Book Launch

Comments»

1. Ted Riethmuller -

Good to see Antonioni still being acknowledged. Italian cinema of that era is still very engaging. What I like about Antonioni is the pace, which induces a state of the mind in which thoughts and feelings can be explored to great advantage. And you are right about the photography. Wide shots of the individual placed in a benighted industrial landscape creates a sense of alienation the images of which stays with us over the years.

And of course there is Monica Vitti……..

More stuff on the cinema please.

2. andrew stafford -

That’s an absolutely hilarious review of Pig City Ian, thanks for the plug!

3. Bush Telegraph -

I fail to see the hilarity, Andrew.
Perhaps you should have a look at this article http://bushtelegraph.wordpress.com/2007/05/14/brisbane-town-they-shut-it-down-they-pulled-it-down/“>

Ian Curr

4. Ciaron O'Reilly -

Pig City - Shrinking Civil Liberties, Expanding Police Corruption & Deaths in Custody…
by Ciaron O’Reilly
…and the punk scene that went with it.
Aspects of living in Dublin 2002-07 reminded of my formative years in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. A marriage of police corruption with the denial of basic civil liberties and routine deaths in custody. Times that produced some pretty good music. “Pig City” was an ‘83 punk single by anarchist friend Tony Kniepp, recently it became the title of a book about the Brisbane music scene under Joh and a few months it was a reunion gig. Download the recent radio show on the link below….
In the late 1970s Brisbane was known to the rest of Australia as a big country town, and on the surface it was a citadel of conservative rural Australian values.

The Country Party had been in power for nearly two decades, and the premier, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, ruled the state with an iron fist, never hesitating to use the Queensland police force to stamp out any resistance to his notoriously corrupt regime.

It was in this context that a smouldering culture of rebellion was born among the students and other residents in the city’s inner suburbs, which manifest in public protests, acts of civil disobedience, and — in defiance of a legislated ban against them — in sometimes violent street marches. This growing wave of dissent also found expression in the energetic and distinctive music which began to emerge from Brisbane at this time, and which kick-started Australia’s wider punk and alternative rock scenes.

The Saints, the Go Betweens and the Riptides, the Laughing Clowns, the Hoodoo Gurus and Gangajang all had their roots in the Brisbane punk scene of the 1970s, and would go on to have a huge influence on Australian music, paving the way for some of Australia’s most successful later acts, including Savage Garden, Powderfinger, Screamfeeder and Regurgertator.

The 2004 book Pig City by Andrew Stafford was the first serious attempt to tell the story of Brisbane’s coming of age through this potent mix of music and politics. The opening of the city’s first community radio station, 4zzz, in 1975, became a vehicle for the emergence of this powerful nexus between music and politics in Brisbane during this era. It’s been argued that, at the time, 4zzz offered the only alternative and articulated voice of opposition to the prevailing state government of the day in Queensland.

Tony Collins recalls his own experience of Bjelke-Petersen’s Queensland, during the years that he spent living in Brisbane, working as a young broadcaster at 4zzz.

Download the show (it’s mostly about the music of the time!)….

Related Link: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/hindsight/default.htm
See http://www.abc.net.au/rn/hindsight/default.htm

5. Bush Telegraph -

Ciaron,

How were the punks political?

V2 off his face being hit over the head at Cloudland by some equally smashed rock musician?

When history is told by those who were not there or who were there for a brief time, the important things are left out. No mention of the political organisation that went into the street marches. The absence of 4ZZZ from any real participation in democratic rights organisation for fear of them losing their licence, or more correctly not gaining a higher power licence. The political self-censorship by the social clique that ran 4ZZZ [at that time] on their way to careers in the ABC, Universities or newspapers like the National Times. The pulling of the Women’s show, the refusal to put to air the Civil Liberties program that criticised Fraser’s commitment to Uranium mining and export. The list is endless. Only to be supplanted by the stories of bands like the Saints without any political involvement to the bands like the Go Betweens who went south.

Where are the stories of the ordinary people who turned up on the streets and opposed the government? The owners of those thongs lying in Adelaide street reminding us that they too had been arrested and carted off to jail one more time because they hated Joh Bjelke-Petersen and what he stood for.

There is a version of events that says the new leadership in Australia — Rudd, Swan, Bligh and the recently departed Beattie — came from that era.

They say that Beattie was beaten by police in the old Trades Hall building during the anti-racist Springbok demonstration at the Tower Mill — if that is true, why did Labor in government not learn a single thing from it and still embrace the same values of privilege and capitalist wars, the denial of aboriginal land rights (only three native title claims awarded in the intervening years) the denial of democratic rights where the ordinary people, who were there, are denied the fruits of their labour, and are placed in casual jobs with contracts that favour only the boss…

Ian Curr
6 December 2007

6. Ciaron O'Reilly -

Hi Ian,

It looks like a friend has posted an email I put out promoting last week’s ABC show on Pig City. Most of my email that is now on this website is plagarised from the ABC promo. I would defend the politics of Tony’s original song, not the book or concert and haven’t heard the ABC show due to lack of appropriate technology here at the London Catholic Worker http://www.londoncatholicworker.org

While punk was booming in Brisbane in 1970’s I wa steel heel and toeing it at civil liberties and anti-nuke bush dances. I didn’t get into punk music until much later/ early 80’s. I also didn’t have much to do with ZZZ until the Prisoners Program kicked off in the later ’80’s. I know the Z Heads, whatever mainstream environments they are or are not presently occupying in OZ media, have their own issues with Pig City the book in terms of not acknowledging the role of ZZZ in those pre-internet daze. I know ZZZ had to fight hard to be included in Pig City concert this year. Being Catholic Workers, we were to hip for the straights and too straight for the hips, so the too cool for school kidz over at Z were probably more hostile to our politics than even yours.

I thought “Takin’ it to the Streets” exhibition was good. I was amazed to see Wayne Goss there when his govt (including Rudd, Swann and McEnroth) had sent all my Joh convictions (Marching, speaking, leafleting) to the FBI to get me more jail time in the U.S. for the B52 action. McEnroth when questioned by father stated “Justice has to be done!”

The U.S. Prosecutor brought these free speech convictions up in my cross examination to prove my habitual criminality in front of the jury. We called for an”offer of proof”, the jury was removed and they methodically went through every arrest description fom 1977. When they got to 1987 and the description of me dressed in a pink gown with angel wings being busted for the CW nativity scene blockade of a nuclear warship, the Judge interrupted and said these “crimes” fell outside the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. consitituion. As I returned to the defendants table (we were representing oourselves with 4 co-counsel) during this small adjournement elated with this small victory. Our experienced criminal lawyer co-counsel lent over and said “that is the kiss before we get fucked” in terms of the Judge’s intention to eventually rule out our necessity defense. So yes the ALP boyz who displayed so little courage in the Joh years and take such nostalgic credit these days shopped me to the FBI. They (ALP) more recently sent the same convictions to the Irish prosecutor and tried to deregister me as a teacher in Queensland on the basis of these free speech convictions. (We won both cases!)

Saint’s Ed Keupper and Go Between’s Grant MacLennan were both arrested with us (41 October 22nd. 1977

I remember heading home after a football match and getting stuck in traffic behind V2 sitting in the back of a ute poinitng a toy gun at us….he looked like a true (nihilist) believer. At least Peter Townsend of The Who later apologised for hitting Abbie Hoffman in the head woth his guitar at Woodstock reflecting “I think I overrated the political significance of music”
V2 is probably still awaitng a similar apology from The Strangler’s guitarist (”Sunshine State”).

7. Bush Telegraph -

Ciaron,

The promo material from the ABC is wrong when it says “the 2004 book Pig City by Andrew Stafford was the first serious attempt to tell the story of Brisbane’s coming of age through this potent mix of music and politics.” I could find very little political content in the book and what there was is superficial because the author spoke to no-one who was actually involved in day-to-day political organisation in that period.

