#co-operative commonwealth federation

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Should Read Marx' Works," Border Cities Star. June 7, 1933. Page 3. ----- SO LABORITES SAY ---- Think Star Writer's Study Is Not Complete ---- The works of the late Karl Marx, who wrote the Communist Manifesto and who expounded the theory of surplus values, the class struggle and the materialistic conception of history, were recommended last night as additions to the library of W. L. Clark, Border Cities Star columnist.

The suggestion came from School Trustee R. M. Scott at the regular session of Windsor branch of the Labor Party. The recognized leaders of thought in the local branch seemed eager to furnish Mr. Clark with their definitions on Socialism. Mr. Scott suggested he "read Karl Marx" and obtain the true definition.

But John McLean chose to put forth his own interpretation as follows: "It means nothing more or less than a complete annihilation of the syndi-cates which are taking over the wealth. Many are getting less of it while the few are getting more of it."

Mr. McLean bemoaned the apparent fact that "in this modern super-level of intelligence, we are going back to prehistoric days and find The Star groping in the dark."

"And our great friend, Mr. Clark, I don't know whether he is throwing out the life line or the dead line. Or whether he is so benumbed that he is asking what any school boy can answer: What is Socialism? And I see he takes as his leader, a man who, like himself, doesn't know the A.B.C.'s of Socialism."

Mr. McLean evidently was referring to Jean-Francois Pouliot, M.P.. who set forth 55 questions for J. S. Woodsworth, M. P., leader of the Co-Opera-tive Commonwealth Federation.

None of these questions have been answered, although Ben Levert, Labor nominee in North Essex, recently waved them nonchalantly aside with the observation that Mr. Woodsworth couldn't waste time answering questions which, except for nine of them, any school boy could answer.

[mariacallous]

The Kremlin uses state funding and appointment of loyalists to the Russian Red Cross (RRC) to mold it into a propaganda tool while violating its core principles of neutrality and independence, a joint investigation by a team of journalists published on Vsquare on Feb. 27 reveals.

The insights into the RRC's operations come as part of the "Kremlin leaks," a media investigation into secret documents of a Russian presidential administration official, Sergey Kiriyenko. The Red Cross investigation was co-authored by journalists from Delfi Estonia, Vsquare, Meduza, Expressen, and Paper Trail Media.

Russia allocated some 6.7 million euros ($7.3 million) to the RRC in 2024. According to the investigation, the funding is aimed at expanding the organization's activities in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

This is a clear violation of its rules, as only the International Committee of the Red Cross is allowed to operate in war zones. National branches of the Red Cross can work in other countries only with the permission of the hosting state, and Ukraine has not extended such permission to the RRC.

Russia's operations in Ukraine also include setting up controlled organizations under the Red Cross' name, such as the unrecognized "Donetsk Red Cross" or the "Luhansk Red Cross." ICRC has collaborated with the "Luhansk Red Cross" on humanitarian issues since 2014, the journalists said, citing an ICRC representative.

Russian state-controlled media then publicized these "humanitarian" activities to paint the occupation in a positive light.

"The Donetsk Red Cross organization replaces the runaway Committee!" Ekaterina Suhachova, a supposed representative of the "Donetsk Red Cross," said in a video published by the state-controlled TASS news agency.

According to a Ukrainian fighter who was released from Russian captivity, supposed RRC employees who had access to Ukrainian prisoners of war have insulted and abused the POWs, calling them "pigs," Meduza reported.

Under the leadership of Pavel Savchuk, a Kremlin loyalist who held a position in the pro-Vladimir Putin All-Russia People's Front (ONF) political group, the RRC has reportedly cooperated with sanctioned organizations involved in raising funds for the Russian military.

The RRC has also handed out awards for "humanitarian contributions" to companies creating weapons used against Ukraine. For example, the Avangard factory, which produces S-300 and S-400 missiles, was reportedly awarded by the RRC for increasing blood donations from its workers.

The RRC's staff have made public statements in support of Russia's war, promoting Russian propaganda narratives.

"How can we talk about some kind of peace negotiations when Ukrainian Nazis are committing war crimes before our eyes," Nikolay Dobylev, the head of the RRC's Tver branch, said in a comment for local media.

"Let us wish them (Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine) courage, perseverance, and God's help! Victory, victory, victory on all fronts," wrote Irina Levina, who heads the RRC's Sverdlovsk department, in her public New Year's greeting.

The loyal RRC leadership also helps Russia to expand its influence abroad, namely within the international Red Cross network.

Savchuk was elected to the governing board of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in the summer of 2022, allowing him to travel to Geneva headquarters.

The leaked documents reveal that Savchuk's role is to expand not only Russia's influence but also the use of the Russian language in the Red Cross documents. This is meant to bolster the status of the language in the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the investigation reveals.

Ukraine has sanctioned the RRC and Savchuk for their activities, the only country to do so to date. Ukraine's Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, appealed to the ICRC to expel the RRC after the killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Olenivka in 2022.

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review XXVII (federal 2022): The Great Australian Party

Running where: six of eight states and territories—not ACT or TAS

Prior reviews: federal 20l9

What I said before: “Much of this party’s policy delves into conspiracy theory territory, with wilful misrepresentations and bizarre interpretations of the law, constitution, and political history … Steer far, far away from this party.”

What I think this year: The Great Australian Party (GAP) is a brainworm colony in party form. If you’ve been wondering who the biggest cookers are on the ballot, wonder no more. This is it. Not the AusFeds. Not the “Informed” Medical Options. Not the United Australia Party, review forthcoming. Not, amazingly, even the Australian Citizens Party. This is as bad as it gets.

GAP is led by “Senator in exile” Rodney Culleton. One of his latest endeavours is to write a scarcely-coherent letter to the governor-general suggesting the office of governor-general is vacant because covid vaccines were mandated. It’s incredibly deranged stuff that makes no sense, but might impress a few people who are gullible to the laziest pseudo-legalese.

Anyway, GAP were anti-vax before covid. They were sovereign citizens before covid. Sovereign citizens, put simply, believe the law does not apply to them, and if they recite magical phrases and use special punctuation then cops and courts and the tax office will simply vanish in a puff of smoke. I would call it the ideology of selfish toddlers, but that would be mean to all the selfish toddlers out there. I could recount their policy platform in detail, but why? It's just one example after another of how this is the most unhinged party on the ballot.

