Leo Panitch • Photo from Public Domain On the “Reality Asserts Itself” program of The RealNews network, Prof. Leo Panitch is interviewed by host Paul Jay. Part 1: The Radical Ferment of Winnipeg’s Jewish Socialist Politics: Prof. Leo Panitch talks about the political culture of his family, shaped in Winnipeg’s
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Accidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Elizabeth Bruenig makes the case for the U.S. to make a much-needed turn toward democratic socialism: In fact, both Sullivan’s and Mounk’s complaints — that Americans appear to be isolated, viciously competitive, suspicious of one another and spiritually shallow; and that we
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Social democracy without social democrats: how can the left recover?
Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Leader, speaking at a political rally during the Labour leadership election, in Matlock, Derbyshire, 16th August 2016 • Photo by Sophie J. Brown Labour has suffered another bad set of election results. But the failure of Labour is not the fault of the Corbynites or the Blairites.
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Why Antonio Gramsci is the Marxist thinker for our times
Image from Public Domain At the trial of Antonio Gramsci in 1928, the prosecutor declared: “We must stop this brain from working for 20 years.” Gramsci, the former leader of the Italian Communist Party and a gifted Marxist theoretician and journalist, was sentenced to two decades’ imprisonment by Benito Mussolini’s
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: The Bankruptcy of the American Left
Illustration from NewStatesman.com There will be no economic or political justice for the poor, people of color, women or workers within the framework of global, corporate capitalism. Corporate capitalism, which uses identity politics, multiculturalism and racial justice to masquerade as politics, will never halt the rising social inequality, unchecked militarism,
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: The "But Communism Was Bad" Argument
Lately, when debating matters of economics, people that I will broadly call “small government advocates” (usually hardline fiscal hawk conservatives and libertarians) will inevitably start throwing about the argument that “communism is a failed ideology” when they are challenged directly about the specifics of what they would cut from government,
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: On Capitalist Democracy – Daniel Tayor
Daniel Taylor writing in Red Flag, addresses some of the systemic problems with the economic system we currently have. “When the system is under strain, the “democratic deficit” of capitalism becomes obvious. No matter how many elections take place, the things we want don’t happen; the things we don’t
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Owen Jones discusses how an ideology of individualism has undermined both freedom and security for most of the UK’s citizens: There are several reasons why rampant individualism sits at the core of the Tory project. Individualism promotes the idea that our successes
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – PressProgress points out Statistics Canada’s latest numbers on Canada’s extreme wealth disparity – with 60% of the population owning only 10% of the wealth while a lucky few amass gigantic fortunes. – Jordan Brennan discusses how a lack of labour conflict has led
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Net Neutrality and the Socialist Moment
Rolling Rebellion demonstration in Seattle to defend Net Neutrality • Photo by Backbone Campaign In recent months, one of the United States’ most important debates has revolved around the broad concept of Net Neutrality (NN). Without delving into the technicalities, the concept of NN is that internet service providers (ISPs)
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Solidarity with Venezuela
Winnipeg, Dec. 6, 2017 – Professor Johnny Márquez, speaking at Winnipeg’s historic Ukrainian Labour Temple on the political and economic situation in Venezuela. Photo: Paul S. Graham When it comes to Venezuela, the mainstream media is awash with lies and distortions and the Canadian government is complicit (with the United
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Protagonism and Productivity
Photo by Henry Romero When I went to work in Venezuela in 2004, I discovered in the Bolivarian Constitution some elements that I consider to be central to the concept of socialism for the twenty-first century. For one, there was the emphasis upon human development—the goal of “ensuring overall human
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Mitch Podolak: ‘A Citizen of Earth’
Photo by Community News Commons Last November Mitch Podolak was leaving one of his favourite Winnipeg restaurants, the Evergreen on Pembina, when he suddenly fell outside. As he lay there somewhat stunned, he realized that this fall was about to change his life. He couldn’t feel the lower part of
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: “Adventure it was”: The Impossible Revolution of 1917
Boris Kustodiev, “The Bolshevik” (1920) Through the wasteland of war and hunger emerged a simple flash of light. A message of hope from Russia: the Czar of Russia had been overthrown and a new workers’ government was declaring an end to war, poverty and exploitation. Victor Serge glimpsed this light
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Canada needs more Jeremy Corbyn, less Justin Trudeau, 21st annual Parkland Institute conference is advised
PHOTOS: Guardian journalist Martin Lukacs, moments before his remarks to the 21st annual Parkland Institute Conference in Edmonton yesterday morning. Below: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; British Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Prime Minister Theresa May (U.K. Photos: Wikimedia Commons); and bestselling Canadian author Linda McQuaig before her keynote
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: They Dared: The Legacy of the October Revolution
Soviet poster dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the October Revolution and IV Congress of the Communist International A hundred years later, the question of the historical legacy of the October Revolution is not an easy one for socialists, given that Stalinism took root within less than a decade after
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Time for disaster socialism
Photo by Jessica Christian The fires are not contained. The bodies haven’t been found. It’s time to talk about politics … During and in the immediate aftermath of tragedies, we are told it’s not the time for politics. As a nation, we love the spectacle of what author Teju Cole
Continue readingwmtc: the worst part of trump is not trump
The freak show that is the Trump presidency gives us so many things to lament, and mourn, and goggle at. But for one organization, it is a singular gift, valuable beyond all measure: that is the Democratic National Committee. For me, the worst part of the Trump presidency is not
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Changing the Capitalist System – We are closer than you think
I’ve recently changed computer operating systems, moving from Windows 10 to a version of Linux called Mint. I was motivated primarily by concerns about privacy and had grown weary of a computing environment that was constantly trying to sell me stuff I didn’t need. I won’t bore you with what
Continue readingCanadian Dimension: Basic Income as a Socialist Project
Most discussions of Basic Income revolve around two clusters of issues: first, the normative implications of Basic Income for various conceptions of justice, and second, the pragmatic problems of the sustainability of basic income given a range of economic considerations including such things as effects on tax rates, incentives, labor
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