Having said that, there were books that did attempt to document the political movement engaged in the Democratic Rights struggles of 1977-1979, they were “Not Guilty” and “Guilt by Association” by LeftPress, “No NO NO to Joh” by Pete Thomas to name a few.

Ciaron, what makes you think Ed Keupper (The Saints) and Grant MacLennan (Go Betweens) were arrested on 22 October 1977 or at any other street march?

Their names do not appear on any of the official arrest lists. Lindy Morrison (Go Betweens) was at some of the marches but was not arrested for marching, instead Lindy was arrested on the trumped up charge of stealing a policeman’s watch. However Lindy, as she states in the ABC program, went south and took no part in political organisation of the street marches. The Labor party gets Ed Keupper to play on Labor Day - you may have noticed him there this year - but that is hardly any political recommendation, he is a muso from a rock band - why do people want to make it otherwise?

As you know, being arrested is only one indicator of street march involvement, I can say that I attended every organising meeting of the Civil Liberties Co-ordinating Committee and later the Civil Liberties Campaign Group in the years 1977 - 1979 and none of the people mentioned in ABC’s Hindsight program played any significant part in political organisation of the period. Nor do the records corroborate their involvement. They may have participated, some may have been arrested, but so did thousands of others. The nature of the mass movement is demonstrated by its persistence and the 10% swing against the government in the state election held in the middle of the street marches.

I can remember several occasions when the ABC misreported what happened in street marches, perhaps you may recall some instances yourself.

One such recollection comes to mind. An ABC cadet journalist by the the name of Maxine McKew, wearing a pink jumpsuit, shoved a microphone in my face as we marched towards a wall of 600 Queensland police at Queensland University on 12 September 1977.

McKew asked that question so often posed by journos to organisers:

“Will your confrontation with police be violent?”

Perhaps we could ask Maxine McKew in her new role assisting Prime Minister Rudd: “Does Ms McKew expect Australian troops to be violent in the execution of their duties in Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor and elsewhere?”

For I can recall my reply thirty years ago to Maxine McKew:

“We will be firm but fair with the police.”

Ian Curr
6 December 2007

8. Ciaron O'Reilly -

OK Ian you have started an argument in an empty house!

I did not post Comment 4 above. I sent out an email alerting friends about the ABC Radio show in case they wanted to listen to it and didn’t know it was on. I did post the intro to the ABC promo on Irish indymedia as the environment presently in the 26 counties reminds me of Brisbane in the ’70’s. I advertiesed the ABC show because I thought folks (whether they were going to agree with it or not) might be interested in it. I still haven’t heard the ABC show. But one friend in Nimbin who did commented that “it was mostly about music and very little about politics” I think people should also read the titles you mentioned in comment 7.

I understand the significance of what radical theologian Ched Myers refers to as “the battle of the myths”. For example how the revolutionary analysis of Martin Luther King has been largely stripped by mainstream Amerikkka and turned into a public holiday and a symbol of “anyone can now make it in America Black upward mobility opportunity”. That Colin Powell was due to lead the Martin Luther King Day march in 1991, but was too busy bombing a Third World country is instructive about the battle over memory.

If the Pig City author had gone with his original notion to name his book after the Saints song “Security City” we might not be having this debate (hardly a debate because I pretty much agree with your analysis!). To name it “Pig City” was opportune and primarily for marketing reasons as he answered my question at the Pig City symposium that preceeded this year’s concert.

What I should have said at that symposium and at the conclusion of Comment 6 was…..
Joh got it wrong like the USSR elites he didn’t see the arts and “rebel music” as a safety valve and crushed it rather than co-opt it. Who cares if people dress like Marilyn Manson or Sid Vicious on the weekend as long as they turn up on Monday for work, pay their taxes and do what their told.

To emphasise the music of the period rather than the politics reminds me of the Don MacLean lyric form “American Pie”….
“as the players tried to take the field,
the marching band refused to yield”

These debates occur in the punk scene between radical punks and punk capitalists. My friend Alex Cox (”Sid and Nancy”, “Repo Man”, “Walker”, “Revenger’s Tragedy” would be part of those debates I suspect. I’m not.

I’m heading off to a Joe Strummer memorial gig in a couple of weeks, I suspect I might meet some radical punks there. Along way from Bono waxing lyrically in the recent Julian Temple “The Future is Unwritten” etc.

To respond to your question……
“Ciaron, what makes you think Ed Keupper (The Saints) and Grant MacLennan (Go Betweens) were arrested on 22 October 1977 or at any other street march? ”

I read their names on an article published by the Courier Mail on Oct 23rd. 1977 exhibited at “Takin’ it to the Streets” exhibition. I suspect The Courier Mail did us this honour in order to blacklist us at the time. Maybe the Courier Mail got it wrong, maybe there’s another Ed and Grant out there. I dunno…..

9. John Tracey -

Lindy Morrison did a great deal of support work for the Aboriginal community including assisting to build the Aboriginal legal and medical services and facilitating the Black Panther Party.

10. Ciaron O'Reilly -

Whoops, hard to concentrate from under the stairwell at the London Catholic Worker with 10 folks in this house, passing by.

The article would have appeared in Monday Oct. 24th The Courier Mail listing Ed, Grant & 416 others arrested ages, occupations and I think addresses! My brother Sean has confirmed that they were listed.

I sent the ABC promo material out after the show was broadacst with the link in case folks wanted to list it. My mistake was not ot acknowledge it as ABC material rather than clarify it wasn’t my analysis.

11. Bush Telegraph -

Ciaron,

It is true what you say, the full court list of those arrested in the largest mass arrest (418 people) in Australia’s history was published in a Brisbane newspaper. That paper was the Brisbane Daily Telegraph of 24 October 1977 (afternoon edition) after the magistrates court had processed the 418 arrested.

The published names of those arrested did include “Grant McLennan, 19, student“, along with many others like your name and your brother, Sean (misspelt as Shawn). I could not find Ed Kuepper (The Saints) but the list is very long and the typeface used by the newspaper so tiny, I will just have to take your word for it that Kuepper too was arrested with the others on 22 October 1977. Please note that occupations were published but not addresses as you suggest.

The same newspaper reported the following when those arrested appeared in the magistrates court on the following Monday (see picture link below):

“First to appear today was Labor Senator George Georges who pleaded not guilty to charges of having disobeyed a lawful direction, obstructed a footway and resisted arrest…two women pleaded guilty to charges of having disobeyed lawful directions of police officers … Mr Latchford (Chief Stipendary Magistrate) convicted and discharged Anna McCormack, 25, student, and Jusith Bronwyn James, 23, clerk… Grant McLennan, 19, student, failed to appear when his name was called and his $100 bail was forfeited on charges of having disobeyed a lawful direction and having taken part in an unlawful procession” - Telegraph 24/10/77.

[See picture of demonstrators outside the magistrates court on 24 October 1977 vowing to march in defiance of the ban on street marches again on the eve of the state election]]

Thanks for reminding us of the Hindsight show despite your distance and inability to listen to it. The London Catholic Workers will have to upgrade their computers, the Hindsight program is downloadable from the ABC website as an MP3, surely that ability is not out of reach of an organisation that boasts a website and kitchens to feed the poor.

In my discussion above, I do not forget the unfair treatment metered out to you by Andrew Denton on the ABC’s ‘Enough Rope’ in his interview of your involvement in anti-war activities. Denton was at pains to point out that unlike his other guests that night you were one of the ‘uncool’, the marginal fringe of the anti-war movement. But then you handled it OK.

John,

There is no doubt that Lindy Morrison was politically active in Queensland, perhaps more so than many other artists and musicians.

I think this comes out in the interview with Lindy on the Hindsight show and her engagement in electoral politics as a candidate for the Democrats in Malcolm Turnbull’s seat of Wentworth in Sydney at the 2004 federal election. Whatever her involvement prior to the the street marches in Black Land Rights struggles and in the early stages of the street marches, Lindy Morrison was not part of the committees (CLCC & CLCG) that organised the street marches. Lindy, I understand had left Queensland before the march ban was lifted.

