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Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
– Romain Rolland, popularised by Antonio Gramsci

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The Oxford Guide to Library Research – An intelligent guide to intelligent research.
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The evidence from all OECD countries shows that the private sector is far more bureaucratic and much less efficient than the public sector when it comes to providing health care.
Ten Health Care Myths

For the foreseeable future, we will have to content ourselves with giving our votes to the NDP, while giving our energies to more promising causes. What we have to do, in effect, is to start doing the work of a socialist movement, outside of the NDP, and indeed outside of any party structure.
Let’s Stop Kidding Ourselves About the NDP

Articles A-Z
By Ulli Diemer

Abandonando el Interés Público
Abandonando o interesse público
Abandoning the public interest: The neo-liberal drive to cut red tape is costing lives. Exposing the hidden costs of deregulation and privatization.
Abandonner l’intérêt publique
L’abbandono dell’interesse pubblico
A co teraz? Kasa Oszczędnościowa następstwem Wolnego Handlu
Against All Odds: The shadow which haunts the power structure is the danger that those who are controlled will come to realize that they are powerless only so long as they think they are. Once people stop believing they are powerless, then the whole edifice is in danger of collapse.
A közérdek mellözésre kerül
Ambiente, Uso de Tierra, Rural – El Anuario de Conexiones
Anarchism vs. Marxism: Anarchist critiques of Marxism typically reveal a lack of knowledge of what Karl Marx actually wrote, resulting in sterile denunciations of a straw-man opponent.
L’anarchisme par rapport au marxisme: Quelques notes sur un vieux thème.
Anarquismo vs. Marxismo: Algunas notas sobre un tema antiguo
Arrêtons de se faire des illusions
Artes, Medios, Cultura – El Anuario de Conexiones
Arts, Media, Culture Overview for the Connexions Annual
Arts, Médias et Culture – L’Annuel Connexions
Att överge allmänintresset
L’autodétermination pour qui?
Bailando con la culpa: Los hombres hablando de la violencia
Bain Co-op meets Wages for Housework: The story of the struggle that gave birth to a housing co-operative and destroyed the credibility of the ‘Wages for Housework’ sect.
Bakounine contre Marx
Bakunin vs. Marx: The anarchist-Marxist split started with Bakunin, who systematically misrepresented Marx’s positions.
Bakunin vs. Marx (Sp.)
Begegnung mit dem Schuldbewusstsein: Eine Beobachtung von Männern, die sich mit Gewalt auseinandersetzen
The Bomb won’t go away on its own: Our task is to break out of this closed self-justifying system by depriving governments of the passive populations they need, by refusing to accept the choices we are offered and instead becoming active participants pressuring them to accept our proposals.
The Canada Metals Story: A chronology: The ongoing struggle against lead pollution in South Riverdale.
Canada’s Distorted Electoral System: Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system is notorious for producing results at odds with the wishes of the electorate. There are alternatives.
The Capital Punishment Debate: The cold-blooded killing of a human being is horrifying. The existence of capital punishment make us all complicit in killing, and degrades us as a society.
Chemicals in your water: A little is too much: The irresponsible dumping of chemicals in and near water endangers us all.
Chomsky’s Determination to change society before it slides into irreversible barbarism: Review of For Reasons of State
La clase trabajadora y el cambio social
La Classe Ouvriére et le Changement Social
Columnist traumatized by having to wait his turn: Jonathan Kay thinks people with money should get quicker treatment in emergency rooms than people who are poor.
La Communauté, l’Urbanisme et le Logis – L’Annuel Connexions
Community, Urban, Housing Overview for the Connexions Annual
Como Comunicarse De Manera Efectiva A Través De Un Boletín Informativo
Comunidad, Urbano, Vivienda – El Anuario de Conexiones
The Connexions Annual: Introductions to the directory and its sections
Constructive criticism can be a good thing: It’s counterproductive to say that for the sake of ‘unity‘ we shouldn’t criticize others in the environmental movement. Principled debate and critcism when it is called for helps us clarify issues and move forward.
