New York Is Finally Taxing the Rich
After a serious extra-parliamentary campaign in which DSA and newly elected socialist legislators figured prominently, the New York State legislature just passed the most progressive budget in years.
20988 Article(s) by: Wouter van de Klippe
Wouter van de Klippe is a freelance journalist and writer based in Europe. He is particularly interested in organized labor, social and environmental justice, and social welfare states.
In the Face of Massacres, Workers in Myanmar Are Still Fighting the Coup
Myanmar’s coup government has slaughtered workers for launching general strikes against the junta — but workers have doubled down, calling for comprehensive sanctions against the military. We talked to two leaders of the strikes.
Socialists and Organized Labor Are Uniting to Change Pro-Boss Labor Laws
To fight for historic worker rights legislation, the PRO Act, major unions and the Democratic Socialists of America are joining forces like never before.
In Northern France, A Divided Left Is Finally Coming Together
No one on the French left wants the 2022 presidential election to be another contest between Macron and Le Pen, yet its own forces remain deeply divided. A left-wing alliance for the Hauts-de-France regional election is making parties like the Greens and France Insoumise put aside their differences — but also highlights the difficulties of forming any common strategy for national politics.
The Defeat at Amazon and the Union Fights to Come
The union loss in Bessemer, Alabama against Amazon was a crushing defeat. It’s a reflection of a disjunction between “laborism,” the intellectual and activist infrastructure supportive of organized labor, and the labor movement itself.
When Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin Thrilled Manchester Factory Workers
After becoming the first man in space, in July 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin accepted an invitation to visit factory workers in Manchester. Gagarin delighted them by saying he was proud to be a worker — and that the collective endeavor that put him in orbit was also needed on Earth.
Capitalists Have Never Been Friends of Democracy
Capitalists are sometimes accommodating of electoral democracy. But at no point in history have capitalists ever accepted the outcome of elections that might threaten capitalist property relations.
Boris Johnson Wants to Make British Imperialism Great Again
Boris Johnson wants the UK to spend more on arms and reassert its “global role.” Along with a government clampdown on anti-racist organizing, his strategy is clear — imperial grandstanding and the crushing of dissent.
A New Union of Musicians Is Taking on Spotify
Over the last decade, streaming services like Spotify have become increasingly dominant, sucking up all the profits at the expense of the musicians who make the work. Now, the newly formed Union for Musicians and Allied Workers is mobilizing to ensure musicians receive the royalties they’re owed.
Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin Had the Right Stuff
Sixty years ago today, Yuri Gagarin became the first man to leave our planet. The space race was inseparable from Cold War rivalry, but it also stands out as an inspiring example of what humanity can achieve through grand collective projects that aren’t geared to private profit.
In Australia, the Wangan and Jagalingou Nation Is Standing Against the Disastrous Carmichael Coal Mine
With support from the Australian government, the Adani corporation is pushing ahead with an environmentally destructive coal mine in Queensland. But the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land, the Wangan and Jagalingou nation, are waging a determined fight to stop them.
Q: Into the Storm Exposes the QAnon Conspiracy and Its Toxic Roots
HBO’s QAnon documentary has been criticized for its hands-off approach to its subjects, who include some of the most reactionary characters on the internet. But the film is a deft portrayal how a dangerous conspiracy theory could emerge from the internet’s fever swamps and cause real world damage.
From Posting to Politics
The Left has no choice but to engage in organizing and propagandizing online. But we also have to understand that online organizing is not capable of building the kind of solidarity or coordination our politics demand.
Italy’s New “Pro-European” Government Is Intensifying the War on Migrants
When former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi was appointed Italy’s prime minister, he was widely hailed as a pro-European bulwark against the populist right. Yet the first weeks of his government have seen a wave of attacks against migrant rescue NGOs and refugees.
Revisiting the Life and Intellectual Legacy of Primo Levi
The author, anti-fascist partisan, and Nazi death camp survivor Primo Levi died on this day in 1987. His life and the cautious Enlightenment ideology he advanced in his work, Enzo Traverso writes, told the story of the twentieth century and its battles.
Justin Trudeau Hasn’t Delivered On His Pledge to Establish Public Pharmacare
Canada’s public health system is often seen as a model for the US. When it comes to pharmacare, however, Canada imitates its neighbor’s lousy practices, and Justin Trudeau has broken his pledge to establish a public prescription system that would be more just and more efficient.
Daniel Hale Blew the Whistle on the US’s Illegal Drone Program. He’s a Hero, Not a Criminal.
Former intelligence analyst Daniel Hale is being prosecuted for blowing the whistle on America’s drone program. It’s the latest in the topsy-turvy world of national security whistleblowers, who reveal illegal and immoral conduct by the US military yet face prison time as if they committed the real crimes.
France’s Far Right Is Setting the Agenda Because the Mainstream Allows It To
Ahead of the 2022 election, French media are presenting an inevitable duel between incumbent Emmanuel Macron and the “populist” Marine Le Pen. Yet for decades we’ve seen how this liberal framing fuels far-right talking points — echoing Le Pen’s false claim to stand for those “left behind” against the status quo.
Joe Manchin Took Corporate Cash — Now He’s Defending Corporate Interests
West Virginia senator Joe Manchin’s opposition to increasing the corporate tax rate benefits the legal services industry that bankrolled his election bids. It’s simple — Democrats need to pick between pro-working-class legislation and the business interests they’re aligned with.
Amazon Can Only Claim Their Jobs Are Decent Because American Work Has Gotten So Miserable
Amazon maims its workers and drives wages down, yet the company still attracts job applicants and claims to provide “good jobs.” Those claims were strong enough to play a role in the defeat of a union effort in Bessemer, Alabama — but that says less about Amazon than it does about the miserable state of the labor market.