On February 5th, 2011, after the ending of the court proceedings arising from ‘Tommygate’[1]See:- RCN statement following the Tommy Sheridan Perjury Trial., the SSP held a special meeting in Glasgow to discuss the lessons to be learned from the whole affair. The SSP annual conference, held in Dunfermline in April, also considered aspects of this.…
Terry Liddle, 1948 – 2012, Comrade
We are reposting the following tribute to Terry Liddle by Andrew Coates. A number of RCN members met Terry in a variety of political organisations, and we can agree with Andrew that “Terry’s contribution to the left was outstanding. He was a great bloke. He will be much missed.” Andrew’s tribute was first posted on his own…
Cruel Britannia – Secret History Of Torture
Tommy McKearney, former republican hunger striker and now activist with the Independent Workers Union in Ireland, has written the following review of Ian Cobain’s book, Cruel Britannia: A Secret History of Torture on his blog. Britain’s public and its government are currently devoting significant attention to the behaviour of the nation’s broadcast and print media. Both…
The Cooperative – Not So Good For Everyone
On 22 November, a dozen people, including members of benefit claimants’ groups Black Triangle and the Crutch Collective, Clydeside Industrial Workers Of The World, Glasgow Anarchist Federation, Glasgow Solidarity Federation as well as other individuals took part in the hour long picket of the Co-Op Bank and supermarket on the same street in central Glasgow.…
MI5 – They Haven’t Gone Away You Know!
Below we publish two recent articles from the Irish republican socialist organisation, eirigi, which deal with the continued activities of MI5 in the ‘Six Counties’. SHINING A LIGHT ON THE SHADOWS The Conway Mill on Belfast’s Fall Road was the setting for a very well-attended public meeting on Thursday [November 8] at which éirígí launched…
Freedom Come All Ye
The magazine version of Emancipation & Liberation has contained a Republic of the Imagination section, which has provided articles about historical and ongoing cultural resistance against capitalism and other class-based societies. Our blog intends to look at the cultural debates which have arisen, and which will arise in the future, within a Scottish society looking for…
We Have Heartbeats Too!
Savita Halappanavar died in a Galway hospital after being refused an abortion, which would have saved her life. The article below is an ironic feminist comment upon the report that Savita was told that she could not be treated as long as a foetal heartbeat could be detected. This article was sent on by John…
Radical Independence Conference
The Radical Independence Conference (http://radicalindependence.org/), being held this Saturday, 24th November in Glasgow, is likely to be the biggest gathering of the Left in Scotland for many years. The RCN has been covering this event since the first open organising meeting in June. We have produced a special issue of our magazine, Emancipation & Liberation,…
Genuine Self-Determination Means Acting As Republicans Now
Allan Armstrong will be introducing the workshop on Republicanism at the Radical Independence Conference in Glasgow on November 24th, along with Neil Davidson of the SWP, Graham McIver of Solidarity, and a speaker from Republic Scotland. He has been asked by the conference organisers to prepare an outline of his talk, so that those attending…
Turlough MacDaid, 1930-2012
Allan Armstrong writes this tribute to Turlough MacDaid Turlough MacDaid, a larger than life socialist and trade unionist activist, who had lived in Edinburgh since the early 1970s, died on 27th October. Turlough, although very much an outgoing person and always good company, was secretive about his personal life. His marriage broke up in the…