The truth is Lindy Morrison was one of many beneficiaries of organisation to which I refer because members of that group (the Civil Liberties Co-ordinating Committee) collected bail money, took statements, helped organise lawyers to defend people like Lindy and those arrested around her and give evidence on their behalf in hostile courts when they copped charges like Lindy’s the stealing charge fabricated on the steps of King George Square by cops in the middle of a right-to-march demonstration.

[See picture of Lindy Morrison on the ground outside the South Brisbane watchouse on 22 October 1977][Editors Note: I think the date this photo was taken is 3 December 1977 not 22 October 1977. On both occasions there were mass arrests where people were taken to the South Brisbane Watchouse. The photo appeared in the Brisbane Sunday Mail on 4 December 1977. It also appeared No! No! to Joh by Pete Thomas published by Building Workers industrial Union (Queensland Branch) dated February 1979].

My critique of the ABC and Andrew Stafford’s version of Pig City is that they both sought out celebrity in music and the arts to tell the story of the Joh years when it was the unnamed, the ordinary people like those published in the arrest list referred to by Ciaron above: teachers, unemployed, clerks, mechanics, seamen, wharfies, students, writers and artists who brought about the largest sustained act of political defiance in Australian history. I appreciate that you both know this already only too well because you both took part in it and subsequent acts of defiance on the street and in the jails.

In a Queensland “that is on fire” with wealth and development according to Premier Anna Bligh, with the Qld troika (Rudd, Swan and McKew) now in power federally, and where praise is heaped on himself by himself (former Premier Beattie, who else?) concerning the ALP’s endorsement of reform recommended by Tony Fitzgerald QC, it was actually the people working on the ground in progressive organisations long forgotten [like the CLCC] and mostly disbanded that made resistance against the Bjelke-Petersen government possible. That is the historical lesson for all in times to come as such truths are buried by the marketeers, and those obsessed by a state ‘on fire’ where, in order that some succeed, others must fail.

Please note the next ABC Hindsight program is about John Manifold and the Australian Folk Revival. Listen up all, for this program’s promo material also suggests it too may concentrate on individual achievement and not collective struggle that gave rise to the folk music revival of the 1940s and 50s underlined in the Builders Labourers’ song book in the slogan “Touch One, Touch All”.

Ian Curr
7 December 2007

12. John Tracey -

Hello Ian,

I haven’t heard the insight program yet, I’ve used up all my monthly quota of fast broadband and it takes too long to download.

I generally agree with your analysis of the new history as I have written somewhere else but cant remember where. In particular I agree that the musicians that were at the front line have largely been ignored by the new pulp history. I would add to your list of names, from the top of my head, Bapu Mammoos, Father Malcolm Bell, Les Collins.

The only thing of what you say that I might take a different perspective on is the centrality of the CLCC to the movement. There was a lot of things happening during that time that was not organised by CLCC and the student/left organisations. In particular the land rights movement. Denis Walker recounts a time when he was critical of the right to march movement as it was a tangential issue. The murries that marched, fought and were arrested in land rights marches did not generally join the “right to march” movement.

Many non-Aboriginal leftists did join the murrie movement, such as Lindy Morrison, Jeanette Allison, Malcolm Bell, Noel Preston, Mitch Thompson, Paul Richards, May MacKenzie and Dick Buckhorn (and I am sure others too). Also people like Dan O’Neill and Carol Ferrier built bridges between the two movements.

But in general the white resistance and the black resistance were seperate entities.

My good friend, the Late Harold Hopkins got a 9 year gaol sentence from a land rights march. The police were attacking Don Brady and Harold stepped in to defend him and ended up with an attempted murder charge. I knew nothing of this sort of oppression until years after it was all over. I didn’t hear about the Brisbane chapter of the Black Panthers until years afterwards. I did not properly understand the oppression on missions and reserves until years after, which is ironic because my first arrest was at the concerned christians prayer vigil for Aurukun and Mornington Island.

I dont think i was alone in my ignorance of Aboriginal issues at the time.

I was not around for the Springbok protests so I can only retro-speculate about that, but it seems the connectons between white and black then did not continue into the right to march campaigns.

One reason was the Anarchist movement who deemed the black leadership and Aboriginal culture to be authoritarian, and we kept our distance deliberately.

It was not until the 82 Commonwealth Games and the Black Protest Committee that the left became really connected to the Black movement, a process that escalated up until the Bicentenary protests in 88. But the connecton seems to have fallen away again since then.

We never even won the basic goal of the right to march . The permit system still exists today and all political marches now occur within the times and routes specified by the police to minimise the impact of the march. I do not march on things like invasion day any more. It is demoralising, given the long struggle for the right to march without a permit, to walk through empty city street with a police vanguard.

However the land rights movement achieved much including native title, the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody and ATSIC, all of which were subsequently corrupted and then dismissed.

It seems to me that, although the white left’s agenda of stopping uranium mining and winning the right to march was never won, we became most powerfull when we joined with the black movement, under the black leadership between 82 and 88. In particular the Brisbane left in 82, the Brisbane Commonwealth Games was more important in establishing a national land rights movement than the earlier Canberra Tent Embassy. 82 marked a quantum leap in the Aboriginal movement.

Aboriginal Australia had enourmous support in the community in the 80s, much of it organised by left wing activists, and this I believe was the reason why Aboriginal reforms occured. The Aboriginal community was not isolated and could no longer be ignored.

I believe it is the dissipation of non-Aboriginal support that lead to, or at least allowed the winding back of the reforms.

Non-Aboriginal activists did not go away, there have been big movements for refugees, climate change, anti war etc., but they have not been connected to the Aboriginal community in any meaningfull way.

Sam Watson’s involvement with Socialist Alliance is an interesting development but the SA and DSP have historically lacked the skills to build a broad movement, in fact their M.O. seems to scuttle the possibility.

It has been a long time sice 88 and a whole new generation of activists has emerged that has not had any real contact with the black struggle. There is again two seperate resisting entities.

The Mulrunji protests allowed for minimal contact but the interface seemed to be totally around organising logistics for the rallies, there was very little discussion and education about the issues, not even about deaths in custody. I’m sure there were in-depth behind the scenes conversations that occured, but too few to have any influence on the nature and direction of the movement. The vacuum in activity that has occured since Hurley’s aquittal is a result of the movement having far too narrow and shallow a focus.

p.s.
On the issue of deaths in custody. There is a case in WA and one in the NT that are very similar to Mulrunji http://paradigmoz.wordpress.com/2007/12/07/it-is-still-ok-for-australian-police-to-kill-aborigines/

13. John Tracey -

typo in previous post, should have been Mary (not May) MacKenzie.

Ian,

Another area where perhaps I might have a different perspective from you is the role of 4ZZZ and in particular the punk movement.

I agree that Z was (and still is) a fearful and apolitical organisation. I too have many stories of where they censored coverage of left wing events and perspective.

I’ve written elsewhere about Z’s brilliant role in the prison struggle of the 80s and early 90s, its role during the commonwealth games and its role in facilitating Murri radio so I wont go into detail except to say that movements and individuals from outside of the collective have been able to broadcast on Z, often in conflict of one sort or another with the collective.

However, looking at Z as an audience rather than as the broadcaster gives a different picture to what was going on.

There were many people in Qld in the 70s who either did not fit in with redneck conservatism or did not realise that there was any alternative. Z brought an alternative reality into existance and validated it by way of a social scene, places where all the freaks could gather and validate each others existance.

As limited as it often was, Z’s reporting of events, in particular of street marches, encouraged and validated the movements. They also played the most important role of advertising the marches, benefits and meetings.

The right to march movement, the murris, the feminists, the gays all provided the cultural and political input into Z but then the technology sent this to tens of thousands of people and became a significant creator of radical culture in Brisbane, where there was no such thing previously, only isolated alienated individuals.