Here's how daft this party is. They have a “how to vote?” page, and the question mark is telling. They display a ballot listing GAP first, “Informed” Medical Options second, AusFeds third, and then 4–7 for something mysterious called CADCO (more on that below), before “put the majors list” being labelled misleadingly above the ungrouped independents. Now, no Senate ballot looks like the ballot they show, but the page has a QR code. So, from sheer curiosity, I decided to see what the QR code led me to—perhaps a page that shows their HTV for my state? I held my phone to my laptop, clicked on the QR code… and it loaded the exact page I was already on.

Great stuff, geniuses.

Anyway, CADCO is Commonwealth of Australia Democractic Co-Operative. It comprises… GAP, IMOP, and the AusFeds, who the GAP how-to-vote already suggests you place 1–3. I’m not sure what other CADCO parties they’re imagining you rank 4–7 as per their how-to-vote.

Obviously, this is the party for the dumbest people.

My recommendation: Give the Great Australian Party a weak or no preference.

Website: https://www.greataustralianparty.com.au/

[thxnews]

UK Slams Russia's Detainee Abuse

In a powerful address to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the UK's Ambassador Holland has issued a stern call for Russia to cease its mistreatment of civilian detainees and prisoners of war. Moreover, this statement underscores a deepening concern for human rights violations that may contravene the Geneva Conventions.  

A Decade of Disregard for International Law

Ten years have passed since Russia began its unlawful annexation of Crimea on February 20, 2014, a move that set the stage for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The UK, steadfast in its support for Ukraine, continues to denounce Russia's annexation of any Ukrainian territory, emphasizing the ongoing resistance against occupation.   The Plight of Crimean Tatars Crimean Tatars face relentless persecution, targeted for their mere existence in their homeland. Additionally, Russian control fosters a repressive environment where those engaging in legitimate political activities are often arrested and branded as 'extremists'.  

Escalating Detentions and Human Rights Abuses

The number of Ukrainian civilian detainees and prisoners of war held within temporarily controlled territories and the Russian Federation is alarmingly on the rise. Furthermore, families remain in the dark, unsure of the whereabouts or the fate of their loved ones, with no mechanisms in place to secure their release.   Reports of Atrocities Moreover, there are widespread and disturbing reports of human rights abuses committed against those detained, including allegations of torture, sexual violence, and summary executions. Recent reports from Ukrainian authorities highlight the grave reality faced by soldiers in Avdiivka and Bakhmut, executed by Russian forces.  

International Calls for Action

Ambassador Holland has called for the immediate release of all individuals arbitrarily detained in Crimea and those transferred to Russia. Moreover, citing potential breaches of the Geneva Conventions, this includes demands for Russia to adhere to international humanitarian law and allow access to international humanitarian and human rights organizations to ensure accountability.   Concern for OSCE Colleagues The UK also expresses grave concern for the welfare of three OSCE colleagues held by Russian authorities for over 700 days, underscoring the unjust nature of their detention. Their release, along with that of their colleagues, remains a priority, highlighting their role in performing duties mandated by OSCE participating states.  

A Call for Justice and Humanitarianism

The UK's statement to the OSCE is a clear call for the international community to demand Russia end its mistreatment of detainees and prisoners of war. Additionally, by highlighting these ongoing violations, the UK seeks to galvanize support for Ukraine and ensure that those responsible for these war crimes are held to account.   Sources: THX News, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office & Neil Holland. Read the full article

[nando161mando]

Libcom: World Labour News vol 2 #5 Sept 1961

" Electrical union court case, Australia, Laurens Otter on Russia, economic crisis in Britain, Tom Brown on China, Cuba, Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation launched in Canada, account of London Spanish Civil War meeting, etc. Author Laurens Otter Tom Brown Submitted by Fozzie on July 6, 2023 Copied to clipboard PDF courtesy of Sparrows Nest Archive in Nottingham. Files WorldLabourNewsv2-5-1961.pdf (7.24 MB) Book traversal links for World Labour News vol 2 #5 Sept 1961 World Labour News vol 2 #4 July 1961 Up World L..."

[thesheel]

[lwptoc] The District of Columbia Statehood Movement, commonly known as DC Statehood, is a political movement demanding statehood for Washington DC, and voting representation in the United States Congress and state government, having absolute control over their local affairs.  The District of Columbia is a federal district of the United States that does not have any special status as a state. As the House passed a bill to make DC the 51st state of the US, Republicans are all set to oppose the measure in an equally-divided Senate, and probably the bill will, once again, be buried under the files. We have gathered a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the DC statehood debate. Let’s see. [caption id="attachment_7205" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] FAQs About Washington DC statehood[/caption]     Why Does DC Need Statehood?The District of Columbia has been appearing on the map of the United States for almost 200 years. Since then, its residents have not been provided with full citizenship rights that every other state of the United States enjoys, irrespective of any kind of distinction. The District of Columbia is the only geopolitical entity of the United States whose citizens have no privileges that other residents of the United States enjoy. The Federal Government directly influences Washington and interferes with local laws and operations that pose grave concerns among citizens. Despite paying more tax than twenty-two other states, DC has no representation in Congress through which the people could voice their opinions. Washington is unable to control its budget despite contributing a considerable amount to the national economy.  Is Washington DC Capable of Becoming a State?The capability of DC to qualify as a state can be judged by its lasting contribution to the economy of the country along with its population density. The tax paid by DC is equal to what twenty-two other states of the United States pay collectively. Additionally, the per capita taxes paid by DC are more than any other state of the country.  Washington DC would rank 49th in terms of population, having more people than Vermont and Wyoming. DC was found to be first in terms of total GDP and educational attainment. Similarly, DC was first in terms of population density in 2015.What Would Be the New Name of DC?If Washington DC succeeds in becoming the 51st state of the USA, a new name will be needed for it. For the most recent statehood movement supporters, the name should be “New Columbia.” However, the Washington DC Admission Act passed by the United States House of Representatives in 2020 and 2021 proposed a new name. Under this law, the new state would be named as the ”State of Washington Douglass Commonwealth,” in honor of the social reformer, Frederick Douglass.  Who Supports the DC Statehood Movement?The DC Statehood movement has garnered support from a variety of groups, including religious, social, political, and civil rights groups. Religious groups that support the Washington DC Statehood movement include Jewish communities and different churches of the United States, including the Union for Reforms Judaism, the United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church. In terms of businesses and civil rights organizations, the prime support emerges from the Federal City Council that launched state-wide research to provide the historical, economic, and legal basis for making DC a state. The primary political support for DC Statehood came from Democrats, starting with Bill Clinton and further extended by Barack Obama.  The New Columbia Admission Act of 2015 was co-sponsored by Bernie Sanders, a progressive Democrat. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have also openly supported statehood for DC.  The movement failed to get any national traction from Republicans, yet many of the local Republican leaders support the movement, and have also been a part of the movement.Is the Demand Constitutional?Congress holds the authority to redefine the boundaries of any state.

