Edinburgh Peoples Festival August 6th-12th 1. People’s History of Edinburgh August 6th, 6.30 pm, Outside The Last Drop Public House, Grassmarket Local historian Allan Armstrong leads us on this walk through the Edinburgh that never makes it into the official guide books. This is the people’s history of ‘Auld Reekie’ shaped by those who lived…
The ‘Independence-Lite’ Referendum And A Tale Of Two Campaigns
The SNP‘s ‘Yes, Please’ And The Left Nationalists’ ‘Yes, But…’ Tale No. 1 – the launch of the SNP’s Yes campaign Alex Salmond launched the ‘Yes’ campaign for the 2014 Scottish independence referendum at Cineworld in Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge on the morning of Friday, May 25th. Apart from the delayed start, this media orientated event, attended…
Socialist Republicanism And The Diamond Jubilee
The RCN is posting four pieces as a contribution to the debate on a socialist republican the Diamond Jubilee. Socialist Republicans and Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Republicanism Socialism and Democracy The Crown Rules Britannia The Queen: Floating in the Stink 1. Socialist Republicans and Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee “Maud Gonne joined with James Connolly in…
Price Demonstration Shows Growing Anger At The Return Of Internment
The Belfast demonstration in support of Marian Price on the 27th of May should give pause to the British government and to local politicians. The size of the demonstration; 4000 to 5000, and the number of young people involved shows the growing levels of concern and anger at the internment of Marian and a growing…
Pass the Sickbag!
Salmond and the Royal Jubilee I am looking forward to a fantastic weekend of celebrations right across Scotland to mark The Queen’s 60 years of loyal service on the occasion of Her Diamond Jubilee. Her Majesty has been, and contributes to be, a great friend of Scotland, offering her subjects unparalleled dedication and integrity as…
A New Tyranny Over Europe
A crisis of capitalism, a threat to democracy The leaders of Europe spent much time and ingenuity in designing the Financial Stability Pact so that it would not require a vote. The fact that Britain and the Czech Republic did not sign meant that it could not be formally part of European structures. The major…
What Do The May 5th Local Election Results Mean In Scotland?
This article was first written for socialists in England and Wales. It has been published on the commune website, and issue 23 of Permanent Revolution, in slightly edited forms. The Scottish local council elections, held on May 5th, have attracted much wider interest than would normally normally be the case for such an event. The primary…
Northern Ireland – Education Case Study Illustrates Sectarian Reality
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…
MAY DAY GREETINGS
MAY DAY GREETINGS from EMANCIPATION & LIBERATION May Day Greetings from Emancipation & Liberation The Scottish Independence Referendum Takes Place In 2014 The British unionist parties and the SNP government both want a Scotland which is:- part of the UK under the Crown Powers part of NATO and participates in imperial wars dominated by the…