The following post that I had already posted a couple of years ago is relevant for a confrontation with a person whom I consider to be a social democrat or social reformist. I will refer to this "debate" later on. The above title is a take on a scene in the movie Enter the Dragon, … Continue reading How to Aim for Socialism Without Aiming for It, or The Nature of the Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Left
What’s Left, Toronto? Part One
I wrote the following around five years ago. It is still pertinent today. Indeed, we read the following from a recent "Marxist": When there once existed a mass international socialist movement, polemics were hard-edged because the movement was everywhere bidding for power. But the polemical texts were typically substantial, factual, and challenging and consisted of … Continue reading What’s Left, Toronto? Part One
Management Rights, Part Four: Private Sector Collective Agreement, Ontario, or: How the Social-Democratic Left Ignore Them
Management Rights The social-democratic left typically is incapable of dealing with the issue of the power of management. There is little or no discussion over such issues despite the existence of the power of the class of employers at various levels of society: economic, political, social and cultural. This silence expresses both the power of … Continue reading Management Rights, Part Four: Private Sector Collective Agreement, Ontario, or: How the Social-Democratic Left Ignore Them
Direct Action in Opposition to the Genocide Against Palestinians Is Insufficient
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coaltion Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted the following on Facebook (the website URL is https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/canada-palestine-solidarity-activists-block-major-infrastructure-a15-protests?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2icbmkWu7Yf4fAbjw-k1T_OVr-jAUTI-iK4RelgeAWbOpxqdGtZO969oY_aem_AUnH0-orFr3qYZdYCJ4UFd-dyVyKW5Yf8Pd0Z_rNloyIzwGanrjXToKWGuBLo-4yWAKbs4IoZuniPQCeCxqemsQM ): Canada: Palestine solidarity activists block major infrastructure in A15 protests Jeff Shantz April 23, 2024 Issue 1404 World In Canada, A15 actions included calls on the government to implement a two-way arms … Continue reading Direct Action in Opposition to the Genocide Against Palestinians Is Insufficient
Union Rhetoric Versus the Reality of Workers’ Lives Subordinated to a Class of Employers: The Price of Human Life, Justice and Dignity–The Day of Mourning for Workers Killed in Canada While Working for an Employer in Canada on April 28
I thought that it would be appropriate to post something relevant to the Day of Mourning for workers killed while working for an employer in Canada. Some Canadian statistics: Official statistics: More than 1000 employees die every year in Canada on the job, and about 630,000 are injured every year. (Bob Barnetson, 2010, The Political … Continue reading Union Rhetoric Versus the Reality of Workers’ Lives Subordinated to a Class of Employers: The Price of Human Life, Justice and Dignity–The Day of Mourning for Workers Killed in Canada While Working for an Employer in Canada on April 28
A Poem by A Palestinian Poet Removed from a Display at the Toronto Public Library Due to A Complaint by B’Nai Brith
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted the following on Facebook: John Clarke This is the poem that the Toronto Public Library removed at the urging of Zionist organization B'nai Brith. The accusers draw on the standard racist notion that Palestinian resistance is the product of a barbaric … Continue reading A Poem by A Palestinian Poet Removed from a Display at the Toronto Public Library Due to A Complaint by B’Nai Brith
Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Four: School District No. 57, British Columbia
Introduction At the beginning of writing this blog, I wrote up some posts that focused on the management-rights clause of collective agreements between a union and an employer in order to demonstrate the limitations of collective bargaining and collective agreements. I then integrated the issue of management rights into an anlaysis of the rate of … Continue reading Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Four: School District No. 57, British Columbia
The Rate of Exploitation of TNB (National Bank of Palestine) Workers, or the Issue of Socialist Strategy and Tactics
Introduction In a previous post I pointed out the limited nature of the criticism of Israeli soldiers robbing $54.29 million from the Bank of Palestine--without criticizing the Bank of Palestine itself for exploiting its workers (see The Rate of Exploitation of Bank of Palestine Workers, or the Issue of Socialist Strategy and Tactics). It is necessary … Continue reading The Rate of Exploitation of TNB (National Bank of Palestine) Workers, or the Issue of Socialist Strategy and Tactics
The Rule of Law–One Rule for Police Officers, Another Rule for Citizens
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted an article on the absolute discharge of a police officer who assaulted a handcuffed person. Had this been a citizen doing the same act, the person would likely have been imprisoned. But, as I have often argued in the series The … Continue reading The Rule of Law–One Rule for Police Officers, Another Rule for Citizens
International law and failure in the context of Gaza
The following (with the above title) is a copy and paste of an article on international law in the context of a capitalist world order (https://criticallegalthinking.com/2024/04/02/international-law-and-failure-in-the-context-of-gaza/). Before I paste the whole article, I will quote some key features that reinforce what I have been saying about the place of international law in socialist strategy. Finally, … Continue reading International law and failure in the context of Gaza
The Need to Develop Connections Between the Critique of Daily Life and International Affairs, Part Two
John Clarke, former organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, posted the following recently without comment: John Clarke · "This goes well beyond the question of Palestine and Israel to the fundamental ability of a university to foster free inquiry and debate." From Dawn. I Was a Target of Academic Censorship Over My Work on … Continue reading The Need to Develop Connections Between the Critique of Daily Life and International Affairs, Part Two
Equity and Social Justice as Buzz Words Among Liberal and Social-democratic Educators
Introduction The use of the terms "social justice" and "equity" are often used by so-called progressive educators, but such references are often vague and, through such vagueness, fail to link up to the class nature of contemporary society--in particular the class power of employers and the exploitation and oppression of workers by that class. Equity … Continue reading Equity and Social Justice as Buzz Words Among Liberal and Social-democratic Educators
Palestine Action Permanently Shuts Down Israeli Military Contractor Elbit Plant in UK
The above is the title of an article (https://socialistproject.ca/2024/03/palestine-action-permanently-shutdown-israeli-military-contractor-elbit/) published on the Socialist Project's website. I copy the content below: March 31, 2024 Relentless direct action has secured another victory in the fight against Israel’s arms trade, as Elbit Systems are forced to sell their ‘Elite KL’ factory in Tamworth, England. The company had … Continue reading Palestine Action Permanently Shuts Down Israeli Military Contractor Elbit Plant in UK
The Abolitionary 