“How can we build a united movement that respects difference
By Glen Coulthard
“…Indigenous societies have truths to teach the Western world about the establishment and preservation of relationships between peoples and the natural world that are profoundly non-imperialist.” Glen Coulthard, New Socialist, 2006.
These words, written more than half a decade ago, ring truer than ever as the Journey of Nishiyuu is nearing its Ottawa destination as part of the Idle No More movement. Since their departure from the isolated Cree community of Whapmagoostui on Hudson Bay in northern Quebec on January 16, the ranks of walkers have swelled to nearly 200.
Meanwhile, Defenders of the Land and Idle No More have issued a joint call for intensified action against the Harper government and the corporate agenda: a “Solidarity Spring” to precede a “Sovereignty Summer,” with actions on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21, Earth Day on April 22, and through the summer. New Socialist celebrates this mobilization and the solidarity that can defeat the Harper agenda.
By Özlem Onaran
Europe is now the centre of the global crisis. It is a crisis of the capitalist system, sweeping across Europe and not limited to just one country. The crisis erupted five years ago under governments of both the traditional Left and Right as they all pursued similar neoliberal policies.
By David Finkel
“Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself,” wrote Mark Twain. That 19th century epigraph can serve to express today’s attitude of a large and growing proportion of the US public, especially over the federal budget “sequester” — across-the-board cuts that began taking effect on March 1.
Contracting-out and other forms of privatization are happening in educational institutions all over the world. Solidarity between students and workers is a crucial part of fighting such moves. In Britain, an impressive student occupation at the University of Sussex against the privatization of services on campus is still in full-swing after three weeks, even expanding, with flash occupations and disruptions of different buildings and events on campus on March 1. Students at Sussex have been inspired by Quebec’s student movement, adopting a yellow square as a symbol of their campaign. On February 28, Jeffery R. Webber sat down with Maia Pal, a leading organizer of the campaign, to discuss its origins and dynamics to date.