Alternative News

Articles from non-mainstream as opposed to corporate for profit sources.

Austerity Unbroken

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 23:00; Written by editor

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A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1214 .... January 28, 2016
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Austerity Unbroken

Jannis Milios interviewed by Alp Kayserilioğlu

Much coverage of the Greek debt crisis has focused on the ‘troika’ of international creditors and German chancellor Angela Merkel -- a striking image of parasitic foreign powers scapegoating the country for personal gain.

In some corners of the Left, this narrative has fueled the demand for ‘Grexit’ (a Greek exit from the eurozone) under the impression that such a move would create a more favorable environment for a break with austerity. This animated the Left Platform's disagreements with Syriza's bargaining-table approach and their later metamorphosis into Popular Unity.

Jannis Milios, once Syriza's chief economic adviser, aligns neither with Syriza nor with Popular Unity. He views Syriza's current program as a reversal of its original...

Rekindling Hope: SYRIZA's Challenges and Prospects

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 19:15; Written by editor

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A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1213 .... January 27, 2016
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Rekindling Hope:
SYRIZA's Challenges and Prospects

Michalis Spourdalakis

Before turning to the main theme of this article it would be very useful to come to terms with at least the following preliminary observations:

The left in government and especially the radical left in government has never been the subject of easy discussion among leftists. As the project of social transformation was never a peaceful stroll in the park, the debates on the question of in and/or out of government, let alone those about political power, have been very heated. In fact, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that these debates are as old as the left itself. Before, during, and after coming into office, leftist theorists and practitioners have been involved in fierce...

The government met our demands today. Sort of.

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 16:15; Written by editor

Friends,

Yesterday, we told you that the government had announced plans to bring in a climate test for pipeline projects. Earlier today, they told us what that would look like. They've told us that they will be assessing the direct and upstream green house gas emissions of pipeline projects including Energy East and Kinder Morgan. They've also committed to talking to Indigenous peoples and communities.

This is a big win for this movement, and for the tens of thousands of us who have raised our voices to politicians and the National Energy Board to demand climate change be included in pipeline reviews.

But rather than scrap Stephen Harper’s National Energy Board reviews, they’ve given them a new coat of paint. A serious commitment to climate action and First Nation consultation would stop these pipelines in their tracks.

No tar sands pipeline can pass a serious climate test -- particularly if...

ITUC OnLine: ITUC Statement: International Migrants Day

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 15:45; Written by editor

Brussels, 18 December 2015 (ITUC OnLine): Migration is as old as humanity itself, yet the current scale of migration is unprecedented. Millions of people are seeking the economic and social opportunities denied to them due to poverty and lack of development, with women migrating in equal numbers to men in search of work. Millions more are fleeing war, political repression and the accelerating impacts of climate change. Women and children make up three-quarters of the global refugee population.

New ITUC Report Qatar: Profit and Loss Workers Paying with Lives as Companies Extract Billions in Profit - ITUC OnLine

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 15:45; Written by editor

Brussels, 18 December 2015 (ITUC OnLine): A new report from the International Trade Union Confederation estimates that $15 billion profit will be made by companies working in Qatar on infrastructure for the controversial 2022 FIFA World Cup using up to 1.8 million migrant workers who are modern day slaves.

Morocco: Workers Send Clear Message to Government in National Strike - ITUC OnLine

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 15:45; Written by editor

Brussels, 3 December 2015 (ITUC OnLine): Moroccan workers have sent a clear message to the government to re-establish social dialogue and negotiation with the country’s trade unions with a nationwide strike in the public service and local authorities yesterday. The three ITUC affiliates, UMT, CDT and UGTM, which jointly organised the strike along with the fourth national centre FDT, have reported a strong response from workers to their call for action, with 80% of workers taking part overall and in some areas, 100%.

Korea: Authorities Targeting Hundreds of Trade Unionists - ITUC OnLine

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 15:45; Written by editor

Brussels, 4 December 2015 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC has learnt that police in Korea are targeting hundreds of trade unionists in advance of a planned December 5 rally of unions and other civil society organisations, stepping up repression of those opposed to the business-friendly policies of President Park Geun-hye. A total of 411 people have been identified from photographs taken at public rallies and are facing summons and arrest. President Park, daughter of former military dictator Park Chung-hee, is facing intense criticism at home and abroad for the government’s attacks on freedom of assembly and workers’ rights.

Climate Summit in the Balance as Governments Waver on Just Transition - ITUC OnLine

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 15:45; Written by editor

Brussels, 3 December 2015 (ITUC OnLine): Governments at the Paris climate summit are putting the future of climate action at risk by removing a commitment to human rights and "Just Transition" to a low carbon future from the mandate for action in the Summit's conclusions. The Norwegian government has angered trade unions, environment groups and other civil society organisations by moving to delete the pledge to respect rights and engage with workers and their communities in the fight to keep the rise in global temperature below 2 degrees C. Other governments are believed to be backing Norway's move, which would downgrade the pledge to a hollow reference in the preamble to the Summit conclusions.

