Introduction I posted most of the following on Sid Ryan's Facebook page (Ryan was former president of the Ontario Federation of Labour) since he asserted that the radical left have achieved nothing whereas the social-reformist left like himself have achieved much in Canada--in fact making Canada the fifth best place in the world to live. … Continue reading The Limitations of the Social-Reformist Left and Opposition to a United Front without an Independent Working-Class
Category: Social-reformist left
Les limites de la gauche social-réformiste
Read this post in English [J’ai utilisé ChatGPT (intelligence artificielle) pour traduire la version anglaise en français.] IntroductionJ'appartenais autrefois à une organisation de gauche à Toronto. J'ai commencé, lentement, à réaliser qu'elle avait en réalité peu à voir avec la remise en question du pouvoir des employeurs en tant que classe, malgré la rhétorique selon … Continue reading Les limites de la gauche social-réformiste
It is Not Just Far-Right Views that Need to Be Criticized–but Also Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Views
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted on Facebook the following: John Clarke I just came across another person I had accepted as a FB friend posting really horrible right wing material. Yet again, it was focused on the notion of Justin Trudeau as a conspiring globalist, … Continue reading It is Not Just Far-Right Views that Need to Be Criticized–but Also Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Views
Know Thy Class Enemy: Not as Easy as it Sounds
John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted on Facebook: John Clarke I commented yesterday on the quantity of ads I was getting that sought to convert me to Christianity. Then, to my horror, I got one urging me to love my enemies. There are actually some moral propositions … Continue reading Know Thy Class Enemy: Not as Easy as it Sounds
Co-optation of Students at School Through We Day, Part Two: The Social-Democratic Left Share Some of We Day’s Assumptions
In a previous post, I outlined how We Day is a form of indoctrination and that schools form vehicles for such indoctrination. What is the social-democratic left's position in relation to this indoctrination and its incorporation into schools? I already mentioned the Manitoba Teachers' Society (MTS) decision not to promote We Day since some of … Continue reading Co-optation of Students at School Through We Day, Part Two: The Social-Democratic Left Share Some of We Day’s Assumptions
Fixed Social Dogmas and the Special Language of the Social-Reformist Left
Michael Perleman refers to the Procrustean dogma that characterizes much of the discussion about the social world in which we currently live. What better characterization of the social-democratic rhetoric of "fairness," "decent work," a "fair wage," "economic justice" and "social justice?" From Michael Perleman, The Invisible Handcuffs of Capitalism: How Market Tyranny Stifles the Economy by … Continue reading Fixed Social Dogmas and the Special Language of the Social-Reformist Left
An Example of the Inadequacy of the Canadian Left, or How the Canadian Left Contributes to the Emergence of the Canadian Right
On Facebook, a social-reformist leftist posted the fact that the Ontario Conservative government, headed by the right-wing millionaire Doug Ford, had eliminated the position of Ontario Child Advocate Office, integrating it with the Ombudsman's Office. The person had attached the comment "Shameful". A subsequent comment objected to the fact that the man who filled the … Continue reading An Example of the Inadequacy of the Canadian Left, or How the Canadian Left Contributes to the Emergence of the Canadian Right
The Canadian Left’s Lack of a Vision of the Good Life Beyond a Class of Employers
Stanley Aronowitz, in his book The Death and Life of American Labor: Toward a New Workers’ Movement (New York: Verso, page 162) , points out how the left has in effect abandoned any real intention of developing a movement powerful enough to challenge a system dominated by the class of employers: Professional intellectuals need not … Continue reading The Canadian Left’s Lack of a Vision of the Good Life Beyond a Class of Employers
Social-Reformist Leftist Activists Share Assumptions with the Right
In an earlier post (Basic Income: A Critique of the Social-Reformist Left’s Assumptions and Analysis: Part Two), I argued that the social-reformist leftist activist Mr. Bush used Karl Marx's theory of surplus value for conservative (reformist purposes). This post will expand on this view by pointing out, in a more theoretical way, how Mr. Bush, … Continue reading Social-Reformist Leftist Activists Share Assumptions with the Right
The Limitations of the Social-Reformist Left
Leer este post en español Introduction I used to belong to a leftist organization in Toronto. I started, slowly, to realize that it really has little to do with challenging the power of employers as a class despite the rhetoric concerning class issues being a priority. This view was confirmed when a movement for the … Continue reading The Limitations of the Social-Reformist Left
The Abolitionary 