May 28, 2009, 5:31 am
Michael Tubbs is a former lawyer and organiser for the Communist Party of Australia who has recently self published “ASIO: The Enemy Within”. During his professional and personal life, Michael has repeatedly come into contact with ASIO. He has broad familiarity with its operations and the infamous “ASIO file”, having one himself as well as legally representing defendants in the ASIO Appeals Tribunals.Tubbs brings 30 years of research and experience to his analysis of our own secret police force.
This wealth of information available to Tubbs puts him in the unique position to assess ASIO, he uses a large cross section of ASIO files kept on his friends and associates to clearly demonstrate the scope of ASIO’s intrusive and extensive spying program. Rather than focussing on threats to Australia’s “national security”, ASIO has been focussed on domestic spying of what it considers to be anyone from the “centre-left” politically, making it no more than an extreme ideological police force.
Tubbs’ book charts the growth of ASIO and its authority, especially recent increases to its power, under the rubric of the “War on Terror”, which has placed ASIO dangerously beyond political and judicial control.
Copies of his book are available from
Search Foundation
Level 3, Suite 3B
110 Kippax St, Surry Hills 2010
Ph 9211 4164, Fax 9211 1407
Julia started by asking Michael about the known extent of the size of ASIO’s operations.
This talk was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 27th of May.
May 28, 2009, 4:23 am
In April of this year, after ten years of “people’s war”, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) was swept into power with a clear democratic mandate to make changes to the country’s socio-economic structure.
May saw the Maoists leave government in frustration after their proposed changes were systematically impeded by established elite power structures backed by foreign interests.
Julia spoke to Ben about the circumstances surrounding the Maoist’s decision and the effect of this on the Nepalese political landscape. Julia started by asking Ben for some background on the Maoist movement.
Ben Peterson is a Resistance member reporting on the political situation in Nepal for Green Left Weekly. You can read Ben’s blog here.
This talk was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 27th of May.
May 14, 2009, 4:17 am
John Feffer talks about the recent and ongoing pirate attacks on commercial shipping routes off the coast of Somalia. The mass media often equated these actions to that of terrorists so is the response from the United States going to fall under the “War on Terror”?
Julia started by asking John about whether he though the pirates had any specific ideology.
John Feffer is editor of Foreign Policy in Focus.
This talk was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 13th of May.
May 14, 2009, 4:00 am
Mike spoke about the continuing turmoil in the Israeli and Palestinian territories and the upcoming Palestinian day of commemoration, Al Nakba.
Mike Khasam is a representative from the Australian Friends of Palestine.
This talk was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 13th of May.
May 6, 2009, 1:08 pm
Michael Klare discusses the escalation of violence during the Global Financial Crisis, in particular the Mexican drug trade and recent pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia.
Michael Klare is a Professor of Peace and World Security at Hampshire College Massachusetts.
This talk was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 6th of May.
May 6, 2009, 12:31 pm
Julia spoke to Professor Ira Chernus about the ongoing United States policy of a “war on terror”. What this term means, it’s use and future use, along with the accompanying policy is discussed in light of Obama administration moves away from such rhetoric. But what affect does this have on policy?
Ira Chernus is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Colorado and author of Monsters to Destroy – The Nonconservative War on Terror.
You can see his homepage here.
This talk was broadcast on Radio Adelaide on the 6th of May.
