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Cory Johnston

@skepticalleftist.bsky.social

1.8K followers 1.1K following 2.1K posts

Trying to combine good evidence-based critical thinking and left anarchist politics. I host The Skeptical Leftist podcast, check it out on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1ye9lJfPq7SZkXdOVrEtB9?si=wNQsMjAhRgK0sUCUnT7Y7Q

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2d

Public services shouldn’t live or die by profit margins. I talked with Simon Enoch from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives about how neoliberal policy reshaped Canada and what it’ll take to win back the public good.

Power, Policy, and Privatization

Simon Enoch from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives joins me to talk about the power of policy, the rise of neoliberal think tanks, and what privatization has done to Canada’s public life. We get into how governments treat essential services like Canada Post and the Saskatchewan Transportat

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2m

Why is it so hard to get people to agree that everyone "deserves" a good life that's as free from suffering as possible

Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 10h

Budgets reveal political priorities. Every cut, every subsidy, every tax break exposes who governments believe deserves support. Austerity disguises itself as discipline, but the real cost shows up in the lives it pushes to the margins.

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Reposted by Cory Johnston

Damien Marie AtHope Ⓐ 🚩🏴🌍 @damienmarieathope.bsky.social · 13h

@skepticalleftist.bsky.social

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 14h

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Subscribe to The Skeptical Leftist

Blogs, shownotes, and random thoughts that I write instead of recording. Click to read The Skeptical Leftist, by Cory Johnston, a Substack publication. Launched 2 years ago.

theskepticalleftist.substack.com

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 17h

From postal service cuts to privatized transit, governments keep treating people’s needs like business opportunities. We dig into what that mindset costs us in the new episode,

Power, Policy, and Privatization with Simon Enoch

How neoliberalism turned public goods into markets, and what it’ll take to bring them back under public control

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Cory Johnston

anti-school teacher @anarchodaoist.bsky.social · 20h

Waving a flag

Edith @edithcharles.bsky.social · Aug 23

What's something that isn't considered embarrassing but you think it should be?

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 1d

www.patreon.com/post...

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 1d

[Tech Won't Save Us] The Gilded Rage of Tech Billionaires w/ Jacob Silverman #techWontSaveUs
podcastaddict.com/te... via @PodcastAddict

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 1d

Cory Doctorow argues that Enshitification isn’t a glitch in capitalism. Once platforms dominate, they serve investors over people. The result is an internet that deteriorates by design.

Why the Internet Keeps Getting Worse with Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow joins me to talk about his new book Enshitification, a deep dive into how the internet went from a space built on openness and creativity to one dominated by corporate control. We get into the pattern behind it all—how platforms lure people in, trap them, then slowly extract every ounc

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 1d

When public systems fail under private control, the result is predictable. Inequality grows, wages stagnate, and access narrows until even basic needs depend on what corporations find profitable to provide. Market logic replaces collective responsibility.

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 1d

For decades, policy in Canada has been written to serve profit over people. Simon Enoch from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives joined me to talk about how neoliberalism reshaped the country and how public control could be restored.

Power, Policy, and Privatization with Simon Enoch

The Skeptical Leftist Podcast · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Reposted by Cory Johnston

Eiynah 🇵🇸 @nicemangos.bsky.social · 1d

MAGA Martyrdom & the Holy War:

Pt 2 is available now for Premium Patrons www.patreon.com/posts/141151...

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 1d

The structure of the internet rewards whoever can grow the fastest and extract the most attention. That incentive shaped everything from how platforms design engagement to how they treat workers. Real communication requires space for cooperation, not constant competition.

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 1d

The U.S. economy is being gutted by Trump’s tariffs, scams, and short-term grifts. Farmers lose markets, workers lose jobs, prices keep rising. This isn’t strength, it’s sabotage for profit.

Revolt, Propaganda, and Border Control

The Skeptical Leftist Podcast · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Reposted by Cory Johnston

Owen Macdonald @owenmacdonald.bsky.social · 1d

Tolerate transphobia, and every human right enters the fascist's crosshair.

"Trans rights are human rights" isn't just a catchy slogan; anything less than total solidarity with all marginalised people lets the far right claw their way in.

Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 1d

yeah man, trans reporters, whom the ny times derogatorily calls "trans activists" so that normies won't listen to them, have been reporting on ADF activity in the UK since 2018.

bigotry in journalism makes you late to the story.

Max Colbert @mc00.bsky.social · 1d

Really important NYT investigation finds that the ADF has been working with Reform, 'courting the party since at least 2024' and that the British arm 'orchestrated Mr Farage’s appearance in Congress, reaching out to ask if he would like to give evidence on censorship'
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 1d

[The Oldest Profession Podcast] Carmen Rupe #theOldestProfessionPodcast
podcastaddict.com/th... via @PodcastAddict

Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 1d

Hey Matthew, I'd love to interview you sometime to talk about your book and your new podcast but can't seem to find a contact email. If you're interested please send me a DM

Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2d

Privatization erodes accountability. Once public services become businesses, decisions serve investors before communities, and the people those systems were built for lose any real voice in how they’re managed. It’s democracy hollowed out through contracts.

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2d

The decay of the internet follows the same pattern as any system where power piles up. When ownership is concentrated, accountability fades. Algorithms get the blame, but they only reflect the priorities of the people who control them. Power decides what we see and who benefits.

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2d

If a service is deemed essential then that should show you how important those workers performing that service are and you should pay them accordingly, not complain and try to strong arm them back to work

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2d

It blows me away that people have been convinced that the people who control the most dominated aspect of our lives, our jobs, are never in the wrong while unions catch shit for fighting against those bosses

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2d

Seriously, if your instinct is to blame the union that represents the postal workers then you can just not bother replying. Even bad unions are the only protection workers have against exploitation. So gfto

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2d

Power, Policy, and Privatization

youtu.be

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2d

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The Skeptical Leftist - YouTube

Interviews with leftists and anarchists, book reviews in the Red Reviews series with Justin Clark, and hopefully, someday, video essays

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Cory Johnston @skepticalleftist.bsky.social · 2d

Anyone blaming Canada Post workers for striking and causing mail delays instead of pointing fingers at management and the government that wants to treat a service like a for profit business should be ashamed of themselves. Just siding with power instead of people every damn time

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