The Radicalism of Charles Dickens
In his literary works, Charles Dickens told the story of a society blighted by inequality — and the cruelty of a ruling class which kept so many living in grinding poverty.
19140 Articles by: Jonathan Sas
Jonathan Sas has worked in senior policy and political roles in government, think tanks, and the labor movement. He is an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, National Post, the Tyee, and Maisonneuve.
Abolish Inherited Wealth
Allowing wealth to accumulate from one generation to another is a recipe for unacceptable inequalities. We should abolish inherited wealth.
Kowtowing to Egypt’s Military Regime Is Letting It Get Away With Murder
Italian prosecutors have called for four Egyptian security agents to be tried for the 2016 kidnapping and murder of labor researcher Giulio Regeni in Cairo. Their appeal follows years in which Egyptian authorities have frustrated efforts to find the killers — and the Italian government has turned a blind eye, for the sake of good relations with Al-Sisi’s military regime.
Slavoj Žižek: We Need a Socialist Reset, Not a Corporate “Great Reset”
Slavoj Žižek writes in Jacobin today that we’ve been given a choice between a return to the old exploitative normality and a post-COVID corporate “Great Reset” that promises to be even worse. We need a real alternative, a socialist reset that can win justice for all and save the planet from climate apocalypse.
Senate Democrats Could Have Defied Mitch McConnell on $2,000 Checks. They Chose Not to.
Democrats and Beltway pundits helped Mitch McConnell undermine Bernie Sanders’s push for direct aid to millions of Americans facing eviction, starvation, and bankruptcy through $2,000 checks. Even for a party that is constantly disappointing, Democrats’ complete capitulation to McConnell and austerity ideology was shockingly pathetic.
Enzo Mari (1932–2020)
Italian designer Enzo Mari insisted that design wasn’t a game or a hobby, but a battle over the production process itself. His “design-it-yourself” encouraged workers to reclaim their ability to think for themselves — and not just execute other people’s plans.
Bernie Sanders Is Right, Larry Summers Is Wrong
Economist Larry Summers helped Bill Clinton deregulate finance in the ’90s and pushed Barack Obama to scale back economic stimulus after 2008. Now he’s unhappy with Bernie Sanders’s championing of a $2,000 stimulus check. It’s a useful reminder of how destructive Democratic Party neoliberalism can be.
The Fight for Medicare for All Made Some Important Progress in 2020
The fight for Medicare for All is one of the most important in the United States today. And despite the many horrors of 2020, the movement demanding an end to our privatized health system actually made some headway this year.
Noam Chomsky: Fight the Class Struggle or Get it in the Neck
As Noam Chomsky puts it in a recent interview, “unless working people take part in the class struggle, they’re going to get it in the neck.”
Yes, the World’s Richest Nation Can Afford $2,000 Survival Checks
Jeff Bezos’s personal wealth increased more every second of 2020 ($2,800) than Congress is considering giving Americans who are facing eviction, starvation, and bankruptcy ($2,000).
The Lies Won’t End After Trump Leaves Office
The lies that have destroyed trust in US institutions didn’t begin with Donald Trump’s presidency, and they will not end with them. From the tobacco industry to fossil fuel companies and the military-industrial complex, the American people have been peddled bullshit for generations.
Ending Poverty in the United States Would Actually Be Pretty Easy
In the wealthiest country in the world, there’s no reason anyone should be poor. Period.
The Demand for Student Debt Cancellation Should Be Paired With Tuition-Free Public College
The demand to cancel student debt is vital, but it would be politically dangerous to let it get detached from a broader left vision for higher education. We should unite it with another key working class demand: tuition-free public college and trade school.
Georgians Are Starving — And Their Millionaire Senators Refuse to Force a Vote on Aid
Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue could actually force a Senate vote on $2,000 checks for almost two thirds of Georgia households. After all, their state is in the middle of a calamity. Instead, they are issuing belated, meek platitudes.
Bernie Sanders Is Fighting for a $2,000 Check for You on the Senate Floor
Bernie Sanders is prepared to fight to win $2,000 survival checks for all. While Senate Democrats were prepared to do nothing to challenge Mitch McConnell, Sanders is pledging to filibuster a Pentagon veto override to provide real help for millions of Americans struggling to survive.
Argentine Feminists Are About to Win the Fight for Abortion Rights
After years of militant struggle from feminists, Argentina is now poised to legalize abortion rights. With the upper house expected to pass the abortion bill today, nineteen-year-old legislator and activist Ofelia Fernández spoke to Jacobin about the dynamism of Argentina’s Green Tide activism and what comes next.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon Is Launching a Fresh Bid for the French Presidency
In 2017’s French election, radical left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon surged to 20 percent support, only narrowly failing to make the runoff. Last month he announced his candidacy for the 2022 race — and he’s trying to show that his France Insoumise movement can govern as well as protest.
After Years of Mass Organizing, Argentina Could Legalize Abortion Tomorrow
After its lower house of Congress voted yes earlier this month, Argentina’s upper house will vote tomorrow on legalizing abortion. The campaign could not have arrived at this point without years of mass feminist organizing in the streets.
Mitch McConnell Is Accountable to Corporations – Not the People Who Elected Him
House Republicans and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell represent voters who are disproportionately struggling — yet they’re blocking $2,000 survival checks. It’s American politics in a nutshell.
Austerity Is Looming in New York. Is Ray McGuire the Mayor to Carry It Out?
As New York City prepares for another historic wave of austerity, Ray McGuire has become a favorite of the city’s business and media establishments. A former Citigroup vice chairman and man-about–Wall Street is exactly the kind of figure who puts them at ease.