Oats for Breakfast

We continue our discussion about Wexit and Western Alienation. This time we also get into chatting a bit about Quebec (and the role that regionalist politics has played there), the failed attempts to push for electoral reform in British Columbia, as well as about Jason Kenney's "energy war room."

Oats sits down to comment on all the recent hubbub about 'Wexit.' Our discussion goes into the roots of Western Alienation and the kind of political culture that reliance on oil extraction seems to create.

We continue chatting about Bong Joon-Ho's 'Parasite' and the travails of working class life. This time we get into discussing the gender dynamics portrayed in the film, how the attempts by the poor to plan their lives is dealt with, and about how 'Parasite' brilliantly captures the bleak reality of life under modern capitalism.

Oats for Breakfast sits down to chat about 'Parasite,' a widely-acclaimed black comedy written and directed by the Korean film-maker Bong Joon-Ho. The film offers a superb depiction of how the struggle for survival under capitalism pits the poor against each other.

We continue the discussion we were having with Justin Podur, author of 'Siegebreakers'. In this segment, we chat about what the process of writing the novel was like, class divisions among Palestinians, and whether leftist fiction-writing can make a comeback.

A novel that seamlessly combines thrilling action sequences, political intrigue, and moving character development, 'Siegebreakers' imagines what it might take to break the Gaza siege. Oats interviews the author, Justin Podur, about why he decided to write the novel, how he went about framing the story he wanted to tell, as well as about the real-life situation and dynamics currently being faced by the people of Gaza.

Oats catches up with Martin Lukacs, author of 'The Trudeau Formula,' to chat about the political landscape in post-election Canada.

Oats continues chatting with Monica Mason and Mayuran Sivalinghem. This time the discussion goes into the role rich countries should play in assisting the Global South deal with climate change. We then get into chatting about how the internet and social media can be used to promote Left politics.

Oats chats with Monica Mason and Mayuran Sivalinghem, both members of Climate Justice Toronto—CJTO helped organize (along with a number of other groups) the climate strike that took place in Toronto on September 27. We talk about how the climate strike went, about Greta Thunberg, while also working through some disagreement about whether the environment should be seen as a "political" issue.

Oats interviews Martin Lukacs about his recent book, The Trudeau Formula: Seduction and Betrayal in an Age of Discontent. The discussion goes over the unrivalled capacity of Canada's Liberal Party to maintain hegemony, the way in which Trudeau was able to pose as a progressive while catering to the needs of Canadian elites, as well as the recent blackface revelations. Order a copy of Martin's book here: http://www.trudeauformula.com/

Oats for Breakfast continues the discussion with Sam Gindin about the ongoing United Auto Workers-GM strike in the US. This time around we broaden the discussion to include trade policy, the role of the state in industrial disputes, and about the fate of GM's vehicle assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario.

Oats for Breakfast interviews Sam Gindin about the United Auto Workers-GM strike, which involves 49,000 workers. We talk about what's at stake for the strikers, the corruption charges that are being brought against the UAW's leadership, and about the kind of approach unions will have to take if they really hope to build working class power.

This episode features highlights from content that we've published over the course of the last year—including excerpts from our interview with Adolph Reed, our first attempt at engaging in cultural critique, and our discussion about the Zizek-Peterson debate.

The Oats podcast interviews Tony Leah and Rebecca Keetch about GM's decision to wind down vehicle assembly at its facility in Oshawa, Ontario. Tony and Rebecca work at GM Oshawa. They are also both members of Green Jobs Oshawa, an initiative calling for GM's facility to come under public ownership and be directed towards producing electric vehicles. Learn more about Green Jobs Oshawa here: http://www.greenjobsoshawa.ca/

Our discussion about life and politics in Western Canada continues. We talk more about indigenous-settler relations and get into chatting about the oil sands, forest fires, and about whether there's hope for turning the tide.

Oats for Breakfast sits down to discuss life and politics in Western Canada. We get into talking about Alberta's premier Jason Kenney, what public education is like in Alberta and British Columbia, and about indigenous-settler relations in the two provinces.

We continue our discussion about labour standards with sociologist Adam King. This time we get into talking about what it's like to be a temporary employee and also compare labour standards in Canada with standards elsewhere, including Sweden and Australia.

Oats for Breakfast chats with sociologist Adam King about labour standards. Adam recently wrote an article "assessing what a Sanders presidency would mean for labour." We talk to him about the article and about labour policy in the US and Canada more broadly. Adam's article: http://theconversation.com/on-may-day-assessing-what-a-sanders-presidency-would-mean-for-labour-116133

We continue talking with the Toronto-based independent journalist Benjamin Bilgen about public transit. In this segment we compare our experiences using transit in Toronto with transit systems elsewhere. Our discussion travels to cities across the planet—including Antalya (Turkey), Islamabad (Pakistan), London (UK), as well as Montreal and Vancouver. In the latter part of the segment we chat about the ways in which transit intersects with the homelessness crisis.

The TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) recently unveiled an ad campaign that uses images captured by security cameras to publicly shame those trying to avoid paying the fare. We talk to the independent journalist Benjamin Bilgen about how the campaign violates the TTC's own video recording policy. Plus we get into chatting about transit enforcement more generally. Articles by Benjamin that are referenced in the episode: 1: http://everydayzine.com/jane-station-the-politics-of-surveillance-and-transit-design/ 2: http://everydayzine.com/ttc-fare-evasion-ad-campaign-violates-its-own-video-recording-policy/

Food delivery couriers working for the app-based company Foodora recently launched a union organizing drive in Toronto. We talk to Brice Sopher, who works as a Foodora courier, about the effort. Check out the Justice for Foodora Couriers website: http://foodstersunited.ca

We continue our discussion of the HBO miniseries Chernobyl. In this segment, disagreements arise over whether the series offers a critique of Trumpian populism as well about the nature and limits of liberal-democratic judicial regimes.

Oats takes up the takes up the recent HBO miniseries Chernobyl. We talk about the political commentary the series is trying to offer, the fact that historical inaccuracies were a major part of telling a story whose ostensible purpose was to highlight the importance of the truth, and why liberal centrism is not necessarily an objective standpoint from which to look at the world.

Sadia Khan, Corvin Russell, and Sharmeen Khan continue their discussion on how we can work to build socialism in Canada. They talk about the role of disruptive tactics, the logistics of organizing something on the scale of a general strike, and the need to assess whether the work we're doing is having any impact.

Sadia Khan, Corvin Russell, and Sharmeen Khan have a discussion based on the following question: “How do we work to build socialism?” The discussion touches on the challenges posed by electoralism, the changing nature of the working class, the importance of labour and community organizing, and what it might take to build an enduring socialist organization.

Eric Blanc is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Oats talked with Eric about his recent book, "Red State Revolt: The Teachers’ Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics" (Verso: 2019). Our discussion connected the teachers' strikes with the broader socialist upsurge in the US and the long term struggle to transform the capitalist state. The following Jacobin article by Eric is referenced during the discussion: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/04/karl-kautsky-democratic-socialism-elections-rupture

We continue our discussion with Julian von Bargen on the contradictions of hacktivism. We get into talking about the efforts that have been taken by state and corporate actors to try to deligitimize Wikileaks, the important contributions that Assange and others like him have made, and how hackers who may at first be "in it for the lulz [laughs]" can find themselves becoming politicized.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is under arrest in the UK and facing possible extradition to the US. We talk to data scientist and PhD candidate Julian von Bargen about the saga of Wikileaks, the ethics of public interest leaking, and the pitfalls of data activism.

Ontario's provincial government has announced sweeping cuts to funding for public education. People across the province are mobilizing to stop the attacks on our schools. The Socialist Project's Action Keele campaign recently hosted a community meeting that brought together students, teachers, parents, and school support staff to talk about how we might organize a response to the cuts. This Oats episode is based on the discussion that took place at that meeting. It features comments that were made at the meeting by the following people: - Jessica Polley (high school teacher in the Toronto District School Board) - Jonah Gindin (organizer with the West End Parents for Public Education) - Helen Victoros (executive member of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto) - Amina Vance (organizer with Students Say No) - John Weatherup (president of CUPE 4400) Article mentioned in the episode: (http://tiny.cc/uam36y) -Greg Albo, “Democratic Citizenship and the Future of Public Management,” in G. Albo, D. Langille and L. Panitch, eds., A Different Kind of State? Popular Power and Democratic Administration (Toronto: Oxford University Press 1993). If you're looking to get involved in the struggle against the cuts, you might be interested in joining the school "walk-ins" planned for June 6th. More information available here: https://linktr.ee/schoolwalkins

We continue our discussion about the Zizek/Peterson debate. This time, we talk about the reactions that others have had to the debate and also discuss what we would've liked to see in the debate.

Slavoj Zizek and Jordan Peterson recently debated in Toronto. Oats sits down to discuss what was supposed to be "the debate of the century."

Oats talks to Ilias Gerakos, a teacher and activist from the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, about the impact that years of austerity have had on the country.

We continue our discussion about race and class with Adolph Reed Jr.

Oats for Breakfast talks to Adolph Reed Jr. about race and class. We begin the interview with a discussion about the legacies (and baggage) of the Black Power period. We then move into discussing the pitfalls of race-reductionist approaches to engaging with the present political moment.

