Maintaining Bourgeois Rule

While we live in a 'democratic' society we are not expected to seriously use our paper rights. The state and its repressive apparatus - the courts, prisons, police, secret police and armed forces - exist to curtail those rights when their exercise threatens bourgeois rule. The new powers for the Commissioner of Police to call in the armed forces to deal with "terrorists" coupled with the many new powers granted the state last year give it all the legal power it needs to completely curtail our traditional democratic rights.

The Governor-General presently has total power to take all the steps necessary to esconce a fascist regime and dismiss Parliament.

But while the state is steadily building up its repressive power through empowering legislation and increased budgets for the SIS and Police, it is currently unable to use it freely. The massive protests against the SIS Legislation last year make its widespread use difficult. The solidarity of workers behind officials threatened by anti-union legisltion (the Henry Stubbs case) has prevented the state from proceeding with even one prosecution of its own based on the new industrial legislation.

The most repressive new law — the abortion law — is foundering completely on the rock of massive public and medical opposition.

Instead of direct repression by the state, the bourgeoisie is presently attempting to gain most of its objectives through more subtle mechanisms. The "social contract" is one example.