Cuba’s Gay Rights Vote Is a Victory for Socialist Values
A referendum to end discrimination against gay couples in marriage and adoption just won big in Cuba. That’s a victory for the core values underlying the socialist project.
19352 Articles by: William G. Martin
William G. Martin teaches at SUNY-Binghamton and is co-author of After Prisons? Freedom, Decarceration, and Justice Disinvestment (2016) and a founding member of Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier; he covers local justice matters at www.justtalk.blog
In Their Zeal to Destroy Unions, Starbucks and Amazon Aren’t Worried About Breaking the Law
The National Labor Relations Board has repeatedly ruled that Starbucks and Amazon’s union busting is against the law. Yet both companies seem intent on continuing to flagrantly break labor law in the hopes of breaking their fledgling unions.
The Rumors Are False — Neoliberalism Is Alive and Well
Recent announcements of neoliberalism’s demise in the wake of the pandemic are mistaken. Ending neoliberalism will require purposeful effort and struggle, not just economic and political crises.
Will Canada’s NDP Fight Right-Wing “Pro-Worker” Populism With Actual Class War?
Pierre Poilievre, the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, presents himself as a friend of the working class. Some New Democrats claim they’ll fight Poilievre’s rhetoric with class war, but is the party up for it?
A Congressman Openly Admitted to Corrupt, Revolving-Door Hiring During a Televised Hearing
How comfortable are sitting members of Congress with broadcasting brazen corruption to the world? Well, during a televised hearing, Indiana representative Trey Hollingsworth gushed thanks to Bank of America’s CEO for hiring his top aide.
Jair Bolsonaro’s Hard-Right Populism Is Horrifying. But He Didn’t Come From Nowhere.
Rise of the Bolsonaros, a new documentary chronicling Jair Bolsonaro’s ascent, makes for compelling viewing. But it ignores the fact that Brazil’s crises are rooted in its flawed developmental model, not just the rise of a family of reactionary zealots.
Puerto Rico Needs Public Power, Not More Disastrous Privatization
Puerto Rico is still reeling in the wake of Hurricane Fiona, with hundreds of thousands without electricity. Energy privatization has made the problem worse — and the solution, historically, has been to fight it in the streets.
Anti-Poverty Programs Work, and the Pandemic Is Proof
A new analysis from the Economic Policy Institute shows what the Left has always argued: that our best tool in the fight against poverty is redistributive social spending.
Italy’s Lega Is a Party of and for Business
Italian far-right leader Giorgia Meloni’s biggest ally is the Lega party. Like Fratelli d’Italia, it’s an anti-immigrant party — but it has built its base promising to defend Italian business from globalization.
Rashida Tlaib Is Absolutely Right About Progressives and Israel
Democratic socialist congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is under fire from the Democratic establishment for saying that support for Israel’s apartheid government is incompatible with progressive values. They’re livid that Tlaib is telling the truth.
Don’t Worry Darling Is Dull Female Gothic Aided by Scandal
Director Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling is a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes celebrity scandal, helping to keep an otherwise forgettable film in the public’s consciousness.
A Trader Joe’s Worker Says She Was Fired for Organizing a Union. We Spoke to Her.
The latest union hot spot is a Trader Joe’s in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As at union drives at companies like Starbucks and Amazon, workers say Trader Joe’s has fired a key organizer for union activism. We talked to the fired worker about the campaign.
Nigeria’s Underdevelopment Has Made It a Ripe Target for Capitalist Exploitation
Rich in resources that it exports to the West, Nigeria today is blighted by shocking rates of inequality. With an elite working in the service of foreign capital, Nigerian workers and raw materials are a key site of exploitation for global capitalists.
Fossil Fuel–Backed “Clean Power” Advocates Are Greenwashing Democrats’ Pipeline Deal
A “clean power” group with ties to the fossil fuel industry is touting a new bill, backed by senators Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin, that will accelerate oil and gas pipeline construction — and claiming it as a climate victory.
In Italy’s Deserted Democracy, Far-Right Giorgia Meloni Has Emerged Victorious
Yesterday’s Italian election brought victory for Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d’Italia — and record-low turnout. The opposition between technocrats and the far right is the symptom of a deeper decline.
We Got Arrested Protesting Against King Charles III
Dozens of people were arrested in Britain for taking part in peaceful protests against the new king. Two of them spoke to Jacobin about why they oppose the monarchy — and how the British state trampled on their dissent.
We Can Reimagine Our Systems of Ownership and Control
The Left’s agenda has to include three basic commitments: democratize production, decommodify life’s essentials, and defend the public goods we all hold in common. To do that, we have to transform the very idea of ownership.
Uganda’s Most Popular Musician Is Being Banned Because He Criticized the Government
Uganda’s most popular recording artist of the past decade, Bobi Wine, has endured censorship and the suppression of his music after running an opposition campaign against Uganda’s current president.
A New Lula Presidency Would Be Up Against Steep Odds
Lula currently appears the front-runner in Brazil’s presidential election, a fact that should be celebrated by the Left. But even if Lula wins, the damage Jair Bolsonaro’s right-wing rule has inflicted on the country will be difficult to undo.
Hans-Christian Ströbele Rooted Out Nazis in West Germany’s Legal System
Hans-Christian Ströbele, one of Germany’s best-known Green politicians, passed away in August. He made his name denouncing the Nazis in postwar West Germany’s institutions, countering his country’s self-congratulation over its break with the past.