The dish on what’s eating populists

[marmar]

from NOW Toronto:



The dish on what’s eating populists
By Wayne Roberts


Strange to think it, but the parallels between last week’s local election and the U.S. midterms are too close for comfort.

The core issue in both, to my mind, is the fact that governments have moved anti-?recession intervention right off the table, turning the vulnerable in the population into easy pickings for right-?wing populism.

In general, progressives are spending less time pushing public realm solutions because many have lost heart, much like Tea Partyites, that governments will or can deliver.

In Toronto, for example, city-oriented activists tend to emphasize issues of the city, and not issues in the city, to use a distinction I learned many years ago from a remark tossed off by housing expert David Hulchanski. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=177667

[xchrom]

1. good comment on deregulating corporations but increasing regs on individuals. nt