Judging by my Twitter feed, the Occupy Nova Scotia demonstrators are annoying some people. “Canada didn’t have American-type financial deregulation, so the protests are misplaced,” is a typical tweet dismissing the group camped out in Grand Parade (and who mayor Peter Kelly is threatening to evict).
It’s true that Canada didn’t follow the insane deregulation route charted out by the US, but that wasn’t because Canadian banks are somehow more virtuous than their American brethren. Indeed, if you go back and read the business press of the 1990s, you’ll see Canadian bankers and their political supporters, including Stephen Harper, were demanding that Canada deregulate the industry, and it was only the stalwart opposition of Jean Chrétien that prevented that from happening.
More to the point, while Canadian banks weren’t able to directly join the $620 trillion global trade in derivatives—that’s 10 times the actual money supply in all the world— Canada was making many other policy decisions that contributed to what journalist Chris Hedges calls the “corporate coup.” And in terms of shifting wealth from working people to the wealthiest one percent over the past two decades, Canada is third, after only the US and Australia—see a detailed analysis of Canada’s horrid economic record via thecoast.ca/CanadasOnePercent.
While the richest are doing just fine, Canadian workers’ pension funds have been gutted, students graduating with huge debt loads face bleak employment opportunities and those lucky enough to have jobs rightly fret about the future as the federal government attacks unions at every turn. And on the bottom edge of society sits a growing number of the completely dispossessed, some of whom are camped out in Grand Parade.
Critics of the occupation condemn the demonstrators for lacking detailed explanations of their position and understandings of the world of global finance, but since when do people need to be certified with a PhD in economics or political science before they are given the right to protest? And let’s remember that most of our economic and political elite actually created the problem in the first place, breaking the global economy. Why should we trust anyone with such credentials?
To be sure, along with an incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated core, the Occupy NS group includes street kids, some homeless people and a very few people with mental health issues. It’s not likely everyone on Grand Parade can maneuver through an academic debate on economic policy issues, but so what? Their very presence is giving testimony that’s better than a thousand textbooks: We matter, damn it, and our society has failed us.
Having spent some time at Occupy NS, I’ve come away with profound respect for the enterprise. Even the most disenfranchised of the group, who have legitimate reason to be most angry, have committed themselves to non-violence and are working through the process of understanding the consensus decision-making process. With little outside help and a lot working against them, and using only their own resourcefulness and sense of justice, they’ve created a workable community that provides basic health care and a decent meal for all, that takes a responsibility for its most vulnerable, that has shared purpose. They’re demonstrating values that are eluding the larger society; they should be proud of themselves.
And what about the rest of us: Are we proud of ourselves? Are we doing the best we can to object and stand up for ourselves in a broken economy? Or do we just put up with it, getting along to get along with an unjust system?
I met an engaging young woman involved with Occupy NS who had parked herself in Granville Mall to do outreach to NSCAD students, stressing the need for solidarity in the face of a common struggle. She’s right, of course, and the rest of us can learn from her—we’re in this together. The powerless have thrown down the gauntlet: How do we do right by each other?
The one percent has succeeded in coming to the trough time and again, demanding that the 99 percent bail out their false economy with ever deeper austerity, raided retirement funds and broken wage contracts. We could keep acquiescing, or we could learn from the Occupy folks and say enough is enough.
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 2, 2011.
In typical fashion of course, they reach out to NSCAD, but not, say, the political departments of the local universities. This is just one big performance art piece to many of them.
In the late 60’s and early 70’s there were a number of sit-ins and marches in Halifax.They were mostly focussed around stopping the war in VietNam and raising awareness on civil rights issues. Victoria Park was one venue I remember and it was packed with young people who were protesting the war. In the end I believe sit-ins and protests around the world did much to stop the Vietnam war.
However if you ask anyone who protested back then I bet they all carry shame for the way the returning veterans were treated.We didn’t know what it took to go to war,we didn’t understand the “brotherhood”of serving military,we had no idea of the horror they witnessed and endured.Our idealism was not unlike Tim’s naivite over national defense and the Occupy NS group and their camp kitchens and medical care.
There is definitely a disparity in this country and there are people who are disadvantaged for reasons beyond their control and that is very definitely something to protest. I don’t know if those people are represented by the group at the Parade Square.I do know that on Rememberance Day the Veterans that march,the wreaths that are laid are representative of a nation’s gratitude and rememberance.
