Against “Anti-Corruption”
If the Left is serious about wielding and transforming state power, it needs to go beyond a moralistic understanding of corruption.
20414 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
The Party Transformed
Labour’s conference showcased a party preparing for government. But the vibrant mood also expressed the strengthening of conference’s role itself.
Socialists Can Seize the Moment at Amazon
Amazon plays a key role in the twenty-first-century economy and has shown it’s vulnerable to pressure. Socialists should get jobs there and organize.
A Revolution at Risk
The revolution in Rojava — founded on principles of anticapitalism, Kurdish self-determination, and women’s liberation — is at risk of being wiped out. And the Trump administration may just turn its back.
The Trump Administration’s Climate Nihilism
Trump administration officials now admit that climate disaster is real and on its way soon — they just don’t care.
The Bolsonaro Effect
What it means that a far-right fascist sympathizer is a leading candidate in Brazil’s presidential election this Sunday.
Seattle, “the Soviet of Washington”
Decades before Amazon dominated the city, Seattle was the fiery site of labor unrest, radical action — and the US’s only true general strike.
“The Courts Are Political”
Legal scholar Jedediah Purdy talks about Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court’s looming crisis of legitimacy, and how the Left can take advantage of that crisis.
Give Money to Workers, Not Billionaires
Socialist legislator Lee Carter on why what currently passes for “economic development” in states like Virginia is actually just a massive giveaway to corporations — and why we should promote worker co-ops instead.
Avocado Toasts for All
The recent tendency to boil class down to consumption habits and taste in food is tiresome and unsound.
Pointing the Finger at Jeff Bezos Worked
Jeff Bezos raised Amazon’s starting wage to $15 because of pressure from workers and Bernie Sanders — showing how, even when workers and socialists are weak, we can win against the most powerful people in the world.
“Brazilian Inequality Is Female”
Brazilian vice-presidential candidate Manuela D’Ávila on misogyny in politics, the ruling class’s motivations for keeping Lula jailed, and what’s driving the far right’s resurgence.
The Communist Party vs. China’s Labor Laws
President Xi Jinping’s support of a recent crackdown on workers’ attempts to organize a union is part of a broader centralization of power and repression of basic rights.
Rise of a Monster
In the new memoir of Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France’s Front National, the powerful currents of resentment and authoritarianism that animate the far right are well on display.
Workers’ Only True Weapon
Strikes are essential for workers, which is why Cynthia Nixon pushed to legalize them for New York public-sector workers. That stance threatened bosses’ interests — which is why Andrew Cuomo, Bill de Blasio, and even some union leaders pushed to keep them illegal.
Governing Without Ideas
Labour’s conference showed a party confident in its answers to Britain’s economic woes. The Tory equivalent has exposed a government bereft of ideas.
John McCain and the Question of “Honor”
John McCain doesn’t deserve our praise. But his sense of “honor” resonated with many, even those who abhorred his politics. We can’t ignore it.
Austerity By Paperwork
Complicated eligibility requirements are meant to undermine social programs. Arkansas just proved how well they work with its new Medicaid rules.
Learning from the New Communist Movement
Socialists today don’t have to reinvent the wheel — we can learn from the successes and failures of past American radicals, including the New Communist Movement.
The Hospital That Held a City Hostage
The infuriating saga of UPMC, Pittsburgh’s abusive, profit-hungry hospital giant, is a cautionary tale. The lesson? Private economic power must be subjected to democratic control.