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 Thirty: Financial Literacy in the Context of a Society Dominated by a Class of Employers
Tag: economic coercion
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
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 One
Introduction Various organizations have referred to what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank as a breach of international law. This reference to international law without any further qualification assumes that, because it is the law, nations should comply with the law. Such compliance has as its counterpart the assumption in a society dominated … 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 One
Socialism, What It May Look Like: The Series
I have written a number of posts as series rather than just one long post. This is due to a number of reasons. To work out a view requires elaboration and time, and posting as a series permits such elaboration over a longer period of time. Also, I have many interests (which correspond in part … Continue reading Socialism, What It May Look Like: The Series
Is Amnesty International a Progressive Organization?–or Is the Term “Progressive Organization” an Example of an Abstract Slogan of Social Democrats? Part Two
Introduction In a previous post, I looked in a general way at the shortcomings of Amnesty International (AI) as a "progressive organization"--one of the abstract slogans of the social-democratic or social-reformist left here in Toronto (and undoubtedly elsewhere). In an article posted on the Socialist Project's website (https://socialistproject.ca/2021/12/swords-into-ploughshares/), Simon Black speaks to Sam Gindin, a … Continue reading Is Amnesty International a Progressive Organization?–or Is the Term “Progressive Organization” an Example of an Abstract Slogan of Social Democrats? Part Two
Law (the Legal System) and the Coercive Power of Employers as a Class
Introduction It is interesting how little discussion arises over the nature of the legal system and how it contributes to the exploitation, oppression and economic coercion of billions of workers throughout the world. Unions rarely if ever discuss such issues--it is considered to be utopian at best--whereas unions dealing with the "real" problems that workers … Continue reading Law (the Legal System) and the Coercive Power of Employers as a Class
The Radical Left Needs to Call into Question Existing Social Institutions at Every Opportunity, Part Five
Introduction Before I obtained a so-called permanent teaching position (I will explain in a much later post why I use the word "so-called"), I worked for a number of years as a substitute teacher (with short periods of term teaching positions). I became an executive member of the Winnipeg Teachers' Association (WTA) (in the province … Continue reading The Radical Left Needs to Call into Question Existing Social Institutions at Every Opportunity, Part Five
Socialism, What It May Look Like, or Visions of a Better Kind of Society Without Employers, Part One
Leer este post en español [Utilicé ChatGPT (Inteligencia Artificial) para traducir la versión en inglés al español.] My wife asked me what other kind of society could we live than the one we are living now. I suspect that most people have the same kind of question. It is difficult to imagine another kind of … Continue reading Socialism, What It May Look Like, or Visions of a Better Kind of Society Without Employers, Part One
Management Rights, Part One: Private Sector Collective Agreement, British Columbia
Leer este post en español The following was written over six years ago. It is still relevant today. Social reformists or social democrats still ignore the fact of employer power in the form of managerial rights. The radical left has little to say about the issue either. In Ontario, Canada, there will be an election … Continue reading Management Rights, Part One: Private Sector Collective Agreement, British Columbia
A Radical Basic Income as a Radical Reform
Leer este post en español Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) argues against any kind of Basic Income (Basic Income in the Neoliberal Age ). I have argued against their opposition on their own terms in two previous posts. Others, too, argue for a radical basic income as a proposal that breaks the "economic coercion" required … Continue reading A Radical Basic Income as a Radical Reform
The Abolitionary 