Contaminación: El envenenante legado de los recortes ambientales de Ontario
Contamination: The Poisonous Legacy of Ontario’s Environmental Cutbacks: A story about fanaticism and death: The story of Ontario’s right-way Harris government, which gutted health and environmental protection polices, leading to the Walkerton water disaster.
Contamination: L'Héritage Vénéneux des coupures écologiques de l'Ontario
Contra Todos los Pronósticos
La contribution de Rosa Luxembourg envers le Marxisme
Il contributo al marxismo di Rosa Luxemburg
O Contributo de Rosa Luxemburg ao Marxismo
La Cooperativa Bain se enfrenta al Grupo de Remuneración por el Trabajo Doméstico
La coopèrative de Bain rencontre ‘Salaires pour les travaux domestiques’.
La crise Iraquienne en context
La crisis de Irak en contexto
Czym jest wolnościowy socjalizm?
Danças com Culpa: Um olhar sobre os homens que olham para a violência
Dances with Guilt: Looking at Men Looking at Violence: When we throw around indiscriminate terms like ‘male violence’ and give credence to theories that men are inherently violent, we are slandering men who are not violent and, unthinkingly, we are actually perpetuating the stereotype that to be a man is to be violent.
El Debate de la Pena Capital
Debating the NDP: The Left has been trying to ‘move the NDP to the left’ since 1933, achieving pretty much the same result as a dog chasing its tail.
Dejemos de engañarnos a nosotros mismos sobre el NDP
Los Derechos Humanos y Libertades Civiles – El Anuario de Conexiones
Derechos y Libertades
Desarrollo, Internacional – El Anuario de Conexiones
Desintresse am Öffentlichen Intresse: In den Industrienationen haben die Menschen über Jahrzehnte hinweg gelernt, dass man privaten Unternehmen nicht trauen kann, wenn es um Sachen der öffentlichen Sicherheit geht.
Development, International Overview for the Connexions Annual
Développement International – L’Annuel Connexions
Diez Mitos del Cuidado de la Salud: Entendiendo el Debate del Servicio Medico en Canadá
10 mythes des soins de santé
Droits et Libertés
Droits Humains et Libertés Civiles – L’Annuel Connexions
Economía, Pobreza, Trabajo – El Anuario de Conexiones
L’Économie, la Pauvreté et le Travail – L’Annuel Connexions
Economy, Poverty, Work Overview for the Connexions Annual
Educación, Niños – El Anuario de Conexiones
Education, Children Overview for the Connexions Annual
L’Éducation et les Enfants – L’Annuel Connexions
Eine Stimme für die Demokratie: Wenn das Konsensprinzip in einer bestimmten Gruppe funktioniert, ist das gut. Aber ich denke, dass seine Befürworter anderen einen schlechten Dienst erweisen, wenn sie ihnen ein Modell aufzwingen wollen, dass nur unter bestimmten Umständen funktioniert und so viele Leute dazu gebracht hat, sich aus dem sozialen Aktivismus zurückzuziehen.
Enseñando a adultos a leer
Entrevista con Ulli Diemer
Entrevue avec Ulli Diemer
Environment, Land Use, Rural Overview for the Connexions Annual
L’Environnement, l’utilisation agraire et la campagne – L’Annuel Connexions
Les Femmes – L’Annuel Connexions
Free speech and acceptable truths: Some suggestions for making universities safe by purging them of dangerous words, ideas, and thoughts.
‘Free speech’ – as long as it doesn’t offend anyone: Many people claim to be in favour of free speech: but only so long as it isn’t used to express views they find unacceptable or offensive.
Free speech for me – you shut up: The right to express offensive views is at the very heart of the princple of free speech.
Free Trade Debate: Look at the Contents, Not Just the Label: A response to criticisms of ‘What Do We Do Now? Building a social movement in the aftermath of Free Trade’.
Gedanken über Selbstbestimmung: Die tatsächliche Bedeutung dieses Slogans ist der Glaube, dass es weder möglich noch Wünschenswert ist für zwei ethnische und Sprachgruppen in einem Land zusammenzuleben. Es gibt wohl keine Sichtweise die pessimistischer und weniger sozialistisch ist.
