E D I T O R I A L

The Road to Bangalore
A funny thing is happening as the major corporations plan their latest heist on the Australian public � the off shoring of an estimated two million white collar jobs to low cost countries like India.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Cowboys and Indians
Finance Sector Union national secretary Paul Schroder is standing between the big banks and a bucket of money.

Industrial: Seven Deadly Sins
Chris Christodoulou gives seven reasons why WorkChoices is bad for business

Unions: The IT Factor
The future of Australian IT looks grim as big companies lead the rush to India and China, writes Jackie Woods.

Politics: Bargain Basement
Simple principles of democracy underpin the ACTU's collective bargaining proposal, insists ACTU Secrteary Greg Combet.

Environment: An Inconvenient Hoax
Al Gore may be warning of climate breakdown, but what hope the truth when he's up against such a well-oiled machine? asks Paul Sheridan

Corporate: Two Sides
Bilateral trade agreements are a good idea � just ask the US multinationals. The rest of us should strongly disagree says Pat Ranald

International: Unfair Dismissals
Nearly 10,000 workers were fired for their trade union activities in 2005, an annual trade union survey shows.

History: A Stitch in Time
Neale Towart takes some lessons from female textile workers while considering the case for recognition ballots.

Review: The Wind that Shakes the Barley
A film charting the turmoil of the Irish war for independence against British occupation during the 1920s might seem an odd choice for top honours at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.

N E W S

OWS Blesses Tassie Plunder

Feds Knew About Wage Slashing

Data Farmers' Bitter Harvest

Umpire Delivers to Posties

It's a Goal - Compass Out-Pointed

Childcare Giant Goes Union

Meat Head Jumps The Queue

AWAs � Thanks a Million

Vets� Fight On

TB Threat From FoC Ship

Hamberger in Cancer Blue

AMWU Challenges Forced Deportation

Let�s Dance � Andrews Get Hot

Legal Centres Under Threat

Activists Notebook

C O L U M N S

Parliament
The Westie Wing
Ian West takes a walk around the backyard with the Prime Minister�

The Soapbox
Rise Up
Hugo Chavez's explosive address to the United Nations

Culture
The Fear Factor
A new analysis of the history of fear takes us from the war on terror all the way to the modern workplace.

L E T T E R S

WHAT YOU CAN DO

	About Workers Online
	Latest Issue
	Print Latest Issue
	Previous Issues
	Advanced Search

other LaborNET sites

Labor Council of NSW
Vic Trades Hall Council
IT Workers Alliance
Bosswatch
Unions on LaborNET
Evatt Foundation

Class Worrier

Is it just me or are Julie Bishop's eyes really, really spooky? Each time she comes on the tele she reminds me of a Thunderbird, the beadies darting around in no obvious connection to her facial muscles. As they say, it's a fine line between sincere and cross-eyed.

Might never let it be said that Julie is just a scary face; she is emerging as the latest class worrier to inhabit the education portfolio.

Following in the footsteps of Brendan Nelson's campaign against the Maoism in English departments the Stalinists in history, Julie has let loose on the worst dressed teachers in the academy, who are accused of running an extreme Green agenda.

The attack has taken a familiar arc - first the 'investigation' by The Australian newspaper; then the outraged comment and supportive editorial. Next they will be appointing Harry Butler to the ABC board!

The basis of this assault is that geography courses that consider ecological sustainability as part of its teachings about the study of the earth.

How could such extreme views have been propagated? Could it be that a discipline that focuses on maps, weather patterns and water flows, could be wondering why the text books need to be changed every few years?

The Bishop response - curricula celebrating coal mining and the hoofed beast's contribution to the national identity. Like the swagman who killed the sheep; digging holes and killing grass are to be to core competencies of our bright young geographers.

As Howard celebrated victory in the history wars while refusing to stick Al Gore in DVD player, Julie is at the barricades that really count., Like all wars, your enemies are everywhere and the only victory is an eternal vigilance, which in Julie's case has crossed into paranoia.

So let's slay the geography dragon and move to the next cesspit of extremism, maths - where long divisions is needlessly divisive and subtraction is plain negative. Bring it on, Julie

  View entire issue - print all of the articles!

  Issue 327 contents

© 1999-2002 Workers Online
Workers Online is a resource for the Labour movement
provided by the Labor Council of NSW
URL: http://workers.labor.net.au/327/d_pierswatch_julie.html
Last Modified: 06 Oct 2006