Cory Doctorow Explains Why Big Tech Is Making the Internet Terrible
The internet is increasingly a miserable place to be. As Cory Doctorow explains, Silicon Valley CEOs and grifters are working hard to keep it that way.
131 Articles by: David Moscrop
David Moscrop is a writer and political commentator. He hosts the podcast Open to Debate and is the author of Too Dumb For Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions and How We Can Make Better Ones.
It’s Not Just the Gig Economy — Precarious Work Is Everywhere
A new report confirms that insecure and precarious work is widespread across the economy. To respond meaningfully to the needs of workers, the labor movement must grapple with the harmful impacts of precarity.
Canada’s Public Servants Are Ready to Strike
Canada’s public servants have experienced effective pay cuts as higher prices erode their purchasing power. To fight for higher wages to cope with the affordability crisis, they are now readying to strike.
It’s Time to Talk About Class in Canada
Canada has a long history of ignoring its class divide. In recent years, the divide has become a chasm and can no longer be ignored. Accepting that class division is central to the national makeup is the first step in bridging it.
Canada Doesn’t Need More Renters, It Needs Public Housing
Going all in on the rental market won’t solve Canada’s housing crisis. As corporate landlords gain a bigger stake in the market and small landlords drive class divide, we need public housing more than ever.
Canada’s National Women’s Soccer Team Wants Equal Pay
Canada’s soccer body has bullied the women’s team into dropping their proposed strike against program cuts and unequal treatment. But winning equality with male athletes will require exactly these kinds of job actions.
Justin Trudeau’s Funding Pledge Doesn’t Mean the Battle for Canada’s Health Care Is Over
To stop creeping corporatization of Canada’s health care system, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals need to put robust restrictions on how provinces use the health care funding they receive from the federal government. The Liberals aren’t doing that.
Loblaws Is Crushing Canadians With High Food Prices — While Raking in Enormous Profits
“Let them eat price gouging” appears to be grocery giant Loblaws’ response to the rising number of food-insecure Canadians. The company blames supply chain issues and inflation for soaring grocery costs — yet is posting stratospheric profits.
Organizing a Union? Yes, There’s an App for That.
We are rightly skeptical of apps because the tech industry has plundered the commons, but a new app for union organizing should be given the opportunity to demonstrate proof of concept. Anything that makes union organizing easier has the potential to do good.
Justin Trudeau Loves Outsourcing Government Work to Neoliberal Cutthroats
Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has outsourced billions of dollars’ worth of contracts, including $100 million to McKinsey. Instead of shoveling money into the private sector, the Liberals could make the novel choice of investing in state capacity.
The Rich’s Search for the Key to Immortality Is Harmful to the Rest of Us
Many oligarchs are convinced that eternal life is a class birthright. It doesn’t matter that the elixir of life everlasting is likely a fantasy — it’s the quest itself that results in social and legal architecture that gives the rich unacceptable power.
The Robots Won’t Save Us Until We Control the Means of Production
Automated robot landlords are here to make the wealthy even wealthier, reminding us that advances in technology always benefit the rich. But it doesn’t have to be that way — with workers at the helm, technological gains could be distributed equally.
Canadian Businesses Took Pandemic Benefits to the Bank and Left Workers Holding the Bag
Employers took billions from the Canadian government in wage support funds, and many of them continued to pay CEOs millions and issue dividends. Yet the government is now looking for payback from workers, not bosses.
Justin Trudeau’s Canada Is Cozying Up to the Fossil Fuel Industry to Fight the Climate Crisis
Canada’s Trudeau government touts the country as a climate champion. COP27, where Canada was the only OECD country to have fossil fuel delegates in tow, offered a more telling snapshot of the government’s priorities.
Canada Has a Trust Problem. Spoiler: It’s Because of Class Conflict.
A recently released public opinion poll points to low and dropping trust in Canada across areas of concern. But trust doesn’t just disappear — low trust is the inevitable result of capitalist depredation leaving working people in a constant state of struggle.
Canada’s Liberals Expect the Working Class to Bear the Brunt of the Economic Downturn
Other than suspending student loan interest, Canada’s fall economic statement promises next to nothing for workers. Bloodless technocratic tinkering is never enough, but during times of crisis, leaving structural change off the table is indefensible.
Cory Doctorow Wants You to Fight Big Tech
We talked to author and activist Cory Doctorow about his new book, Chokepoint Capitalism, copyright scams, surveillance capitalism, the lies of Big Tech, and the fight for the freedom to create.
Canada’s Leftists to the NDP: “Turn Down the Suck, Turn Up the Good”
In the last few decades, Canada’s New Democratic Party has moved away from socialist politics and grassroots democracy. The party is now languishing. But turning back to its socialist roots could help revive the NDP.
Canadian Conservatives Are Leaning Into Their Own Brand of Identity Politics
The Canadian right has committed to its own brand of angry identity politics, pitting “regular” folks against the depredations of elites. The Left has to fight back with a class politics opposing economic exploitation — not its own version of tribalism.
Mass Surveillance Is Bad News for Privacy — and Democracy
Canada is reviewing its privacy legislation, and its facial recognition technologies are under scrutiny. It’s well past time to strictly regulate their usage by both public and private actors.