Piketty Down Under
Australia’s economy, like much of the advanced world’s, is in a neoliberal trap. Austerity and inequality caused it, and only the working class can get us out.
19579 Articles by: Yi San
Yi San is a freelance writer based in New York.
Bernie Wants You to Own More of the Means of Production
Bernie Sanders just released a landmark plan to shift ownership and control of the US economy away from the very affluent and towards workers and the public.
Is This the Future Liberals Want?
In a 2020 campaign against Donald Trump, a bet on Elizabeth Warren is a risky wager on its own terms. But over the next twenty years, a turn toward progressive technocracy is not a bet at all — it’s an unconditional surrender to class dealignment.
Why Chicago Charter Teachers Like Me Are Ready to Strike
Charter schools are used to undercut public school teachers’ wages. Case in point: teachers at Passages Charter School in Chicago make 25 percent less than their public counterparts. A Passages teacher explains why he is willing to strike to change that.
The Border System Is Criminal
The modern border system is an oppressive structure that boosts corporate power and divides the haves and have-nots. We need to dismantle it.
Polish Liberals Embraced Austerity — and the Nationalist Right Is Benefiting
Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice Party is promising a “Polish version of the welfare state.” Liberals are promising more austerity. Guess who’s going to win today’s general election.
Love Remain, Hate Jeremy Corbyn
Britain’s liberal establishment have long damned Jeremy Corbyn for failing to fight hard enough against Brexit. Their hatred for the Labour leader knows no bounds — and they’ll block him becoming prime minister even if it makes Britain crashing out of Europe inevitable.
The Ghost of Jimmy Hoffa Won’t Go Away
Martin Scorsese’s new film The Irishman continues Hollywood’s obsession with the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. We’re more concerned with what happened to Teamster working conditions under his son, James P. Hoffa.
Labour and the Fight for a United Ireland
The border controversy is just the latest episode in the epic of Britain’s political establishment and their willful ignorance of Ireland.
The “Strongest Argument Against Medicare for All” Is Very, Very Weak
The New York Times recently published “the strongest argument against Medicare for All.” We regret to inform you that the argument is, in fact, not strong at all.
Ecological Politics for the Working Class
Solving the ecological crisis requires a mass movement to take on hugely powerful industries. Yet environmentalism’s base in the professional-managerial class and focus on consumption has little chance of attracting working-class support.
Trump Loves Modi — but Obama Loved Him First
Donald Trump has been rightly condemned for his buddy-buddy relationship with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. But it was Barack Obama who helped legitimize the far-right leader in the first place.
The Mainstream Media’s Palace Guard
In theory, punditry is supposed to offer a forum for political analysis and debate from a range of perspectives. In practice, it’s little more than an exercise in defending the self-serving orthodoxies of a privileged few.
We Need More Picket Line Rap Songs Like These
Detroit autoworkers put out excellent rap videos from the GM picket lines supporting the strike. If the working-class movement is going to get stronger, we will need a lot more class-struggle culture like this.
The Banality of Insurgency
AOC and Ilhan Omar’s inspiring victories and brave advocacy helped create a narrative about “fresh-faced insurgents.” But beware: young neoliberals will use the same rhetoric to oust veteran progressives and call them the “establishment.”
#DeleteUber for Good
Uber is rotten to its core. Despite the years of terrible press, it has not changed any of its anti-worker, profit-crazed ways. Uber should be abolished.
We’re Sick of Boris Johnson’s Lies
Boris Johnson is positioning himself for a hard-right election campaign, accusing Parliament of “betrayal” for blocking a no-deal Brexit. But his government is a mess, and people aren’t falling for his lies.
Why Is GM Playing Hardball With UAW?
The United Auto Workers strike against General Motors continues to grind on, now approaching week four. The company has dug in its heels. But so have the workers.
The Joker Melodrama
Melodrama was an ultra-popular entertainment form of the Gilded Age. It seems fitting, then, that in 2019, we have returned to the genre in Joker.
Chicago Educators Are Poised to Strike
The Chicago Teachers Union and SEIU Local 73 are on the verge of a strike. Their demands are focused on improving conditions in classrooms — and they’re willing to walk off the job to make it happen.