Leftnews.org » Discussions

4th North-Atlantic Left Dialogue Seminar in Toronto December 1-4, 2011

Faiz — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:19:58 +0000

Public Dialogue
Situations: The Left’s Responses to the Crisis in Europe & North America

Leo Panitch, Stephanie Ross, Albert Scharenberg, Bill Fletcher

December 1, 7 PM
Wilson Hall, Room 1016

New College, University of Toronto
40 Willcocks Street, at the corner of Spadina.
Free admission

For info: northatlanticld@gmail.com
Left Dialogue Blog

Sponored by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the Centre for Social Justice, and the Socialist Project.

How a millionaire got the working-class vote in Toronto

Jeff — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:23:21 +0000

Rabble.ca | By Lorraine Chisholm | Millionaires Rob Ford and Don Cherry painted themselves as blue-collar guys at Ford’s inauguration in early December. Brian Topp says they are a lot smarter than progressives give them credit for.

“Imperialism with a Human Face”: Tariq Ali discusses Barack Obama & Tony Blair for French media

Jeff — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:49:39 +0000

By Tariq Ali | Source: Mediapart [via Znet]

What is to be Done: A New Left Strategy

Jeff — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 19:35:36 +0000

The following are three brief, consecutive contributions by Rick Wolff, on this topic, presented to a workshop organized by the North Atlantic Left Dialogue in Berlin, Germany, November 20-21, 2010.

Are we living in the end times?

Jeff — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:41:58 +0000

Slavoj Zizek, the philosopher and cultural critic, on the collapse of society and the failure of capitalism. | Riz Khan | Al-Jazeera English

York University Conference Announcement: “Crisis of Capital, Crisis of Theory” – October 29-31

Faiz — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:23:37 +0000

This is the first in a conference series organized by the Forum on Capital as Power and sponsored by Routledge and Springer. The present meetings explore the dual crisis of capital and theory. There are 21 scheduled presentations, including keynote addresses by Herman Scwhartz and Randall Germain and guest presentations by George Comninel, Leo Panitch, David McNally and Jonathan Nitzan. The conference closes with a roundtable interrogation of capital, power and the future of political economy. Attendance is free and all are welcome.

DATE/TIME/PLACE:

October 29-31, 2010 || York Lanes, Rooms 280N & 280A || Keele Campus of York University

Public Discussion at York University: The Failures of Israel’s Military Court System – Criminalization of Human Rights Defenders

Faiz — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:57:30 +0000

Wednesday October 27th, 2010, 12:30pm – 2pm
Founders College 305, Senior Common Room

Representing Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Association, Mr. Ala Jaradat will discuss contemporary issues facing Palestinian political prisoners including the failures of Israel’s military court system, widespread use of administrative detention and the arrest and ill-treatment of children and human rights defenders in the oPt (occupied Palestinian territory). Of importance, Mr. Jaradat will highlight Addameer’s research on cases of arrest and detention of Palestinian, international and Israeli human rights defenders involved in demonstrating against the illegal construction of the Wall and against Israel’s human rights violations in East Jerusalem.

“The British Foreign Office last night expressed concern over a one-year prison sentence handed down by a military court to Abdallah Abu Rahma, a leader of unarmed anti-occupation protests in the West Bank.”

Chris Hedges on Tensions Between the West and the Muslim World

Jeff — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:23:40 +0000

Video from Al-Jazeera: Empire special – Islam and America

Capitalism and the State

Jeff — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:24:20 +0000

DIE LINKE (the Left Party) [of Germany] has initiated a debate on its draft party program, which it wishes to officially adopt in Autumn 2011. Neues Deutschland is joining this debate with a series of articles. In the Neues Deutschland article published on 9 August 2010, Michael Heinrich tackles the issue of the relationship between capital and the state and asks whether the “system change” proclaimed in the draft program is meant seriously.

The next society

Jeff — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:34:23 +0000

Thinking about the future is something the left has always done. A basic precept is that the next society is already emerging out of the old society. This is what I see could happen in Canada. | Duncan Cameron | rabble.ca

Stanford vs Watson on Industrial Policy

Jeff — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:35:17 +0000

From a debate at the Progressive Economics Forum.