There was no Austerio or JJJ so all those who were into the youth music scene were exposed to alternative political perspective also.

The punk movement may not have been as politically sophisticated as groups such as the CLCC but they did have a critique of mainstream society, they resisted that society when they could (such as getting shitface in public) and they built an alternative community amongst themselves which included squatting, food coops, collective child care and sharing transport and all sorts of other support functions. The punks were also at the marches and in the watchhouse afterwards.

The punk movement, murries, radical chistians, hippies, gays, unionists, radical socialists and feminists all had different but overlapping realities. Z was one of the few common denominators of all these resisting communities, much more than the CLCC and all the other attempts at a united front of the left.

The marches and the civil disobedience were amongst defining points of the struggle but not the only ones, as much as I thought they were at the time.

It is the cultural changes in Qld that have been most significant, in particular feminism and homosexuality. The political agendas have not been so successfull which I believe is more to do with our own small minded illusions about the nature of power and the sort of strategies needed to not just confront it but change it. We created a sensation of our own resistance to the Bjelke regime ( not unlike the punks) but failed to go beyond the notion of protest - whinging in public. The left has still not gone beyond protest mode.

It is my opinion that the fatal flaw of the right to march movement (although this seems to have happened in other cities too) was it gave birth the the post-CPA Lenninist factions such as ISO and DSP and there multitudenous splits and fronts.

For 30 years these groups have kept a lid on all Australian radical social movements with the exception of the Greens who proclude them and Aboriginal Australia. They have focused on international issues that Australian activists have no power over and they have split and demorilised every popular local movement that has arisen in those times, detracting activists into meaningless factional squabbling or alienating them completely.
If I was a secret policeman looking for a way to immobilise the Australian resistance I would invent the I.S.O. and DSP.

So, I whole heartedly agree that the new pseudo history has failed to represent the politics of the time while focusing on music celebrity, but I also believe “the left” has betrayed the cultural revolution that occured in its reductionist adherence to ideological marxism, which is as much a factor in the depoliticisation of contemporary “alternative” culture as the pulp representations of history. The cultural revolution continued but the organised political left fell off it and became irrelevant to it.

14. John Tracey -

I believe the point at which the political left fell off the cultural revolution was when the Popular Theatre Troupe was defunded and Street Arts took its place.

The left more or less had as its assetts 4ZZZ, a broad range of artists, a self identifying alternative community and a definite political agenda. However radical artists swarmed around street arts with its crumbs to be distributed. The alternative circus movement that emerged from Street Arts was indeed a bread and circus mode.

No “community arts” project from Street Arts ever focused on political issues as PTT did and they never saw their role as educating and recruiting. The “alternative” art movement was co-opted into mainstream state arts agendas.

This went even further in the 90s when radical artists (including two mentioned in Ian’s list of comrades) gathered around Feral Arts who focused on indigenous and marginalised people. However Feral Arts are a front for the Rockefeller foundation and their notion of community arts is to distract community leaderships into meaningless arts projects so they wont get involved in real political struggle.

e.g. Radical artists (including at least one from Ian’s list) were paid by Feral Arts to put on community performances and digital workshops in the community of Dajarra in N.W. Qld., curiously enough, at the same time when Bechtel was planning and constructing a massive and poisoness Super phosphate plant. “Phosphate Hill” about 50km from the Dajarra community. Sulphuric acid sludge, a by product from Mount Isa mines is piped to Phosphate Hill and used to produce the super Phosphate.

Super Phosphate production and the “Second Green revolution” is a key area of The Rockefeller empire. Feral Arts are leaders in the Rockefeller global cultural development movement.

Amongst the outcomes of Feral Arts work at Dajarra was the recommendation that the Dajarra community and the Phosphate Hill project should work together. A somewhat patronising proposal from a detatched white arts agency, but one that identified their true agenda.

Feral Arts did not empower the community to object to the poisoning of their waterways and land by the project.

Despite years of digital workshops there is no web presence at all from the Dajarra workshops, despite the stated aim of the project to link the remote and isolated community to other community and arts practitioners through the internet.

Feral Arts also worked with the South brisbane Aboriginal community since the murder of Danny Yock, detracting Aboriginal leaders into meaningless activity with no outcomes at all. They even deliberately sabotaged Denis Walker’s Treaty process which was being funded through Feral Arts, refusing to build a website in accordance with Walkers instructions and building one that they thought was appropriate.

Left wing artists and community workers have been used and dumbed down by the interests of not just the state but also international capital. The pursuit of crumbs from arts funding has neglected the real process of building and expanding a radical culture.

In the last few weeks most community arts organisations in Brisbane have had there state funding cut (but not Feral Arts). The road that the radical artists took in the 80s has now come to a dead end. Perhaps we can get back to building a radical culture again, or is it too late?

15. Bush Telegraph -

Hello John,

Thanks for your input in Comments # 12-14 above on BT about the democratic rights struggle, the role of Community Arts and Culture and of movements including the Black Land Rights struggle.

I lack your knowledge of the history of community arts in Brisbane, particularly in the period that you speak of.

I agree that the Popular Theatre Troupe (PTT) was an important political and educational organisation in the 1970s and early 80s.

I remember helping to organise a function in support of a political activist who had been jailed for nine months as a result of arrest by Qld’s Task Force in late 1979 or early 1980.

Our group was called the Political Activist Defence Group and the function was held at the Popular Theatre Troupe’s hall in Red Hill.
PTT provided one of the acts and sufficient money was raised to fund an appeal to the District Court to get the activist (Stephan Zaborowski) out of jail. This was a very hard case and we were very lucky to win this case but it was done with the assistance of groups like the PTT.

I think it hard to separate what I call the democratic rights movement from organisations like Popular Theatre Troupe, Political Activist Defence Group, and other political groups of the period. There was a lot of cross over of people because many were active in a number of groups as the need arose.

It is significant that this Political Activist Defence Group function occurred after the PTT had lost their funding.

It is interesting to note also that, at this time, the PTT’s main organiser was Pat McNair who had been involved in the Civil Liberties Co-ordinating Comittee (CLCC) and had acted as its spokesperson.

But my point is that as the Democratic Rights Movement waned so did cultural organisations like the Popular Theatre Troupe.

Funding was only a small part of the demise of these groups, it was the political changes that came about in the 1980s that led to the defeat of the Democratic Rights Movement - this being wide acceptance that social democracy could manage capitalism with fairness that culminated in the ascent of the ALP to power in 1983.

Doubtless arts and cultural groups that came after received funding from Labor governments and embraced Labor’s view that capitalism could be managed. But this was because many in these spheres no longer identified with the Left and had deserted it if not to join the ranks of Labor but to become the beneficiaries of social democracy.

It was political organisations like that the Civil Liberties Co-ordinating and Campaign Groups had failed to win the democratic rights struggles of the late 1970s — it was out of this defeat that Labor and its political and cultural baggage emerged.

The groups that were engaged in the liberal arts, alternative radio, the so called ‘community’ organisations, for the most part, they merely went elsewhere. To put this more cynically, they no longer sought credibility from the Left.

As for the relationship between the struggle for Black Land Rights and and democratic rights struggle that is too big a topic to be dealt with here.

During the street marches, on T-shirts sewn by members of the CLCC, and on our leaflets and posters, there were five (5) flags - the workers (red) flag, the womens flag, the anarchist (black) flag, the CANP anti-uranium flag, and the Black Land Rights flag.

As part of the democratic rights struggle, Murris spoke on platforms, in meetings organised by the CLCC and CLCG, were arrested on the streets, and participated in forums.

By the time the Commonwealth Games was held in Brisbane in 1982, Black activists had built organisation and strength to stage one of the largest acts of defiance since the march of 22 October 1977 organised by the Movement Against Uranium Mining (MAUM).

