WORD POWER – “A veritable flea market of books and ideas” Allan Armstrong interviews Elaine Henry who set up the Word Power bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland’s only independent Left and radical bookshop Why did you decide to set-up Word Power? I’d been a volunteer in the women’s bookshop, Womanzone, and was aware of other radical…
White Pete
To give it this obscene nickname is to make it seem attractive and much less harmful than it is like calling cocaine simply ‘ coke’ or the atom bomb ‘ Little Boy’ to render the screams of children the impotence of their parents their frantic hope for remedy without mention whatsoever and to still light…
Notes from Copenhagen
A socialist perspective on climate change Eric Chester and Susan Dorazio, two comrades from the Socialist Party of the USA visited Scotland recently, lived in Glasgow and joined the Maryhill branch of the SSP. They became very involved in the party’s activities and debates, as well as making new friends. Here we print Eric’s thoughts…
Report Of The Second Republican Socialist Convention, 13.2.10
Below is the report of the 2nd Republican Socialist Convention. This was hosted by the Socialist Alliance London on 13.2.10. Both Colin Fox and Allan Armstrong spoke for the SSP. The report is followed by Allan’s contribution. This produced a response from Nick Rogers of the CPGB-WW which is also posted along with Allan’s reply. 1.…
Savings in the Down-Turn
Savings Efficiency ones or just savings Public sector restraint And reducing waste New realities demanding These new measures For we all have to tighten our belts During this down-turn Which refuses to say What we are all saving for And who we all are While we still fight wars And order Trident Mark 2 As…
Book Review: A Celebration of the Life and Work of Robert Burns 1759-1786
A Celebration of the Life and Work of Robert Burns 1759-1786 An Independent Revolutionary Radical By James D. Young; Printed and published by Clydeside Press; £3.95 What does Robert Burns mean to me? Edinburgh People’s Festival Published by WP Books; £3.00 It is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns and we have…
It was the worst of times, it was the best of us!
In this article Rod MacGregor looks at how the Danish people took effective action to protect their Jewish population from Nazi extermination October 1, 10 p.m., 1943 Copenhagen. Nazi occupation forces knock on the doors of the Danish Jewish population. In Denmark, the “final solution” to the “Jewish problem” is under way. The following morning,…
Edinburgh People’s Festival: Inspirational and Educational
Colin Fox speaks to Allan Armstrong about the vision and mission of the Edinburgh People’s Festival What made you revive the Edinburgh Peoples Festival after almost 50 years? We didn’t start off with the intention of reviving the Edinburgh Peoples Festival (EPF). At Hamish Henderson’s funeral in 2002, a group of us, including Bill Scott,…
Half truths, mistruths and anything but the truth— a brief history of a century of wartime propaganda
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. —Voltaire The government of the United States had a major problem. It was April 1917, and on the sixth day of that month, eager to get into the First World War, they declared war on Germany. Their big problem was this. Although the…
From Davitt to Connolly – Internationalism From Below
The challenge to the UK state and British Empire from 1879-95 Contents of forthcoming book Introduction The growing conflict between liberal and conservative unionism in the period of New Imperialism Michael Davitt and the launching of the Irish Revolution in 1879 Davitt adopts an ‘internationalism from below’ strategy to spread the revolution The struggle against…