Letters + #JacobinPitches
Jacobin troll Donald Hughes (@getfiscal) has been pitching us every week for two years. We’ve compiled some of the best, and our responses, without edits.
Search Result(s) for: “Climate Change”
Scott Morrison Isn’t the Australian Trump — He’s a Margaret Thatcher Tribute Band
Australian PM Scott Morrison is often compared to Donald Trump. Morrison is certainly a race-baiter who serves the rich, but his brand of reheated “populism” borrows far more from Britain’s Margaret Thatcher and former PM John Howard. Unfortunately, it’s not dead yet.
“To Fight Unemployment, We Have to Fight Capitalism”
The COVID-19 crisis has hit South Africa's poor and working-class majority hard, with the government favoring the rich over the unemployed. Our friends at Africa Is a Country spoke with three South African organizers of the unemployed, who are fighting for decent public services — and a basic income.
Why Capitalism and Feminism Can’t Coexist
Feminism is about fighting for a good life for everyone, regardless of gender, race, or income. We can’t achieve that under capitalism.
The Green Transition Can’t Be an Excuse to Fire Workers
German engineering giant Bosch is mounting massive layoffs in the name of adapting to the electric car market. But workers insist the move is really about increasing profits — and climate protesters have joined the fight to save their jobs.
No, Carbon Taxes Aren’t Socialist
Carbon taxes are an industry-friendly approach to climate catastrophe. They can't deliver climate justice.
Gene Sharp, the Cold War Intellectual Whose Ideas Seduced the Left
Gene Sharp has been called the most important American political figure you’ve never heard of. How did a militant Cold Warrior come to wield so much influence in protest movements from Venezuela to the Middle East?
In Sweden, the Barriers Against the Far Right Are Collapsing
The far-right Sweden Democrats were the big winners in yesterday’s general election, rising to second place. Rooted in neo-Nazism, the party is blatantly racist — but the established parties seem less determined than ever to confront it.
Labour Wants to Free Us From the Market
The Labour Party announced today that in the next election, it will fight for Universal Basic Services, making public services free at the point of use and universally accessible. It’s a landmark in the fight to curb the influence of the market over our lives.
The Reconciliation Bill’s Gutting Is What Happens When Your Party Is Addicted to Corporate Money
The almost complete destruction of Democrats’ agenda in the reconciliation bill suggests that, despite some rhetoric to the contrary, the party is still intent on fulfilling Joe Biden’s promise to donors that “nothing would fundamentally change.”
Public Power in a Green City
The fight for renewable energy cannot hinge simply on a shift from fossil fuels to solar and wind power. In cities like New York, the fight for democratized clean energy has begun.
The Year of Resistance, Inc.
Throughout 2017, business leaders wagged their fingers at Trump with one hand while quietly accepting handouts with the other.
An Authoritarian Bromance
Trump and Bolsonaro aren’t just united by their shared prejudices, but by a sense of common purpose.
Tomorrow, Milwaukee Could Elect a New Generation of Sewer Socialists
Three democratic socialists are on the ballot tomorrow in Milwaukee, a city with a long history of socialist municipal government. We interviewed them about what their socialist vision for the city looks like.
Democrats Learned to Love Class Dealignment
The neoliberal economic program embraced by the Clinton-era Democratic Party alienated many working-class voters. Democrats responded by reorienting their electoral strategy toward professional-class voters, accelerating workers’ departure from the party.
The Bangladesh Protest Movement Won Out Against Repression
Mass protests in Bangladesh ousted Sheikh Hasina after state repression left hundreds dead. But an interim government headed by microcredit guru Muhammad Yunus can’t be relied on to tackle the dire social problems facing the country’s popular classes.
Joe Biden Promised Change. He Hasn’t Delivered.
From immigration and foreign policy to the pandemic and climate, Joe Biden promised a break with the policies of the Donald Trump era. What we've mostly gotten, however, is a change in rhetoric and the status quo in substance.
A Plan B for Our Planet
Neoliberal president Macron’s fuel tax hike has sparked six months of protests. But for France Insoumise’s Danièle Obono, the gilets jaunes and climate marchers aren’t on opposing sides: they both want the rich to pay for climate chaos.
Parts From Hell
The automobile industry takes massive risks with workers' and consumers' lives every day.
Only Labor Can Force Canadian Pension Funds to Divest From Oil
One of Canada’s largest institutional investors, responsible for managing billions of dollars in workers’ pensions, has committed to fossil fuel divestment. It’s a good step — but without pressure from the labor movement, these promises will mean nothing.