Archives
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The Philippines Typhoon: Climate Change and Political Disaster
The Philippines is a country long wracked by political corruption, colonialism, military occupation and dependence and millions living in poverty. When natural disasters hit, such as Typhoon Haiyan, a category … Keep reading »
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The Scandalization of Politics: On FordLisi, HarperDuffy, and a Few Others
We are gripped by scandal. In Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is implicated in a top-level cover up of illegal expense claims by one his own foot soldiers: now-suspended Senator … Keep reading »
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After the Evictions: The U.S. Occupy Movement Struggling at the Front Lines of the Crisis
Three years after the financial meltdown of 2008, the U.S. Occupy movement opened the possibility for a left regroupment against resurgent neoliberalism. Yet the forceful eviction from the squares just … Keep reading »
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The Canadian Appointed Senate and the Drift to Authoritarian Rule
Stephen Harper and his governing, Conservative Party hierarchy were hoping that the brawl they have picked with Canada’s appointed Senate would be wrapped up in time for the party’s two-day … Keep reading »
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Belgium: Class Trade Unionism Seeks Political Expression
In the social and political history of Belgium, May 1, 2012, could mark a milestone. On that day the leaders of the Charleroi regional branch of the socialist trade union FGTB/ABVV publicly broke with the social-democratic party and called for a rallying of the left to the perspective of a new broad, anti-capitalist force to the left of the Parti Socialiste (PS) and the Greens. Keep reading »
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Damage Control: Oil Train Derailment in Alberta and Gas Fracking Protest in New Brunswick
Another oil train derailment and explosion in Canada has sent nearby residents fleeing from their homes in the middle of the night. It happened at 1 a.m. on Saturday, October … Keep reading »
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Toronto Transit Bans ‘Disappearing Palestine’ Ad Claiming Risk of Anti-Jewish Violence
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has rejected a group’s bus ad showing Israel’s expropriation of Palestinian land over time, claiming the ad could incite anti-Jewish discrimination and violence. The ad, … Keep reading »
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The U.S. Shutdown is the Latest in this ‘Dysfunctional’ Relationship Saga
Now that the latest standoff between the U.S. treasury and Congress is over, it may be helpful to put it in some historical perspective. Indeed, the outcome brings to mind … Keep reading »
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Seize the Moment, Stand with Elsipogtog
“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.” — 1984 by George Orwell Canada’s colonial past is present, however much Prime Minister … Keep reading »
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Bolivian Government Authorizes Workers to Take Over Closed or Abandoned Firms
On October 7, President Evo Morales issued a government decree that allows workers to establish “social enterprises” in businesses that are bankrupt, winding up, or unjustifiably closed or abandoned. These … Keep reading »
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What Future for Social Democracy?
On 9 September 2013, a red-green alliance led by the social democratic Labour Party lost the Norwegian general elections. Only two weeks later, the German Social Democrats (SPD) only came … Keep reading »
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Forget the Welfare State?
The welfare state has been under pressure since the mid-1980s and the onset of neoliberal economic policies across Europe. Capital has used the current crisis to intensify this pressure further. … Keep reading »