Grassroots Cells, Devil’s Architects Defend Community: Review of The Householders Guide to Community Defence Against Bureaucratic Aggression: Organizational principles and campaign tactics communities can use to fight projects or developments being foisted on them.
Grassroots Media Relations: A guide for activists on getting media coverage.
Green Municipalism: A green municipalist analysis offers valuable perspectives but can become a straightjacket if it is seen as ‘the’ answer.
He who pays the piper: Community groups have become dependent on government money resulting in an erosion of their community base and their independence.
Health Overview for the Connexions Annual
Het publieke belang negeren: We worden misschien gedwongen om de harde lessen die onze voorvaderen geleerd hebben, opnieuw te leren, ten koste van onszelf.
How they shot those campus bums: The Truth About Kent State (review).
Human Rights & Civil Liberties Overview for the Connexions Annual
Hungary 1956: A workers’ revolt crushed by the “workers’ state”: The Hungarian revolution, brief though it was, did as much as a century of socialist theorizing to show what a united and determined people could do to transform their society.
Il danse avec la Culpabilité: Un regard sur les hommes qui regardent la violence
Inclusão ou Exclusão?: Com exceção ao poder de oposição do movimento das massas, que são mobilizados para os desafiar de forma direta e firme.
Inclusión o exclusion?: El cambio real, el verdadero proceso de adquirir poder, solo puede suceder cuando las personas trabajan juntas con base en metas comunes sin importar sus antecedentes étnicos o religiosos.
Inclusion or exclusion: People who advocate a vision of distinct communities that speak different languages, keep apart from each other, and communicate with the structures of the larger society only through interpreters, are doing more harm than good. What they are advocating is not diversity but entrenched division.
Inclusione o Esclusione?
Inflated claims about Software Piracy: Money that isn’t spent on software isn’t ‘lost’ to the economy — it is spent on something else.
An Intelligent Guide to Intelligent Research: Review of the Oxford Guide to Library Research, a first-rate guide to how to think about research and how to formulate strategies for answering research questions.
Integracja czy wykluczenie?
Integration oder Ausgrenzung?: Ich denke, dass wir eine Vision brauchen, die Menschen zusammen bringt um für wirkliche Veränderungen zu kämpfen anstatt einer Vision in der die Menschen getrennt voneinander in isolierten Gemeinschaften leben.
Intégration ou Marginalisation?
Interview mit Ulli Diemer: In diesem Interview spricht Ulli Diemer zahlreiche Themen zum sozialen Wandel.
Interview with Ulli Diemer: Jeff Orchard interviews Ulli Diemer about socialism, capitalism, life, and social change.
Introduction to the Connexions Annual: We have to answer two simple questions: How are we going to live? and What do we do now? The Connexions Annual is dedicated to the idea that change is both possible and necessary.
Die Irak-Krise im Kontext
Israel: A Colonial Settler State (Review): The tragedy of two peoples brought into conflict by forces largely outside of their control. November 23, 1973
Jeden Głos na Demokrację: A critique of consensus decision-making
Kara Śmierci
Keep stressing the issue of democracy: The issue of democracy, or the lack of it, connects, or has the potential to connect, many struggles and movements.
Kontaminiert: Das giftige Erbe der Kürzungen in Ontario’s Umweltpolitik: Ein Artikel über Katastrophe für die Umwelt in Kanada.
Kryzys w Iraku – podsumowanie
Legal decisions threaten press freedom: Press freedom is under attack, computer systems and police files are undermining our privacy, books are being banned, trials are being held is secret, police powers are being greatly expanded, governments are competing with each other in passing repressive legislation.
Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales – El Anuario de Conexiones
Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals Chapter Overview for the Connexions Annual
Lesbiennes, Gais et Bisexuels – L’Annuel Connexions
Let’s Stop Kidding Ourselves About the NDP: Canadian socialists are terribly reluctant to give up their illusions about the NDP. No matter how often we are beaten over the head with the hard facts, no matter how often the party lets us down, no matter how far to the right it drifts, we don’t want to face the bitter truth.
