PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT: May 2009

People before Profit against Motorways & the Man!

DIRECT ACTION-
Civil Disobedience and Blockades against the SH20 Motorway

DEMOCRACY-
No to the Supercity. Devolve and Decentralise Power

DECENT LIVING STANDARDS-
$15ph minimum wage now- support the Referendum on Fair Pay

WATCH MALCOLM HERE ON TV3
LISTEN TO MALCOLM HERE ON Bfm
Jon Facebook Supporters Group HERE

Auckland environmental and social activist Malcolm France has thrown his dreads into the ring for the Mount Albert By Election, standing on a "People Before Profit" ticket. Malcolm, an organiser for Save Happy Valley Coalition in Auckland, thinks that an alternative to the mainstream parties is badly needed in the city.

"Don't just vote for me- get active!" says Malcolm. "We're seeing an arrogant government literally bulldozing hundreds of Mt Albert and Waterview homes so they can build a useless motorway costing billions- all so we can get to the traffic jam quicker. I'll be standing on a platform of direct action and civil disobedience against this motorway, and arguing that the billions spent on it would be better spent on free and frequent public transport."

"There is no democracy in Auckland at the moment- the Government has not allowed Aucklanders decide how they want their city run. I believe in decentralising power into the hands of local communities, not giving party politicians more power. They want to privatise our publicly owned assets behind closed doors. We'll be marching on the Hikoi on May 25th against the Supercity, and for more local participatory democracy."

"Thousands of people who live in my area are on low wages, many on the basic minimum wage. As an active supporter of the Unite union, I'll be taking their Citizens Initiated referendum petition out to the people of Mt Albert, to increase the minimum wage first to $15 per hour NOW, and then in steps until it reaches two thirds the average wage."

"I don't care about parliamentary democracy- I care about building a grassroots movement that puts People Before Profits. That's why I'll be running a punk rock campaign to get up the noses of the Politrickers and support local people against motorways, miserly wages and the Man."

give MALCOLM your X-
Contact Malcolm
mobile: 021 256 4676
email: francemalcolm@yahoo.com
web: www.peoplebeforeprofitalliance.blogspot.com

WHAT WE ARE ABOUT

We are a group of people that realise real change is not going to come through the parliamentary system but through the grass roots struggle of the people.

While we understand the growth of the Greens as a political voice of people and the environment, they are not radical enough to make changes and we feel eventually like the Labour party and the unions they will get caught up in managing the system. That's what's happened in countries like Germany and Ireland.

It should be very clear by now that capitalist economic system that we live under doesn't work. It controls us not the other way around. It is a cycle of boom and bust and so very unstable. It allows those with money and power to rise to the top and control those underneath and so is very exploitative of people and the environment.

It is based on free market and competition. Competition forces diminishing returns and pits person against person with ethics, human rights and the environment suffering.
Resources are running out, especially oil. Current food production methods are unsustainable. Yet our mainly privatised banking system which charges interest, forces growth which will come to a sudden stop in the near future.
50 million people will lose their jobs this year alone because of the Global Crisis.

Capitalism helped erase feudalism but it has run its course in the western world, so has the form of democracy we have which supports it and its ruling class.

The current political and economic system is irreformable and it is time for a change. The longer we leave it the worse the crash. It is time to visit anti capitalist ideas on alternatives to both.

We are about that change.

Visit the attached websites and blogs to learn what socialism and anarchism is really about- not the public misconceptions or the corporatised media version or your state school version of it

Cheers
Malcolm

Friday, May 29, 2009

The Gr8 Climate Sale

A Movie about Climate Change, Power, and Free Market Environmentalism

Produced by Focus on the Global South;The Gr8 Climate Sale tells the story of how the governments of the countries responsible for causing Climate Change have avoided taking action to solve it while at the same time, helping their corporations with the help of the World Trade Organisation and the World Bank to profit from this catastrophe. If you've been wondering why after 20 years of international negotiations on Climate Change virtually nothing whatsoever has come out of it except for the privatisation of the world's atmosphere [via emissions trading] and a raft of other big business designed non-solutions then this movie is for you.

A discussion on ways for people to confront the root causes of the Climate Crisis here in Aotearoa will follow

Thursday 4th June
6pm – 8pm

Basement Room B10
Auckland Uni Library
Alfred Street
Admission: Koha

Organiser Gary Cranston

Thursday, May 28, 2009

TUNNEL OR NOTHING

It’s time to stand up for your community, and against the destruction of your homes, your parks and your environment.

Join the Tunnel or Nothing march along the proposed SH20 surface motorway route on Saturday June 6.

The march will start at 11.30 am at Waterview Park (between Cowley and Herdman St's), travelling along Great North, Blockhouse Bay and New North Roads and finishing at Alan Wood Park on Hendon Avenue. People are welcome to join the march anywhere along the route that follows the proposed tunnel.

Even if you can’t make the march, be sure to gather at the entrance to the No. 1 field, Alan Wood Park, at 2.30 pm for a rally with speakers and entertainment.

This march and rally both start and finish in community parksthat will be lost by the SH20 extension through to SH16

Visit www.tunnelornothing.org.nz or email tunnelornothing@gmail.com for more information

Monday, May 25, 2009

Lemington Steal

Mt Albert by election candidate Malcolm France standing on a People Before Profit ticket pied Act candidate John Boscawen today, dubbing him the "Lemington Steal".

Its like the tail wagging the dog- Boscawen represents the far right party with 3% of the vote who are dicatating terms to John Key's National. ACT and National's corporate friends can now get their hands on Aucklander's assets like the Port and the Airport through CCO models. This will concentrate power in the hands of a few well paid government appointed hands- leaving less power in the community, where it should be. Like Marie Antoinette before the French Revolution, they think that we plebs can go eat cake.

This is about a lack of democracy and about parliament's inability to deliver real change through politicians. National said after the commission report findings come out they would consult with the public, but like the unnecessary SH20 Waterview extension there has been none. People Before Profit say that if National and Act were really the parties of choice- they should give Aucklander's a referendum on the Supercity.

But they won't. So It's time to ignore the politicians like Lemington Steal.
Like when thousands of us crossed the Harbour Bridge yesterday we have to ignore the Bureaucrats in the Beehive and take action for ourselves and reclaim our power. People Before Profit are going to organise direct action against the SH20 Motorway and the Supercity- and if they tell us to eat cake, they shouldn't be surprised when we throw it back at them!"

Malcolm France
People Before Profit
021 256 4676
francemalcolm@yahoo.com
www.peoplebeforeprofit.org.nz

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Crossing the bridge

After a rousing speech by Russel Norman of the Green Party and Mike Lee from the ARC it was clear that those who turned up wanted to cross the bridge and being told by Wayne from the NZ Transport Agency wasnt going to stop them. They had had enough of NZTA delaying tactics.

It was awesome to see thousands of the public stand up for their rights , be counted and refuse to listen to Wayne not to cross the bridge, but instead to walk around the fence (specially built to prevent bridge access) and to cross on to the bridge . Intially lead by a few adventurous souls but followed quickly by the masses with chants of "let us cross".

Yes I was near the front giving lots of encouragement !

It was great to be part of a historic event and theres going to be a few more of these given NZTA stance.

Being Heard

I may be able to stand in the election but thats not the start and end of democracy, you need to to be heard.

I have yet to be invited to sit on a meet the candidates panel or to make the news paper . As it gets closer to the election hopefully this will change.

We are looking for volunteers to join us in doing the tradtional walking the streets so if you want to get involved please email me