We love the Queen … perhaps a little too much

Jeff — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:04:20 +0000

When it comes to feelings about the monarchy, apathy is the Canadian way. The most recent poll, conducted in honour of the ongoing royal visit, found that almost half of Canadians believe the monarchy is “a relic of our colonial past that has no place in Canada today.” | Leah McLaren | The Globe and [...]

In the Aftermath of the G20: Reflections on Strategy, Tactics and Militancy

Jeff — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:22:22 +0000

The events at the Saturday G20 demonstration in Toronto last week have provoked a series of responses already. This article is not meant to review the events of the day itself, but to look at the questions raised by the demonstrations and tactics used for the left. | Ritch Whyman

Tasha Kheiriddin: Today’s anarchists are just cowards in black clothing | National Post Commentary

Jeff — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:12:39 +0000

A friend drew my attention to this op-ed. Opinions, responses? Click on “comment” and get the discussion going.

Fightback mobilization for the G20

Geoff — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:10:43 +0000

Fightback is fully mobilizing for the G20 and is sponsoring a series of events:

Latin America Challenges the G8: Danger of new conflicts
Sat June 20th: 10am – 12noon
Victoria Building, Room 209, Ryerson University, 285 Victoria Street

Iran: From Military Threat to Revolution
Sat June 20th: 4pm – 5pm
Victoria Building, Room 202, Ryerson University, 285 Victoria Street

Fight Back Against the G20
Sat June 26th: 7pm – 9pm
Imperial Pub, back room, 54 Dundas Street East

In addition to these events we will have a table at the People’s Summit for the weekend June 20th-21st 9am-5pm. Come by and see us at the “Community Commons” in the Hub Cafeteria, Ryerson University Podium Building, 350 Victoria Street.

On Saturday 26th July, the main day of protest against the G20, we will have a permanent tent set up at Queens Park 9am-5pm. Join us in our fight against the G20 agenda. We wont pay for the bosses’ crisis! For a socialist alternative to capitalist austerity!

fightback@marxist.ca
Fight Back Against the G20!

US Perspectives 2010 | IMT

Geoff — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:29:31 +0000

This document was drafted in the Spring of 2010, and discussed, amended, and approved at the May 2010 National Congress of the Workers International League. A new phase is opening up in U.S. politics and the Labor Movement as American workers find their backs against the wall and have no option but to fight back.

Linguistic feud under way in legal community | G&M

Jeff — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:41:53 +0000

Private member’s bill that would require future Supreme Court justices to be bilingual divides legal scholars | This article also contains other links to some opinion pieces on the topic. These bring to mind a question: What should the stance of the progressive left and socialist left be on the matter of official languages? Consider the discussion open. Any takers? Please post comments.

Opinion: Ann Coulter’s ‘free speech’ is not like yours

ac — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:49:07 +0000

“The “isms” words (racism, sexism, anti-semitism) refer to power relations that are historic and embedded, and these relations do not flip back and forth. The same groups that have historically held power in the US and Canada, continue to do so.”

“University of Ottawa students embody the spirit of student activism. Thank you, students.

Özlem Sensoy, Assistant Professor
Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University ”

– Neil MacDonald’s opinion falls far short of the analytical power of Sensoy.

Brown promises big changes to House of Lords | G&M

Jeff — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:40:03 +0000

“British PM promises to abolish appointed legislature, replace it with U.S.-style elected Senate, if re-elected”.
What does this mean for Canadians and our upper house. The BNA Act of 1867 says that Canada shall have a “Constitution similar in Principle to that of the United Kingdom”. Most Canadians support and elected Senate. Will reform be far behind?
It is also strange that Brown is not proposing an upper house constituted on the federal principle – that each county would have the same number of seats, or that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would have a (more) equal number of seats. These are questions that the British people should be allowed to discuss and decide on.

The Current Conjuncture: Short-run and Middle-run Projections | MR Zine

Faiz — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:12:10 +0000

Also see Organizing for the Anti-Capitalist Transition | MR Zine