John McAnulty of Socialist Democracy (Ireland) provides an example, from the Stormont administration of education, to show how the reformed set-up helps to maintain sectarianism in Northern Ireland. The journey from republicanism to administration of the Northern state rested on two main planks. One was the thesis first advanced by Michael Collins in relation to partition…
The Scottish Independence Referendum Debate, Part 3
This section of our continuing debate on the Scottish Independence Referendum addresses the British Left. The commune asked Allan Armstrong and Bob Goupillot to submit an article on the issue. This article, The Scottish Independence Referendum, appeared in the April, 2012 issue of the commune. Barry Biddulph replied to this in the June issue with…
“Without Feminism Socialism Can’t Exist, And Without Socialism, True Feminism Can Not Exist”
This is an interview originally entitled, Without Socialism There Can be No True Feminism, made by Rachael Boothroyd with feminist activist, Meglimar Melero, from the Insumisas Collective and the Feminist Spider network, discussing the feminist movement in Venezuela today. The above quote is from the interview. It was first published on:- http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/6886 and on RCN member,…
Scottish Independence Referendum Debate, Part 2
This is the second block of articles on the Scottish Independence Referendum in the discussion and debate being promoted by the RCN. The first block can be found at:- Scottish Independence Referendum The Following Motions On The Scottish Independence Referendum Were Passed At The Annual SSP Conference At Glasgow On 31.3.12 1. An Independent Scottish…
The New Northern State – A Stable Solution?
This article, written by John McAnulty, first appeared in the March/April issue of Socialist Democracy (Ireland) The 2011 elections in the North of Ireland marked a substantial victory for capitalism. It marked the first point where one Stormont administration morphed into another via election, without the collapse of the government. That modest success quickly became a much more substantial victory. The election was preceded by the killing of a Catholic police constable by republicans and the election was settled in advance in a wave of hysteria…
Scottish Independence Referendum
The RCN discussed the forthcoming Scottish Independence Referendum at its Dundee aggregate on March 25th. Papers were presented by Allan Armstrong, Eric Chester and Susan Dorazio. Allan and Susan presented general papers covering the principles behind any campaign for Scottish self-determination. Allan and Eric also provided papers with more immediate proposals. The RCN also noted…
International Women’s Day – Report from Israel and Statement from Afghanistan
Women For Civil Disobedience In Israel Report Some 400 Israeli, Palestinian and international women gathered in the West Bank village of Beit Omar, under the slogan of “Women for Civil Disobedience as part of the Non-violent Popular Resistance to the Israeli Occupation”. It was the 2nd Conference marking the International Women’s Day. The conference was organized by…
Getting Over the Hee Bee GBs – New pamphlet
Getting Over The Hee Bee GBs An ‘Internationalism from Below’ critique of the British Left In the current period the existence of a majority SNP government in power in Scotland and a referendum on Scottish independence on the horizon poses the question as how should socialists and communists respond to these developments. Should we condemn…
Reform Or Revolution In An Era Of Economic Crisis
The gap between revolutionaries and reformists is fundamental and widening as the economic crisis deepens. This gulf in underlying perspectives is reflected in the conflicting approaches taken to an array of specific issues. Specific differences in strategy and tactics should be viewed as elements in a recurring pattern that in varying forms is being constantly…
Union Leader Slams Ed Miliband – But Who Put Him There In The First Place?
Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey has launched a stinging attack on the Labour leader Ed Miliband claiming that he {Miliband] is “leading Labour to destruction”. McCluskey lambasts the Labour leader for “failing to support millions of low paid trade unionists” and thereby “disenfranchising the party’s core support”. All this is from a union leader so…