Hundreds of unions, NGOs in Spain call for general strike in solidarity with Palestine

The following was posted on the Socialist Project's website ( https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hundreds-of-unions-ngos-in-spain-call-for-general-strike-in-solidarity-with-palestine/3343327): Nationwide protests demand action against Israel’s actions in Gaza Senhan Bolelli |27.09.2024 - Update : 30.09.2024 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) stage a demonstration at Plaza Mayor in Madrid, where they filed their fourth complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israel, condemning the killing … Continue reading Hundreds of unions, NGOs in Spain call for general strike in solidarity with Palestine →

Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Thirty-Three: Economic Democracy

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 Thirty-Three: Economic Democracy →

Radicals Who Use Strawman Examples and Arguments Against Basic Income Do No Service to the Working Class

John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted the following on his Facebook page: "Basic income makes capitalism inclusive.' I just saw a post on X that made this revealing claim and it expresses two fundamental illusions about basic income. Firstly, systems of income support are inadequate so as … Continue reading Radicals Who Use Strawman Examples and Arguments Against Basic Income Do No Service to the Working Class →

Vast Overestimation of People’s Understanding of Their Situation Limits People’s Capacities to Aim for a Socialist Society

Introduction I find it interesting how radical activists forget their own past--such as formerly expressing social-democratic or social-reformist views. John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), posted the following recently (July 09, 2024) on Facebook: Some people conclude that the insufficient level of social resistance in this society is because … Continue reading Vast Overestimation of People’s Understanding of Their Situation Limits People’s Capacities to Aim for a Socialist Society →

Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Nine: Private Sector, Saskatchewan

Introduction The power or employers to dictate to workers is hardly confined to Canada, of course. Various countries dominated by the class of employers have the right to dictate to workers except as limited by the collective agreement (and, of course, certain legislative acts). Collective Agreement Between the Construction Labour Relations Association of Saskatchewan Inc. … Continue reading Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Nine: Private Sector, Saskatchewan →

Critique of John Clarke’s Article on the Superexploitation of Migrant Workers in the United States: Zero Connection with the Regular Exploitation and Oppression of Workers by Employers

Introduction John Clarke, a former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), wrote the following on his Facebook page on August 21: John Clarke · The term 'temporary foreign worker' is very much in the eye of the exploiter. It also expresses the essential features of a profoundly unjust and unequal world … Continue reading Critique of John Clarke’s Article on the Superexploitation of Migrant Workers in the United States: Zero Connection with the Regular Exploitation and Oppression of Workers by Employers →

Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Thirty-Two: The Attack on Unions by Employers and the Government

Another Example of Union Ideology Concerning a “Fair Contract”: the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903

I came across the following, which provides further evidence of how unions use the concept of "fair contract" to paint over the oppression and exploitation of workers ( https://3903.cupe.ca/2024/02/05/clock-ticking-toward-strike-deadline-at-york-university/ ): Clock ticking toward strike deadline at York University Posted on February 5, 2024 by Comms Officer TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–After six months of negotiations with York University without significant progress, the … Continue reading Another Example of Union Ideology Concerning a “Fair Contract”: the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 →

Exposing the Intolerance and Censorship of Social Democracy, Part Five, or A Critique of Moral or Utopian Critiques of Exploitation

In earlier posts in this series, I outlined how a so-called radical here in Toronto, Anna Jessup, probably engaged in bureaucratic manipulation to prevent my participation in a zoom meeting (see for example Exposing the Intolerance and Censorship of Social Democracy, Part Four: Critique of the Idealization of Publicly Owned Infrastructure, Etc.). Who is Anna … Continue reading Exposing the Intolerance and Censorship of Social Democracy, Part Five, or A Critique of Moral or Utopian Critiques of Exploitation →

Censorship by Any Other Name Is Still Censorship

Introduction John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted on Facebook the following: When state enforcers kick in your door and take you away, in order to suppress the ideas you are promoting, this is most certainly an act of very direct censorship. When wealthy interests dominate the means … Continue reading Censorship by Any Other Name Is Still Censorship →