Needless to say, none of this was touched upon in the ABC’s Hindsight program that was the original subject of this discussion.

Ian Curr
11 December 2007

PS: BT has published a letter to the editor of the AUSTRALIAN (10 December 2007) that addresses how Labor views the Land Rights Struggle titled Australian Invasion.

16. Ciaron O'Reilly -

I appreciate the inputs of John and Ian as this is the history that formed my activism. I was in my last year at high school when I was arrested for the first time Oct 22nd. 1977.

Their was little clarity on a commitment to free expression by the Brisbane left. They largely had the position of Joh “people that they don’t agree with shouldn’t have the right to free expression (eg. National Front, right to lifers etc) I think you either believe in free expression or you don’t. Also largely rote tactics of marching out of the Square into hundreds and hundreds of cops.

I was disappointed that the “Takin it to the Streets” exhibition did not cover the very creative free speech in the mall campaign with any depth.

From memory, the formal Black Protest Committee ended in a shambles onthe eve of the Comonwealth Games. Autonomous organising from local and out of state aboriginal activist and pakeah soldiarity folks was impressive. It was one of the first time that folks traveled from inrterstate to resist it preceed that summer’s NVDA Franklin Dam campaign whhich lead to a change of government nationally.

17. John Tracey -

I should have included Pam Jones in the list of non-Aboriginal people who joined the Murri struggle.

Ian,
I agree that arts stuff was just a small part of the picture, I was just trying to stick to the topic of this thread.

it is important to understand that the same things were happening around Australia too, it was not a brisbane phenomenon.

Ciaron,

I disagree that the 82 Black Protest committee ended in a shambles but rather that there was a conflict in the Murri community that resolved itself, largely due to the importation of the national Aboriginal leadership to Brisbane.

As I remember (and I acknowledge that my mind is not an accurate instrument)…..

The Black Protest Committee was not the local Aboriginal leadership. The leadership existed in Aboriginal community meetings which appointed initially Ross Watson and the Black Protest Committee to co-ordinate the protests and all us whitefella supporters. Ross built the momentum in the lead up to the games.

As the games approached, Bob Weatherall and Les Malezer and FAIRA wanted to make the campaign an international one, in particular to visit Africa and try to get the black commonwealth nations to boycott the games. Ross W. did not support this, insisting that the focus should be Australia. While there was no inherent conflict in these ideas it came down to a question of budgets - spend a lot of money sending people to Africa or spend it on building local protests.

Ross lost the argument in the Murri community and resigned from the BPC. Budga Davidson then became the BPC coordinator up to the games. Bob and Les went to Africa and made links with the African nations but were unsuccessful in getting anyone to boycott the games.

The BPC certainly wound down a bit once Ross left but the Murri community did not and the different clans/factions continued to do their thing and the community meetings continued.

The various non Aboriginal support groups also continued campaigning. I was part of the Griffith Uni land rights support group which was very active, not just on campus but Griffith was the site of the athletes village so was a key focus of the lead up campaign. We maintained our links with the BPC but the agenda and workload was allready in place.

When the games were on the national Aboriginal leadership came to town and connected to the local Murri community, the BPC became pretty irrelevant at that stage as the whole community was mobilised and the focus of all activity and decisions was located in Musgrave Park. Ross Watson, Les Malezer, Bob Weatherall and many others were amongst the united public leadership during the games. All non-Aboriginal support was coordinated through Musgrave Park too. There were general meetings at the park but also exclusive meetings of elders behind the scenes which was the real power.

The out of town Aboriginal people were definitely not “autonomous”. They became part of the discipline and authority of the local Aboriginal community by way of protocol and Murri law. Even (especially) Gary Foley was subject to this discipline.

I boycotted the “Taking it to the Streets” exhibition, I am not surprised it ignored the Mall campaigns. However I was astounded when the meeting at Ahimsa house (that you were at) that was chaired by Brian Laver criticised the exhibition for excluding key parts of the history but not even Brian acknowledged the Anarchist movement, Kropotkins, the Mall campaign, the War resisters league, People for Direct Democracy or anything at all of the Anarchist history of the time. I was intending to bring the matter up myself until I was personally attacked by the drunken chair.

18. Ian Curr -

Ciaron and John,

The comments from both of you have brought back a number of issues that were debated and fought out 30 years ago but never resolved.

Democratic Rights Struggle
As you know, street marches were banned to prevent anti-uranium groups from stopping the export of uranium at Brisbane wharves.
I think that the resulting right-to-march struggle has been falsely characterised as a civil liberties or a freedom-of-expression issue.

In August of 1977 the anti-uranium movement had begun to successfully thwart the ambitions of government and mining interests from exporting yellow cake at a time when the world price of uranium was comparatively high. Armed with information from railway workers we stopped trains carrying uranium and with the help of seamen and wharfies delayed shipments of yellowcake from Hamilton No 4 wharf in Brisbane to places like Hamburg in Germany. We had become a threat to the nuclear fuel cycle, albeit a small one. So small, that one night on the wharves the 9pm ABC news pronounced that Qld police had already removed us from the railway tracks when we were still there standing on the tracks with the uranium train breathing down our necks but nonetheless held up.

I know that this aspect of the struggle was lost to those (like the mainstream media including the ABC, the Council for Civil Liberties, and a number of academics) who saw the march ban purely as a civil liberties issue. The tactic of civil disobedience in response to the march ban was consistent with this civil liberties view of the struggle - an appeal to just masters by passively surrendering to the authority of the state to show the immorality of government laws. The mass surrender to police during the democratic rights campaign was an example of this.

The contrary view was that Bjelke-Petersen aimed to prevent organisation, particularly the anti-uranium movement. As a result various groups were determined to get rid of Joh. The slogan “Joh Must Go!” as an expression of the popular was proof of this motive.

Joh was successful, not because it took many years for people to march (even with a permit), but because he successfully divided organisations like the Movement Against Uranium Mining (MAUM), the Civil liberties Co-ordinating committee, and others. His injunction during the campaign to a Miss Australia contestant who showed sympathy toward the street marchers: “If you fly with the crows you’ll get shot with the crows” was proof of his desire to isolate the anti-uranium and the democratic rights movement.

On 22 October 1977 we had a tragi-comic expression of this division, that after a speech by the poet Judith Wright lasting an hour and a half in the hot midday October sun, some organisers from the Campaign Against Nuclear Power (CANP) appealed to the 5,000 people in attendance that we walk peacefully in one’s and two’s around the block.

The 1,000 police in attendance had other ideas.

Meanwhile others encouraged people to “line up and march into Adelaide Street and, if we are stopped, to march again with our arms raised in a gesture that we want to be arrested, preferring the symbol of mass arrest to make the point that their is no freedom of expression left in the state of Queensland” Dan O’Neil, 22 October 1977.

The result from this confusion was 418 people were arrested.

Black Land Rights - the 1982 Commonwealth Games Protests.
I have some film footage of the 1982 Commonwealth games protests that for some reason the Museum of Brisbane did not include in the Taking to the Streets exhibition.

This footage does show the cohesion and organisation that existed at the time of the Commonwealth Games - not sufficient to challenge the power of government to conduct the games - but sufficient to challenge the notion that aboriginal people would give up their land without a fight. The footage also shows that the marches and the demonstrations were led by Murris and Kooris, what role was played by the various civil liberties and democratic rights groups was solely in a support role. The black leadership asserted their independence and strength in those protests so the story of that struggle is their story and not of the other groups who went along in support.

Taking to the Streets exhibition- art as history.
Brian Laver spoke at the closing ceremony of Taking to the Streets exhibition. He spoke of democratic rights struggles in Queensland that were associated with the Vietnam anti-war movement and the anti-racist movement during the Springbok Rugby Tour in 1971. While Brian was active in 1960s Civil Liberties and anti-war campaigns he took little part in the right-to-march struggles of the late 1970s.

