On principled responses
In the wake of the NDP’s leadership campaign, it seems the Libs have responded by finding somebody to distill their very essence even more thoroughly than Justin Trudeau. At least,…
neoliberalism
More On Neoliberal Extortion
I admit that at one time, I worshiped at the altar of the NHL, this during the time of the Original Six. But then something happened. I grew up. I…
A Low-Risk Takedown
If you read my post from yesterday, you will know who Nick Shcherban is. Watch the following brief video, and ask yourself this: Have you ever heard of a noise…
Slouching Toward A City Near You
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?– W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming The man pictured above is Nick Shcherban, a Toronto resident…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Stephen Metcalf discusses the meaning and effect of neoliberalism: “(N)eoliberalism” is more than a gratifyingly righteous jibe. It is also, in its way,…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Owen Jones calls out the dogmatic centre for first laying the groundwork for the rise of the populist right, then trying to…
What Would You Be Willing To Sacrifice?
Ed Finn has a blog entry at rabble.ca that I highly recommend. His thesis can roughly be summarized in this excerpt: The glue that holds any society together is faith…
A despot in disguise: one man’s mission to rip up democracy
George Monbiot The Guardian It’s the missing chapter: a key to understanding the politics of the past half century. To read Nancy MacLean’s new book, Democracy in Chains: The Deep…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Mike Konczal responds to a pathetic attempt to drain the word “neoliberal” of all meaning (which seems to have won favour with Canadian…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – The Global Alliance for Tax Justice examines the most common tax evasion practices used to allow the wealthy to avoid paying their fair…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Ben Tarnoff discusses the growing number of basic public services which are being converted into private rents as profit motives are given…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Colin Gordon discusses how contempt for democracy is one of the uniting principles of the right around the globe while reviewing Nancy MacLean’s…
A Tale of Two Elections
Two extraordinarily different elections occurred last week in Europe. The first, of course, was the 2017 UK general election, which was nothing short of historic. The second, was the French…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett write about the psychological and social harms arising out of inequality: Members of species that have strong…
The role of NGOs in Africa: are they a force for good?
Some critics argue that the neo-liberal policies advanced by powerful non-governmental organizations, NGOs, limit states’ influence and sovereignty while benefiting NGOs. In Africa, NGOs also place Africans at the mercy…
Neoliberalism restructures work and pensions
On today’s show, two sociologists talk about aspects of neoliberal restructuring. First, Nicole Aschoff, sociologist, author of The New Prophets of Capital and until very recently managing editor of Jacobin…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Katha Pollitt reviews Matthew Desmond’s Evicted, and identifies the problem that profiteers have a vested interest in perpetuating poverty: What if the dominant…
Leadership 2017 Candidate Profile: Niki Ashton
For Ashton alone among the NDP’s leadership candidates, we’ve been through this exercise before. But for a candidate who stood out for her youth in 2012, it’s remarkable how little…
Saturday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your weekend reading. – Brian Jones rightly argues that a fair tax system would go a long way toward eliminating any serious concerns about government deficits. And…
Just A Couple Of Questions
Given that I have no background in economics, I will leave it to more finely-tuned minds to debate the merits of yesterday’s federal budget. However, there are a couple of…