Referring to the Law without Qualification When Criticizing the Ruling Class Is Social-Reformist or Social-Democratic, not Socialist

Here in Toronto, Canada, and elsewhere, social democrats (such as David Bush) criticize actions (such as those of Trump) on the basis of breeches of the law. Although such breeches should be pointed out and criticized in order to expose the hypocrisy of the ruling class, socialists should always point out simultaneously the limitations of … Continue reading Referring to the Law without Qualification When Criticizing the Ruling Class Is Social-Reformist or Social-Democratic, not Socialist →

Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Twelve, Public Sector, Quebec: Contract Faculty, Bishop’s University

Introduction At the beginning of writing this blog, I wrote up some posts that focused on the management-rights clause of collective agreements between a union and an employer in order to demonstrate the limitations of collective bargaining and collective agreements. I then integrated the issue of management rights into an anlaysis of the rate of … Continue reading Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Twelve, Public Sector, Quebec: Contract Faculty, Bishop’s University →

Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Eight: Collective Agreement in Alberta Between Various Employers and Various International Unions

Introduction At the beginning of writing this blog, I wrote up some posts that focused on the management-rights clause of collective agreements between a union and an employer in order to demonstrate the limitations of collective bargaining and collective agreements. I then integrated the issue of management rights into an anlaysis of the rate of … Continue reading Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Eight: Collective Agreement in Alberta Between Various Employers and Various International Unions →

The Real World of Law and Union Rhetoric: The Case of the Court Order for the People’s Circle to Abandon its Encampment at the University of Toronto

Introduction Below is an article written by Harry Glasbeek (a former Marxist law professor at Osgood Law School of York University in Toronto) on the court order imposed by ; it is posted on the Socialist Project website (https://socialistproject.ca/2024/07/whose-side-is-law-always-on/). Before providing a copy of the article, I will make a couple of comments about union … Continue reading The Real World of Law and Union Rhetoric: The Case of the Court Order for the People’s Circle to Abandon its Encampment at the University of Toronto →

International law and failure in the context of Gaza

The following (with the above title) is a copy and paste of an article on international law in the context of a capitalist world order (https://criticallegalthinking.com/2024/04/02/international-law-and-failure-in-the-context-of-gaza/). Before I paste the whole article, I will quote some key features that reinforce what I have been saying about the place of international law in socialist strategy. Finally, … Continue reading International law and failure in the context of Gaza →

Direct action confronts Canada-Israel arms trade–but the Idealization of International Law Limits Its Effectiveness

The above title is taken from the following article published in the Canadian social-democratic magazine Canadian Dimension ( https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/direct-action-confronts-canada-israel-arms-trade ). Although its tactics of direct action against arms manufacturers that produce arms for Israel is, in general, a better tactic than merely protesting against the genocide occurring in Gaza and the West Bank, it, like much … Continue reading Direct action confronts Canada-Israel arms trade–but the Idealization of International Law Limits Its Effectiveness →

The Need to Develop Connections Between the Critique of Daily Life and International Affairs, Part One

Perhaps I am reading too much into the following, but I find it interesting the lack of response to my last intervention. Julius Arscott, union executive for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and member of Socialist Action, recently posted the following on Facebook: Julius Arscott tordseonpSl2fym0tf25it7:uru7fF5188M4r2hm0ueu8fabP17a48ua · The following motion was passed at … Continue reading The Need to Develop Connections Between the Critique of Daily Life and International Affairs, Part One →

The Idealization of International Law by the Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Left: The Case of the Genocide of the Palestinians by the Israeli Government, Part Two

Julius Arscott, union executive for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and member of Socialist Action, recently posted part of a blurb for support for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling concerning Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank from The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), the second largest … Continue reading The Idealization of International Law by the Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Left: The Case of the Genocide of the Palestinians by the Israeli Government, Part Two →

Another Example of the Limits of the Law, or Legal Reasoning

Introduction It is amazing how the so-called radical left refer to international law without qualification when they try to defend Palestine against Israel (see for example The Limitations of a Union Position–and Much of the Left– with Respect to the Israel-Palestine Conflict: The Idealization of International Law). Legal Opposition to a Particular Infringement of Civil … Continue reading Another Example of the Limits of the Law, or Legal Reasoning →