Reviews Of The Book

Richard Ziegler’s book is a short, refreshing, well written and highly accessible book explaining why economic inequalities are so widely accepted by left-wing political movements despite the fact that these movements were founded on the principle of economic redistribution. It is a stimulating read, not just for the questions it raises about Canada, but because the same political issues are emerging in so many Western capitalist states including Ireland.

Reclaiming the Canadian Left asks questions for political parties that define themselves as ‘left’, as well as for trade unionists and new social movements. Have left-of-centre parties abandoned the goal of economic equality? Why is there not a call for a maximum wage as well as a minimum wage? Why are there Anti-Poverty movements in most countries but no Anti-Wealth movements? Why do we all accept the basic principle of inequality in wage negotiations? Are new social movements mostly middle class?

The book challenges us to think about the relationship between social class and new social movements, particularly the paradoxical situation whereby the rise of new social movements is paralleled by growing economic inequality in many countries. While his analysis of the relationship between gender, disability and other identities and social class is quite problematic - not least because those who are the poorest in many societies are women and children who are welfare dependent (and disabled people and migrant workers), the book does raise profound questions and is worth reading simply to rethink politics and the role of existing political parties.

Kathleen Lynch - Chair of Equality Studies, School of Social Justice, University College Dublin

Richard Ziegler has written an interesting and well-documented book on a very important subject - why the Canadian left seems no longer interested in economic equality. I agree with him that the left should refocus its energy on working toward significant economic equality although I disagree with some of his suggestions as to how this should be done. I recommend the book and I hope that it will ignite a debate on the left.

Howard Pawley - former NDP premier of Manitoba

The central idea of Reclaiming The Canadian Left - that the modern left has largely abandoned the commitment to economic equality that has historically defined the essence of what it means to be left - is a notion that I share. That abandonment won't end unless challenged and Richard Ziegler's polemic (I mean that in a good sense) offers a powerful challenge.

Sam Pizzigati - author of "The Maximum Wage" and "Greed and Good: Understanding and Overcoming the Inequality that Limits Our Lives"