Indeed, I have some film of Brian speaking on the 1978 May Day celebration saying that we (the right to march activists) were among “some of the most ruthless marxist-leninists in the western world”, so it is not surprising that he took little part in the organisation of that struggle. It may be noted that 20,000 people marched that day (not in the fashion you describe, Ciaron, out of King George Square) but Mary Street in the city to the Exhibition grounds, a march where the right-to-marchers and anti-uranium activists outnumbered trade unionists 12,000 to 8,000.

Queen Street was a sea of red and black flags, anti-uranium symbols and women’s rights T-shirts.

When you think about it, there was considerable difference between the right-to-march groups like the CLCC and CLCG and the New Left groups from which Brian Laver, Dan O’Neil, Mitch Thompson and others came in the late 1960s.

For one, the CLCC was inclusive of women - in fact, the main organisers of the CLCC were women.

It was also inclusive of christians who were involved from the outset.

Despite the savage indictment of the right-to-marchers by the self-proclaimed libertarian, Brian Laver, anarchists were involved in day-to-day organisation of the CLCC.

One day when I get the right equipment and software I will try to upload onto BushTelegraph the film footage I have described above and other footage that may surprise. Also books about that period “Guilt by Association” and “Not Guilty” are out of print, and if I get the chance I will try to scan them and make them available online.

Ian Curr
11 December 2007

19. Ciaron O'Reilly (London) -

22/12/07 Remembering Joe Strummer 5 Years Dead

Joe Strummer died on Dec. 22nd. 2002.
This how a few people in London celebrated his memory last night.
Feel free to post your own memoriam as a comment on this link
http://www.indymedi a.ie/article/ 85601
Well as memorials go it was a little weird. They meant well but probably tried to do too much at this time, in this venue.

On the eve of the 5th.anniversary of Joe Strummer’s death, the crew from Philosophy Football http://www.philosophyfootb all.com hosted a memorial effort entitled “Clash Culture Christmas Party” in the Offisde Pub near the Angel (London).

It wasn’t anything like the memorial I went to in NYC following the death of Abbie Hoffman in ‘89. That one seemed to have a lot more folks present who knew the departed personally. It was addressed by Abbie’s activist cohorts historian Howard Zinn, beat poet Alan Ginsberg and the now late Norman Mailer. Aaron Keyes the Yippie who pioneered pie throwing in the ’70’s wandered the bar.

Hard to combine a memorial with the “end of the week/end of the year” Christmas Party vibe - but they tried their damndest with this ecletic mix of remembering, clebrating, film launch, panel analysis and “Attila the Stockbroker” in full punk poetic throttle.

I guess I’ve always had the impression that the left in general don’t do death too well. It can’t be an English thang (even though the MC at one point said “if you know Joe he wouldn’t want this to be a wake…obviously this guy hadn’t been to an Irish, or even an Australian, wake). A few years ago, I went to a wonderful London wake for anarchist pacifist printer and jailbreak maestro Pat Brian Pottle at Conway Hall years ago. It was a great movement gathering, MC’d by his twin Brian Pat Pottle. The highlight was when a well dressed wide boy rose from the crowd of aging folkies and hippies. He was the son of failed Soviet spy, successful prisoner escapee Geroge Blake. He thanked Brian’s family and Michael Randel and the Irish ODC Sean Bourke who broke his dad outta jail
http://libcom. org/history/ articles/ blake-prison- escape-.. .1966/ He remarked how much nicer it is to be able to visit his dad in Moscow rather than Wormwood Scrubs.

Anyways I digress, back to the Joe Strummer Memorial night. I walked toward the Angel along the canel from Dalston. It was atmospheric, misty and a little tense (I dunno, call me paranoid but I’m always worried in London that someone or three are going to rush and push me into the canel or onto the tube line). I was striding pretty fast. I began to overtake an old guy with his shopping. As I approached from behind, I thought I’d put him at ease
“Cold isn’t it?” , I remarked.
“That’s for sure!”, he replied in an Irish accent.
“Where you from?”
“Galway, been here since ‘75!”
So over the next 500 metrees we discussed the war of independence, the civil war and he’s work with the local St. Vinnies!”

Met up with my mate at the Angel tube. Got to the Offside Bar way before kick off. The new Clash -shirts were pretty spiffy and ya got a £6 discount on the shirts with your entry ticket so whey hey. Bought a “Joe Strummer Whiteman in Hamersmith Pali ” t-shirt for a mate, bought a”Don’t wanna know what the rich are doin’” one as a Chrissie present for myself (hey charity begins at home!) Check out
http://www.philosophyfootb all.com if you’re running out of gift ideas

An ecletic mix began to gather in the bar. We took a chair at the reserved table for the “Red Pepper” ‘zine crew., who arrived in dribs and drabs until we had to give up our seats. The founder of “Class War” rocked up, Searchlight and UNISON crews. Some folks who must have been born after “The Clash” released their first album, some folks who were at the first Clash gigs. Crowd was mostly male, well it was a lefty footie fan kind of gig.

Proceedings were kicked off by Philospophy Football MC talking about the influence of Joe Strummer. I first saw Strummer and “The Clash” at the Cloudland Ballroom in Brisbane (Australia) in ‘82. It was a few months before Brisbane hosted the “Commonwealth Games” (I had bought that t-shirt at the time and scrawled “Celebration of British Imperialism” in marker pen over it). Our authroitarian Queensland state government had introduced special legislation to counter planned Aboriginal land rights demonstrations at the Games, they rearmed the cops with the latest designer batons (tried and tested in NZ/Aotearoa during the racist Sprinkbox Rugby tour the year before), there was a heavy police presence that night. Either Strummer or someone in the crowd coined the phrase “Pig City” which went on to become the title of a Briz anarchist cult hit single, later a book about that music scene and this past year are state funded celebration of the music of those times. Go figure!
http://www.indymedi a.ie/article/ 85337

Like Billy Bragg, Joe was always good at finding out what was happening locally and dragging some rad on to the stage to give a political rap while the band provided a background instrumental. That night local aboriginal activist Bob Weatherall (this must rate alongside “Lawless” as one of the best surnames for an activist!) took to the stage. Bob performed a traditional dance as “The Clash” thumped out the beat. Weatherall stopped dancing and roared out his call to the streets and soldiarity with the aboriginal struggle. A few months later many of us gathered at The Clash gig were in paddy wagons headed for the watchhouse as the Commonwealth Games ‘82 unfolded. The Games and the demand for indigeneous land rights were being broadcast around the world by the assembled international media.

I last saw Joe Strummer with the Mescaleros at the Brixton Academy a few months before he died. He was brilliant.

The last time Joe played, and the first time Mick Jones joined him on stage in 20 years, was a benefit gig for the Fire Brigades Union in London, November 02. The gig was five weeks before he died. So the next thing on the agenda at the Offside Bar was the launch of the film “The Last Night London Burned” dealing with that gig and the strike. Good flick, a must have, but funds were running low due to my formentioned t-shirt fetish and my principle of “you should always buy stuff by people who do benefit gigs for you!”, so the Mark Thomas DVD had set me back £14 and another £2 for the must have “I put Gordon Brown in the Dock” badge.