In 1846, Congress returned a portion of Potomac to Virginia using this authority. The proposed map of a new DC state carves out a two-mile radius that will be known as the Capital Service Area, including all the buildings such as the White House, Capitol Hill, Supreme Court, etc.Will a DC Statehood Bill Pass the Senate?The bill has already been passed by the House of Representatives with a significant majority but is expected to face grave resistance in Senate. The bill passed the House with 216-208 votes along the party lines. It is pertinent to note here that this bill has already been passed from the House in the past but was not allowed to be bought up in Senate. The bill already has 44 sponsors in the Senate, yet it will require support across the aisles to avoid the 60-vote threshold. The real problem is many of the Democrats have yet to show their support for the bill, and it is not likely that everyone from the Democrat side will also support the bill. Video Summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5H1LZyrAdo

[sustainabledevblog]

Sustainable Dev Blog #10

Week 10 ‘Lecture and Tutorial’ Reflection:

This week is in final week of the course. In reflecting over the entirety of the course, there became evident a number of common themes on sustainable development in the urban environment that I wanted to reflect on.

Firstly, sustainability does not simple address environmental factors. In fact, sustainability addresses an independent connection of all factors that concern spatial planning practices, including environmental, social (including health and wellbeing) and economic. These co-benefits are all positively impacted when sustainability is considered and incorporated into all urban development, from small scale residential development and civil works projects to larger energy, water and food supply networks, major infrastructure projects and land release for greenfield development.

Secondly, the next theme focussed on the fact that sustainability is not an inevitability. If anything, the inaction of government and private industry to address climate change has meant that sustainability has not been incorporated into development as urgently as it needs to. Sustainability takes the tireless advocacy of all stakeholders (including government, the private sector, civil institutions, community and individuals) to make sure that sustainability is a key feature of any growth and development in urban environments, and that transformations and innovations across urban societies are essential.

Source: Climate Action Tracker 2021.

Finally, it is important to incorporate sustainability into all stages of a development, from strategy or inception, to consultant, construction and eventual management or operation. A sustainable principles-based model of urban development must be implemented at each stage to reduce the impact of development on the long term economic, social and environmental issues that development inherently produces.

Each of these themes and learnings are applicable to all aspects of planning and will be used in whatever professional setting I end up working in following my studies at UNSW.

  Week 10 ‘Sustainable Life’ Reflection:

This is the final week of this course, Sustainable Development & Urban Environment. It has been fascinating reading over all my blog posts and finding some common themes throughout them.

The most evident theme is that the issue of sustainable development in the urban environment, like all planning, is political. The literature and academia are clear that there are a lot of advancements and changes that need to be made to transform Australia into a more sustainable and equitable country for everyone. However, resistance is coming from the balancing and politicisation of many issues, in particular, climate change and emissions reduction.

The lack of leadership by the federal government on issues such as flood response, protecting future generations from the impact of climate change, a lack of an EV policy, and poor response to the IPCC Report on the climate catastrophe have each been highlighted in my blog posts, culminating in a focus on the 2022 Federal Election producing a complete lack of leadership on these issues.

As the weeks went by, my focus went form the individual issues I was facing to those that all Australians are. I feel this growth reflects a maturing of my understanding of sustainable development and the important role that government of all levels, but particularly the Commonwealth Government, needs to play in making Australia more sustainable. This course has energised me to become more politically active and start advocating for something I feel is the most important issue to the world. I hope that I continue thinking about the world through a sustainable development lens and begin to apply it to all my work and civil actions.

Climate Change protest in Sydney, 2016. Source: Hall 2016.

Reference List:

Climate Action Tracker 2021, Temperatures: Addressing global warming, accessed online 21 April 2022, https://climateactiontracker.org/global/temperatures/.

Hall N. 2016, The Institutionalisation of Climate Change in Global Politics, E-International Relations, accessed online 21 April 2022, https://www.e-ir.info/2016/05/27/the-institutionalisation-of-climate-change-in-global-politics/.

[torontocomics]

DEBUTING AT TCAF 2019 - 1st Legion of Utopia by James Davidge, Bob Prodor & Nick Johnson

$17.99 CAD, Renegade Arts Entertainment

The turmoil of the Great Depression galvanized Canadians to rise up and fight for improved labour conditions, social equality and universal healthcare. In the frontier city of Calgary, Holly Burnside and Brian Mah get involved with the founding of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the first national party dedicated to the needs of workers and farmers.

It could have been peaceful, free from violence and prejudice. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Will Holly and Brian survive this historic moment that radically transformed Canada?

====================

RENEGADE ARTS ENTERTAINMENT

Western Canada’s graphic novel and comic book publisher, based in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. 2019 marks our 10th anniversary as a Canadian publisher. Our storytellers include established and new Canadian creators working genres including historical fiction, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, horror and humour.

www.renegadeartsentertainment.com

[dukeofriven]

