Blogs

By Roger Picton 29 June 2010

As Canada’s national media obsesses over a few burnt cars, the shock doctrine has played out in full force in the Canadian context. During this week’s G20 meetings, the use of massive police and security operations masked the (re)imposition of unpopular neoliberal policies. 

As Naomi Klein has detailed, the shock doctrine works like this: at a point of crisis, force people into a state of shock, then impose severe and unpopular measures, often with the use of force. In this case, a state-sanctioned policing strategy allows for property damage to be used as a pretext for massive police action. As shock reins and media suffer whiplash (a burnt police, and also broken windows, oh my, how can that be, this is Toronto!), the G20 leaders, hidden behind fences, and far from public view, agree to the return of the politics of austerity. ► More

25 June 2010 

Earlier today, Dorothy Ngoma, of Malawi said “It is immoral that today in 2010, a thousand women are dying every day in childbirth.”  ► More

Vancouver Peoples' Summit 2010
Take your place at the Table!
www.vancouverpeoplessummit.ca

Join us on June 20th at Vancouver's contribution to At The Table, the international campaign to ensure issues that matter are on the table at the G8/G20 Talks in Toronto.

The Vancouver Peoples' Summit will bring together activists and advocates to celebrate our common cause and send a message to leaders: we want bold action to end poverty, stop climate change, and make sure the global economy works for everyone. ► More

by Mel Watkins 9 June 2010

If you’re still in need of convincing that the Robin Hood Tax is an unmitigated good, you need only to read the splendid new book, The Big Short, by the bestselling American financial writer, Michael Lewis. It’s not hard to do because it reads like a thriller. 

The cast of characters are mostly young alpha American males who have an epiphany: the highly-valued derivatives that have derived from the sub-prime mortgage market are as rotten as they get. The bubble blown up around them is bound to burst and their prices will go down the toilet. Hence the sub-title: Inside the Doomsday Machine. ► More