Leer este post en español The following is a continuation of previous posts on the possible nature of socialism that excludes the power of employers as a class. In the following, Tony Smith elaborates on the criteria to be used in the distribution of the flat-rate capital-assets tax, which is the basis for the generation … Continue reading Socialism, What It May Look Like, or Visions of a Better Kind of Society Without Employers, Part Seven
Defense of Aggressive Wars and Idealization of Capitalist Society Often Go Hand in Hand
I am including the following short conversation on Facebook about the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani of Iran by the United States military. A question: Do you think that those who remain uncritical of the power of employers as a class, when push come to shove, would oppose war perpetrated by their own country? Cory … Continue reading Defense of Aggressive Wars and Idealization of Capitalist Society Often Go Hand in Hand
The British Labour Party’s 2019 Manifesto: More Social Democracy and More Social Reformism, Part One
The following is the first of a two-part series of posts, providing a critical assessment of some of the views expressed in the 2019 British Labour Party's Manifesto, It's Time For Real Change. The British Labour Party seemed to be more concerned with jumping on the bandwagon of climate change than really addressing the core … Continue reading The British Labour Party’s 2019 Manifesto: More Social Democracy and More Social Reformism, Part One
The Poverty of Academic Leftism, Part Five: Middle-Class Delusions
This is a continuation of a critique of an academic leftist (aka academic historical materialist), the philosopher Jeff Noonan. As noted in a previous post, Professor Noonan makes the following statement in relation to employees at a university (from Thinkings 4: Collected Interventions, Readings, Evocations, 2014-2015, page 13): Instead, all members of the institution– faculty, librarians, … Continue reading The Poverty of Academic Leftism, Part Five: Middle-Class Delusions
What’s Left, Toronto? Part Seven
As I indicated in an earlier post, on September 19, 2018, several leftist activists gave a talk about what was to be done in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The talks were posted on the Socialist Project website on October 7, 2018 (also posted on YouTube) (What's Left, Toronto? Radical Alternatives for the City … Continue reading What’s Left, Toronto? Part Seven
Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Two: Ethical Inquiry in the Context of Dying and Death
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 copy critical articles, mainly (although not entirely) of the current school system. At first, I merely printed off the articles, but then … Continue reading Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Two: Ethical Inquiry in the Context of Dying and Death
Working for Employers May Be Dangerous to Your Health, Part Five
In Dwyer's book, Life and Death at Work: Industrial Accidents as a Case of Socially Produced Error, in a passage quoted below, he argues that so-called accidents at work are socially caused but, historically, have been defined otherwise--as technical problems, for example, or as a result of individual mistakes. In the passage below, he notes … Continue reading Working for Employers May Be Dangerous to Your Health, Part Five
The Silences of the Social-Democratic Left on the Standards They Use in Relation to Health and Safety
I had a debate on the Facebook page of the Toronto Airport Workers Council (TAWC), an organization designed to facilitate communication and common actions among unions at the Toronto International Pearson Airport. The issue was health and safety and workers' compensation. In Canada, most workers who work for an employer are covered by workers' compensation--a … Continue reading The Silences of the Social-Democratic Left on the Standards They Use in Relation to Health and Safety
Employers as Dictators, Part Three
The social-democratic left in Toronto, undoubtedly like social-democratic reformists throughout the world, continue to ignore criticisms of their attempt to equate positive reforms with the realization of adequate forms through such rhetoric as "decent work." Consider Elizabeth Anderson's critique of the power of employers, page 130: Private government at work embeds inequalities in authority, standing, … Continue reading Employers as Dictators, Part Three
A Short List of the Largest Employers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
When belonging to a leftist organization called the Toronto Labour Committee (Ontario, Canada), I worked on, in a minor position, on some statistics related to financial campaign contributions for the Toronto elections. Not being satisfied with this, I proposed that we start trying to develop a class analysis of Toronto. I indicated, though, that I … Continue reading A Short List of the Largest Employers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Abolitionary 