If you don’t want to wake up in a cold sweat in 20 years time,filled with shame and regretting the way you compared living in a tent in the Grand Parade to the service and loss experienced by the Veterans,move with respect and dignity to the Commons.The cause of the Occupy NS group will only be enhanced by such a move.
No most of these people are professional protesters and do this for a living and of course these people smell so bad I wonder why the masses are not joining them? I guess the real 99% do not even care about the left’s latest pet project
Anyone who follows CNBCC can tell you that people are getting rich by betting against the middle class. I almost puked all over my coffee table the other night when they interviewed a trader who said that he and his colleagues were hoping for the global recession to worsen so they could cash in on another crash. The super rich won’t pay for that – the middle class will.
Really? I follow CBNC they never say this.
I’m thinking Hockeynut is making things up
The only protesters I knew that got paid here was HCAP…who claimed to be about the poor yet they took money from the Poors biggest perpetrators, NSGEU, and often attacked and rallied against labourers brought in during strikes that HCAP were also paid to protest at by that union…HCAP claimed to be about poverty yet would deny hard days pay to labourers while siding with unions who were at picket lines……apparently it was wrong for the hard workers to want to feed their families and pay their bills so they do not feel too much poverty…..HCAP were paid protesters by unions in this province and mocked the real issues of Poverty and rights in this province.
Why does Tim leave out the policy decision made by the NS NDP to remove voters privacy rights? Remember Bill 59. Why are poeple not protesting against this blatant violation of privacy? The unions and political parties support it, of course. Apparently it’s fine for political parties to legally have a look a my voting history, without my consent. This is bullshit! Yes greed is a problem and changes must be made to “the system”. If these so called protesters would stand up against the NDP’s communist policies and actually exercise their democratic right to vote, change might happen.
mcgaidheal – I believe HCAP has been defunct for at least a couple of years now?
What is that hut on the Grand Parade walkway on the Barrington street side that smells like a rabbit/chicken hutch ? Smells quite shitty so maybe some dog lives/sleeps/rests there ?
And what is it with all the extension cords plugged in to the light stands ? I counted at least 5 cords this morning including one taped to the ground and laid across from the Barrington street side to a large tent on the opposite side ? Maybe I’ll call the Fire Marshall before he heads home for the weekend and appraise him of the fire hazard and lack of extinguishers. And then I can call the Health Inspector to discuss the unsanitary nature of the food tent.
Rip off flea partiers.
How are they getting internet access to live stream assemblies ?
If these protesters were focusing on real issues that matter to the common person then they might have some credibility such as power rates, the NDP wanted to know who you voted for, or something the real 99% would care about but they do not.
They just protest all the left’s pet projects in one big protest. They seem to link the Arab-Israel conflict to the economy when this is not the case. The are protesting about Canada’s involvement of freeing the people of Libya from their dictator who was going to murder them in the streets. I would suggest just go to website that these people usually go on for some reason they support Muammar Gaddafi rabble.ca is one example. Also the only country they seem to have support is from Iran. (Try occupying and demanding change from them)
If these people want the support from the 99% then why are they not focusing on issues that the 99% of people would care about? Instead they are using it just to advance their own political agendas and are only focusing on their own issues which the 99% does not even care about or could they even relate. . I wonder why no one cares about these protests well just the less 1% who just say they are the 99% when they are clearly not.
Lets hope these hippies get kicked out of City Hall. They are making the area smell really bad also I wonder they do not want to move to the Commons? That is a better location for them and they can camp out there all they want. Also when the city forces them out make them pay for it and do not use the 99% taxes for their removal.
I wish I was getting paid to protest. Jeez, someone want to hook me up there?
Seriously, I shower. I clean my clothes regularly, brush my hair, hell, I wear make up. I vote, I study, I work. Still, I protest. Why? Because I’ve seen governments neglect the people that need help the most, while they bailout banks and the biggest companies evade tax. I don’t fall into the category of the needy, which I realise I’m lucky for. The thing is, I don’t believe that I should have to feel lucky for that – food, shelter, education are things everyone should have a right to. I don’t feeling making a mark on a piece of paper is a loud enough voice anymore. Using our right to protest, some people are getting access to food, shelter and basic medical care who didn’t have it before. If the protest ends, I’m mostly worried about where these people will go.
