Introduction

With the defeat of the White Christian Nationalist Party in the U.S. presidential election, liberals and progressives are understandably relieved that the politics of racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and the rest of the right-wing panoply were rejected by American voters, even if only by a fairly small percentage. We share that sense, but hold no illusions about the second term of Barack Obama containing any possibility for authentic hope or change, or even mild reform.

Not a minute after the election results were announced, the two parties of the ruling class began talking about the need to “compromise” on questions of the budget and social programs. Read correctly, this means the continuing transfer of wealth to the 1%, austerity policies for the remainder of the population, and maintenance of the empire abroad.

What is needed is the creation of autonomous movements to resist these attacks, but as important, is the building of structures that operate outside the confines of capitalism and begin a reconstruction of a human-oriented society.

This issue on Education offers several models of the latter, particularly the alternative schools on a small scale, but also the resistance of the Quebec students and their allies to tuition hikes which created a mass movement of resistance.

Many thanks to all of those who participated in making this issue possible from readers and subscribers, to those who volunteered their time and talents, and to our Sustainers whose extra support is so important.

Fifth Estate

Radical Publishing since 1965

Vol. 47 No. 3 Winter 2013

The Fifth Estate is a cooperative, not-for-profit, anti-authoritarian project published since 1965 by a volunteer collective of friends and comrades.

No ads. No copyright. Kopimi--reprint freely