La “Libertad de expresión”, siempre y cuando no ofenda a nadie
Libertè de parole – aussi longtemps que cela n’offense personne
Looking for Democracy: The revolutionary upheavals in Eastern Europe are an inspiration for everyone working for social change and show us that even the most seemingly entrenched system of control can be overthrown by popular movements.
Maintenant qu’est ce qu’on fait? Établir un mouvement social suite aux conséquences du libre échange
Marguerite has come a long way: Literacy student writes the story of her life.
The meaning of democracy: Democracy as defined by the corporate media is a safe election every four years or so in which voters choose between corporate-dominated parties whose policies are virtually indistinguishable on all fundamental issues.
Medicare Myths and Realities: Since medicare is an extremely popular social program, the media and right-wing politicians have learned that it is unwise to attack it directly. Instead, they propagate myths designed to undermine public support for, and confidence in, the health care system, with the goal of gradually undermining and dismantling it.
Las Mujeres – El Anuario de Conexiones
The myth of a free market in publishing and high-tech: The high-tech industries owe their existence not to ‘free enterprise’, but to massive levels of government subsidies and intervention.
Na przekór wszystkim przeciwnością
Native Peoples Chapter Overview for the Connexions Annual
Neo-con game: First starve the public sector of resources so it can’t act, then blame it for not acting.
New Hogtown Press: Profile of a left-wing Canadian book and magazine publisher.
N’oubliez pas d’écrire
No olvides escribir
Obscenity Exposed: The police definition of ‘obscenity’ gets right to the crux of the question.
150 Years of Dirty Water: Toronto’s water has been polluted pretty much since the beginning. That doesn’t mean we should put up with it.
One Vote for Democracy: The ‘consensus’ model of group decision-making rarely works well. The democratic model is better both in principle and in practice.
La Paix – L’Annuel Connexions
La Paz – El Anuario de Conexiones
Peace Chapter Overview for the Connexions Annual
La peine capitale
Pensando en la Auto-determinación
Pensando sobre Autodeterminação
Perché tante storie per l’omicidio di una ragazza musulmana dalla pelle scura?
Periódicos Radicales
Personas Nativas – El Anuario de Conexiones
The police vs. the law: In a democracy the police have to obey the law. In a police state, they don’t.
Polluted Logic: The idea of letting companies buy their way out of complying with the law is an idea with vast untapped potential.
¿Por qué protestar por el asesinato de una chica musulmana de piel oscura?
Preface to Martin Glaberman’s Four Essays on the Working Class: Glaberman insists that the working class is not merely a victim of capitalism — working people are active participants in creating their own consciousness, their methods of struggle and their own history.
Progressives shouldn’t be begging the police to take more power: The last thing we need is to hand the police even more power to decide what we are allowed to see or read.
Przemyślenia o samostanowieniu i niepodległości
Psychotherapist Out of Touch: In this psychotherapist’s emotionally constipated vision of family life, there is no room for spontaneous physical expressions of affection.
Public Housing Redesign: Our obsessive and utterly futile ‘war’ against drugs is turning tens of thousands of people into ‘criminals’ and corrupting our entire society.
¿Que es el Socialismo Libertario?
Qu’est ce que le socialisme libertaire?
¿Que hacemos ahora? Construir un Movimiento Social en el Resultado del Libre Tratado
Radical Newspapers: A radical newspaper succeeds to the extent that in engages in dialogue with its readers and community, rather than it preaching to them.
Rättigheter och Friheter
Rechte und Freiheiten: Keiner ist Frei, wenn wir nicht alle Frei sind. Jegliche Einschränkung der Rechte und Freiheiten ist gleichzeitig eine Stärkung der Macht des Staates darzu entscheiden, welche Rechte in Zukunft ausgeübt werden dürfen und welche nicht.
Réflections sur l’autodétermination
Response to criticisms of Dances with Guilt: A critique of Dances with Guilt said comments and attitudes are forms of ‘violence’ comparable to, or worse than, physical violence. This response argues that while verbal and emotional abuse can be very hurtful, beating someone up is qualitatively different from verbal aggression, and we should not say they are the same.
Review falsifies history: The voters rejected free trade – and got it anyway. That’s how our democracy works.
