October 4, 2019

New per CNN: Sanders' $1.3M ad buy in Iowa is back on.

https://twitter.com/GregJKrieg/status/1179890361616998400
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/03/politics/bernie-sanders-heart-procedure-campaign-debate/index.html

October 2, 2019

Free E-Book : Europe 2025: A New Agenda

https://www.socialeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Europe-2025-eBook.pdf

Social Europe, in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the Hans Böckler Stiftung, seeks to inform these debates by collecting ideas for the next five and a half years of European politics from thought-provoking thinkers and experts. Under the title “Europe 2025 – A New Agenda” we collected fresh thinking that helps sketching out a positive path forward for Europe.

With contributions by Léonce Bekemans, Marija Bartl, Peter Scherrer, Jan Zielonka, Christian Schweiger, Gustav Horn, Donatella Della Porta, Sophie Pornschlegel, Mary Kaldor, Anton Hemerijck & Massimiliano Santini, Kirsty Hughes and Kalypso Nicolaïdis.

October 2, 2019

Dear Russiagate Deniers: Screw You

Glenn Greenwald, Michael Tracey, Katie Halper and Matt Taibbi are unusually silent after the Democrats announced they were impeaching Trump.

https://thebanter.substack.com/p/dear-russiagate-deniers-screw-you

It's been over a week since the corrupt Trump regime tried to bury a whistleblower report and botched the cover up so badly it revealed not only over two years of cover ups, but how widespread the corruption has spread. It's been a week since House Democrats, lead by Nancy Pelosi, looked at what Trump had done, specifically, that he attempted to get another country to fabricate dirt on a political rival, and, quite correctly, threw down the impeachment gauntlet.

During all of this, the loudest "progressive" voices who just spent three years insisting Russiagate, you know, the last time Trump had another country interfere in our election, was 100% bullshit, haven't said a goddamn word. Except for Michael Tracey, the raving lunatic TYT fired for being, well, a raving lunatic. But we'll get back to him in a bit. Let's put this in a bit of context so you'll understand why I'm so goddamn smug right now.

Writers and talking heads like Glenn Greenwald, Matt Taibbi, Michael Tracey, and David Sirota spent most of 2016 openly dumping on Hillary Clinton, including during the general election. This was despite knowing that Donald Trump was the alternative and any rational human being knowing that he would be a catastrophe that would dwarf the Bush years.

But this is a group of people that hate the Democratic Party more than they care about furthering any kind of progressive agenda (or psuedo-libertarian agenda in Greenwald's case) so Hillary was the greatest evil of all time. Let's not kid ourselves. When Trump won, every last one of them was delighted that the Democrats had taken a black eye and if that meant millions of people would suffer unimaginable pain for the next 4-8 years? Eh. It was worth it. There's a reason I put "progressive" in air quotes when discussing these frauds.

Russia? I see no Russia!

After the election, it was of paramount importance to this cohort of weasels that absolutely nothing get in the way of the narrative that Hillary lost the election solely because of Hillary. Massive voter suppression? We don't talk about that. Easily manipulated voting machines? We don't talk about that. The FBI interfering? We don't talk about that. The press foaming at the mouth over a fake email story? It wasn't fake! The emails totally show someone doing something to rig the primaries! What did they do? Something something something, you're a neoliberal sellout read it yourself! #Rigged!

snip

a lot more at the link above, a great read with a tonne of tweet examples

October 1, 2019

NECE Conference "Confronting Inequalities! The Role of Citizenship Education", 24 - 27 October 2019

Glasgow, UK.

The NECE Conference 2019 will take place from 24-27 October 2019 in Glasgow and will be opened by British bestseller author Darren McGarvey (“Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of the British Underclass”). More than 20 workshops, presentations, discussions, excursions, a project market and two open spaces will tackle the challenges of growing inequality and social political transformation at different levels.

http://www.nece-conference.eu/

ABOUT NECE 2019

Confronting Inequalities! The Role of Citizenship Education
24 – 27 October 2019, Glasgow

Set against the ongoing drama of Brexit, NECE is coming to Glasgow in an attempt to explore the issue of inequalities and their effects on the development of young people’s political identity. We are particularly interested in the way in which deprivation (especially in the context of widening inequality) affects the thinking of young people with regard to themselves as citizens of a city, a country or of the international community.
If citizenship education supplies knowledge and promotes participation among structurally disadvantaged groups, it may support them to raise their voices in a public discussion and defend their interests as citizens of a democratic society. Can and should citizenship educators be more focussed on working with disadvantaged groups, thereby contributing to social and political change?
What kind of knowledge and critical reflection are needed for such an engagement to be successful?

NECE 2019 will explore these core questions by inviting leading scholars, practitioners and initiatives from civil society from all over Europe, the Southern Mediterranean and Eastern partnership countries. They will present new research, new reflections and new examples of good practice in citizenship education. More than 20 lectures, workshops and panels and two ‘Open Spaces’ will provide a platform which may help to develop ideas for an adaption of tools and instruments in and out of schools towards the disadvantaged youth (and citizens).

Last but not least: only a few days away from Brexit day (aka Halloween) the conference will host a transnational discussion of the implications of new inequalities and divides caused by Brexit.

Glasgow, the biggest city of Scotland, offers an ideal setting to host a conference on inequalities and citizenship education. With its heritage of industrialisation, post-industrial decline and social movements it provides an opportunity to learn about the still existing evidence of extreme inequalities and poverty. At the same time, a vibrant civil, technological and cultural scene is waiting for us to be explored. Field trips to key areas and initiatives related to citizenship education are part of the program.

NECE has formed partnerships with important citizenship education initiatives in Scotland such as Goethe-Institut, IDEAS, WOSDEC, Leeds Beckett University as as well as with the Institute for Future Cities at the University of Strathclyde. Local schools will show how they promote citizenship in areas of multiple deprivation. Darren McGarvey, author of the bestseller “Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of the British Underclass”, will open the conference with his critical examination of narratives that surround poverty and social deprivation.

PROGRAMME

Discover the conference programme!

Also take a look at the programme of the PARALLEL SESSIONS.

Download the full programme as PDF.

Want to know more about the concept behind this year’s conference topic? Have a look at the conceptual note by NECE Advisory Board member Michalis Kakos, Leeds Beckett University. Download here the compact short version or the in-depth long version.