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…
Ireland and the broader consequences of the 2014 Scottish Referendum
Jim Slaven of the James Connolly Society highlights some of the publicly unacknowledged features of the 2014 referendum, how they fit into the British ruling class strategy to maintain its rule over these islands, and a new challenge to this in Ireland. The deal between Alex Salmond and David Cameron on the arrangements for the…
€9 Worth Of Criminal Damage To Gilmore’s Car
Eamon Gilmore, the Irish Labour Party Tanaiste (Depute Prime Minister) took protestor, Donall O Ceallaigh, to court for criminal damage to his car. The following article from eirigi highlights both the light, and far mote serious sides to this case. Peals of laughter rang out in Court 4 of the Criminal Courts of Justice in…
Sectarianism Hardwired Under The ‘Peace Process’
COVENANT MARCHES PROMISE ENDLESS SECTARIANISM The period following September’s mass Orange demonstration in Belfast commemorating the signing of the Ulster Covenant the event leading to Ireland’s Nakba, the partition of the country and generations of violence, colonial rule and sectarian division was followed by widespread expressions of relief and hope for the future. There had been no violence. The Orange Order had said they were sorry for the hurt feelings…
Scottish Self-Determination And The ‘Actually Existing’ Labour Movement
A response to the Red Paper Collective’s Power for Scotland’s People – A labour movement view The ‘Independent Scotland Debate’ was organised by the Edinburgh Peoples Festival on September 9th. 86 people attended this well-conducted event in the Out of the Blue Centre in Leith. The speaker supporting independence was Kevin Williamson of bella caledonia,…
‘Britain Must Break’ To Defend ‘Real Labour’ or ‘The Break-Up Of The UK’ To Advance Republican Socialism?
Allan Armstrong (RCN) welcomes the new pamphlet Britain Must Break by the International Socialist Group (Scotland) and offers some fraternal criticism. Introduction The Scottish government’s 2014 ‘independence’ referendum has produced a flurry of analysis and activity amongst the Left in Scotland. This has led several Socialist organisations to come together to promote the Radical Independence Conference[1]The…
Shadow Dancer
By the early 1990s it was apparent that the IRA had been militarily defeated by the British. The fantasy that an organisation of a few hundred active members could beat a professional army of tens of thousands backed up a a massive police and intelligence apparatus was laid bare. The resulting demoralisation made it very…
The Orange Frankenstein Marches Forth Again
Observers of the north of Ireland are from time to time caught by surprise when the reality of life here contradicts their belief in a steady progress towards normality. Such a moment came outside a Catholic church in Belfast. A 12th July demonstration by one band playing a hate song went viral on Facebook and…
The Olympics And The British Ideology
Jim Slaven of the James Connolly Society looks into the role of the Olympics in buttressing British ideology. So the Olympics are over and it is time to reflect on the significance of London 2012. While the coverage has been extensive, none of it has come close to a brilliant book published before London 2012…
In The Aftermath Of Ballymurphy
Led by the families of the massacred, over 1000 relatives, neighbours and supporters defiantly snaked their way through the streets of the Greater Ballymurphy area in west Belfast on the Ballymurphy Massacre March for Truth on Sunday past, August 12. Joined by a strong contingent of éirígí activists, the march took time to pass, and…