The ongoing political battle for leadership of the UK's Labour party is highlighting some important tensions, not just within the left, but the political climate across the nation. With Members of Parliament in revolt over fresh welfare cuts and the unashamed leftist Jeremy Corbyn now set to win the leadership of the Labour party, we are without a doubt headed for dramatic times in British politics.
Source: Seven Days
It’s a truism of presidential politics that foreign policy matters little to U.S. voters as long as the country isn’t embroiled in a major war. But independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders could find it to be a major challenge in his bid for the Democratic nomination. In the age of global terrorism, Americans may prefer a candidate who’s steeped in the workings of the world, rather than a comparatively parochial figure with little experience beyond U.S. borders.
"We say that every square meter of land that is worked with agro-ecology is a liberated square meter. We see it as a tool to transform farmers' social and economic conditions. We see it as a tool of liberation from the unsustainable capitalist agricultural model that oppresses farmers." - Miguel Ramirez, National Coordinator of the Organic Agriculture Movement of El Salvador.
From the events of the very first night of the inaugural Movement for Black Lives Convergence, I could see that this conference would be different than any other I had been to. The organizers had intended to create a space where, in their words, Black people could “reflect on our histories of struggle, build a sense of fellowship that transcends geographical boundaries and begin to heal from the many traumas we face.”
Source: The Stranger
Many people have been e-mailing and asking me how I am thinking about what happened yesterday at the event on social security and medicare, when some protesters identifying as Black Lives Matter got up on stage to challenge Bernie Sanders on race and racism, and ended up shutting down the event so Bernie could not speak. I’m struggling but in the spirit of community, here’s what comes to mind.
First, I want to give a huge shout out to the amazing leaders who worked for months and months to organize the event: Robby Stern and PSARA, Social Security Works Washington, Washington CAN, Burke Stansbury, and so many more. This was a huge event to put together, and their determination is what ultimately got Senator Bernie Sanders to Seattle in the first place. The rally was also packed—maybe around 5,000 people—and people stood in the hot sun for a couple of hours, engaging actively and cheering on the incredibly wide range of speakers the coalition had put together. I was proud to be the speaker just before Bernie was supposed to speak. Watching what unfolded made me heartbroken. I have so many somewhat jumbled thoughts—here are just a few.
Strange how intellectual discussion concerning the so-called “Arab Spring” has almost entirely shifted in recent years - from one concerning freedom, justice, democracy and rights in general, into a political wrangle between various antagonist camps.
Copyright Toward Freedom 2019