Why reproductive rights advocates need to learn the value of going on the offensive — and demanding more, not settling for less — if we want to get results — By an Anonymous Citizen Citizen Voices presents unique and unedited opinion pieces from our citizens and allies. The views expressed within these articles may not necessarily be that of Citizen State as a whole and are presented in the spirit of democratic and free discourse. …

The gig economy is undermining our hard-won rights and our livelihoods — it’s time to demand a better deal — By Thomas Venner, Citizen State Advisory Committee Member (Europe) There was a quote I saw online a while ago describing the standard model of “disruptive” Silicon Valley startups as “thing that already exists + borderline illegal labor practices”. …

How Texas became a perfect showcase of the disaster capitalism to come — By Thomas Venner, Citizen State Advisory Committee Member (Europe) Severe power outages; clean water shortages; dozens of deaths; still nothing resembling an adequate response. Texas is suffering the end result of a system that’s proven itself unfit for purpose in every way that matters; a multi-lane pileup of institutional failure…

The only way to solve the homelessness crisis is by providing housing as a universal and unconditional right — By Thomas Venner, Citizen State Advisory Committee Member (Europe) Homelessness has become a social disaster on a scale unseen since the Great Depression. …

Those who seek to destroy the institutions of the Republic that guarantee our liberty from tyranny must be held fully accountable before the law — Today, we at Citizen State wish to welcome the United States House of Representatives passing of a resolution to impeach President Donald J. Trump, as well as repeat our unreserved denunciation of his activities that undermine the democratic principles of the United States of America.

Universal Basic Income is a middle-man solution — to give everyone a solid foundation, we should meet people’s needs directly — By Thomas Venner, Citizen State Advisory Committee Member (Europe) Our current economic system has eaten away its own foundations. The challenge now is to create new ones — but how do we do it without just reinforcing the failures of the past? First of all, we need to understand where…

We haven’t had enough of experts, we’ve just had enough of leaders who insist they know better when it’s clear to see they don’t — By Thomas Venner, Citizen State Advisory Committee Member (Europe) In 2016 the Conservative politician Michael Gove, while drumming up support for Britain leaving the EU, made the now infamous statement that “people in this country have had enough of experts” in what’s often been invoked since as the perfect nine-word…

When a system acts with unjust, corrupt, and racist intent, resistance to that system is the duty of all — Every year in the United States, roughly 1,000 people are killed by the police. Black people have a 2.5 times greater likelihood of being killed by the police than White people. These figures alone, and what they say about the racist use of state violence in the US, are harrowing…

To make housing fit for living in we need to broaden our definition of what we need to live — By Thomas Venner, Citizen State Advisory Committee Member (Europe) While the crisis in access to housing has exploded, a second crisis in the quality of housing has become clear alongside it. Many of the manifestations of this are obvious — housing that’s cramped, squalid, poorly-maintained, riddled with mould, unfit for…