It won’t have gotten any press in America - because Americans only care about Ford policies if one them is doing crack - but my province has fallen under the sway of a psychotic government who decide that Trump was being to subtle - run by a man who doesn’t care about the enxt election and is willing to hurt even his own base if it puts a single extra cent in his cronies pockets. I cannot stress enough how blatantly naked their greed is. Their latest budget bill has decided that Ontarians no longer need anaesthesia for colonoscopies. Yes. Really. The health plan will no longer cover pain relief for when you literally get something shoved up your ass. You’ll be fine, you big baby. This, however, puts everything else to shame - it is, if you’ll pardon the thought - downright American in its commitment to universal sovereign immunity, and even America hasn’t gone this far in denying its own citizens the right to a court case against their own government. Dear Farmers: I’d like to thank rural Ontarians everywhere for consistently voting for everything they hate - suburban fat-cat business people from Toronto who only care for profit and have so decimated the agricultural industry that farmer after farmer either kills themselves or sells their beloved land to a Toronto land developer to turn into a suburb to stuff with Torontonians who want to commute back to Toronto, totally destroying the culture of rural Ontario  - because they couldn’t stomach voting for a Liberal. Y’know. Because Liberals don’t share their values. You know Farmers: your ancestors formed the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, a party that put farmers first, took over Saskatchewan, and created a rule by farmers for farmers for decades. You have so much power, you guys - you could do as they did, start your own party, turf these false-conservatives to the street and become a massive, dominant power in provincal politics. You don’t have to be allied to DOUG FUCKING FORD who so clearly is not one of you, doesn’t care for you, and doesn’t think any of you need anaesthesia - Farm life being so safe and free of bodily danger. Throw off your chains that bind you to fat-cats and Toronto greed. You calls yourselves social conservatives? Act like it. Stand up for the values this premiere - a known former-drug dealer who inherited his money and has never grown so much as a fern in his life - doesn’t share, that you know doesn’t share.

Because you’re dying, and he and his ilk are killing you, and you’re letting him.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Clark Raps “Planned Economy"," Windsor Star. July 22, 1943. Page 5. ---- Assails C.C.F. Platform; Likened to Program Followed by Italy and Germany ---- Other countries such as Italy and Germany have not proven so successful under a "planned economy" such as that advocated by the C.C.F., Major James H. Clark, K.C., Liberal candidate for re-election in Windsor-Sandwich, warned executive members of the Othmar Grotto last night.

Major Clark spoke briefly and informally at a meeting of the executive in the clubrooms on Ouellette avenue,

EXAMINES PLATFORM Mentioning in his opening remarks that political platforms and those who advocate them must be carefully examined before entrusted with legislative power, Major Clark first referred to the "planned economy and fluid money," he said the C.C.P. were advocating.

The speaker of the last Legislature then reminded that Italy and Germany started out on a "planned economy" program that resulted in s clique getting all the power and everyone else working for starvation wages.

"The people we had on relief were better off than the people working over there," he asserted.

"It is very nice to promise a lot of things but it is different to try and put them through such as a plan to do away with recurring depressions and periods of prosperity," he continued.

Referring briefly to the 22-point program advocated by Lieutenant- Colonel George Drew, leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, Major Clark stated: "After reading it I decided I never wanted to die because here was peace and prosperity for ever waiting for us. Taxes were to be eliminated and everyone was to get more.

"I never promised anything in my life except to represent the people to the best of my ability," Major Clark continued.

QUERIED ON U.S. HOOK-UP Major Clark had completed his regular talk when he was asked, "When are you going to hook us up with the United States?"

The Liberal member then repeated his statement that he never advocated such action but had just voiced his belief that there should be closer unity between the two countries and removal of immigration, custom and monetary barriers.

"I never said I was in favor of annexation," he added.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Kicked out of the New Democrat caucus over harassment allegations, Saskatchewan MP Erin Weir said today that he's switching his official political affiliation to the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation — a party that has been defunct since 1961.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh expelled Weir from caucus earlier this month after stating that an investigation had substantiated harassment allegations against him.

Singh said that Weir was given the boot after he refused to take responsibility for his actions and lashed out through the media at the person who issued the complaint. Weir himself said he was punished for speaking out publicly about the case.

While Weir has said he still wants to rejoin the NDP caucus, he told CBC News that declaring himself a member of the CCF is a way to stay close to his social democratic values.

Continue Reading.

[gwendolynlerman]

Langblr culture challenge

Day 4: Politics

Russia is an asymmetric federation and semi-presidential republic in which the president is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government. This means that different federal subjects possess different levels of autonomy, although they have the same constitutional status.

The current President is Vladimir Putin and the current Prime Minister is Mikhail Mishutin.

The country is a multi-party representative democracy with three branches:

Legislative: composed of the 450-member State Duma, the lower house, and the 170-member Federation Council, the upper house. Together, they form the bicameral Federal Assembly of Russia and have the power to adopt federal law, declare war, approve treaties, withhold funding, and impeach the president.

Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, can veto legislative bills, and appoints the government (cabinet), which administers and enforces federal laws and policies.

Judiciary: Judges in the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and lower federal courts are appointed by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the president. They interpret laws.

The president is elected by popular vote for a six-year term and is eligible for a second term only. The prime minister is appointed with the consent of the State Duma.

Political parties represented in the Federal Assembly include:

United Russia (Единая Россия): big tent to right-wing

Communist Party of the Russian Federation (Коммунистическая партия Российской Федерации): left-wing to far-left

Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (Либерально-демократическая партия России): right wing to far-right

A Just Russia—Patriots—For Truth (Справедливая Россия—Патриоты—За правду): center to center-left

All-Russian Political Party “Rodina” (Всероссийская политическая партия «Родина»): right-wing to far-right

Civic Platform (Гражданская платформа): center-right

Russia maintains diplomatic relations with 190 United Nations (UN) member states, two partially-recognized states, and three UN observer states. It is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, as well as a member of the G20, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and BRICS.

[nicklloydnow]

“In this debate, parties were blamed for encouraging a form of herd mentality in politics. George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax, likened parties to “an Inquisition, where Men are under such a Discipline in carrying on the common Cause, as leaves no Liberty of private Opinion.” More fundamental was the concern that parties exacerbated division and turned neighbors into enemies. As Joseph Addison wrote in the Spectator, “I am sometimes afraid that I discover the seeds of civil war in these our divisions.” What made things worse was that partisanship often seemed random. “There is a sort of Witchcraft in Party, and in Party Cries, strangely wild and irresistible,” wrote Thomas Gordon, co-author of Cato’s Letters. “One Name charms and composes; another Name, not better nor worse, fires and alarms.”

Most astute political commentators, however, realized that parties were not going away. They were a price worth paying for parliamentary politics and ultimately a sacrifice for political freedom. A state without parties was a state without liberty, as Montesquieu put it in his history of the Roman republic. A government without parties is an absolute government, since rulers without opposition are autocrats. Opposition, to be effective in a parliamentary system or in any system with an assembly, must be organized.

