Hardcore left feels empowered via Werner Patels - A Dose of Common Sense
Yet another wignut pundit claims Bush is a “socialist” via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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Debating Chavez’s Venezuela via The Natural Society
Last fall I wrote a short article that appeared in the Canadian Student Review on the erosion of economic and political liberalism in Venezuela, and how little Chavez had actually achieved in terms of poverty reduction, equality, and quality of life indicators.Despite an attempt to appeal to both critics and supporters of Chavez, one letter writer felt I was being unfair to the Venezuelan leader. As is customary, I was given the opportunity to respond to his arguments. I'll let you be the judge (it's probably best to read the original article first to get the proper context):The poor and working class of Venezuela have enjoyed noteworthy increases in living standards, especially in the areas of housing, health care, education (especially literacy), and workers’ rights, over the past ten...
Capitalism works via Dr Roy's Thoughts
Marx on religion: Dispelling more myths about socialism via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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Free markets are still the answer via Dr Roy's Thoughts
Government to Canadians: Struggling only makes it harder for you via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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A *Really* Inconvenient Truth: ‘Green capitalism’ is an oxymoron via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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New poll of Canadian corporate elites shows interesting results via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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¡VIVA LA RESIGNACIÓN! via The Natural Society
Published in The Varsity on February 28. To many Cubans, Fidel Castro is the father of their country, a strong, charismatic leader who overthrew the shackles of the corrupt Batista regime of the 1950s and ended American control over the island. To parts of the developing world, he is a symbol of self-government and justice in opposition to political and economic imperialism. Cuban troops and military aid have flowed to revolutionary movements from Angola to Nicaragua. Cuba has sent doctors and other professionals around the world to provide social services in regions that desperately need them. Even in the developed world, Castro has been the darling of the political left, helping to assuage the guilt for enjoying the fruits of an unjust world economy.Since his retirement last Tuesday,...
Just when you think capitalism can’t sink any lower… via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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Communist Party of Canada leader to speak in Ottawa tomorrow via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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Propaganda in Action: More anti-Chavez attacks dressed up as “news” via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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Tariq Ali on Chavez, Venezuela and the struggle against neoliberalism (audio) via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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Lectures by Michael Parenti and Alex Callinicos now available via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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U.S. and Tanzania best at clawing back women’s rights via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
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The Poverty Industry via Dr Roy's Thoughts
Left-wing podcasting is here via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
Paulitics: Paul’s Socialist Podcast
You can now click on the sidebar to be taken to the new official podcast companion to the Paulitics: Paul’s Socialist Investigations blog.
The podcast is devoted to presenting unique discussions, debates, news commentary and academic lectures to the public from a broadly left-wing or socialist perspective. Occasionally podcasts will be hosted by myself and my lovely co-host (AKA girlfriend) Kimberlee. At other times, the podcasts will feature academic or activist speeches or talks on a variety of subjects ranging from resisting the U.S. Empire to capitalism to media propaganda to philosophy to socialism and to many, many, other topics. Notable featured figures that I’ve already lined up include Noam Chomsky, Alex Callinicos,... The differece beteen the NDP and the Communist Party… via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
This is a great interview with Stuart Ryan, a candidate for the Ontario Provincial election in Ottawa-Centre.
To me, this interview just drives home the point that Ryan and his comrades can truly inspire with bold policies (ex. 50% reduction in tuition immediately, $20 billion for public secular schools and giving municipalities the power to tax corporations) whereas the NDP has lost its ability to dream, let alone inspire.
If you haven’t voted yet today, read this interview before you vote. It may not necessarily change your vote, but it will at the very least inspire you — and that’s not nothing.
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Why have you chosen to involve yourself in the political process? Why did you choose to run in this constituency?
I have been involved in the political process for...
Che Guevara: Cuban revolutionary or puppy-eating serial murderer? via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
Okay, here’s a fun little intellectual exercise to try out:
Let’s see if we can spot the irrational, blinded-by-ideology individual amongst these two writers using only a writing sample from each on a similar topic.
Keep in mind, that some characteristics of irrational people are that they tend to:
1) Be incapable of using even-headed arguments without resorting to ad hominem attacks.
2) Unable to give an account of their opponent’s behaviour without using over-simplification or straw-men.
3) View those they disagree with as inherently evil, often attributing sadistic and/or even satanistic motivations to their opponent’s actions.
4) Ignore evidence which suggests that the subject of their attack is not the embodiment of pure evil seeking to destroy all of...
Our entire existence summed up in one cartoon via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
I just came across this cartoon over on reddit.com. This is the best cartoon I’ve read in a very very long time.
See also:
Peace is overrated... Why capitalism can’t continue forever and why socialism will prevail via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
From Bolivian President Evo Morales’ recent speech to the United Nations (the text of which has never been seen in the mainstream media).
“It is important that we learn lessons from some sectors, from some regions. Let me avail myself of this opportunity: I come from a culture based on peace, from a lifestyle based on equality, of living not only in solidarity with all people, but also living in harmony with Mother Earth. For the indigenous movement, land cannot be a commodity; it is a mother that gives us life, so how could we convert it into a commodity as the western model does?
This is a profound lesson which we must learn in order to resolve the problems of humanity that are being discussed here, climate change and pollution. Where does this pollution come from? It comes...
Propaganda in Action: Ontario’s election “priorities”? via Paulitics: Paul's Socialist Investigations
A new poll just released by Environics, shows something more revealing than it bargained for. What it shows can be considered even more proof that the media does not have a left-wing bias.
The Environics poll asked Ontarians what they thought the most important factor/issue determing their vote in the upcoming election would be.
The results are interesting.
Now, some of these factors can be broadly categorized into socialist/social democratic issues (namely heath care and social programs/poverty/minimum wage) and conservative/capitalist issues (namely the economy and taxes). Recompiling the list with these ideological concerns grouped together results in this list of what Ontarians care about:
So what do Ontarians care about? Notice that by far, the answer, according to Environics,...