William Cuffay – the Chartists’ black leader

The following article was written by Tom Scriven, a historian of Chartism, socialism and 19th century radicals. This article first appeared in The Tribune. WILLIAM CUFFAY- THE CHARTISTS’ BLACK LEADER The son of a freed slave, William Cuffay played a key role in the struggle for democracy in Britain. A country which respected its history…

The politics of Welsh independence

Craig Lewis (RSP) has written this article for RSP and RCF members to bring us up to date about political developments in Wales. At a time when the Scottish independence movement is in limbo, it s good to see the advances being made in Wales. THE POLITICS OF WELSH INDEPENDENCE Support for Welsh independence has…

Love and magical thinking: from the Province of the Cat

The following article by George Gunn was first posted on bella caledonia,. LOVE AND MAGICAL THINKING FRIM THE PROVINCE OF THE CAT Next year in September will be the tenth anniversary of the 2014 referendum campaign. Although the result was gut-wrenchingly disappointing those who were 16 then and first-time voters will be 26 in 2024,…

Portrait of a revolutionary: Guevara in Kilkee

The following article was written by Jim Aitken and was first posted by culture matters.   PORTRAIT OF A REVOLUTIONARY: GUEVARA IN KILKEE   Sixty years ago, in 1963, an Aeroflot flight from Moscow was on route to Havana and had to stop at Shannon airport due to fog. Shannon, then as now, is famous…

Languages do not “die”, they are persecuted: A Scottish Gael’s perspective on language “loss”

 The following article was written by Paul Meighan and was first posted on bella caledonia. LANGUAGES DO NOT “DIE”, THEY ARE PERSECUTED: A SCOTTISH GAEL’S PERSPECTIVE ON LANGUAGE “LOSS” Two-thirds of the world’s 7000-7500 languages are Indigenous languages. One-third of Indigenous languages are experiencing language loss and “as many as 90% are predicted to fall…

Leigh French – a tribute

It was very sad news to hear of the death of  Leigh French, co-editor of Variant. I was invited in the context of IndyRef2 to speak to a meeting organised by Leigh and Gordon Asher. What we shared in common was an appreciation of the significance of cultural struggle in challenging capitalism. Although we differed…

We are citizens not subjects

The Radical Independence Campaign issued the following statement for the Calton Hill republican rally on May 6th.     WE ARE CITIZENS NOT SUBJECTS The Radical Independence Campaign initiated the 2023 Declaration of Calton Hill, signed by nearly 3000 people.  We welcome those attending today’s rally organised by Our Republic.  We are here to challenge…

James Connolly and the coronation of Edward VII

The following article was written by James Connolly in 1902 in response to the coronation of Edward VII. The full version can be seem on the Marxist Internet Archive. CORONATION OF KING EDWARD VII   Fellow-Workers, Unless unforseen accidents intervene to prevent this consummation, His Majesty, Edward VII, King and Emperor, will be crowned on…

Norway: thousands of youth demonstrated against “Green Colonialism”

The following article, written by Matthew Walters,  was first posted by Left Voice (USA). From the end of February to the beginning of March, over a thousand youth protested against the construction of wind turbines on Sami land. This movement represents the birth of a militant, Indigenous-led environmentalist movement. NORWAY:THOUSANDS OF YOUTH DEMONSTRATED AGAINST’GREEN COLONIALISM’…

The radical politics of Nina Simone

This article, written by Chardine Taylor-Stone, on the radical politics of Nina Simone was first posted by The Tribune .    Nina Simone, who died on 21st April  in 2003, is often remembered for her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement – but she was also a socialist who saw revolution as the path to true…