unite

Welcome to unite!!

Here's a little introduction...
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The world we want:

We want a world where each individual can develop, flourish, and express themselves however they choose, without fear of going hungry or being out on the street, without oppression of their identity or culture.

We want a world where communities control their own destinies through direct democracy without interference from the market or the state, and without divisions based on racism, nationalism, or xenophobia.

We want a world where the way we produce and consume in harmony with the complex ecological web of which we are a part, instead of treating it purely as raw materials to be used up and discarded.
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Why capitalism can't give us this world:

It is increasingly clear that the capitalist system does not offer this kind of world. Capitalism limits our individual growth by forcing us to work for a wage to make profits that we don’t get to share.

Capitalism also divides us from each other, makes us compete against each other for work, fosters divisions according to race, gender, and sexuality, which undermine our common humanity. Instead of deciding as communities and workplaces about what needs to be developed, repaired or produced, these decisions are made by corporations based on the thirst for profit, or by politicians who we vote in only every few years and who listen more to lobbyists than to their constituents. With its logic of infinite growth and disrespect for nature, the capitalist system is now hurtling us towards a collapse of the planetary ecological system that has hitherto sustained human civilisation.

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Australia: A colonial state

The Australian establishment is built entirely on these capitalist values of competition, division, rule by the elite, and infinite growth. Australian society is also built on the dispossession of First Nations peoples, whose sovereignty was never ceded but never recognised by white Australia. Neither the major parties, nor the business elite is interested in challenging these values, or this colonial framework, since they benefit so much from it. They instead try to perpetuate this unjust and unsustainable system and divert our attention away by talking about the needs of the ‘economy’, of the problems of ‘boat people’, and the defence of our ‘way of life’.
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How do we get there?

Change starts with us, with our working together to build new relationships and structures of mutual aid and solidarity that reflect the values of the new society we wish to create. Change also has to be fought for, through direct action to make small changes in the here and now, through mass mobilisation to force politicians to listen to our demands, and through fighting the battle of ideas in media and education. By acting together in these different ways, we can eventually build a force that is able to replace the capitalist system in its entirety. The struggle will be a long and difficult one, but everything tells us it is necessary, and if we come together it is also achievable.

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So who exactly are we?

We are unite. We are a grassroots organisation of activists engaged in community organising and working class struggles in and around Brisbane from an anti-capitalist perspective.

Our objective is the establishment of a society in which the undemocratic, unjust, and unsustainable rule of capitalism is replaced by a system of direct democracy founded on freedom and equality for all – this society is sometimes called communism, democratic socialism, ecosocialism, or communalism. Whatever its name, to build such a society, we recognise that we need to build a powerful movement of ordinary people to challenge the systems of power in this society.

We seek to work with any and all people who are struggling for a better society in a spirit of openness, democracy and solidarity.

We will do this in three key ways:

● We will work with others to campaign around the issues and support movements that affect people in the here and now – and build alliances with all people in struggle
● We will train, educate, and organise new activists to join in the struggle for a better world
● We will organise initiatives to spread anti-capitalist perspectives and ideas in an open, non-dogmatic way

Most of all, we stand for long-term sustainable activism to defeat ecocide and liberate the world from capitalism.

Our principles

● We are anti-capitalists
● We fight for decolonisation
● We stand for ecosocialism and climate justice
● We are feminist
● We fight for queer liberation
● We are trans and sex worker inclusive and intersectional
● We stand for the rights of people with impairment
● We are internationalist, anti-imperialist, and anti-war
● We are anti-racist and anti-fascist
● We are for direct democracy, community control and autonomy – a world without corporate and state control of our lives

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How to get involved:

Anyone who agrees with our principles is eligible to become a member. If you’re keen to see a bit more of what we’re about send us a message on Facebook or email unite.brisbane@gmail.com, to get in touch with one of our organisers.