Now in its fourth edition, From Consent to Coercion: The Continuing Assault on Labour remains an invaluable tool for understanding how the state and capital manage the subordination of labour. The new edition contains timely material that wrestles with the pressing issues of precarity and polarization and the dire need to rebuild and renew socialist politics. The following is excerpted from the book.

Liberal democratic capitalism is losing legitimacy. But what comes next may be a form of right-wing populism, supported by nationalist politicians and movements looking to close borders and blame immigrants and trade for economic insecurity. Will unions look to protectionism or internationalism? Will working class movements be able to unite across borders to radically shift the balance of class power relations?

For Doug Ford’s Conservatives, democracy is but one more apparently inefficient entanglement getting in the way of business. The 2019 budget makes clear the alignment of the Ford regime with the authoritarian right-wing populism gaining traction around the world as it moves to extend the era of “permanent austerity,” which has been a hallmark since the 2008 recession.

New fiscal constraints upon municipalities from national and provincial spending cuts have intensified competitive pressures and demands for austerity. Although municipalities have limited ability to generate revenue, they are often left to deliver services formerly provided by other tiers of government, such as social welfare, infrastructure and environmental protection.

Saying no to the expansion of the Toronto Island Airport and introduction of jet aircrafts is the economical, ecological and socially responsible thing to do. At present, Pearson Airport can accommodate some 33 million passengers per year with room for an additional capacity of seven million. That would still leave Pearson with a future capacity to accommodate 20 million more passengers—that’s room for 63 percent growth if need be.