John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted the following on Facebook: John Clarke At the present moment, we can see how fragile the rights of expression and assembly are in this society. Every attempt by those who shape the public discourse is being made to isolate and slander all … Continue reading Political Democracy and the Class Power of Employers: Not a Foregone Pairing
Defiance Needed In the Face of Oppression of the Freedom of Speech: The Case of the Support of Palestine
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted on Facebook the following: If we are to defend free speech on Palestine in a situation where it is going to come under very sharp attack, there are two very important considerations to take to heart.Firstly, we must be ready to defy. … Continue reading Defiance Needed In the Face of Oppression of the Freedom of Speech: The Case of the Support of Palestine
Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Real Assumption of Some Bureaucratic Tribunals, Part Eight
I finally was found not guilty by the bureaucratic organization called the Ontario College of Teachers (after having had to prove my innocence). The oppressive process was at an end. However, since I was informed by one of the vocational counsellors that it would be difficult even to get on the substitute teachers' list, and … Continue reading Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Real Assumption of Some Bureaucratic Tribunals, Part Eight
Hypocrisy of the Social-Democratic Left Concering the Issue of Violence in General and Between Israel and Palestine in Particular
Michael Roberts, a Marxian economist, on his blog has the following statistics: Michael Roberts blog Looking at these statistics, it can be concluded that the number of Palestinians killed far outnumber the number of Israelis killed. Of course, the context of such killings would have to be taken into account and not just the numbers … Continue reading Hypocrisy of the Social-Democratic Left Concering the Issue of Violence in General and Between Israel and Palestine in Particular
Will the Social-Democratic Left Criticize Their Elected Social-Democratic Idols: The Case of the Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow
John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted the following on Facebook: This is so sickening and shameful. Decades of oppression are ignored, the right to resist is dismissed and the mass murder Palestinians now face is rendered invisible. I've tried to be diplomatic and speak in terms that … Continue reading Will the Social-Democratic Left Criticize Their Elected Social-Democratic Idols: The Case of the Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow
Social Democrats or Social Reformers Fail to Recognize Their Own Limitations: The Bullshit Asymmetry Principle Once Again
Tracy MacMaster commented on John Clarke's post This exactly. Thanks John Clarke . To what was MacMaster referring? To Clarke's post concerning the "bullshit asymmetry principle." I quote from John Clarke: A FB friend put up a post that deals with the 'bullshit asymmetry principle.' This holds that 'the amount of energy needed to refute … Continue reading Social Democrats or Social Reformers Fail to Recognize Their Own Limitations: The Bullshit Asymmetry Principle Once Again
Wishful Thinking Among Some of the Radical Left
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), posted the following recently on Facebook: John Clarke “At this point bourgeois thought must come up against an insuperable obstacle, for its starting-point and its goal are always, if not always consciously, an apologia for the existing order of things or at least … Continue reading Wishful Thinking Among Some of the Radical Left
The Bullshit Asymmetry Principle of Social Democrats or Social Reformers
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted this on Facebook: John Clarke A FB friend put up a post that deals with the 'bullshit asymmetry principle.' This holds that 'the amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude larger than to produce it.' … Continue reading The Bullshit Asymmetry Principle of Social Democrats or Social Reformers
Legality Involves the Legitimation of Many Appalling Actions
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted the following on Facebook; it expresses well the reality of the rule of law and not its rhetoric. John Clarke The real scandal isn't lawbreaking by people with political and economic power but all the appalling things they are able to do … Continue reading Legality Involves the Legitimation of Many Appalling Actions
Social Democracy: Useful for Certain Forms of Resistance but Not for Any Alternative Vision of Society
Introduction On September 25, 2023, I attended, along with around 8,000 others, the protest at Queen's Park, Toronto, against the privatization of health services Having had cancer twice (the third time of metastatic liver cancer is not considered a separate case of cancer), I would have had to declare bankruptcy if health services were privatized. … Continue reading Social Democracy: Useful for Certain Forms of Resistance but Not for Any Alternative Vision of Society
The Abolitionary 