Bernie Sanders has recently announced his second bid for the Democratic Party Presidential nomination in 2020. What does it mean for a self-proclaimed democratic socialist to enter the mainstream of US politics and attempt to transform one of the two business-dominated parties that control the US political landscape? How did past efforts to transform the Democratic Party fare? What are the strategic stakes for the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) in backing the Sanders campaign? Adam Hilton is one of the leading historians of past efforts of the American left to transform the Democratic Party. Our conversation with Hilton probes some of the openings and obstacles for the left in engaging the terrain of the Democratic Party to advance a progressive agenda and embed a socialist movement in American politics. To learn more, check out some of Adam Hilton's articles: jacobinmag.com/2016/02/bernie-sanders-new-politics-democratic-party-realignment-primary jacobinmag.com/2018/09/dnc-unity-commission-superdelegates

What does a socialist conception of free speech look like? Can we really trust the capitalist state to protect the free speech rights of socialist critics? As free speech has become an increasingly explosive issue within our liberal societies, Oats chatted with Samir Gandesha of Simon Fraser University to get a better sense of what’s going on. Along the way we talk about the politics of free speech, the hypocrisy of the Right on this issue, and what a potential socialist alternative may look like. Articles referenced during the interview: In Defense of Free Speech: https://www.opendemocracy.net/samir-gandesha/in-defense-of-free-speech The lessons of the World Cup for our victim culture: https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/samir-gandesha/lessons-of-world-cup-for-our-victim-culture Not only the difference between identities but the differences within them: https://www.opendemocracy.net/samir-gandesha/not-only-difference-between-identities-but-differences-within-them Is symbolic politics an impediment to economic equality?https://www.opendemocracy.net/samir-gandesha/is-symbolic-politics-impediment-to-economic-equality

We continue our discussion with Tanner Mirrlees. We talk about what the Munk Debates are, whether no-platforming is a justifiable tactic, as well as the lessons the Left might want to take to heart when considering the rise of the alt-right.

Oats sat down with Tanner Mirrlees to chat about the rise of the "alt-right" as well as the recent debate between Steve Bannon and David Frum in Toronto.

This is a sneak peek of the extended segment of our interview with Jordan. We continue the conversation about the struggle for justice in the prison system.

From 21 August and 9 September, prisoners across the US went on strike. One set of Canadian prisoners — at Burnside jail in Nova Scotia — decided to join the strike effort. We chat with Jordan House about the continent-wide prison strike. We also talk about who goes to prison (and who doesn't!), the history of prison-based resistance, and the political economy of prison labour. Burnside prisoners' statement: https://nsadvocate.org/2018/09/12/statement-by-burnside-prisoners-we-will-continue-to-speak-and-fight-until-no-more-lives-are-lost/ Jordan House's article: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/09/canada-prison-strike-burnside-jail-incarceration

Canada is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. In 2016 there were 3,005 opioid-related deaths in Canada. In 2017 the figure jumped to 3,996. The Canadian government's response has been inadequate, which has prompted a wave of activism. We talk to Sarah Ovens, a social worker and an organizer with the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society (TOPS), about why the opioid crisis is taking place and what her organization is doing to try to address it. You can make a donation to TOPS here: https://ca.gofundme.com/torontooverdosepreventionsociety

Canadians consider healthcare to be a right — we don't think the amount of money people have should determine whether they can see a doctor. Is it possible to think of public transit as a public good? We talk to Herman Rosenfeld, a member of Free Transit Toronto, to explore the idea of free public transit.

Expressing solidarity with Palestine and criticizing the state of Israel can be a challenge. To explore this challenge, we talk to William Robinson about his recent book "We Will Not be Silenced: The Academic Repression of Israel's Critics."

This extended interview builds on the discussion that took place in Episode 4. Toronto-based community organizer Sadia Khan reflects on her experience as a public-school teacher and activist to underline the importance of updating the sex-ed curriculum. She talks about why the recent sex ed curriculum reform has been so controversial, and what can be done to build support for a progressive sex-ed curriculum among parents.

The Progressive Conservatives, led by Doug Ford, attracted a great deal of support from non-white voters during the recent provincial election in Ontario. Why would minorities support a hard-right politician? We talk to Toronto-based community organizer Sadia Khan to find out.

When the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris came to power in Ontario in 1995 and began implementing its agenda of cuts, the labour movement decided to organize a response. The response came in the form of the Days of Action—a series of rolling political strikes that involved hundreds of thousands of workers and community members across the province. We talk to labour activist Sam Gindin about how the Days of Action came to be organized, what their impact was, and the lessons they hold for us.

The victory of Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives in the Ontario provincial election appears to be part of a broader trend—the hard-right has been going from strength to strength around the world. We talk to the labour activist Sam Gindin about why it is now Ontario's turn to face off against the hard-right, and what can be done to challenge Ford's government. We also get into talking about the limits of the New Democratic Party.