Timothy Sumer

Subscribe to our channel As countries around the world struggle to emerge from the global economic crisis, are institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) part of the problem - or the solution? Critics accuse the organisation of pushing poorer nations deeper into debt and poverty through its conditional loans. At Al Jazeera English, we focus on people and events that affect people's lives. We bring topics to light that often go under-reported, listening to all sides of the story and giving a 'voice to the voiceless.' Reaching more than 270 million households in over 140 countries across the globe, our viewers trust Al Jazeera English to keep them informed, inspired, and entertained. Our impartial, fact-based reporting wins worldwide praise and respect. It is our unique brand of journalism that the world has come to rely on. We are reshaping global media and constantly working to strengthen our reputation as one of the world's most respected n...

Speakers - John Clarke, writer, lecturer at York University, and former organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. - Sam Gindin, author of The Making of Global Capitalism and former Assistant to the President of the Canadian Auto Workers. Politicians, the media, central bankers and the average worker have all been talking up the recent acceleration in the cost of living. Just a short time ago price rises of just 2% might have been considered ‘inflationary’. In the current phase of the Covid pandemic, inflation in core capitalist states, including Canada, is now running at the 5-7%, far ahead of wage settlements and bumps in income supports for welfare. Inflation always carries important consequences for workers living standards, collective bargaining and meeting basic needs for the poor. Inflation always generates class conflict, most directly and immediately over distribution but indirectly eventually over questions of power over capital and the state. How much o...