Allan Armstrong (RCN) has written the following article for the RCN Radical Independence Campaign Special Bulletin, which will be distributed at the RIC National Forum in Glasgow on September 27th. Nobody could have anticipated the rise of the Radical Independence Campaign, nor the form it would take. It has been moulded by the…
To Scotland With Love: A Report From The ‘London Says Yes’ Rally On September 6th
Mark France of Left Unity’s Scottish Republic Yes Tendency reports on a London meeting in solidarity with the Scottish independence campaign Sometimes a day is a long time in politics. On the morning of Saturday 6 September, as delegates were preparing for the TUC conference in Liverpool, thousands of other activists were descending on London…
Up To And Beyond The September 18th Independence Referendum – A Socialist Republican Perspective
Allan Armstrong (RCN) has written an account of the Scottish independence campaign since the SNP launched its official ‘Yes Scotland’ campaign in 2012 up until the last two weeks before the September 18th referendum. This is based on several contributions Allan has already made on this blog. It is also a contemporary update of his…
This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land
Ray Burnett, who lives in Benbecula, wrote the following article for Bella Caledonia on the continuing significance of the ‘Land Question’ in Scotland. ‘Divide and rule’. It’s the oldest game in town, so why on earth do we fall for it? Set up the polarities: Highlander/Lowlander, Gaidheal/Gall, local/incomer, crofter/environmentalist and let rancour commence. Scotland fractures,…
Making Plans For Nigel
Allan Armstrong (RCN) examines the situation Socialists face across these islands in the light of the recent European election and the ongoing Scottish independence referendum campaign. A SOCIALIST REPUBLICAN ANALYSIS OF THE STATE OF THE UK AND ‘NEW UNIONISM’ IN THE LIGHT OF THE RISE OF UKIP AND THE FORTHCOMING SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM CONTENTS Introduction…
Cultural Capitulation And Cultural Resistance In Ireland
Below are two articles from the May/June issue of Socialist Democracy (Ireland) about recent cultural developments in Ireland. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has always been seen as being on the cultural frontline of the Irish national movement. The first article outlines the retreat of the GAA in the face of Sky TV’s global corporate onslaught.…
Exploitation, Oppression and Alienation: Emancipation, Liberation and Self-Determination
The RCN has based much of its analysis of capitalism on the notions of exploitation and oppression, to which we counter the ideas of emancipation and liberation – hence the name of our main publication. However, we have been conducting discussions on capitalism’s third prop, alienation, and its antithesis, self-determination, understood in its widest sense. In the article below, by…
Pete Seeger: A Life Of Struggle And Song
Pete Seeger was one of the most important artistic figures of popular revolt in the 20th century; Gearóid Ó Loingsigh of Socialist Democracy (Ireland) provides his own tribute. The last great troubadour of the 20th century has passed away. Pete Seeger died on January 27th after a short illness at the age of 94. He became, during his…
Freedom Come All Ye – The New RCN Banner
The four portraits on the Republican Communist Network banner provide good examples of the historical tradition we come from. These people have been chosen as representative of many others, whose names have often gone unrecorded, yet who have contributed to the struggle for human emancipation, liberation and self-determination. Each individual highlights different aspects of our…
Report Of The James Connolly Society Conference, 12 October 2013 In Edinburgh
James Slaven of the James Connolly Society provides us with the following report of its very successful conference held on Saturday October 12th in Edinburgh. For the second time this year, the Radical Independence Campaign provided a speaker for a JCS organised event. The speaker on this occasion was Liam O’Hare of Edinburgh RIC. On…