Portside

Ideas for the present and the future from the international left, news reports, and more.

The crisis this time is unique in an especially topsy-turvy way. In past capitalist crises, the state intervened to try and get the economy going again. This time, the is not on how to revive the economy, but how to further restrict it.

The conveners of the People’s Bailout have gained political initiative by crafting an empowering framework and pushing it out to tens of thousands ready to agitate and organize.

Many on the U.S. left fear governing power, in part because it has been so difficult to achieve. More recent optimism among socialists is a welcome development—but we need a middle ground between being cynical and naive.

Divisions on France’s left have helped Macron and le Pen dominate the political terrain. In the country’s second city, grassroots pressure has forced them to put aside differences — ahead of March 2020’s elections, promising a “Marseille Spring.”

Our goal is not just to push Trump out of office, but to help shift the balance of power in the states where we are working in favor of communities of color, social justice organizations, and labor.

As leftists debate what their labor strategy should look like, many are turning to the rank-and-file strategy. A longtime union activist reflects on a lifetime of struggle in the rank and file.

Crushing fascists – especially those in one of the most powerful executive positions in the whole of human history – is an essential part of building democratic socialism.

The squad understands that "diversity" is meaningless if the measure of success is "sameness." The congresswomen are choosing to do politics a different way because they recognize that Congress has never worked for their communities.

French workers' top electoral choice isn't Marine Le Pen, but abstention. To mobilize their support, the Left needs to look beyond the workplace alone - and answer a deeper mood of alienation.