Rights and Liberties: Civil liberties and human rights appear as a key dimension in almost every other field of social justice and social change, but those who seek a freer and more just society cannot rely on the state to achieve their goals.
Rosa Luxemburg: Rosa Luxemburg’s revolutionary perspective includes supporting pressure for reforms within capitalism, but she is utterly clear that reforms cannot bring about fundamental change, that socialism can only come about through revolution.
Rosa Luxemburg’s contribución al Marxismo
La Salud – El Anuario de Conexiones
La Santé – L’Annuel Connexions
Seeds of Fire: A People’s Chronology: Recalling events that happened on this day in history. Memories of struggle, resistance and persistence.
Self-determination for whom?: Do the Cree of Northern Quebec have the right to self-determination? If some regions of Quebec want to stay part of Canada, do they have the right to self-determination?
Soil removal a possibility: The soil around houses in South Riverdale is so contaminated with lead that it may have to be removed.
Some of my best comrades are friends: The left’s sloppy use of language indicates sloppy thinking.
Le systéme èlectoral faux du Canada
Tácticas desesperadas: Acusaciones falsas de «antisemitismo» para silenciar reproches a la conducta de Israel
Tactics of desperation: Using false accusations of ‘anti-Semitism’ as a weapon to silence criticism of Israel’s behaviour.: The attempt to outlaw criticism as Israel by labelling it as ‘anti-Semitism’ is a serious threat which needs to be exposed and challenged, but it also a sign of desperation.
La tactique du désespoir : Utilisant de fausses accusations de l’antisémitisme comme arme pour faire taire toute critique sur le comportement d’Israël.
Taktyki Desperacji: Uźywanie fałszywych oskarźeń antysemityzmu jako broni uciszającej krytykę zachowania Izraela.
Taniec z Winą: Jak mężczyźni patrzą na przemoc
Teaching adults how to read: Learning to read means gaining more control over one’s life.
Ten Health Care Myths: Understanding Canada’s Medicare Debate: Medicare’s opponents have launched a sustained ideological attack on medicare. Their propaganda relies on myths and misrepresentations.
Thinking About Self-Determination: Does that familiar canon of the left, ‘the right to self-determination’, actually mean anything, or is it an empty slogan whose main utility is that it relieves us of the trouble of thinking critically?
Toronto’s finest: Too many cops seem to enjoy intimidating people and smashing things.
El Trotskismo y el Partido de Vanguardia
Trotskyism and the Vanguard Party: Trotskyists maintain that the vanguard party model holds the key to bringing about revolutionary change. The record of Trotksyism shows that vanguard parties are actually a political dead end.
Twenty years of I.F. Stone: Perceptive, analytical, well-written, witty, and drawing on a vast, eclectic store of knowledge.
Um Voto Para a Democracia
Un journaliste du National Post traumatisé d’avoir à attendre son tour
Un vote pour la démocratie
Un Voto a favore della Democrazia
Un Voto por la Democracia
Viet peace will come with victory: Editorial on the Vietnam War.
War in the Gulf: Written upon the outbreak of the 1991 Iraq War.
What Do We Do Now? Building a social movement in the aftermath of Free Trade: We have the potential to create a social movement in this country that goes beyond single-issue organizing to work toward an integrated vision of a more just and caring society.
What is Libertarian Socialism?: Revolution is a collective process of self-liberation: people and societies are transformed through their struggles for freedom and for a better world.
What’s Wrong with Front Yard Parking?: The negative effects of front yard parking are significant, and affect us all. The benefits are small, and go only to a few.
Wkład Róży Luksemburg do marksizmu
Women chapter Overview for the Connexions Annual
Why make a fuss about the the murder of a brown-skined Muslim girl
Why things don’t work (book review): There are lots of guides explaining how things work. This one explains how they don’t — and why they don’t.
Yes Means No?: Puritans may not like it, but some people actually enjoy sex under circumstances that puritans don’t approve of.
Yetiskinlere okumayi ogretmek
Zehn Mythen über das Gesundheitssystem: Krankenversicherung in Kanada: Eine Übersicht über das kanadische Gesundheitssystem im Vergleich mit dem der USA.