There are politics students down there (though I resent the notion that being a NSCAD student would suggest you don’t care about politics or it’s some sort of performance), and the fire marshal has already come by and spoken to the people on site about fire safety so save yourself the phone bill 🙂 Oh, and I believe someone donated a hub for the internet access.
I get it though – not everyone will agree with the occupation. There’s very few occasions people all agree. If we all agreed on these issues there would be no protest. People on site can’t agree on whether to move or not (and there’s very mixed signals from the public, while there’s a lot of calls to move, vets have come down and given their support if we’re respectful. I mean, even if we move I’m sure some will be there for the ceremony – these people died for the right of freedom, which protesting would be unimaginable without. I personally think we can pack up for the day, but it’s under discussion). What I will say though, is go down and talk to people before saying anything about our motivations, knowledge on the issues at hand, etc. After that, say what you want.
notahippy – couldn’t have said it better myself.
notahippy – here is a different view from Wall Street.
After you read please address the issue of stiffing HRM taxpayers with a large power bill unless you have made arrangements to pay for what you use.
http://financialpostbusiness.files.wordpre…
Bring in the riot squad, the fire hoses, and the heavy equipment. Take back the Grand Parade for the hardworking citizens of Halifax who pay taxes and rid it of this infestation.
Wow, Charles the Great… have you ever gone down there and spoken to the people at ONS? I suspect not, because what you wrote is complete gibberish! What they are protesting about are the problems of the 99% – or much of the 99% anyway. It’s just that too many of the 99% live in fantasy land and they don’t care enough to actually pay attention to what’s really going on in the world and how it’s impacting them. They would much rather spend all their time on their computer games, cell phones, and buying cheap stuff at WalMart regardless of what 5 year old in China made it. As long as there is cheap stuff to buy, why pay attention to reality?!!
I have a good job. I make a reasonably good income. I can afford to pay my student loan debts, as huge as they are. But the reality is that the education system is failing too many youth, and if Harper and his greedy war mongers had their way, all the money would go into building war machines and prisons and none of it would go into education, health care, or affordable housing. These are the problems of the 99%. And these are the things that the ONS/OWS people are protesting about. The zombies in the 99% ought to wake up and thank them for that (I have with donations of warm clothes and shoes) rather than siding with the 1%!! Get a clue people!!
After seeing Mayor Kelly on CBC TV in his pow wow with legion representatives and the flea partiers I must say he is handling the situation very well. Keeping his cards close to his chest, listening to the male leaders, offering help to move the mob some place else but all the time holding 3 aces in his back pocket.
I think it is fair to say that the request he made and the deadline he set will be met.
He has good legal advice and I am sure that not even the help from Kyle Buott and the money from the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour will be able to thwart the Mayor and Council.
The actions of HRM will be constitutional and in 7 or 8 days Grand Parade will look just like it usually does and life will be back to normal. Kelly & the council may even forget about the power bill and the cost of cleaning up the mess.
Calling anyone zombies, corporate slaves, et al may boost the ego of the person calling people that, but the people getting called slaves will not become sympathetic to your cause by getting insulted.
Saul Alinksy made a good point that if you want to be a radical think like one, don’t dress like one. Middle class people will be more likely to join the cause if the people involved are easier to relate to. Even if it means cutting your hair. What matters are ideas, and to organize better you might have to compromise the way you dress. Small price to pay.
Halichick
They are not the problems of the 99% at all just a far left political agenda thinking they are the 99 %
Also Halichick
That what they were saying when I saw these hippies.
I’ll bet the 1% are really steamed at having to pay for the electricity that these “heroic visionaries” are pirating. Way to stick it to “the man”, kids. Hasta la victoria siempre.
The flea partiers are leaving starting Nov 6 and claim they will be back on Nov 12.
I expect they’ll be generating power with each person taking turns to jump on one of the many bicycles and generating Green power instead of sucking up the GHG coal and oil fired global warming watts from NSPower.
My sources tell me the availability of Grand Parade may be somewhat restricted post 11/11. Guess where the big Christmas tree will be set up ?
