c/australia · by eureka@aussie.zone · 97d

Some lists of May Day events around Australia (including events on later dates)

Unfortunately I haven't yet found a comprehensive list, so post any additional lists in the comments

https://www.greenleft.org.au/events

https://cpa.org.au/guardian/issue-2187/may-day-around-australia/

12 points · 3 comments · view on lemmy.world

3 Comments

MisterFrog@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 97d (2 replies)

No worries with Socialist Alliance's GreenLeft, but my knee-jerk reaction to the CPA is that they are, not even embarrassed, Stalinists. Based on reporting and having gone out to the pub with some of them after a protest once.

I may have fighting words with comrades who think a one-party state who "consults with" the working class, and rules for them (their words, not mine).

Nothing wrong with "communists", but the CPA, in my view, and by their own admission (people I met), are maoists and stalinists - and those people hate democracy.

They very seriously told me that while China isn't perfect, it's a government who governs for the people. Which is some hilarious shit If I've ever heard it, considering how China is capitalist as heck and has no popular democracy whatsoever. Even less than us.

There is no socialism without democracy.

Apologies, but I feel very strongly against the CPA. It sucks, because what the common person thinks communism and socialism, is what they're espousing...

Thank Christ they're a tiny org in Australia.

(Maybe there is more than one org calling itself the a Communist Party of Australia???)

eureka@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 97d (1 reply)

I should clarify: I am not an M–L nor Stalinist, I disagree with their ideologies, and have never been involved with a CPA. Any posts I make honouring the impact of historical CPAs on our labour movement are critical. You are completely fine to feel this strongly about them, there is no socialism nor communism without democracy.

I am also not affiliated with Socialist Alliance (although I'm much more sympathetic with them), however I do believe GreenLeft's list of events is a valuable resource and I share it with others.

(Maybe there is more than one org calling itself the a Communist Party of Australia???)

Haha, it's a messy ol' thing, this one:

(1920) The original Communist Party of Australia is formed.
(1944-1951) Changed its name to Australian Communist Party, before changing it back
(1964) The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist–Leninist) is formed as a Maoist split, stemming from the Sino-Soviet split.
(1971) The Socialist Party of Australia splits from the original CPA. "The party was established by former members of the original Communist Party of Australia who resigned or were expelled due to internal disagreements over the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia and the party's adoption of Eurocommunism."
(1991) The original CPA dissolves itself: "At the party's 31st Congress [...] the Communist Party was dissolved and the New Left Party formed.The New Left Party was intended to be a broader party which would attract a wider range of members, which did not happen, and the New Left Party disbanded in 1992. The assets of the Communist Party were thereafter directed into the SEARCH Foundation"
(1996) The Socialist Party of Australia, seeing itself as the legitimate successor, changes its name to the Communist Party of Australia. (This is the one who published the article.)
(2019) The modern CPA's general secretary came into conflict with their Central Committee, and deleted the party's socials (I only just learned this lol), then split to form the modern Australian Communist Party, which I believe is pretty dead as a party now, but I don't know for sure.

So you basically have the historical CPA, the modern CPA, the CPA-ML, and remnants of the modern ACP.

MisterFrog@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 97d

Heck, I hope to be as knowledgeable as you on these things one day.

Now I have no idea which group I met haha

Thanks for sharing friend.