To Save Democracy, We Need Class Struggle
The historical record is clear: democracy was only won when poor people waged disruptive class struggle against the rich. We’ll need more of it to save democracy today.
19352 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.
“You Don’t Have a Choice. It’s the Moral Thing to Do.”
Brett Payne and Bryan Quinby, hosts of Street Fight Radio, talk about their twisting paths to the Left through punk and libertarianism in suburban Ohio, hating your job and barely making it, and how to prevent angry young white men from going over to the alt right.
We Can Do Way Better Than These Guys
Beto, Buttigieg, and Biden all come from the same mold — they’re empty suits and poll-tested brands. We can and should demand something better.
Why the Clash Matter
Underneath all the kitsch and marketing pomp, the Clash still have something to teach us about art as a site of struggle.
Indonesia’s Carnival of Democracy
Leftist politics in Indonesia have languished ever since the anticommunist massacres of the 1960s. The recent general elections were no exception.
Bring Back the Real Mother’s Day
Today’s version of Mother’s Day is a festival of greeting cards and commercial kitsch. But it began as a radical campaign against militarism and brutality.
How Marxists Are Winning in Belgium
With this month’s European Parliament elections approaching, the media is fixated on the far right. But in Brussels itself, it’s the radical left that’s changing the debate.
Labor in Algeria’s Revolt
Millions-strong demonstrations in Algeria have forced authoritarian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika from office. Independent labor unions are fighting to ensure workers — not military officers — decide what happens next.
A Green New Deal for Europe
Europe’s rising far right want to make the EU elections a vote on defending national identity. For the socialist left, the elections are about defending the planet itself.
Antislavery Wasn’t Mainstream, Until It Was
After Republicans lost their first election in 1856, the nineteenth-century Nate Silvers were happy to declare the antislavery movement a radical, fringe idea. Four years later, Abraham Lincoln won on a radical program of change.
The Hospital Under Medicare for All
Our goal shouldn’t be to lower hospitals’ prices, but to eliminate them entirely. Medicare for All is the way to achieve that.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez Pick a Fight With the Loan Sharks
Bernie Sanders and AOC are pushing for rules that would put payday lenders out of business — and end Wall Street’s business model of exploiting the poor.
Forget Apocalypse Now
It’s the fortieth anniversary of Apocalypse Now’s voyeuristic adventure to the dark side of human nature. But the real victims of the Vietnam War are forgotten in its cheap thrills.
10 Reasons Why Centrists Won’t Save Democracy
The Financial Times thinks Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn are would-be despots. They’re wrong — it’s socialists, not centrists, who will save democracy.
A Video Game Workers’ Walkout
Despite brutal working conditions and massive industry profits, few video game workers have taken collective action on the job. That changed on Monday, when two hundred Riot Games workers walked off the job.
Thankfully, the Democrats Are Playing Hardball With the Left
The Democrats’ congressional campaign arm is trying to blacklist the Left. We welcome their hatred.
From Russiagate to Gunboat Diplomacy
Russiagate hysteria is already being used to push Trump into an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. It’s a disastrous result of a pointless delusion.
Erdoğan’s Civil Coup
Turkey’s recent election saw the ruling party’s control over Istanbul broken. Now, the regime wants a re-do.
The City Is Ours, Not Uber’s
Uber and Lyft drivers have called a one-day strike on the day of Uber’s initial public offering. But their strike is about more than fighting the exploitation of the “sharing economy” — it’s about a right to the city.
Looking Leftward at the South African Elections
Amid mass unemployment and soaring inequality, voters in today’s South African election are getting sick of the ANC’s broken promises. But there’s no real alternative for them in sight.