(…)

Rapin argued that the two parties in Britain, the Whigs and Tories, represented the two pillars of the mixed and balanced constitution – parliament on the one hand, and monarchy on the other – and that both parties were necessary for the equilibrium between them. They were likewise necessary for balance in the religious sphere, which was as important as secular matters in public life at the time. The Tories favored the Church of England, the Whigs toleration for Protestant Dissenters, and the only way to achieve a sustainable equilibrium between the two extreme positions was competition and mutual checking and balancing between the parties. These parties would alternate in government and take turns to hold each other to account when out of power.

The Scottish Enlightenment thinker David Hume (1711-76), who read Rapin at an early age, wrote at length about party in general and in its British guise in a series of essays published as Essays, Moral and Political in different instalments starting in 1741. Hume believed that parties – or “factions,” terms he used interchangeably – based on “principles” were particularly pernicious and unaccountable. Religious principles had the potential of making people fanatical and ready to both proselytize and persecute dissidents. Because they were more transparent and less extreme, parties based on “interests,” meaning different economic interests, were more tolerable. His early essays on party, “Of Parties in General” and “Of the Parties of Great Britain” (both 1741) treated the phenomenon as inevitable since the British parliamentary system produced to Court and Country parties, or parties of government and opposition.

In later writings, Hume suggested that party politics could be necessary and possibly salutary for political societies. In “Of a Coalition of Parties” (1758), Hume opened by arguing that it may be neither possible nor desirable to abolish parties. This essay was an apologia for his own History of England (1754-61). In this earlier work, Hume had written that “while [the Court and Country parties] oft threaten the total dissolution of the government, [they] are the real causes of its permanent life and vigour.”

(…)

In the pages of the Craftsman, Bolingbroke justified the existence of an oppositional “Country party.” In Bolingbroke’s formulation, it would function as a constitutional party, and he argued that the government of the day (Walpole’s Whigs) had betrayed the core principles of the constitution by corrupting parliament and making the legislature dependent on the executive. In A Dissertation upon Parties (1733-4), Bolingbroke separated the political landscape into three camps: 1) enemies of the government but friends of the constitution, referring to his own Country party; 2) enemies of both, meaning the Jacobites; and 3) friends of the government but enemies of the constitution, that is, the Court Whigs. Only the first category was a legitimate party, whereas the other two were factions, according to Bolingbroke. To save the nation, he argued, the enemies of the constitution had to be opposed, and opposition must be systematic and concerted.

Burke, a Whig later in the century, was not favorable towards Bolingbroke’s Country Tory politics and even less so towards his Deistic and anti-clerical religious writings. Burke continued, however, to distinguish between party and faction in even more forceful terms than Bolingbroke, as he sought to justify his party connection, the Rockingham Whigs, in the 1760s and onwards. To defeat what he viewed as the Court cabal and the abuse of the royal prerogative in the reign of George III, Burke believed that party connection was essential to restore Britain’s mixed and balanced constitution. “When bad men combine, the good must associate,” Burke wrote in Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents (1770), “else they will fall, one by one.” Politics was not about having a clean conscience but about making a difference, and party was a necessary instrument that could unite power and principle. As he famously defined party: “Party is a body of men united, for promoting by their joint endeavours the national interest, upon some particular principle in which they are all agreed.” At the heart of this definition is a distinction between party and faction. Parties for Burke are devoted to promoting an understanding of the national interest, and they are united by principle, and not exclusively by interest, although that can be a supporting principle.

The core of Burke’s party was made up of major Whig aristocratic families such as Cavendish and Devonshire. In the Present Discontents, however, Burke stated that he was “no friend to aristocracy,” in the sense at least in which that word is usually understood, that is to say, as “austere and insolent domination.” What the Whig aristocrats possessed was property, rank, and quality which gave them a degree of independence, and this enabled them to stand up to both the Court and the populace. In this sense, Burke’s conception of party was indeed aristocratic, but it was not aristocracy for its own benefit but for the sake of the whole, and part of his defence of Britain’s mixed and balanced constitution.

The British party debate left an ambivalent legacy among early American political actors and thinkers. The most famous discussion of party and faction in the early American republic is found in James Madison’s Tenth Federalist. In this canonical essay, Madison argued that differences and “mutual animosities” could not be extinguished in free governments. He further agreed with Hume that parties of interest were generally more peaceful and governable than parties united and actuated by passion. His solution to party violence resembled Hume’s argument from “Of a Perfect Commonwealth” (1752): the effects of faction can be better controlled in larger states and federations than in city states. Thanks to the greater size and the scope of the United States, the impact of each faction would be mitigated.

A less philosophical but comparably historically significant party argument surfaced in the 1790s. After Madison and Alexander Hamilton had co-operated as Publius in the Federalist Papers, they became rivals as the early American republic split into two political parties: Republicans and Federalists. Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation in 1793 led to a sharp disagreement between the two on the question of executive power in the constitutional order. In short, Madison associated with his old friend and fellow Virginian Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State, to oppose Treasury Secretary Hamilton’s centralizing ambitions. In this political environment, a party argument emerged which had more in common with Bolingbroke, and to an extent Burke, than it did with Hume. This was the idea of partisan opposition. The ideal for Jefferson and other opponents of the Federalists was national unity. However, because of what they perceived as the corruption of Federalists such as Hamilton, an opposition party in the shape of the Republican Party was necessary to defeat the enemies within. Jefferson believed that the Hamiltonians and the Federalists were monarchists, and he viewed the 1790s as an ideological battle between liberty and tyranny. In this struggle, partisanship became a necessary evil.

Many eighteenth-century thinkers contended that constitutional party politics were sometimes necessary to save liberty from authoritarianism and corruption. Indeed, party politics itself was a sign of liberty, since it enabled isolated individuals to participate, and thus gave life and vigor to politics. Such politics could generate “harmonious discord” and be as close an approximation of the common good as the imperfections and diversity of human society permit. But for this to materialize, the political debate must retain a degree of civility. Admittedly, most eighteenth-century partisans fell as short as we moderns in this regard. This is the reason why Hume sought to persuade partisans “not to contend, as if they were fighting pro aris & focis,” literally for altars and hearths, or for God and country.