Cambodia: New Trade Union Law Bad for Workers - ITUC OnLine

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 15:45; Written by editor

Brussels, 3 December 2015 (ITUC OnLine): A new trade union law being readied by Cambodia's government for submission to Parliament imposes a host of restrictions on trade unions which would severely curtail workers' rights to union representation, in violation of International Labour Organisation Convention 87 on Freedom of Association.

ACTIVlist Update - January 27, 2016

Details: Published on Thursday, 30 March 2017 20:45; Written by editor

This daily ACTIVlist e-mail is a compilation of blog posts, media releases and action alerts from the Council of Canadians. For more information about our campaigns, how to get involved, and how to become a member, go to canadians.org. Please forward this e-mail and encourage others to join our list! Thank you for your interest and support.

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Carr set for major announcement: How should we judge new pipeline rules
Natural Resources Minister Carr is set to announce the much anticipated principles and possible supplemental assessment for new oil pipelines this afternoon.

TransCanada's pipeline plan for Edmundston N.B. has sprung a leak
It is only one page but the words left no doubt in the reader's mind. TransCanada's Energy East pipeline would be a real threat to the sole drinking water supply of the City of...

Challenging corporate globalisation - an online course for trade unionists around the world

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 09:15; Written by editor

Challenging corporate globalisation - an online course for trade unionists around the world r1 ...

CoDev E-Bulletin January 2016

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 09:15; Written by editor

CoDev E-Bulletin January 2016 r1 ...

Doritos

Details: Published on Wednesday, 27 January 2016 04:00; Written by editor

SumOfUs r1 ...

Breaking: Pipeline Climate Tests Announced

Details: Published on Tuesday, 26 January 2016 15:30; Written by editor

Friends,

Today, the government of Canada announced that it will require a “climate test” on fossil fuel projects like the Kinder Morgan Trans-Mountain and TransCanada Energy East pipelines.

This is big news and it’s in no small part thanks to your actions. Without people across the country taking action and tens of thousands more demanding an overhaul of pipeline reviews, this would never have been possible.

The government is listening. But as we all know, you can’t really fix a car while it’s driving, and the same is true for a pipeline reviews process. We also know that a climate test alone is not enough -- we need pipeline reviews that consider climate, listen to communities, and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples.

That’s why we’re teaming up with our friends at SumofUs to send a clear message that the government needs to either redo the assessment...

Not One More Death: Overdose memorial march (Thurs Jan 28, Noon, Centennial Sq)

Details: Published on Tuesday, 26 January 2016 15:00; Written by editor

Join us Thursday 28th to demand Not One More Death from overdoses in Victoria. 40 people overdosed during December - 8 people died. This is preventabl

Join us Thursday 28th to demand Not One More Death from overdoses in Victoria. 40 people overdosed during December - 8 people died. This is preventable with supervised consumption services, and Victoria's health authority is lagging behind other regions in Canada in taking critical steps towards providing these services. Come out to remember those who have been lost because of inadequate services, and show your support for immediate action in Victoria!

Where: Centennial Square
When: 12pm ~ the march will return to Centennial Square at 12:40pm for a small meal, guest speakers, open mic, and moment of silence.

Canada will have "full & open debate" after we sign the TPP

Details: Published on Tuesday, 26 January 2016 14:45; Written by editor

International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada will have a "full and open debate" after we formally sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership next week.
Here's a look at the confusing mixed signals Canadians have been hearing on this file since the election.
Please share widely with your networks / contacts. Thanks!

http://www.pressprogress.ca/chrystia_freeland_canada_will_have_a_full_and_open_debate_after_we_formally_sign_the_tpp

--
Luke

ACTIVlist Update January 26, 2016

Details: Published on Thursday, 30 March 2017 20:45; Written by editor

Saint John chapter prompts city council to ask questions about Energy East pipeline
The Council of Canadians Saint John chapter joined with allies late last year to call on Saint John city council "to take a leadership role in safety and emergency planning for the proposed Energy East pipeline, tank farm, and marine terminal".

Line 9 shut down for a fourth time
Valves on two Enbridge pipelines in Southern Ontario were closed by unknown persons early...

A message from Malala

Details: Published on Tuesday, 26 January 2016 11:45; Written by editor

r1 ...

Who's your hero?

Details: Published on Tuesday, 26 January 2016 05:15; Written by editor

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The Davos Blind Eye: How the Rich Eat the Poor and the World

Details: Published on Monday, 25 January 2016 22:30; Written by editor

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A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1212 .... January 26, 2016
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The Davos Blind Eye:
How the Rich Eat the Poor and the World

John McMurtry

The just-released Oxfam Davos report An Economy For the 1% which the mass media have ignored arrestingly shows that 62 individuals (388 in 2010) now own more wealth than 50 per cent of the world's population. More shockingly, it reports from its uncontested public sources that this share of wealth by half of the world's people has collapsed by over 40 per cent in just the last five years.

Yet the big lies persist even here that "the progress has been made in tackling world poverty" and "extreme poverty has been halved since 1990."

Unbelievably, the endlessly repeated assertion of the form that ‘the poor are being lifted...

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