When the film finished the MC and another guy spoke a bit too long - although they missed Joe and were sincere in what they were saying - the MC then departed on what looked to me like being high risk strategy by holding a panel. This was a bar, it was Christmas, the end of the week, the end of the year for Chrissake… .but the noise levels weren’t too bad and it was interesting alrighty. There was a Glasgow stike organiser from the Fire Brigades Union whose early politicisation was accelerated by “The Clash”. There was a punk Professor Man.City supporter who made some good points about the differences between the punk scene in London and northern England. There was 1970’s music journo and early manager of “The Clash”, Caroline Coon who I could have listened to for ages if I was in a more sober state. Mark Thomas, AFC Wimbledon fan, was the last to speak from the panel. Initially thrown by the MC outting Mark’s three primary inspirations as the Bible, Bertloch Becht and Joe Strummer. Dealing with the bible remark in front of his fellow agnoistics, Mark regained his stride quickly and moved the night from being a “Joe Strummer Memorial: Nostalgia as Mild Form of Depression” to “Joe Strummer as a Dissident Memory: An Inspiration For These Times” kinda night. Mark talked about how Brecht, Strummer and the arts in general can change your perception on the world. He then fast forwarded into his present campaign around free speech in Parliament Square. He spoke of his recent legal initiative to charge P.M. Gordon Bown and Nelson Mendala with failure to apply for a police permit for their recent illegal gathering while unveilling the Mendalla statue in Parliament Square. That’s where my £2 for the badge was going……. http://www.guardian .co.uk/comment/ story/0,, 2226425,00. html

Before the former Clash tour DJ, Scratchy Myers, took the decks and we danced the night away, Brighton FC fan (and apparently the Brighton FC stadium announcer) “Attila the Stockbroker”
http://www.attilath estockbroker. com/ tuned his mandolin and injected anger, energy and football references into the gathering. Apparently Attila was really a stockbroker for 9 months way back then, when someone said he had the ehtics of “Attila the Hun” and the anarcho poet legend was born. He ditched the day job and went on the road for the next 26+ years. Atilla got a little pissed off with the pub punter noise level…but hey this was a bar, the end of the week the end of the year, Christmas but he was more than a match for the crowd (was probably a tactical error on his part to piss of the only Crystal Palace fan in the audience by reading prose about their 9-0 away defeat to Liverpool sometime in the ’80’s). Hell hath no fury like a Palace fan scorned and this guy wouldn’t shut up….. “Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaalaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ce……. ..”
ad nauseum haunted the rest of his set.

Like many in the room Attila was deeply moved by Joe Strummer and saddened by his departure… ……… .

In Memoriams:
COMMANDANTE JOE
by Atilla the Stockbroker

I guess in quite a lot of ways I grew up just like you
A bolshy kid who didn’t think the way they told him to
You kicked over the statues, a roots rock rebel star
Who knew that punk was more than just the sound of a guitar
And I’ll always remember that night at the Rainbow
When you wrote a soundtrack for my life, Commandante Joe.
So many bands back then were like too many bands today
A bunch of blokes who made a noise with bugger all to say
The Clash were always out in front, you put the rest to shame
Your words were calls to action, your music was a flame
You were our common Dante, and you raised an inferno
And you wrote a soundtrack for my life, Commandante Joe.
Reggae in the Palais Midnight till six!
Rockin’ Reds in Brockwell Park!
Sten guns in Knightsbridge!
Up and down the Westway
In and out the lights!
Clash City Rockers!
Know Your Rights!
I guess in quite a lot of ways I grew up just like you
A bolshy kid who didn’t think the way they told him to
Like you I always knew that words and music held the key
As you did for so many, you showed the way to me
Although I never met you, I’m so sad to see you go
‘Cos you wrote a soundtrack for my life, Commandante Joe.

20. James Bradshaw -

Lindy Morrison has told wikipedia that she was not arrested in 1978 and that this site is “unreliable”. It seems some people don’t want their past brought up in public.

21. Bush Telegraph -

James,

I have had a quick browse of Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_Morrison - I can find no denial by Lindy Morrison of involvement in the street marches in Qld in 1977/78. Why would Lindy Morrison deny such involvement? Lindy Morrison was politically active in Queensland for years.

I stand by my comment above that, while some people/organisations exaggerated their role in the 1977/78 street marches, many were active participants like thousands of ordinary people. It was a grass roots movement that just wanted to get rid of the Bjelke-Petersen government and to throw out all that government stood for - namely, big business and racism.

Unfortunately we had to wait a decade before this happened.

During the era of the Bjelke-Petersen government, many people left Queensland, disheartened.

Just look at the lyrics of Streets of Your Town a song that I think is a critique of Brisbane at the time — note the use of the words ‘your town’ in the title and the song, it certainly was not ‘our town’.

Watch the butcher shine his knives
And this town is full of battered wives
…………………………………….
They shut it down
They pulled it down
They shut it down
They pulled it down

Round and round, up and down
Through the streets of your town
Everyday I make my way
Through the streets of your town

See streets of your town

BT published a photo of Lindy Morrison taken from a book No No to Joh by Pete Thomas. In the photo you can see Lindy talking to someone detained at the South Brisbane watchouse after the mass arrests on 22 Oct. 1977 - See http://bushtelegraph.wordpress.com/files/2007/12/lindy-morrison-on-ground-looking-into-wathouse-22-oct-1977.jpg
[Editors Note: I think the date this photo was taken is 3 December 1977 not 22 October 1977. On both occasions there were mass arrests where people were taken to the South Brisbane Watchouse. The photo appeared in the Brisbane Sunday Mail on 4 December 1977. It also appeared No! No! to Joh by Pete Thomas published by Building Workers industrial Union (Queensland Branch) dated February 1979].
The photo shows Lindy Morrison on her hands and knees outside the watchouse, so it appears she was not arrested on that day with the 418 others. Her name does not appear in the arrest list. Perhaps Lindy was organising bail for a friend/s. Her friend Grant McLennan was arrested on that day, perhaps that is him in the photo, crouching down inside the watchouse roll-a-door, I don’t know. By the way, the mere fact that people’s names do not appear on the arrest lists does not mean they were not arrested. Actually some people escaped that day from under the roll-a-door shown in the photo.

I suspect that is why the cops (seen as legs in the photo) are keeping a close eye on Lindy and her friend talking under the door of the watchouse.

At the same time, a woman who is now a senior academic had been arrested and tried to escape the watchouse like a number of others but was unable to because she was pregnant and could not fit under the door. [Editors Note: While the above story is essentially correct, I think the date this photo was taken is 3 December 1977 not 22 October 1977. On these occasions there were mass arrests where people were taken to the South Brisbane Watchouse. The photo appeared in the Brisbane Sunday Mail on 4 December 1977. It also appeared in No! No! to Joh by Pete Thomas published by Building Workers industrial Union (Queensland Branch) dated February 1979. Please note that the Brisbane Telegraph published an article "Demo Arrest Charges" for the 22 October Demonstration. It was at this demonstration that the now deceased Go Betweens member, Grant McLennan, was arrested, hence my speculation above that it may be him in the photo could not be correct].

However I stand by the story about Lindy Morrison being arrested on a trumped-up charge of stealing during the ‘Joh Must Go’ street march campaign. The records of the Civil Liberties co-ordinating committee [CLCC] show Lindy Morrison was acquitted with the assistance of people from that organisation when it was demonstrated that she had no case to answer as police evidence was unreliable.

As for errors or credibility of this website, I am happy to hear from those who were involved and be corrected if I am wrong as I take responsibility for my statements.

James, can the same be said of your statement above or are you just trying to wind me up by putting words in Lindy Morrison’s mouth?

Ian Curr
3 April 2008

22. James Bradshaw -

Ian, the reason why you can’t see it is because Morrison threatened legal action against Wikipedia. When an editor tried to include the Queensland court case etc, the references were removed under the pretext that this site is an “unreliable” source, even though the documentary Pig City mentions it as well. She doesn’t want the public to know about her arrest or the fact she edited her own wikipedia article. The discussion on wikipedia was removed by an admin from public view but it’s still there in the admin notice board history.

23. Ian Curr -

James,

What happened to Lindy Morrison on that hot day in October 30 years ago is not really the issue, is it?

The political facts are that over 5,000 people tried to march against uranium mining and export.

We were stopped by about 1,000 Queensland police.

418 people were arrested on that day and over 3,000 ended up being arrested in the campaign from 1977-1979.

Uranium continues to be mined and exported in Australia today. The nuclear lobby is stronger than ever with the US Department of energy reports in March 2008 that U.S. Nuclear Electricity Generation was at record levels in 2007.

We are allowed to march down some Brisbane streets these days but was it all worth it?

