A Problem of the Transition to Socialism: The Relation between Less Developed and More Developed Capitalist Countries

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted the following: John Clarke There are general considerations that come into play when we consider how a socialist society would develop. Obviously, no detailed blueprint can be drawn up ahead of time but there are obvious questions that would have to be … Continue reading A Problem of the Transition to Socialism: The Relation between Less Developed and More Developed Capitalist Countries →

Guilty Until Proven Innocent? Or Innocent Until Proven Guilty–With Strings (and Money) Attached?

John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, twittered the following: Class based and racist to its core, the #bail system warehouses those supposedly innocent until proven guilty. Even when conditions of release are granted, they're often petty and needless restrictions. The effort to make this worse is quite appalling. https://www.readthemaple.com/tightened-bail-restrictions-unlikely-to-curb-violent-crime-experts-warn/?ref=maple-digest-news-newsletter

Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty: The School as the Embodiment of Character Formation Versus the School as the Embodiment of the Three R’s

This is a continuation of a series of posts on summaries of articles, mainly on education. When I was a French teacher at Ashern Central School, in Ashern, Manitoba, Canada, I started to place critiques, mainly (although not entirely) of the current school system. At first, I merely printed off the articles, but then I … Continue reading Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty: The School as the Embodiment of Character Formation Versus the School as the Embodiment of the Three R’s →

The Ideology of Meritocracy, the Poor and Prison

John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, had this to say rcently about meritocarcy, poverty and prison: I've noted before that during the times I spent in jail it always struck me very strongly that the great bulk of the prisoners wouldn't have been in there and certainly wouldn't have had … Continue reading The Ideology of Meritocracy, the Poor and Prison →

The Reality of Police Action: The Use of Force Against a 95-year Old Woman

I read an article on Saturday, May 20, in the Toronto Star newspaper. I mentioned this to my wife, who was shocked and began to cry (her mother is 85). John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, commented on this article recently, and added a link to the Guardian's account. John … Continue reading The Reality of Police Action: The Use of Force Against a 95-year Old Woman →

What Are Some Organizational Models (and Sources) of Class and Community Struggle?

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently requested information about different models of class (and, presumably, community) struggle. Apart from the Leninist democratic centralist model, what are some other models? Sources? John Clarke This is one of my appeals for ideas and sources. We are clearly living at a … Continue reading What Are Some Organizational Models (and Sources) of Class and Community Struggle? →

Should Cops Belong to Unions?

John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), posted this recently on Facebook: "Cops, of any type, are not workers. No cops should be anywhere near unions or the labour movement." https://springmag.ca/cops-out-of-cupe-cops-out-of-labour-the-cupe-5089-endorsement-of-mark-saunders-for-toronto-mayor?fbclid=IwAR3fQZSVMKWBCTMJ_z8688cZ13GGKrasBb9MXriF6N4YnMVgckIJk6D97y0

Class Harmony and Social Reformism: The United Way as a Reformist Organization, Part Two

This is the continuation of a previous post. In the first post, I looked critically at the web site of the United Way Centraide Canada. The following post looks critically at one of its branch publications, Rebalancing the Opportunity Equation (May, 2019), by United Way Greater Toronto. The publication contains many implicit statements that illustrate … Continue reading Class Harmony and Social Reformism: The United Way as a Reformist Organization, Part Two →

Police and the Poorer Sections of the Working Class

John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently wrote on Facebook: I hate seeing cops persecute those they have targeted based on racism or the selection of the visibly poor. It's difficult to play a useful role in these situations. I have had a couple of bad experiences where my … Continue reading Police and the Poorer Sections of the Working Class →