Leftist Alliances and Power Struggles: A History Lesson

Blueprints of Disruption

Author and Professor James Naylor gives hosts Jessa McLean and Santiago Helou Quintero a history lesson on Labour politics and alliances of the past. They look to moments of heightened working class consciousness and unrest for lessons to apply to today’s Canadian political climate.

Topics include the United Farmers of Ontario (UFO), the Winnipeg Strike, the formation of the CCF, Socialist purges and power struggles.

One of the major questions we try to answer goes at the political divide that appears to exist between rural and urban voters. And that is “Why can’t the NDP capture the rural vote?” Prof. Naylor’s answer to that surprises us.

In the end we see a lot of parallels between the history our guest provides us and the current Canadian political situation. Maybe just not the ones we wanted to see…

To read more from James Naylor:

• The Fate of Labour Socialism: The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Dream of a Working-Class Future
• For a Better World: The Winnipeg General Strike and the Workers’ Revolt