At long last, the election campaign will come to a head on 24 November, and we should see the end of the Howard government. But the struggle of working people in Australia will continue.
Certainly, all effort should go into defeating Howard’s Coalition by handing out a massive hiding at the ballot box.
This is only what they deserve for their grovelling before the dictates of the Business Council of Australia, for imposing fascist workplace laws, for tearing up democratic rights, for giving foreign and local monopolies the green light to trash the environment, for whipping up racism, for attacking workers, people on disability pensions, young people and students, indigenous communities.
Not to mention the disastrous, illegal and criminal endorsement of George Bush’s invasion of Iraq and tying Australia to any future military aggression by US imperialism.
In the process, Howard’s mob have brought hardship and suffering for many sections of the Australian people. Public healthcare and education have been deliberately run down to open the way for privatisation. Young people despair of ever owning their own house, of having decent, secure employment.
While many rightly despise Howard for his role in all this, we should recognise that his job is to administer the capitalist system on behalf of the real rulers of Australia – the unelected monopoly owners of big business, the foreign multinationals, the web of banking and finance interests.
There are plans to go even further. The reactionary leaders of the National Farmers’ Federation want to scrap the cosmetic ‘fairness test’ altogether, while Harvey Norman bosses want to bring in foreign workers on half-pay, to push down everybody’s wages and divide the workers.
If Rudd replaces Howard, this unelected ruling class will still be there, and Rudd will have to dance to their tune as well. Nothing fundamental will change.
Change of tactics
From the ruling class point of view, Howard, Costello, Ruddock, etc are too over-exposed to be of much use. They are preparing for some softening of the sharp edges of economic rationalism. Exploitation with a more human face?
Rupert Murdoch recently hastened to reassure US imperialism that Rudd was no threat to their interests. It sent a message to big business that Rudd could be trusted to steer the ship for a while.
It also sent a message to the working people of Australia that domination by US imperialism will continue and intensify, just as the struggle against it will continue and intensify.
How to vote?
Where does this leave the Australian working people? Should they vote for Rudd?
Regardless of what Vanguard says, many, many will vote for Rudd and the Labor Party. Some traditional Labor voters and younger people are looking to the Greens, who have pledged to get rid of WorkChoices and protect the environment.
The ACTU and some unions are supporting a vote for Labor in the House of Representatives and a vote for the Greens in the Senate. This tactical position also seems to be gaining support.
Keep at it
Voting in the election is easy, but it will at best give working people a short breathing space.
Struggle in the workplaces and communities will continue irrespective of who wins the election. The Victorian nurses’ recent struggle has shown that real politics takes place outside of parliament.
Many mass connections and alliances have been built up in the course of struggle against the Howard government. They should be maintained and developed. They will be called on again.
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