Magazine

November/December 2011: Stepping up for the Planet

Volume 45, Issue 6

The momentous rebellion, Occupy Wall Street, was in its earliest stage when this issue of Dimension was in its final planning stage. We had one article, “The Assault on Public Services,” by Sam Gindin and Mike Hurley, that clearly relate to the cause of the rebellion, but as the rebellion turned into a movement, we managed to pull together an early CD take on what looks like the most promising development for radical politics in many decades. We call it “The Ballerina and the Bull.”

The focus of this Dimension, “Stepping up for the Planet,” is a joint production of CD and the South African journal,Amandla. It arose from discussions between CD collective member David Hugill and Patrick Bond, the Irish born political writer who resides in Durban, South Africa. Patrick put us in touch with Amandla’s Brian Ashley and together we collaborated on this issue.

While it focuses on the Durban COP 17 United Nation’s meeting on Climate Change it also gathers reports on grassroots opposition to some of the worst contributors to Green house Gas (GHG) emissions in both Canada and South Africa including Alberta’s tar sands, shale gas (fracking) and uranium mining. Interestingly, this is the first in its nearly nearly 50 years history, that Canadian Dimension has jointly produced an issue with another publication.

Why is Stephen Harper so keen on a Free Trade agreement with Morocco? In answer is uncovered in Josh Campbell’s article, regarding the sale of phosphate to the Potash Corp of Saskatchewan in Morrocan-occupied Western Sahara.

• The Regulars

• On Love
  Peter Kulchyski
• This Dimension
  Cy Gonick
• The Ballerina and the Bull
  Editorial
• Around the Left in 60 Days
  Compiled by Karen MacKintosh
• NDP Leadership and Labour
  Herman Rosenfeld
• Ocean Terminus
  Andrea Levy

• Features

• Politics après Jack
  Murray Dobbin, Judy Rebick, Jean-Marc Piotte, Sam Gindin, Simon Tremblay Pepin and Libby Davis
• Independent Jewish Voices
  Richard Swift
• The Assault on Public Services
  Sam Gindin and Michael Hurley
• What Harper Wants in Morocco
  Josh Campbell

• Stepping Up for the Planet

• Stepping Up for the Planet
  Cy Gonick
• Durban COP17 Failures in the Making
  Patrick Bond
• The Durban Conference of Polluters
  Patrick Bond
• Indigenous People: A Key to Environmental Rescue
  Interview with Clayton Thomas-Muller by Michael Welsh
• Uranium Mining Struggles in Québec:A Moratorium in Sight?
  Ugo Lapointe and Ramsay Hart
• Undermining Africa: Africa’s role in the global uranium economy
  David Fig
• Toxic Water, Toxic Politics
  David Fig
• Against Shell’s Fracking Arguments
  Jonathon Deal
• The Shale Gas Debate in Québec
  Kim Cornelissen
• The fix is in: Marketing the message of Canadian climate policy
  Dylan Roberts
• The Harper Offensive: Selling Tar Sands to Europe and the USA
  Martin Lukacs

• All that’s Left

• The Arizona Culture Strike Beyond Boycotts, Beyond Borders
  Chris Webb
• Why the Media Tsunami of Layton Love?
  Lesley Hughes

• Book Marks

• Alliances: Re/ Envisioning Indigenousnon- Indigenous Relationships
  Tyler McCreary
• Police in Canada: The Real Story
  Ashley Titterton
• Private Affluence, Public Austerity: Economic Crisis & Democratic Malaise in Canada
  Ashley Titterton
• The Rights of Nature: The Case for the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth
  Noreen Mae Ritsema
• Broke But Unbroken: Grassroots Social Movements and Their Radical Solutions to Poverty
  Ashley Titterton