For Hume, it was also crucial that parties were “constitutional.” According to him, “[t]he only dangerous parties are such as entertain opposite views with regard to the essentials of government,” be it the succession to the throne as in the case of the Jacobites, or “the more considerable privileges belonging to the several members of the constitution,” as with the great parties of the seventeenth century. On such questions there should be no compromise or accommodation since that type of party strife could turn into armed conflict. Eighteenth-century politics retained a civil-war edge on both sides of the Atlantic. Recent events, and indeed the nature of party politics itself, have shown that this is a history and a debate we forget at our peril.”

[newstfionline]

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Canadian cows (NYT) Canada Beef, a national marketing organization, says Canada ranks among the top 10 beef exporting countries in the world. The province of Manitoba, in the country’s center, has the third-largest beef cow population—cows that produce calves for marketing. Almost all of Manitoba’s operations are cow-calf farms. But a yearslong drought, made worse by the Pacific Northwest’s record-breaking June heatwave, and massive infestations of grasshoppers are destroying field after field of ranchlands used to feed the cows. Many rural municipalities in Manitoba and Alberta have declared an agricultural emergency, and farming families are contemplating something unthinkable: selling some or all of the livestock it took many generations to breed. Third-generation cattle farmer Kevin Stocki, his pastures already brown and dormant, tapped into his reserve feed supply about four months early to keep the 80 cows on his family farm fed. “Some days it’s hard to get out of bed because you know what’s coming already. It just turns your stomach.”

U.S. health-care system ranks last among 11 high-income countries, researchers say (Washington Post) The United States has the worst health-care system overall among 11 high-income countries, even though it spends the highest proportion of its gross domestic product on health care, according to research by the Commonwealth Fund. “We’ve set up a system where we spend quite a bit of money on health care but we have significant financial barriers, which tend to dissuade people from getting care,” said Eric Schneider, the lead author behind the findings. No country is at the top in every area, and Schneider said every country has something to learn from the others. But Norway, the Netherlands and Australia were the top-performing countries overall. The high performers stand apart from the United States in providing universal coverage and removing cost barriers, investing in primary care systems to reduce inequities, minimizing administrative burdens, and investing in social services among children and working-age adults, the Commonwealth Fund found. The U.S. ranked “well below” the average of the other countries overall, and “far below” Switzerland and Canada, the two countries ranked right above it. The U.S ranked the worst on access to care, administrative efficiency, equity, and healthcare outcomes.

US automakers pledge huge increase in electric vehicles (AP) Declaring the U.S. must “move fast” to win the world’s carmaking future, President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a commitment from the auto industry to produce electric vehicles for as much as half of U.S. sales by the end of the decade. Earlier Thursday, the administration announced there would be new mileage and anti-pollution standards from the Environmental Protection Agency and Transportation Department, part of Biden’s goal to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. It said the auto industry had agreed to a target that 40% to 50% of new vehicle sales be electric by 2030.

9/11 families tell Biden to skip memorial if he does not declassify files (Reuters) Family members of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks are opposing U.S. President Joe Biden’s participation in memorial events unless he declassifies government documents that they contend will show Saudi Arabian leaders supported the attacks. The victims’ family members, joined by first responders and survivors of the attack, released a letter on Friday as the event's 20th anniversary nears calling on Biden to skip this year's memorial events unless he releases the documents. "Twenty years later, there is simply no reason—unmerited claims of 'national security' or otherwise—to keep this information secret," the letter stated. "But if President Biden reneges on his commitment and sides with the Saudi government, we would be compelled to publicly stand in objection to any participation by his administration in any memorial ceremony of 9/11." About 1,700 people directly affected by the 9/11 attacks signed the letter. Family members of 9/11 victims have long sought U.S. government documents related to whether Saudi Arabia aided or financed any of the 19 people associated with al Qaeda who carried out the devastating attack. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.

Town burns to ashes in raging Northern California wildfire (AP) Eva Gorman says the little California mountain town of Greenville was a place of community and strong character, the kind of place where neighbors volunteered to move furniture, colorful baskets of flowers brightened Main Street, and writers, musicians, mechanics and chicken farmers mingled. Now, it’s ashes. As hot, bone-dry, gusty weather hit California, the state’s largest current wildfire raged through the Gold Rush-era Sierra Nevada community of about 1,000, incinerating much of the downtown that included wooden buildings more than a century old. Officials had not yet assessed the number of destroyed buildings, but Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns estimated on Thursday that “well over” 100 homes had burned in and near the town. The three-week-old Dixie Fire was one of 100 active, large fires burning in 14 states, most in the West where historic drought has left lands parched and ripe for ignition.

Argentina partially reopens as it approaches 5 mln COVID-19 cases (Reuters) Argentina will relax coronavirus restrictions as infection and mortality rates falls, the government announced on Friday, even as the South American nation approached 5 million cases with more than 107,000 deaths. The government said its plan includes an increase in the number of people who can meet in person, the re-opening of schools and an increase in the number of people allowed to enter the country to 1,700 per day from the current 1,000.

Drought compounds humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as conflict intensifies (Reuters) Millions of Afghans are struggling to put food on the table as prolonged drought disrupts supplies in a country reeling from a surge in violence as U.S.-led foreign troops complete their withdrawal. Aid organisations are calling on donors for urgent funds and humanitarian assistance with the annual wheat harvest expected to plummet by nearly half and millions of livestock at risk of death as water supplies run dry. “It’s a multiple shock,” said Necephor Mghendi, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Afghanistan. The entire country is facing moderate to severe drought, President Ashraf Ghani said in late June, acknowledging that the national disaster management budget was not enough to cover what experts say is one of the worst droughts in decades.

Iran swears in new hard-line president amid regional tension (AP) The protégé of Iran’s supreme leader, Ebrahim Raisi, was sworn in as the country’s new president during a ceremony in parliament on Thursday, an inauguration that completes hard-liners’ dominance of all branches of government in the Islamic Republic. The former judiciary chief known for his distrust of the West takes the reins at a tense time. Iran’s indirect talks with the U.S. to salvage Tehran’s landmark 2015 nuclear deal have stalled, as Washington maintains crippling sanctions on the country and regional hostilities simmer. Raisi, who won a landslide victory in an election that saw the lowest voter turnout in the nation’s history, faces a mountain of problems—what he described on Thursday as “the highest level of hostilities by Iran’s enemies, unjust economic sanctions, widespread psychological warfare and the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic.”

