Agricultural work will be done in fields near the camp. CIJAM was founded in 1972; it provides the proper environment for living in groups and satisfies needs of visitors from all over the world.

The increasing number of brigadistas coming to Cuba as members of the International Brigades ICAP organizes is a clear evidence of how motivated our friends are about coming to our country and knowing our reality. They are also committed to condemn the genocide blockade of the United States against our island as well as to express their respect towards our independence, sovereignty and self determination rights. We also have their support on the cause and liberation of the Cuban Five Heroes unjustly imprisoned in the United States jails.

Each brigade member, at the moment of the arrival, is committed to follow the program and schedule, and also to have a proper behaviour, discipline and social interaction not only in CIJAM but also all over the country. For further communication: Phone numbers (53 7) 838-24 30 / 8335372 / 830-1220 / 834-4544 ext. 15 and Emails: asia.norte , director.dao and amiventas We would be pleased to have you in the XXX Southern Cross Brigade, a beautiful project that ICAP and Australia/New Zealand – Cuba Friendship Societies have proudly maintained since 1983, which has allow to show Cuban reality to more than one thousand people who have taken part in previous brigades as well as to receive their support and deep solidarity. This year program and brigade has a special aim and it is to commemorate 55 anniversary of the triumph of Cuban revolution on January 1st, 2013 and also to celebrate with every participant coming the 30 anniversary of the Southern Cross Brigade visit to Cuba. This is a formal invitation to join the brigade in order to strengthen brotherhood between our peoples. Sincerely yours, Asia and Pacific Division, Cuban Institute for Friendship with Peoples

NZ Participants: Email Ina Lawrence inashina for the full programme and any other questions.