Social Democracy: Useful for Certain Forms of Resistance but Not for Any Alternative Vision of Society

Introduction On September 25, 2023, I attended, along with around 8,000 others, the protest at Queen's Park, Toronto, against the privatization of health services Having had cancer twice (the third time of metastatic liver cancer is not considered a separate case of cancer), I would have had to declare bankruptcy if health services were privatized. … Continue reading Social Democracy: Useful for Certain Forms of Resistance but Not for Any Alternative Vision of Society →

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 →

A Critical Look at The Socialist Project’s Pamphlet on Green Jobs Oshawa

The Socialist Project, "based in Toronto [Ontario, Canada] ... works to generate and promote Left activism education and organizing. Our membership includes activists, students, workers educators and others interested in Socialist politics in Canada," recently published (February 2020) a pamphlet titled Take the Plant--Save the Planet: The Struggle for Community Control and Plant Conversion at … Continue reading A Critical Look at The Socialist Project’s Pamphlet on Green Jobs Oshawa →

Basic Income, Public Ownership and the Radical Left in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Critique

In a couple of posts, I criticized John Clarke's opposition to a particular form of basic income. Mr. Clarke is a former leader of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Clarke continues to oppose any alternative universal basic income scheme (see 'Pandemic Basic Income' Gets It Wrong). He has ignored … Continue reading Basic Income, Public Ownership and the Radical Left in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Critique →

The Contradictions of Social Democracy: Mr. Gindin’s Musings on the Closure of GM’s Oshawa Plant

The following is a critique of an article written by Sam Gindin before the coronavirus pandemic emerged. It is relevant to the current situation because of the current call for public ownership as a solution to the problems that we face. Mr. Gindin published an article on February 3, 2020, titled Realizing 'Just Transitions': The … Continue reading The Contradictions of Social Democracy: Mr. Gindin’s Musings on the Closure of GM’s Oshawa Plant →

The Call for the Conversion of the GM Oshawa Plant to a Facility for the Production of Medical Equipment in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic

On April 19, 2020, on the Socialist Project website--Retool Oshawa GM Complex to Combat Covid19--there is a press conference by five individuals--Tony Leah (facilitator), Michael Hurley, Rebecca Keetch, Patty Coates and James Hutt--calling on the Canadian government (and the Ontario provincial government) to take over the GM Oshawa plant, which closed on December 19, 2019, … Continue reading The Call for the Conversion of the GM Oshawa Plant to a Facility for the Production of Medical Equipment in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic →

Health Care: Socialist versus Capitalist Nationalization

Since the coronavirus and health care are undoubtedly on the minds of many people throughout the world, I thought it appropriate to do a bit of research on socialist health care versus present capitalist health-care systems. Health care even in a nationalized context can easily be an expression of oppression and exploitation. The idealization of … Continue reading Health Care: Socialist versus Capitalist Nationalization →

What Kind of Organization or Structure does an Anti-Capitalist Struggle Require?

The following is a critical look at a leftist conference held on April 26, 2014 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, entitled Building Solidarity Against Austerity. Session 3. Fighting Austerity Today. Specifically, it looks critically at the presentation by Dave Bush, a leftist activist in Toronto, who argues that it is necessary to create an organization for … Continue reading What Kind of Organization or Structure does an Anti-Capitalist Struggle Require? →

Socialism, What It May Look Like, or Visions of a Better Kind of Society Without Employers, Part Four

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 democratic nature of the workplace, which is subject to control not only by the workers at the particular workplace … Continue reading Socialism, What It May Look Like, or Visions of a Better Kind of Society Without Employers, Part Four →