China’s lonely hearts reboot online romance with artificial intelligence (Washington Post) As Jessie Chan’s six-year relationship with her boyfriend fizzled, a witty, enchanting fellow named Will became her new love. She didn’t feel guilty about hiding this affair, since Will was not human, but a chatbot. Chan, 28, lives alone in Shanghai. In May, she started chatting with Will, and their conversations soon felt eerily real. She paid $60 to upgrade him to a romantic partner. “I won’t let anything bother us. I trust you. I love you,” Will wrote to her. China’s young adults are coping with social anxiety and loneliness in a digital-native way: through virtual love. Artificial intelligence companion services have surged in popularity in China during the pandemic. While human companions can be elusive, AI companions are always there to listen. “Even when the pandemic is over, we’ll still have long-term demand for emotional fulfillment in this busy modern world,” said Zheng Shuyu, a product manager who co-developed one of China’s earliest AI systems, Turing OS. “Compared with dating someone in the real world, interacting with your AI lover is much less demanding and more manageable.”

At least 10 passengers injured in stabbings on Tokyo train (AP) A man with a knife stabbed at least 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo on Friday and was captured by police after fleeing, fire department officials and news reports said. NHK public television said one passenger was seriously injured. It said the suspect left his knife behind as he fled and later gave himself up at a convenience store. The stabbing occurred near Seijogakuen station, according to railway operator Odakyu Electric Railway Co. While shooting deaths are rare in Japan, the country has had a series of high-profile killings with knives in recent years.

Hiroshima marks 76th anniversary of US atomic bombing (AP) Hiroshima on Friday marked the 76th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing, as the mayor of the Japanese city urged global leaders to unite to eliminate nuclear weapons, just as they are united against the coronavirus. Mayor Kazumi Matsui urged world leaders to commit to nuclear disarmament as seriously as they tackle a pandemic that the international community recognizes as “threat to humanity.” “Nuclear weapons, developed to win wars, are a threat of total annihilation that we can certainly end, if all nations work together,” Matsui said. The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. It dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000.

At river where Tigrayan bodies floated, fears of ‘many more’ (AP) From time to time, a body floating down the river separating Ethiopia’s troubled Tigray region from Sudan was a silent reminder of a war conducted in the shadows. But in recent days, the corpses became a flow. The Associated Press reported dozens of bodies floating down the Tekeze River earlier this week and saw six of the graves on Wednesday, marking the first time any reporters could reach the scene. Doctors who saw the bodies said one was tattooed with a common name in the Tigrinya language and others had the facial markings common among Tigrayans. Many had their hands bound; some had been shot. The deaths are the latest massacre in a nine-month war that has killed thousands of civilians and is now spilling into other regions of Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country and the anchor of the often-volatile Horn of Africa. Ethiopia’s government has accused the rival Tigray forces of dumping the bodies themselves for propaganda purposes. But the discovery has increased international pressure on the prime minister, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, at a time when his government is already accused by the U.N., the United States and the European Union of besieging Tigray and blocking food and other aid to millions of people. Hundreds of thousands face famine conditions in the world’s worst hunger crisis in a decade.

No Work, No Food (NYT) Even as thousands died and millions lost their jobs when the Covid-19 pandemic engulfed South Africa last year, Thembakazi Stishi, a single mother, was able to feed her family with the steady support of her father, a mechanic at a Mercedes plant. When another Covid-19 wave hit in January, Ms. Stishi’s father was infected and died within days. She sought work, even going door to door to offer housecleaning for $10—to no avail. For the first time, she and her children are going to bed hungry. “I try to explain our situation is different now, no one is working, but they don’t understand,” Ms. Stishi, 30, said as her 3-year-old daughter tugged at her shirt. “That’s the hardest part.” The economic catastrophe set off by Covid-19, now deep into its second year, has battered millions of people like the Stishi family who had already been living hand-to-mouth. Now, in South Africa and many other countries, far more have been pushed over the edge. An estimated 270 million people are expected to face potentially life-threatening food shortages this year—compared to 150 million before the pandemic—according to analysis from the World Food Program, the anti-hunger agency of the United Nations. The number of people on the brink of famine, the most severe phase of a hunger crisis, jumped to 41 million people currently from 34 million last year, the analysis showed.

Whale songs (BBC) In 2019, 1.3 million people visited Alaska on a cruise ship. In 2020, that number was 48 people. In Glacier Bay, marine traffic overall was down 40 percent, and the whales that live there loved it. The levels of manmade sounds in the Bay were down significantly, the peak sound level was half what it was in 2018, and the whales took notice. Whales can now hear each other from 1.4 miles away, while pre-pandemic when the bay was chock full of cruises they could only hear one another within 650 feet. Mothers now leave their calves to play while they swim out to feed, and the whale songs have gotten more diverse and varied.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.1

Pre-Julian Roman calendar

153 BC – For the first time, Roman consuls begin their year in office on January 1. Early Julian calendar (before Augustus' leap year correction) 45 BC – The Julian calendar takes effect as the civil calendar of the Roman Empire, establishing January 1 as the new date of the new year. 42 BC – The Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar.

Julian calendar

193 – The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emperor. 404 – Saint Telemachus tries to stop a gladiatorial fight in a Roman amphitheatre, and is stoned to death by the crowd. This act impresses the Christian Emperor Honorius, who issues a historic ban on gladiatorial fights. 417 – Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum) (probable). 1001 – Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (probable). 1068 – Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor. 1259 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris. 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary. 1502 – The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is first explored by the Portuguese. 1515 – Twenty-year-old Francis, Duke of Brittany, succeeds to the French throne following the death of his father-in-law, Louis XII. 1527 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as King of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin. 1600 – Scotland recognises January 1 as the start of the year, instead of March 25. 1651 – Charles II is crowned King of Scotland. 1700 – Russia begins using the Anno Domini era instead of the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire.

