Admins please remove if not appropriate. Anyone interested who can't go, Zoom participation is apparently available. Also if you want to help someone else be able to afford to attend, you can donate on the registration form.
Yeah I hope the Greens do well at expense of the major parties, since I want to see politics move leftward. Just that I don't like how top-down the party is in structure (regarding how leadership is decided, and how policy is formed), and that they're not anti-capitalists.
I just don't fit the niche they are trying to steer the party in
May I ask what direction that is, by the way? I'm not a Socialist Alternative member, and they don't even represent a majority of the membership, it's just they're the most dedicated members and hence show up more than the average member.
From what I can tell, they're a revolutionary organisation, making the argument that reforming our way to socialism is impossible, and I agree with them on that.
Even if we have socialists (be that from Aus Socialists, the Greens if they go further left, or whoever) representing more than 50% of Parliament, does anyone seriously believe the ruling class is going to let us usher in socialism?
They couped Gough Whitlam for far less.
In the average Australian Socialist (the party, I can't speak for "socialists" who are part of micro-parties) believes that the only way we can get to socialism is by mass democratic action, that is, building a movement, making the arguments to everyone and winning enough people over that the current system needs to be replaced. And then going and doing that outside of Parliament (i.e. a revolution), so that we can set up more democratic bodies, and decentralise decision making.
Contesting parliamentary elections is just one way we get our message out.
I think Johnny Harris' (certainly not a socialist) video on democracy actually sums things up fairly well. The ruling class only let us make decisions that not affect the status quo: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O7LvhSQ5Te4