Emancipation & Liberation

Jul 07 2017

NO G20, NO UK – SCOTLAND GOES TO HAMBURG

The SSP was involved in leading the socialist opposition to the G8 summit in Gleneagles in 2005. Connor Beaton is currently representing the Scottish Socialist Party at the anti-G20 protest in Hamburg. Here is his report posted on the SSP blog. (https://scottishsocialistparty.org/no-g20-no-uk-scotland-goes-hamburg/)

NO G20, NO UK – SCOTLAND GOES TO HAMBURG

The Scottish Socialist Party is proudly supporting and participating in the massive mobilisation against the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany this weekend.

Thousands of people from outwith Germany – a handful of SSP members among them – have responded to the call of Hamburg-based organisers for a bold, broad and borderless display of resistance to the latest international demagogues convention.

SUMMIT OF REPRESSION

When the likes of May, Trump, Putin and Erdoğan meet in Hamburg, they will be a stone’s throw from the city’s traditionally autonomist and progressive Sternschanze and St Pauli districts, where locals view the imposition of the summit as provocative, undemocratic and violent. Continue reading “NO G20, NO UK – SCOTLAND GOES TO HAMBURG”

Tags: Alan McCombes, Alternative for Germany, Author: Connor Beaton, Big Issue, BlockG20 - Colour Red Zone, Donald Trump, Front National, G20 Hamburg 2017, G8 Gleneagles 2005, Hinz&Kunzt, Mexikaner shot, Recep Erdogan, St. Pauli, Sternschanze, Summit for Global Solidarity, Theresa May, Two Worlds Collide, Vladimir Putin, YesWeCamp

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Jul 07 2017

TWO REVOLUTIONS?

Category: Against Unionism,England,For Liberation: Struggles against Oppression,How they are organised,How we organise,Independent class organisations,Ireland,Political Campaigns,Scotland,The crisis on the Left,UK state/British imperialism,Wales — RCN @ 3:45 pm

Steve Freeman reports on the politics displayed at the Left Unity Party’s conference held on June 24th in London. This was first published as a letter in Weekly Worker (http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1162/letters/)

TWO REVOLUTIONS?

Jeremy quite happy with the Crown

On June 24, Left Unity members met in conference to consider the way ahead in the next period. Members are aware of the powerful forces pulling the party to the right. But conference revealed a struggle over whether the party should respond by moving to the right or shifting to the left. The general election sharpened up the issues. Should Left Unity carry on as before, or join the ‘Corbyn revolution’, or become the party of ‘democratic revolution’?

A resolution from Birmingham says: “The ‘Corbyn revolution’ has for the foreseeable future closed the electoral space to the left of Labour.” It has “unleashed expectations which can’t be met within the confines of the existing structures of the Labour Party”. This will spill onto the streets, in campaigns and communities. Like a whirlpool, this ‘revolution’ is pulling LU down the plug. Continue reading “TWO REVOLUTIONS?”

Tags: 'Blair revolution', 'Corbyn revolution', 'democratic deficit', 'Thatcher revolution', 2014 Scottish independence referendum, 2016 EU referendum, 2017 Labour Manifesto, BBC, Democratic Revolution, DUP, England, George Osborne, Glastonbury, House of Lords, Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party, Left Unity Party, NHS, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Scottish Labour, SNP, social monarchy, Theresa May, Tory press, Wales

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Jul 07 2017

ADDRESS TO THE LEFT UNITY CONFERENCE ON JUNE 24th

Category: Against Unionism,England,For Liberation: Struggles against Oppression,How they are organised,How we organise,Independent class organisations,Ireland,Political Campaigns,Radical Independence Campaign,Scotland,SSP and SWP,The crisis on the Left,The Socialist Republican Break-up of the UK,UK state/British imperialism — RCN @ 3:18 pm

Allan Armstrong was delegated at the RISE National Forum held in Edinburgh on 8th April to be its representative at the LUP conference on May 20th. Due to the General Election this was postponed to June 24th. Attached is the full version of the talk he prepared for the conference held in London. In the event, because of time constraints, the oral version was slightly abridged.

This was first posted on the LUP blog:- http://leftunity.org/rise-speaker-addresses-lu-conference/

ADDRESS TO THE LEFT UNITY CONFERENCE ON JUNE 24th

I would like to thank the LUP for providing me with the time to address your conference as a visiting representative from RISE.

Many of you here today are old enough to remember the heyday of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), which had a considerable impact throughout the UK. The SSP united the overwhelming majority of socialists in Scotland and at its height had 6 MSPs. It inspired the Socialist Alliance (SA) in England and Wales. Although the SP and the SWP managed to sabotage the SA the SSP’s downfall was an almost entirely Scottish affair. This can be largely laid at the feet of a certain Tommy Sheridan.

