International Law, the Attack on Iran, and the Radical Left

Introduction The recent attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran raise an important question: are these actions consistent with international law, and how should radical leftists respond? Many governments, international organizations, and legal scholars have argued that the attacks may violate international law, particularly the United Nations Charter. At the same time, the … Continue reading International Law, the Attack on Iran, and the Radical Left →

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 →

Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Thirty-Two: The Attack on Unions by Employers and the Government

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-Two: The Attack on Unions by Employers and the Government →

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 →

Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty-Nine: Law and the Class Power of Employers

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-Nine: Law and the Class Power of Employers →

The Limitations of a Union Position–and Much of the Left– with Respect to the Israel-Palestine Conflict: The Idealization of International Law

Introduction The second largest union in Canada, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) recently made a statement on the recent Palestine-Israeli conflict: NUPGE Statement on the Escalation of Violence in Israel and Palestine October 12 2023 Like all Canadians, indeed all people, we are horrified by the scenes of suffering and pain … Continue reading The Limitations of a Union Position–and Much of the Left– with Respect to the Israel-Palestine Conflict: The Idealization of International Law →

Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty-Two: The Need for the Working Class to Defy the Law When Necessary

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-Two: The Need for the Working Class to Defy the Law When Necessary →

The Real World of the Rule of Law: Courts as Oppressive Organizations, Part Three: Arbitrary Arrest and Police as Privileged Citizens

Introduction This is a continuation of a series that exposes the reality of courts as part of the exposure of the reality of the rule of law. The series involves quotes from the book by Doreen McBarnet (1983) Conviction: Law, the State and the Construction of Justice as well as short commentaries related to the … Continue reading The Real World of the Rule of Law: Courts as Oppressive Organizations, Part Three: Arbitrary Arrest and Police as Privileged Citizens →

The Real World of the Rule of Law: Courts as Oppressive Organizations, Part One

Introduction The following series of posts are meant to complement the series of posts on the issue of reforming versus abolishing the police (see for example Reform or Abolition of the Police, Part One or Reform Versus Abolition of the Police, Part 8: The Police and the Political Economy of Capitalism). The following is mainly a series … Continue reading The Real World of the Rule of Law: Courts as Oppressive Organizations, Part One →

Socialism, Police and the Government or State, Part Two

This is a continuation of a previous post. It is a response to Mr. Sam Gindin's article, We Need to Say What Socialism Will Look Like , where he argues that under socialism the government or state will not "wither away" but will expand as public services expand. Mr. Gindin's conception of the expansion of … Continue reading Socialism, Police and the Government or State, Part Two →