The legal beagles have been working OT
Perhaps as part of this process, we should think about implementing alternative economic models such as Local Exchange Trading Systems. Not just in Halifax, but in every town in the Maritimes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_exchang…
http://www.gmlets.u-net.com/
…think about it.
Dave Maybee RMT
The reason why the Greek economy has gone tits up :
“Greek pensions are a thicket of confusion. This is a blog posting, not a print article, so I have only been Googling this rather than making a dozen calls, but according to this conference paper, civil servants in Greece employed before 1992 can retire after 35 years service, if they have reached 58, and retire on 80% of their final basic salary. That certainly sounds a great deal more generous than similar civil service schemes in Germany, which seem to insist on 40 years of service, and set the pensions rates in the low 70% range of final basic salaries. “
“There have been special pension deals over the years for civil servants, for Olympic Airlines staff, farmers, wives of farmers, employees at the National Bank of Greece, even I am told hairdressers, the list is very long)”
“This devastating academic study details how many Greek state bodies failed to make the correct contributions for their employees, in some cases for years. Then the Greek central government “essentially appropriated” social insurance funds by investing them in state securities or depositing them in the Bank of Greece at low interest rates. Finally, as in many Mediterranean countries, all social spending was skewed towards pensions, essentially for vote-winning purposes. Things like unemployment benefits are pretty miserly in Greece, the real money has always gone to pensions, which have been used as a “substitute” for other welfare policies”
The reasons the Italian economy has gone tits up :
“Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the Italian lower house who defected from the government majority last year, fired the latest salvo in the national furore over “baby pensioners”, wryly noting on a television talk show that the wife of Umberto Bossi, minister for “reforms” and stalwart opponent of pension reform, had retired as a teacher in 1992 at the age of 39.”
source : http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a1b72a4a-03ba-11…
“Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi submitted a “letter of intent” to the European Union summit last week promising, among other things, to balance the country’s budget by 2013 and increase the age of retirement to 67.
This will be no small task in Italy, which has more than 530,000 pensioners who retired under the age of 50 — sometimes with just 14 and a half years of service — according to a report from independent Italian business agency Confartigianato last week.
The large majority of these pensions (78.6%) are paid by INPDAP, the country’s public sector pension administrator, the report said.
The average so-called “baby pensioner” remains retired for 40.7 years, spending 48% of their life retired, Confartigianato said.
Social security spending on baby pensions totals €9.45-billion ($13.2-billion) a year, according to the report.
Cesare Fumagalli, the secretary general of Confartigianato, called the situation an “absurd iniquity” and suggested the need for a hike in the age of retirement.”
Nothing to do with bankers, everything to do with vote buying.
The “commune”in Grand Parade annoys the hell out of me! True, you don’t need a PhD to protest, but if you are going to protest, and claim the world failed or “fracked” you at least have the balls , (or some clue!)to back up why, and what the hell you plan to do about it.
Occupy crowd posted this on their facebook page :
City must respect Occupy Calgary’s right to protest, says Nenshi
http://www.calgaryherald.com
Follow the link to the Calgary Herald and read the comments, one of which has a link to a federalcase which shoots down the ability to erect tents and similar structures on public property and renders null and void any Charter challenge the Kyle Buott fan club may consider when they are sent packing.
Game over.
http://reports.fja.gc.ca/eng/1995/1995fca0…
Yes sure ok homeless beggars who harass me and my spouse every time we leave our home have rights, now im disabled and have no income so because I wear clean shirts sometimes and have any body fat that makes me evil right? And i mean no income, yet I get beat up by cops and my rights denied constantly because im verbose these ppl now have the same or more rights than me. This makes all of us look bad, when the ppl at fault here are thoese ppls parrents. I wanna know how many of these ppl are multi generational life long welfare recipiants? Or union members ?Let’s also ask people who have had to deal with these people ie, fellow students, landlords, parrents. Wonder how many times they quit a job because they didn’t like it, shafted ppl for rent unpaid, or simply stole from them, any of them possible without a criminal record? We all know these jerks are pc paid plants there to make libs and dems look bad, also what is the ratio of protesters with/without face tats.
“Those lucky enough to have jobs rightly fret about the future as the federal government attacks unions at every turn.”
Yeah right. I am lucky enough to have a job, and I want to see the unions dismantled.