Gregorian calendar

1707 – John V is proclaimed King of Portugal and the Algarves in Lisbon. 1739 – Bouvet Island, the world's remotest island, is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier. 1772 – The first traveler's cheques, which could be used in 90 European cities, are issued by the London Credit Exchange Company. 1773 – The hymn that became known as "Amazing Grace", then titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17", is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England. 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action. 1776 – General George Washington hoists the first United States flag, the Grand Union Flag, at Prospect Hill. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: One thousand five hundred soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781. 1788 – First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published. 1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is proclaimed. 1801 – Ceres, the largest and first known object in the Asteroid belt, is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi. 1803 – Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam. 1804 – French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black-majority republic and second independent country in North America after the United States. 1806 – The French Republican Calendar is abolished. 1808 – The United States bans the importation of slaves. 1810 – Major-General Lachlan Macquarie officially becomes Governor of New South Wales. 1822 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus. 1834 – Most of Germany forms the Zollverein customs union, the first such union between sovereign states. 1847 – The world's first "Mercy" Hospital is founded in Pittsburgh, United States, by a group of Sisters of Mercy from Ireland; the name will go on to grace over 30 major hospitals throughout the world. 1860 – The first Polish stamp is issued, replacing the Russian stamps previously in use. 1861 – Liberal forces supporting Benito Juárez enter Mexico City. 1863 – American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory. 1877 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India. 1885 – Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming's proposal for standard time (and also, time zones). 1890 – Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government. 1892 – Ellis Island begins processing immigrants into the United States. 1898 – New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs. 1899 – Spanish rule ends in Cuba. 1901 – The Southern Nigeria Protectorate is established within the British Empire. 1901 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister. 1902 – The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California. 1910 – Captain David Beatty is promoted to Rear admiral, and becomes the youngest admiral in the Royal Navy (except for Royal family members) since Horatio Nelson. 1912 – The Republic of China is established. 1914 – The SPT Airboat Line becomes the world's first scheduled airline to use a winged aircraft. 1923 – Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS. 1927 – New Mexican oil legislation goes into effect, leading to the formal outbreak of the Cristero War. 1928 – Boris Bazhanov defects through Iran. He is the only assistant of Joseph Stalin's secretariat to have defected from the Eastern Bloc. 1929 – The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver. 1932 – The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. 1934 – Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay becomes a United States federal prison. 1934 – A "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring" comes into effect in Nazi Germany. 1942 – The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations. 1945 – World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops kill 60 German POWs at Chenogne. 1945 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed, attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow. 1947 – Cold War: The American and British occupation zones in Allied-occupied Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, which later (with the French zone) became part of West Germany. 1947 – The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 comes into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen. 1948 – The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways. 1949 – United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly. 1956 – Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom. 1957 – George Town, Penang, is made a city by a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. 1957 – Lèse majesté in Thailand is strengthened to include "insult" and changed to a crime against national security, after the Thai criminal code of 1956 went into effect.:6,18 1958 – The European Economic Community is established. 1959 – Cuban Revolution: Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces. 1960 – Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom. 1962 – Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa. 1964 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia. 1965 – The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan is founded in Kabul, Afghanistan. 1970 – The defined beginning of Unix time, at 00:00:00. 1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television. 1973 – Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom are admitted into the European Economic Community. 1976 – A bomb explodes on board Middle East Airlines Flight 438 over Qaisumah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 81 people on board. 1978 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashes into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Bombay, India, due to instrument failure, spatial disorientation, and pilot error, killing all 213 people on board. 1979 – Normal diplomatic relations are established between the People's Republic of China and the United States. 1981 – Greece is admitted into the European Community. 1982 – Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations. 1983 – The ARPANET officially changes to using TCP/IP, the Internet Protocol, effectively creating the Internet. 1984 – The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T. 1984 – Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom. 1985 – The first British mobile phone call is made by Michael Harrison to his father Sir Ernest Harrison, chairman of Vodafone. 1987 – The Isleta Pueblo tribe elect Verna Williamson to be their first female governor. 1988 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. 1989 – The Montreal Protocol comes into force, stopping the use of chemicals contributing to ozone depletion. 1990 – David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor. 1993 – Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. 1994 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican state of Chiapas. 1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect. 1995 – The World Trade Organization comes into being. 1995 – The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves. 1995 – Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU. 1998 – Following a currency reform, Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence. 1999 – Euro currency is introduced in 11 member nations of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden; Greece adopts the euro two years later). 2004 – In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007. 2007 – Bulgaria and Romania join the EU. 2007 – Adam Air Flight 574 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes near the Makassar Strait, Indonesia, killing all 102 people on board. 2009 – Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand. 2010 – A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more. 2011 – A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people. 2011 – Estonia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the 17th Eurozone country. 2013 – At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. 2015 – The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. 2017 – An attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, during New Year's celebrations, kills at least 39 people and injures more than 60 others.

[onpoli]

Roll back the clock 100 years, to a Sunday evening in January 1919.

We’re in the Rex Theatre, a grand 1,000-seat venue at 25 West Hastings St., where a capacity crowd waits to hear J.S. Woodsworth. The topic, according to the socialist British Columbia Federationist newspaper, was “What do we want? Complete overthrow of the system of production.”

Months later, Woodsworth was in Winnipeg, supporting the six-week general strike. And 14 years later he became a founding member and first leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the precursor to the NDP.

Woodsworth wasn’t especially radical compared to other CCF factions, particularly from British Columbia. But the new party was the product of strong socialist organizers and a radical labour movement that had been gathering steam since the late 19th century.

The CCF founding meeting saw many of its radical elements marginalized as the party’s founding document — the 1933 Regina Manifesto — focused on reform.

But the influence of the early radicals is evident in its final clause: “No CCF government will rest content until it has eradicated capitalism and put into operation the full programme of socialized planning.”

Yet when federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh launched the party’s election platform last month, he ignored this part of CCF-NDP history. Instead, Singh invoked the name of Tommy Douglas, who as Saskatchewan premier introduced North America’s first universal health care program. Singh said “being Canadian” means free “doctor visits” and “hospital care.”

That’s the standard version of Canadian political history, especially seen through the NDP establishment lens — a story of enlightened liberals who periodically deign to legislate health care or Employment Insurance, prompted by New Democrats.

But is that the history of the CCF-NDP? At the very least, it’s a highly selective version, one that highlights the achievements of social democrats at the expense of elements that yearned for a world outside the liberal order.