It took a great personal toll on many, but we survived. Some to continue the struggle, others to get on with their lives.

Our organisation fell apart and we were defeated by Bjelke-Petersen and his backers.

Some would prefer to forget what happened and who can blame them?

24. James Bradshaw -

Ian, I respect what you’re saying but do you understand the implications of it all? It’s like supporters of Bjleke-Petersen erasing sections of his wikipedia biography because they don’t want people to know about his court history or other dealings, that may may be unfavourable. Whether they are innocent or guilty is mute, it’s the white washing of the past that is what people should be concerned about. Wikipedia has a policy of no censorship and no autobiography, yet they broke their own policy in the face of a legal threat. I have no doubt that your recollection is correct. The information is available on newspapers and in books. It’s there on the public record.

25. Bush Telegraph -

James,

“… History is an angel being blown backwards into the future…
History is a pile of debris
And the angel wants to go back and fix things
To repair the things that have been broken
But there is a storm blowing from Paradise
And the storm keeps blowing the angel backwards into the future
And this storm, this storm is called Progress”

- Laurie Andersen

This bloody sunshine state

Talking Communist Poem
[written a long time ago but with references updated]

Well, i woke up this morning, i wasn’t feeling too good,
i really didn’t feel the full quid,
I didn’t know what in the world I was going to do,
But I tell you, I was determined to do what I could.

Those communists were all around
They are underground
They just won’t give us any peace.

So, you know what i did
i ran most hurriedly
And joined up with the National Party
Before it amalgamated with the Liberal Party.

i got myself a secret membership card
The started walking right down the middle of the road
Hooray i was a real Joh-man now.

So look out all you commies
Now we all agreed with Joh giving the men the sack
Why it is no worse than the way he was killing
All them blacks.

It didn’t matter that he was a fascist
At least they could never call him a communist
That’s to say if you get a cold
He would order that you get a shot for AIDS.

Well i’ve been looking everywhere for them bloody reds
i got up this morning and took a look
Under my bed
(But all i could find was Kevin Rudd)

i looked in the kitchen sink
Behind the door
And down underneath my car
Could not find one.

Latter on, i was sitting at work
And really started to sweat
i thought them commies might be in my Boss’s TV set
But he and his mates were using it to watch some porn.

i peeked behind the picture frame
And got a shock from my feet into my brain
Them commies caused it

i know they did … them hard core ones
Well i resigned from my job so i could work all alone
Thought i would change my name to Sherlock Holmes
i followed some clues in my detective’s bag
And discovered there’s red in the Australian flag
Yes right there on the union jack

Well i’ve investigated all the books in the council library
90% of them have to be burnt
i’ve investigated all the workers that i know
98% of them will have to go
the other 2% are just like me
Fellow members of the national party
Now Menzies, he was a Russian spy
Whitlam, Hawkie and Fraser too
There’s only one true Aussie
That is Pauline Hansen

i know for sure that she hates them commies
Because she even called Beattie a red
Well lately i’ve been thinking straight
Now that I’ve run out of things to investigate
So i’ve been sitting at home investigating myself
and you know i think i am on to something

Good lord no … i think i might end up like all my mates
Putting workers interests
Before this bloody sunshine state.

Ian Curr
3 April 2008
(with thanks to Bob Dylan)

26. lindy morrison -

James I have had to correct numerous inaccuracies in Wiki. One for instance said that I had the lowest ever recorded vote for the Democrats in a state election - rubbish. Do I really care - not really but I dont want some malicious arsehole playing mischief with my life.. Another said I was replaced by a drum machine on 16LL - I worked with a drum machine - used it where necessary - as I did with many recordings through the nineties and eighties. Some parts of tracks are mine some of all the tracks are mine sometimes kick and snare are machine - it sdepends if the song was expected to be a single for starters. It was the times. To say I was replaced is just putting a negative spin to diminish my work. In fact a lot that goes up does that. One wonders why. There were so many examples in Wiki and I asked them to stop people going in to play havoc with my life. Why should I have to hear constant misinterpretations of my life. Have my carcass when I die. . Its on public record that I was charged with stealing a cops watch in 78. I have told my own stories to biographers ad nauseum - I’m sick of me. It is all in the public domain. What I corrected in Wiki was this. It said in Wiki Lindy Morrison left Qld for good, in 1978 after she was arrested for stealing a cops watch. I said that I did not leave QLD in 78. I didnt even mention the watch story. I did not deny it. James you are making that up to make your own point and that is the point. I left qld in 75/76 and 80 when The Go Betweens left for Melbourne.

27. lindy morrison -

Finaly I didnt threaten Wiki with legal action I told them people were making mischief. They deleted everything except the bare bones left now. Frankly I’m sure you realize I got sick of correcting the stuff. I have never hidden my past - au contraire I have discussed the watch incident and others on numerous occassions in public. I am proud of my involvement in the street marches and political theatre in Brisbane. I became a punk musician because of my politics. It concerns me that you James feel so vindictive towards me and you know nothing really about me except that which you read in Wiki and most of that was interpretation and not fact. The point is you need to examine your thinking on these matters - what are you expecting from Wiki. Contributors are using discussion on peoples lives to push their own agenda. That is precisly what you are doing with me. It’s childish and because of that I had to complain to Wiki.

28. Bush Telegraph -

James,

I do not really understand the strange take some still have on the way participants in the street marches feel about what we did.

For example, I know of no one who is ashamed of being arrested back then, quite the opposite. Also there were many who were not arrested who contributed in their own way. But protest has its limits.

The popular recollection of that era came out to some extent in the “Taking to the Streets” exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane in 2007 where over 80,000 people visited the museum to view the history made in the 1977-79s street marches.

Of course others, including politicians like Peter Beattie, have exaggerated their involvement in Qld democratic rights struggles when it suits them. But all this is history, Joh and the son of Joh are gone (or nearly, in the latter’s case).

Why keep mulling over such events, or have these events got a life of their own in art? I don’t know. Last year I typeset a novel for a friend and he put this story in it (with some help from me):Iraqi Icicle by Bernie Dowling who gives a fictionalised account of a conversation between a copper and the novels protagonist, Steele Hill, in the following exchange:

‘It was way back in 1978, before Lindy Morrison was even in the band, as far as I know. Copper:You remember, the Premier at the time, Joh Bjelke-Petersen banned street marches as a form of civil protest.’
Steele Hill: ‘Vaguely, I was only 13 or 14 at the time and the nuns in the orphanage weren’t big on breakfast table discussions of the political news of the day.’
Copper:‘I wasn’t much older myself, but the old coppers tell me the uni students and their crackpot mates would call a demonstration at the drop of a hat. After a scuffle at one demo, Mooney charged Morrison with stealing his watch.’
Steele Hill: ‘And did she?’
Copper:‘From what I gather, his watch came off in a melee and Morrison held the watch in the air as if to say ‘Who owns the watch?’. And Mooney pinched her. Anyway, she got off at the pre-trial committal stage. But Mooney swears black and blue she got away with trying to nick his watch. If you ask me, he probably only charged her because he did not want to be grateful to a 20-something girl for returning it.’

Also please see the editor’s notes I have made in comments #11 & #21 above.

It is important to get the story straight but all this dragging up of history … what does it achieve?

As Marx said, philosophers describe history, the point is to change it.

Ian Curr
7 April 2008

29. Bernie Dowling -

James,

I was always confident of Ian’s account of Lindy Morrison’s arrest re the watch.

I was also pretty sure Ms Morrison would not be denying history.

If you read my fictionalised account of the incident in the novel, it is obvious she was never convicted of any charge. The reason the story is in the novel is revealed in Schmidt’s last comment “he did not want to be grateful to a 20-something girl for returning it”.

The story neatly summarises the sexism and ageism of detective Mooney.

Of course we participants in the youth culture of the 1970s were pretty adept at agism ourselves. But that is a topic for another writer.