I’m in the private sector, I make okay money, I have unlimited employer paid benefits, and stock options. Oh yeah, I did all this with a BA in English and a student loan. It wasn’t even an honours degree. Graduated in 2002.
The main complaint of the Occufail movement: how do we get the government to give us money while we sit around smoking dope an injecting heroin.
This movement is dead. The only ones still singing its praises are the ones who haven’t sobered up yet.
These comments are ridiculous. It sounds like they have been written by 5th graders… or those who are not smarter than one. From what I have read, these people are being respectful of Remembrance Day ceremonies, city laws and are a more diverse representation of our communities than the people here care to mention. Non-violent protesting has it’s purpose and if the people here can’t see it I wonder if they haven’t `sobered` up yet. Hushing people in our society is the old way. You people like speeches listen to what the boob tube tells you, but you can`t refuse people their right to human rights. That is what it is about.
I’m sorry, Mr. McLeod, but the possessive “its” does not take an apostrophe.
(A little lesson from a 5th grader for you.)
I guess a typo is enough to get you ridiculed by someone who doesn’t even have the guts to use a real name. Language is about communication, and I’d much rather read the thoughts of someone with clumsy fingers than a clumsy mind like yourself. Grow up.
I was going to let this stand on it’s own, but obviously people have no memory. The Conservatives pushed for the exact same position that put the US into a depression. I can’t believe working people are pushing to allow unions to be dismantled! They are the reason we even have a middle class, and I mean the only reason. It’s like a diabetic asking to be deprived of insulin. What will it take to wake us up? Do you, if I can use the US for an example, believe that 99% percent of the population is lazy, or that the top 400 richest people (who have more money that the rest of the country put together), are greedy? Have we really descended to mocking the homeless, the addicted, the hopeless? You ought to be ashamed, and when your life falls apart, don’t look for help. Look in the mirror. Because when it all hits the fan, the oligarchy won’t help you. The “growth” that is talked about is not coming from true growth. It’s coming from downsizing every part of middle class life. Wages, jobs, homes, free time for family, savings, health care, infrastructure, retirement, security, democratic representation, free expression, and plain old happiness. If not why are you so angry, and unhappy? Happy people aren’t full of hate, and simmering resentment at the wrong people. The homeless? Yeah let’s kick ’em when they are down. Real nice.
Is it the powerful and rich who control the world, or the powerless and poor? Really, ask yourself honestly. Who is the cause of this crisis, the people who live below the poverty line, or the guy with three private jets? I’ll give you a hint. Look at the rich. Do they seem less rich or more rich? Look at the poor. Less poor or more poor? And by the standards of the one percent, YOU are poor people, almost to a person. If you don’t feel poor, it’s just because you’re not really that greedy, so good on ya. If you play the lottery, it’s because on some level you know how much of a long shot it is that you’ll ever actually be rich. Blame the right people. Read your history. When it was good for middle class people over 50% of workers belonged to a union.
By the way…most corporate and bank profits, bonuses, CEO salaries….ALL TIME HIGH.
Go occupy!
Mike, HCAP may not have its old office having been given the boot but the same pack is still able to manipulate who gets what attention especially with their liar I shall call Pole Febber at Dalhousie Legal Aid…they are controlling who gets what legal aid and who does not….Halifax is so small that you can disband a band yet they still hang..by another name….the same sneaky sneak tactics are alive and well.
HCAP did alot of damage to grassroot NPO doing real work instead of the faux advocacy works we see going on here with housing and poverty who have had their lips surgically attached to NDP ministers’ asses….and there is plenty to go around
So while HCAP itself may not be active per se, the same politricking and pimping politics is and the players are the same by another name .
As for this OCCUPY…any time we can stick it to the man is a great day but that could be my Scottish speaking….;)!
It’s time for them to stop occupying and get to work to actually affect change. Time to get organized and lobby politicians, corporations/banks, and yes unions as they are ALL part of your problem. The way to affect change with “The Man” is to use “The Man’s” methods – organization, lobbying, and advertisement.
This happened today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIZIvHkXRmg…
Shame on you Mayor Kelly. During the Remembrance Day ceremonies! Shame!!
Also, please see
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2…
for comments on Mayor Kelly’s Remembrance Day photo album.
Not and will never be the 99%