Review of Thier’s Book “A People’s Guide to Capitalism,” Part Three

I recently participated in a group called No One Is Illegal here in Toronto. The group decided to provide a zoom reading meeting every week to discuss the book A People's Guide to Capitalism, by Hadas Thier, with many participants not belonging to the group but interested in understanding more about capitalism. We read the … Continue reading Review of Thier’s Book “A People’s Guide to Capitalism,” Part Three →

Solidarity Among Political Activists and So-Called Criminals

John Clarke posted this yesterday on Facebook: When a wave of arrests took place following the major confrontation at the Ontario Legislature, in June of 2000, that became known as the Queen's Park Riot, those of us who were sent to the provincial jails experienced no end of solidarity and support from the other prisoners. … Continue reading Solidarity Among Political Activists and So-Called Criminals →

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 →

Electoral Politics as Secondary Tactics, Not the Primary Focus of Social Change

John Clarke, former major organizer fot the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), posted this yesterday on Facebook: Several people have asked me in the last while whether the points I've been making about electoral politics mean that I'm against participating in elections altogether. I'm not suggesting my views on the subject should be held up … Continue reading Electoral Politics as Secondary Tactics, Not the Primary Focus of Social Change →

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? →