Housing in Canada: Great for Capitalists, Wretched for People
Justin Trudeau’s recent housing initiative announcement was better than nothing but woefully inadequate to the scale of Canada’s housing crisis. We need social housing now.
19079 Articles by: Alex Press
For Percy Bysshe Shelley, Literature Was the Spark of the Revolution
After the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, the young radical poet Percy Bysshe Shelley proclaimed he was deserting “the odorous gardens of literature” for “the great sandy desert of politics.” Instead, he infused literature with revolutionary political ideas.
Why Germany Continues to Fail Its Migrant Workers
Migrant workers have served as the foundation for Germany’s rapid economic growth in the postwar years, but the benefits of that growth have not been evenly distributed. Today, precarious workers are pushing back against Germany’s exclusionary economic system.
Canada’s Elites Stand Ready to Defend the Monarchy
Even though most Canadians would prefer an elected head of state, Charles III is the country’s new king. But enduring monarchism does suit Canadian elites, whose worldview is sustained by the idea of inherited privilege and power embodied by the crown.
Thomas Paine Was History’s Greatest Hater of the British Crown
The American Revolution was inspired by ruthless criticism of the British monarchy. Why stop now?
10 Years Ago Today, the Chicago Teachers Union Strike Changed Public Education
When the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike against Mayor Rahm Emanuel ten years ago, corporate education reform was on the march. The CTU won that strike, beat back the neoliberal Democrats, and turned the tide in favor of public education.
Progressive Democrats Won’t Say If They’ll Block Manchin’s Fossil Fuel Giveaway
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin struck a deal to fast-track approval of new gas and oil pipelines as part of a must-pass spending bill. House progressives have the ability to block it — but most won’t say whether they will.
The British Monarchy Has Woven Itself Into the Fabric of Capitalism
Rather than doing away with the old aristocracy, capitalism has found its own uses for the British monarchy. The two now function in tandem to preserve the status quo in Britain — and should be opposed together.
Chipotle Workers on How They Won the First Chipotle Union in the United States
Last month, Chipotle workers in Lansing, Michigan, became the first workers at the corporation to unionize. We spoke to three of the Chipotle workers and union activists about how they did it.
Britain’s Third King Charles Should Be Its Last
The latest British monarch will be the first King Charles since the Stuart dynasty of the 17th century. The revolutionary struggle against the Stuarts gave birth to a radical democratic tradition — one that will be unfinished as long as Charles III is king.
The Federal Government Is Trying to Stop Railroad Workers From Striking
Railroad workers bargaining for better pay and working conditions are at an impasse with their employers, causing the federal government to intervene to ward off a disruptive strike. But railworkers should be allowed to strike if and when they want to.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Reign Glamorized Britain’s Political Backwardness
During Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign, the UK witnessed immense social transformation. Throughout this tumultuous period, the monarchy served one purpose: suppressing Britain’s political divisions in the name of unity and deference to the Crown.
Chicago Teachers Union VP: 10 Years Ago, We Went on Strike and Won
Before the Chicago Teachers Union went on strike against Rahm Emanuel 10 years ago, corporate reformers were on the march and teachers were on the ropes. The CTU won that strike, beat back neoliberal Democrats, and turned the tide in favor of public education.
Socialist Kristen Gonzalez: We Defeated the Democratic Machine
In this summer’s New York state primaries, DSA’s Kristen Gonzalez defeated the Queens Democratic machine candidate in a 25-point blowout. She spoke with Jacobin about how she did it and what comes next as she joins the growing bloc of socialists in Albany.
James Connolly: The British Monarchy Is an Affront to Democracy
The British monarchy is a vestige of tyranny, a grand monument to hierarchy and plunder. As Irish socialist James Connolly wrote in 1911, the royals are for the other despots of society, the capitalists and landlords — not for the working class.
Antiabortion Activists Want the Supreme Court to Ban Abortion on a Federal Level
Just months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, conservative antiabortion activists have now petitioned the Supreme Court to take on a case that would establish “fetal personhood” nationwide — potentially producing a federal ban on abortion.
In 1937, Canadian Autoworkers Took on General Motors — and Won
For 16 days in 1937, thousands of workers at Oshawa’s General Motors plant in Ontario went on strike, stood firm against brutal efforts to crush them, and helped bring industrial unionism to Canada. Today, their heroism is seldom remembered.
Across the Country, Starbucks’s Anti-Union Push Is Getting Worse
Starbucks is doing everything it can to stifle, delay, and repress the new union Starbucks Workers United — despite an order by a federal judge to cease and desist its myriad and repeated violations of labor law.
Michigan GOP Election Officials Are Attempting to Subvert Democracy in Plain Sight
In Michigan, conservatives are aiming to use technicalities to block popular referenda to protect reproductive freedom and make voting easier. Their efforts are part of a long and increasingly brazen right-wing campaign to restrict democracy.
New PM Liz Truss Can’t Save Britain
Tory members this week elected Liz Truss as Britain’s new prime minister. Arriving to office amid a cost-of-living crisis, Truss’s self-styled Thatcherism promises to only deepen the country’s woes.