Cuba had been exciting, romantic, adventurous. The Chile of Allende appeared dull, tranquil, orderly. And for these very reasons, Chilean socialism was more dangerous. More dangerous in part because, if Chile could find a path to socialism without widespread violence ending in dictatorship, its example would effect a tremendous appeal throughout the world.

Ecuador just showed the world what it means to take climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indigenous sovereignty seriously, all with one national referendum. Canada is a rich country and one of the nations most responsible for climate change. It is long past time we catch up to reality and end our mad rush to burn the planet to the ground.

Unions have given us the weekend. They have fought for the eight-hour day. They have agitated for improved health and safety laws. They have eradicated child labour. They have managed to get us paid holidays and six paid public holidays each year. Here in Nova Scotia, unions have given 25 percent of workers a voice in what is going on in their workplaces.

Boris Kagarlitsky, an internationally renowned scholar and political activist, was arrested on July 25 by the Russian FSB. Despite his lifelong anti-terrorism stance, he is accused of “justifying terrorism” based on a blog post about the Russia-Ukraine war. He is being held until September 24 and may face a seven-year prison term upon trial.

To an ever greater degree and in ways we can’t yet fully appreciate, the unfolding climate disaster is transforming the class struggle and posing massive challenges in the process. In our unions and communities, we need to take stock of these developments, set new goals and develop strategies that reflect the harsh reality that we are now in a struggle for survival.

I sincerely hope that campaigners are able to make these wildfires into the “critical juncture” we’re all waiting for. But doing so will require taking an approach that makes one thing clear: human social structures exist within complex ecological systems. We can’t solve systemic problems in silos, or with a reductive focus on individual facets of the much bigger, more fearsome, beast.

Social democracy aims to achieve a fairer society through balanced power relations between classes, but no matter how many rights tenants hold under capitalism, landlords still exploit them. Organizers must resist the incorporation of working class struggles into the state, otherwise they ensure the ongoing reproduction of capitalist social relations.

“System change, not climate change.” It’s amazing how these few words so accurately sum up the challenges that face us when it comes to climate change–the single largest challenge humanity has ever faced. As far as slogans go, it’s not as succinct as “no war” or “freedom now,” but on the other hand it represents how far social movements have come in a few short decades.

If we want the recent changing of the guard in the mayor’s office to make any difference, the very worst approach would be to leave it all in Chow’s hands. She will need vigorous social movements pushing at her back, and ready to push harder at the first sign of retreat. If we can muster those forces, some real victories are entirely possible in the days ahead.

After years of passivity in the face of upper class greed workers have begun to fight back. As Henry Heller explains, recent walkouts in Canada and around the world reflect a pattern of rising participation of workers in strike activity evident since 2020 as a belated response to years of wage suppression and recent spectacular increases in consumer prices.