Below are two articles on the ongoing situation in Egypt. The first comes from the Revolutionary Socialists in Egypt. This is followed by an article from the Green Left Weekly (Australia) blog, posted by John Riddell, which asks Socialists to rethink some of the prior positions some held over the Egyptian revolution, highlighted by the…
Ireland And The Protection Of Life During Pregnancy Act
We are posting another article from the August issue of Socialist Democracy (Ireland). This is on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act in Ireland. It is a follow up to an earlier posting about Savita Halappanavar who died when denied an abortion at the University Hospital in Galway (see We Have Heartbeats Too!). In the case…
The Socialist Platform
The RCN has been chronicling attempts to achieve Left unity in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland. These attempts have included the formation of the Scottish Socialist Alliance, then the Scottish Socialist Party, the Socialist Alliance and Respect in England and Wales, Forward Wales, the all-Britain Trade Union and Socialist Coalition and No2EU, and the…
The Labour Crisis
Below is an article from the August issue of Socialist Democracy (Ireland) pointing to the parallels between the TUC and ICTU, and in particular the role of Len McCluskey and the Broad Left Unite leadership in providing cover for Labour’s acceptance of austerity. A series of discussions recently in both Ireland and Britain have thrown into…
Republican Socialist Alliance
Below is a report of the meeting of the Republican Socialist Alliance held in London on 6th July, written by Steve Freeman. This includes a summary of the address given by Allan Armstrong (RCN) on the political implications of the unionist nature of the UK state. It is followed by the unedited version of this talk.…
An Orgy Of Orange Bigotry And Unionist Hypocrisy
Since the Flag Protests, beginning at the end of last year, there has been a rising tide of Loyalist violence. Sometimes this has been criticised by leading Unionist spokespersons, but in many cases they have encouraged these Loyalist protests behind-the-scenes. This is because they have the same aims – the reassertion of Unionist supremacy and the relegation…
Behind The Unionists’ ‘Project Fear’, The UK State Mask Slips
Allan Armstrong (RCN) analyses two recent developments in the Scottish referendum campaign. The SNP government’s referendum on the future constitutional status of Scotland – ‘Yes’ for ‘Independence-Lite’ (or as Michael Russell terms it ‘Independence within the Union’), or ‘No’ for acceptance of the UK status quo – is still over a year away. However, two events…
Riding The Unicorn
Recently there has been a nostalgic turn amongst the Left in the UK. In England (and Wales) it has looked wistfully back on the ‘Spirit of 45’. In Scotland, it has taken the form of the ‘Common Weal’ proposals, emanating from the Jimmy Reid Foundation. These look to the Nordic social democratic model. The RCN…