Expressing the viewpoint of the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) Vanguard For an Independent and Socialist Australia Volume 57 #3 www.cpaml.org | [email protected] June 2020 Economic Crisis Shows Need For Planned Economy By Ned K. (17 May 2020) he economic crisis in Australia, and indeed the T whole capitalist world, magnified by the shutdown of industries due to COVID-19, has been a big shock to millions of people. Millions of people thrown out of work, millions more on reduced hours. This situation forced the Morrison Government in Australia to introduce Job Keeper. Thousands of businesses applied for it and hundreds of thousands of workers are receiving $1,500 gross payments a fortnight under the scheme. An inadequate relief measure for most, but the Government hoped it was enough until it was time "to get couple of countries for their export social needs instead of disappearing in people back to work again", code for markets. "Diversification" is to be the to the bank accounts of multinational a return to the free market economy saving grace for the Australian people! corporations. Imagine also if the of capitalism so employers could The Australian people are means of production could be resume chasing maximization of questioning the whole system, as well converted (as occurred in wartime) to profits again. they might. They hear a lot from produce what was needed for the A return to the chaos of the free individual captains of industries and people in times of crisis such as this market of capitalism is all the capitalist from politicians about planning. Ah pandemic? class rulers can envisage. However, the yes, "planning'"! Ask any CEO how A planned economy with masses of people in Australia are important planning is for their production and services for the needs learning through their own experience company. of the people is something that people just how fragile this market economy They are right but they never say sense is needed and also possible. is and how quickly it can destroy their that planning of the whole economy of That possibility requires private, living standards and way of life. production and services for people is competitive ownership of the means of People also saw how reliant the needed. production to cease. It has to be capitalist economy in Australia is Why not? Surely if planning is good replaced by public, cooperative on the decisions of multinational enough for their own business it is ownership vested in a new form of corporations and the governments who good enough for society as whole? people’s state power. serve them. Whole industries shut The problem is, their planning is in The only problem is that the ruling down and many more stagnating due to order to maximize profit, whereas the minority class and their state apparatus their reliance on overseas markets to planning the people want and need is are standing in the way. sell their services or products. planning that drives an economy In the course of time, the people The media commentators and some serving the people and not profit will find a way to overcome this politicians of various persuasions cried maximization. historically obsolete class with out that the solution to this problem Imagine if all the wealth created by experiences like the COVID-19 was for business in Australia to working people that was in excess of pandemic providing rich lessons of become less reliant on one country or a daily needs was held in common for why this is needed. ■ 2 Vanguard June 2020 Beware proposed legislation to strengthen state power Contributed (24 May 2020) very brief article in an Australian mainstream A media outlet about proposals to extend state power has provided evidence the Morrison coalition government in Canberra is committed to implementing draconian powers with the bare minimum of publicity. As it seeks to strengthen state powers, the issue of security vetting These include the question of character defects, which included: has received virtually no accountability of state power. While 'drunkenness, addiction to drugs, media coverage. It has, official procedures are in place homosexuality or any loose living'. however, potentially far-reaching for accountability of government Later amendments to the scope of implications for ordinary Australian departments, they are, at best, the Cabinet Committee were to working people. extremely difficult to access. The establish whether those under The track record of federal procedures also often require months, investigation were 'that wider body of governments when dealing with if not years, to reach completion. Most those … sympathetic to communism'. internal security assessments, ordinary working people would lack Still further amendments included historically, has raised serious the necessary resources or time. references to 'fellow-travellers' and questions about safeguards for civil A further matter for serious 'anyone with left-wing or radical liberties and other problems. consideration is the prevailing political views.’ The Australian newspaper in mid- climate. Later obsessions amongst vetting May provided four short columns Hardly a single day passes without officers were directed against those about proposed amendments to present reference to China's supposed who had access to sensitive documents security laws. Using blanket-type espionage against Australia. Evidence and the ability to leak information to terminology intended to deal with would appear to have become left-wing media outlets through small threats of terrorism, espionage and unnecessary in the shadowy and political groups. political violence, Australian security perverted world of the far-right and Readers of 'The Spycatcher' by personnel will not require legal their endless conspiracy theories. Peter Wright, will no doubt, be aware warrants for placing surveillance The COVID-19 pandemic brought of the direct implications of the further devices for tracking suspects. Other out legions of conspiracy theorists amendments concerned. Amid the parts of the same amendment restrict whose main preoccupation was hundreds of pages of scurrilous the rights of lawyers to represent demonising China, its political system allegations and innuendo written by a clients and lower the age of consent for and those of Chinese ancestry and their former spy with an axe to grind, questioning of minors to 14 years. The associates in general. numerous examples appear whereby anyone, including Roger Hollis the amendment, if passed and contained in Long history of security vetting the wider legislation, will mean Head of MI5 itself, were considered security personnel will only require Such behaviour has a long history. threats to national security. internal approval for what are regarded In the immediate aftermath of the Guilt, in the eyes of those around as official duties at the behest of the Second World War the then Attlee Peter Wright, was established and highest echelons of the Australian government in Britain introduced signed, sealed and delivered by mere state. security vetting as a standard association either knowingly or This is serious curtailment to what procedure. It was directed primarily unknowingly. No further evidence was the bourgeoisie calls its “rule of law”, toward anyone who was, or had been, required. by which class society is supposedly a member of the Communist Party. The role of the Cabinet Committee held together. Operating through the Cabinet ushered in a wave of tale-telling within At face value the proposed Committee on Subversive Activities, British society, from the very bottom amendment might appear sensible the system was extended in 1952 and to the top. The fact MI5 was also when taking into account the lengthy again on numerous occasions in later responsible for establishing an legal procedures involved in acquiring years. The committee was involved in Australian counterpart, ASIO, at the warrants. That is, until other criteria scrutinising the backgrounds of those same time would indicate they also are studied and considered in detail. regarded as employed in sensitive exported the whole model to Canberra. positions and looked for evidence of And it exists to the present day. June 2020 www.cpaml.org 3 Studies of the problem in Australia In the UK a study conducted by the have revealed widespread Trades Union Congress (TUC) EDITORIAL discrepancies and other problems. established a majority of British Hard or Soft? Two Tactics Serious shortcomings have not been workers believed their employers were difficult to establish. systematically spying on them. The of the Ruling Class The fact workers can subsequently findings rest upon earlier studies lose employment by either failing a conducted in the early 1980s where it Since the beginning of the economic vetting clearance or being swept up in was established US intelligence crisis triggered by the COVID-19 an investigation of someone agencies routinely spied on British pandemic, the peak union leadership of attempting to seek clearance has been trade-unions. the ACTU has been in close talks with given credible publicity elsewhere. The recent period in Australia has the LNP federal government. Vetting procedures are been marked by three highly The usual hardline anti-union commonplace in the Australian significant factors, revealing “thugs” and “law breakers” vitriol of defence industries with implications discrepancies and their linkage the government and business class has for those employed in what are between state and society: been replaced