The Tories Want Cash for Drones and Cuts for Workers
By proposing defense spending increases alongside a pay freeze for workers at a time of massive economic pain, the Tories have revealed their priorities: war before workers’ well-being.
20378 Article(s) 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
Australian War Crimes in Afghanistan Are the Product of an Endless War for Profit
Last week, the Brereton Report documented terrible atrocities committed by Australian forces in Afghanistan. The political establishment has feigned shock at the revelations, but complicity in these crimes goes all the way to the top.
When Automation Meets a Draconian Border Regime
As tech companies tighten their grip on power, sci-fi visions of the future are proliferating. In Alex Rivera’s film Sleep Dealer, automation meets the hyper-militarization of borders, only increasing exploitation. It’s a techno-dystopia alarmingly imaginable today.
Eight Hundred Pennsylvania Nurses Went on Strike This Week. Now They’re Locked Out.
Nurses at St. Mary Medical Center have been dealing with understaffing, long hours, low pay, and a lack of protective equipment throughout the pandemic. This past week, they decided to go on strike to push their hospital to take measures needed to keep patients safe.
The Biden Campaign’s Decision Not To Knock on Doors Was a Huge Mistake
The Biden campaign’s decision to forsake door-to-door canvassing may have cost Democrats dearly in down-ballot races. It was emblematic of the party’s disastrous abandonment of face-to-face organizing.
Brazil’s Largest City May Soon Have a Socialist Mayor
Brazil is still dominated by Jair Bolsonaro’s unhinged reactionary politics. Which makes it all the more incredible that the leftist housing organizer Guilherme Boulos recently defied all expectations by making it to a runoff in São Paulo’s upcoming mayoral election.
The Class War at Walmart
CEOs at companies like Walmart and McDonald’s continue to pull down multimillion-dollar salaries while their workers’ wages stagnate. And the whole system is underwritten by what amounts to a massive public subsidy.
Stephen Kotkin’s Stalin Is a Distorting Mirror of the Russian Revolution
Stephen Kotkin aspires to give us the definitive picture of Stalin — and to bury socialism with his crimes. But Kotkin’s political outlook, neglect of ideas, and addiction to hindsight warp his presentation of Russian and Soviet history, undermining his entire project.
Meatpacking Bosses in Iowa Allegedly Organized a Betting Pool on How Many Workers Would Get COVID
A new lawsuit charges that bosses at an Iowa meatpacking plant set up a game to bet on how many workers there would contract COVID. The tyranny and cruelty of the American workplace knows no bounds.
The Labour Party’s Membership Is in Revolt Against Keir Starmer
All across Britain last night, local Labour Parties passed motions opposing Keir Starmer’s decision to deny Jeremy Corbyn the Labour whip — the broadest rebellion against Starmer’s leadership to date. A civil war within Labour is escalating.
The Mexican Revolution Is Not Dead
The Mexican Revolution erupted 110 years ago today, as ordinary Mexicans rebelled against despotism and inequality. Before it was over, the country’s agrarian oligarchy had been destroyed.
Brazil’s Recent Election Was a Blow to Jair Bolsonaro
The political situation in Brazil remains quite reactionary, even after Jair Bolsonaro’s party lost ground in Sunday’s election. But the far-right president’s violent agenda took a hit — and that’s worth celebrating.
Elder Care Should Not Be About Making Profits
COVID-19 has exposed the catastrophic failure of Ontario’s private long-term care facilities. We urgently need a system of elder care that’s universal and publicly funded.
Biden’s Immigration Moves Are Making a Mockery of His Vow to “Heal the Nation’s Soul”
Joe Biden’s most consistent pledge since launching his campaign in 2019 has been to “heal the soul of the nation” after four years of Donald Trump. Yet on immigration, he’s already signaling alarming continuity with the most outwardly racist part of Trump’s agenda.
Joe Biden Should Take a Hard Look at What Obama Did in 2009 — And Do Exactly the Opposite
The incoming Biden administration risks repeating the catastrophic policy failures of the past decade. Deficit cutting won’t help ordinary Americans struggling amid the crisis — but direct relief and increased federal spending will.
Anna Seghers, a Writer Who Defended the Wretched of the Earth
Born this day in 1900, Anna Seghers was one of Germany’s great modern writers, an internationalist and anti-fascist through the darkest hours in German history. Her works are a monument to the dignity of the oppressed.
Tucker Carlson Calls Himself a Populist. He Has No Problem Taking Private Equity Money.
Tucker Carlson pitches himself as a tribune of the people. But new documents reveal that he and other media elites get paid top dollar to speak at fancy conferences hosted by private equity firms, some of the most rapacious, anti-worker actors in American capitalism.
Canceling Student Debt Is Very Good. Biden Won’t Do It Unless We Make Him.
Joe Biden is backing a minuscule student debt relief plan that would leave millions in debt while giving private lenders a bailout. We need to abolish all student debt, plain and simple.
The Success of the Australian Greens in Queensland Shows the Power of Organization
In Queensland’s recent state election, the Australian Greens doubled their representation — proving that a clear left-wing platform, backed up by patient organizing, can build an alternative to neoliberal politics.
The COVID Vaccine Must Be Universally Available. Anything Less Is Immoral.
It appears that an effective COVID-19 vaccine may be on the horizon. But the profit-making of Big Pharma is threatening what should be a basic principle: that the vaccine is universally available, not just in rich countries but across the Global South.