D. Rayner O’Connor Lysaght, (Socialist Democracy, Dublin) argues that although the Jacobite Rising drew on social discontents it was incapable of resolving them postively. Reading Dave Douglass’ passionate defence of the Jacobite Rising of ‘45, it became clear how much more relevant it is today than he seems to realise. In the Middle East, hundreds…
‘Unionism’, Progress and the Socialist Tradition in Scottish History
Neil Davidson, author of Discovering the Scottish Revolution, replies to some of the discussion and debate his book has provoked. I have been invited by the editors of Emancipation And Liberation to participate in the discussion about Discovering The Scottish Revolution here and in the pages of Scottish Socialist Voice and Frontline[1]Joe Hartney, Scots Far…
Emancipatory Science
Despite its misuse and abuse by capitalism, Iain Robertson illustrates how science and scientists have a progressive role to play. As debates continue about GM crops, global warming and environmental degradation, scientists can easily become regarded as a faceless group in the pay of the industrial/military machine that increasingly blights our lives across the globe.…
The Politics of Disability
Why is disability a question for socialists and what issues does it raise for us as socialists? Well, you only need to look at the Disability Rights Section of the SSP manifesto to answer these questions: There are about 800,000 disabled people in Scotland. 68 % of households with a disabled person have an Income…
Loyalist reaction the dominant theme at the Social Democratic and Labour Party deathbed
Andrew Johnson and John McAnulty examine the Euro election results in the North of Ireland. (Reprinted from Socialist Democracy website) Anyone seeking to understand the outcome of the European elections in the North of Ireland must first of all understand the extent to which the mix of colonialism, partition and sectarianism dominate local politics and…
Welsh election results
Mike Davies gives his views on the council and Euro-elections in Wales Ten candidates for the Welsh Euro-election seats left the two left parties squeezed badly. Forward Wales, whose lead candidate Ron Davies surprisingly failed to gather much in the way of media attention, polled 17,000 votes (1.9%) fairly evenly across the country. Respect polled…
European Anti Capitalist Left Manifesto
Anti Capitalist Manifesto for a Different Europe: social and democratic, feminist and ecologist, peaceful and in solidarity. (The EACL manifesto for the June 10 Euro elections.) February 15, 2003, was a historic date: tens of millions of people, all around the world, demonstrated to stop the war. Moreover, these unprecedented mobilisations show a strong political…
Another Europe Is Possible
The Left and the Euro-elections Allan Armstrong assesses the state of the left in Europe after the Euro elections A euro-sceptic SSP? The SSP has in the past described its attitude towards Europe as pro-Europe; anti-EU. In the run up towards the Euro-elections, held on June 10th, Alan McCombes subtly shifted the emphasis stating, We…
Republican alternative to royal pantomime
The Scottish Socialist Party Group in the Scottish Parliament met at the end of the last session of the Parliament to consider what attitude our MSP’s should take to the official opening of the new Parliament by the Queen on October 9 this year. Our group decided unanimously to boycott the event. We believe that…
Blunderwall
This wall between us slowly grows slinking along the dusty earth like some snake in the desert sands Once in Jericho it fell down by those who now do the building the heirs of the trumpet blowers Once Belshazzar saw the writing on the wall, Daniel read the words Mene, mene, tekel, parsin. The days…