In an earlier post We need to organise and attack current fiscal policy I wrote about a project I was working on to take a different perspective on what the economy is and our view of government deficits. That framework would then take place for acting on climate change, alleviating poverty and creating a better world for ordinary people. That campaign has now launched as strongertogethernt.com.au. It is early days still but I hope to build the site and campaign to give small social organisations resources to fight back against the economic orthodoxy that dominates treasury departments.

While most of us ignore economics and the technical detail. Flawed social policy whether we realise it or not is a result of a dud economic framework.

me – jengis

The other small project I’ve been working on is one through a small social club The Darwin Workers Club. We have the capacity to begin publishing a quality journal that allows working class voice to permeate. Currently media bias is so strong and dictated by a group of elite, any debate is done within a framework that ensures working people lose. For example the merry-go round we need to tax the rich to fund public services. We know we need to tax the rich for equity purposes. But for public services and public expenditure we need governments to be commanding real resources (mostly labour) to begin delivering public goods (like childcare) and enacting on climate change. Instead ‘the left’ lay blame on multi-nationals not paying tax. The reason we don’t have decent public services isn’t because multi-national doesn’t pay tax, it is because our governments have not provided those services. In any case for fossil fuels companies a progressive agenda shouldn’t want them to pay more tax, it should want to eliminate them so we are don’t releasing carbon into the atmosphere. That’s one example of how the public debate is constrained. We are laying blame on the wrong entities.

In the days prior to the union merges during the 1980’s we had hundreds of unions that were local and grassroots producing material and disseminating information from a working class perspective. I won’t detail how I think the union merges over the neoliberal period broke solidarity from grassroots members here.

The journal will detail struggles of working class and aim to be an educative tool on economics. Economics itself is a broad term that applies to microeconomics, macroeconomics, political economics and multiple other forms and I think it is important we start making that distinction amongst the membership base of trade unions. The first issue will look something like the image below and I am hoping have quarterly issues. I’d note we are using terminology of tropical seasons for when the issues are released.

There are six seasons in Australia’s tropical north. Each indigenous tribe has different names for the seasons, depending on their location and language. The Bininj and Munnguy from Kakadu use the following.

Gudjewg | Monsoon season | Dec-Mar

Banggerreng | Knock ’em down storm season | April

Yegge | Cooler but still humid season | May-mid Jun

Wurrgeng | Cold weather season | mid Jun-mid Aug

Gurrung | Hot dry weather | mid Aug-mid Oct

Gunumeleng | Pre-monsoon storm season | mid Oct-late Dec

Conclusion

I’ve got a lot of writing to do and a lot of things to co-ordinate to make these things happen. If you or you know anyone that’d like to contribute get in touch. darwinworkers@gmail.com