Angry People

Written Interview with Angry People

Retrieved on January 1, 2005 from www.cat.org.au

Is Australian society classless?

Class just means how much wealth and power you have. It’s obvious that people have different amounts — most people have none, and some people have a great deal. For this reason, Australia is far from being a classless society.

Who are the police protecting?

There’s one law for the rich and another for the poor. The police will harass and intimidate ordinary people but not the rich and powerful. The law will protect employers and attack the unions. Alan Bond can steal millions and get a slap on the wrist. John Singleton can get off for doing 160 kph — his 4th traffic offence. Susan Renouf can get off for drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident. Politicians can rort the system and get away with it. The police and the courts are on the side of the rich and powerful.

Why are you called “Angry” People?

Because we’re sick of ordinary people being ripped off and lied to by politicians and the rich. Most people are, but we’re just directing our anger at the right targets.

What place is there for violence in society?

Like most people, we’re against terrorism, and like most people, we believe in self-defence. Some people seem to have the idea that we’re violent. But really, the main perpetrators of violence are the upper class. Aboriginals are dying all the time in jail. When we brought out Lorenzo Ervin for a speaking tour, the government arrested and bashed him (a 50 year old man). People suffer from the violence of poverty and unemployment every day. In short, we want to end the violence — the rich and powerful want to keep it going.

Your views on travel rorts

If an ordinary person stole that much they’d be in jail for years. Once again, one law for them and one for us.

Do you feel any pity for ex-Tasmanian MP Sherry [who tried to commit suicide after his false travel expense claims were exposed]? Do we feel any pity for a man who stole from the public and got away with it because of his position? Not much (a politician ripping off the public — there’s a shock).

What country do you admire for having an equitable system of power?

We don’t admire any existing or past country. This sets us apart from other groups, who say that various of the dictatorships of the old USSR, China, Cuba, etc were or are worth imitating. So far, there have only been brief and local outbreaks of free and equal societies — in Paris, parts of Ukraine and parts of Spain for example. In each case, they’ve been conquered by the powers that be (and the Communist governments have been every bit as ruthless as the capitalists, despite what other groups say).

Your views on private vs. public schooling

There’s different systems because there are different classes. The grammar school system trains people to rule, and the public and Catholic systems train people to obey authority and do without. Both systems brainwash at least as much as they educate.

Why are the media devoting so much space to Pauline Hanson?

Because the media is owned by a few rich men — and these men want working class people to fight amongst themselves — so they build up Hanson. If whites and non-whites are fighting each other, we’ve got no chance of fighting the rich.

Do Angry People drink alcohol? If so, how do you justify contributing money to eg Carlton Breweries?

People have to survive. It’s not our fault that this means buying capitalist products — all products are capitalist products. We’re simply not given a choice.

What power do the tobacco companies have? Who gives them this power?

Like all big industry, the tobacco industry has enormous power — which they use to destroy the environment, exploit workers, kill people, hook kids on cigarettes etc. Companies will have this power until the people decide to get rid of them.

Why do the US paint Gadaffi as such a tyrant?

Obviously Gadaffi is a tyrant. But, they wouldn’t say so if he was on their side (like the tyrants in Saudi Arabia for example).

The Israel solution is?

It’s obviously very complicated. If there was a simple solution, the Israelis and Palestinians would have worked it out by now. But, we’re sure that if the working class in both countries saw that their interests were the same, things would get a lot better. We don’t support any upper class — Israeli or Palestinian.

The Telegraph [tabloid paper] is full of ultra-conservative righteousness, and yet it is the most popular newspaper among Sydney workers. Your views.

Most so-called Left wing newspapers are aimed at intellectuals and uni students, and have a very patronising attitude towards ordinary people. This is true even of many supposedly radical publications. Some papers don’t seem to realise that workers exist — they have ‘lifestyle’ sections which assume you have a lifestyle that most people can’t afford for example. There used to be both conservative and radical popular papers. The non-conservative papers actually had more readers — they died out because of lack of advertisers. Angry People aims to revive the tradition of radical papers that are by and for ordinary people, not the middle class. Given our lack of resources, we think we’re doing pretty well. Finally, workers might read the Telegraph, but they don’t necessarily agree with it. Look at their Letters column and you’ll see what we mean.

Your views on drugs and alcohol in the work place.

Work is the curse of the drinking classes.

Your views on Lotto. Your views on casinos.

False hope for ordinary people. For some people even an addiction. It can break up families — it’s funny how John Howard’s family values go out the window when it comes to the gambling industry. Also, the government creates a monopoly. For example, two-up is illegal — except in casinos.

Why do you choose not to be interviewed in person?

We prefer written interviews for two reasons. Firstly, we operate on a system of direct democracy: everyone has a say, not just one person. Secondly, we might not have all the information we need to hand.