After 2004, socialists in Scotland were very divided. IndyRef1, though, provided an opportunity for socialists to regain political influence. Young socialists, largely unaffected by ‘Tommygate’, initiated the Radical Independence Campaign (RIC) in 2012. This coalition, or united front, brought together, not only many of the previously divided socialists, but the Left in the SNP and the Greens and a majority not involved in any party. Continue reading “ADDRESS TO THE LEFT UNITY CONFERENCE ON JUNE 24th”

Tags: 'Tommygate', 2017 Labour Manifesto, Author: Allan Armstrong, Brexit, David Miliband, Dennis Canavan, DUP, Glastonbury, Greens, Holyrood, House of Lords, IndyRef1, Jeremy Corbyn, Left Unity Party, Len McCluskey, London Peoples Assembly, Nicola Sturgeon, Northern Ireland, Privy Council, Radical Independence Campaign, RISE - Scotland's Left Alliance, Scotland, Scottish Labour Party, Scottish Socialist Party, Shami Chakrabarti, Sinn Fein, SNP, Syrian War, The National Question, Theresa May, Trident, UNITE, Westminster General Election 2017

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Jun 08 2017

LEFT UNITY AND THE GENERAL ELECTION

Category: Against Unionism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,For Self-Determination: Struggles against Alienation,How we organise,Independent class organisations,Scotland,UK state/British imperialism — RCN @ 10:04 am

We are posting this position paper from Steve Freeman (Republican Socialist Alliance and Campaign for a European Socialist Republican Party) first posted on the Left Unity blog.

SCOTLAND AND THE TORY BREXIT ELECTION

The general election is an opportunity for the working class in Scotland to build a stronger and more militant opposition to Tory Brexit and all anti-working class austerity policies whether from Tory or SNP governments. It is an opportunity to organise a stronger democratic movement against the Union, including preparing for a referendum on self determination, seeking closer unity with the anti-Unionist workers in England and more broadly with the European working class.

Left Unity will not stand candidates in the 2017 general election in Scotland. We will support any RISE or Scottish Socialist Party candidates whose policies are close to our own. Left Unity is clear in its commitment to socialism and will use the election to advance the following policies aimed to strengthen the working class internationally – opposition to austerity, imperialist wars, Trident, NATO, TTIP; anti-Unionism and support for the right to self determination, republican democracy, migrant rights and Pan European socialist organisation. Continue reading “LEFT UNITY AND THE GENERAL ELECTION “

Tags: Brexit, England, EU, Jeremy Corbyn, Labour, Ledt Unity Party, Liberal Democrat, RISE, Scotland, Scottish self-determination, Scottish Socialist Party, Tories, UKIP, Unionism, Wales

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Apr 07 2017

SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON ‘THE COMMONWEALTH OF ENGLAND’

Category: Against Unionism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,England,Ireland,Russia and ex-USSR,Scotland,UK state/British imperialism,Wales — RCN @ 6:56 pm

Allan Armstrong makes some observations on The Commonwealth of England written by Steve Freeman (see http://republicancommunist.org/blog/2017/04/07/the-commonwealth-of-england/). He examines the likely role that federalism will play in IndyRef2, drawing on the historical precedents for its use in the UK and USSR.

SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON THE COMMONWEALTH OF ENGLAND

There is a great deal I agree with in Steve’s article. In a later contribution to this discussion I would like to develop Steve’s historic analysis, going back to the days of the Levellers, through the Chartists and on to the Suffragettes. However, in these observations, I will confine myself to the issue of federalism.

The political origins of the idea of British federalism go back to the first attempts to hold together the British Empire in North America, when faced by the challenge of American republicanism. It failed. The challenge of Irish republicanism and the War of Independence from 1919, led to a Westminster Speakers’ Conference. This recommended a federal solution for the UK. It too failed. Although the UK state did instead, after Loyalist pogroms and reactionary Partition, come up with the earliest form of political Devolution in the UK – Stormont. No wonder it was difficult for others later to win support for devolution in Scotland and Wales, when Stormont formed the precedent!
Continue reading “SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON ‘THE COMMONWEALTH OF ENGLAND’”

Tags: American republicanism, Author: Allan Armstrong, Commonwealth of England Scotland and Wales, Commonwealth of Independent States, Crown-in-Parliament, England, Federalism, Gordon Brown, Greater Englanderism, Irish Republicanism, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, Kezia Dugdale, Liberal Party, liberal unionism, Little Englanderism, Mikhail Gorbachev, reactionary unionism, Stormont, Theresa May, Tony Benn, Union of Sovereign States, USSR, Westminster

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Apr 06 2017

RADICAL INDEPENDENCE CAMPAIGN STATEMENT – DEFEND DEMOCRACY

Category: Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,How they are organised,Political Campaigns,Radical Independence Campaign,The EU,UK state/British imperialism — RCN @ 1:52 pm

The Radical Independence Campaign has produced this new statement following Theresa May’s rejection of the right of the the Holyrood Parliament to hold a second Scottish independence referendum.

DEFEND DEMOCRACY

The election of Trump, the chaotic handling of Brexit by an unelected Tory leader, and the ongoing crisis of the global economy, we believe our message is needed more than ever.

RIC will argue for a People’s Independence. The 99% have the most to lose from ongoing Tory rule from Westminster. Their votes will decide the referendum, and RIC will provide a platform to amplify their voices. We will be discussing new ideas for the coming campaign, rather than simply repeating our work from the last referendum. The situation has changed dramatically since 2014 – that means our tactics and approach must also change.
Continue reading “RADICAL INDEPENDENCE CAMPAIGN STATEMENT – DEFEND DEMOCRACY”

Tags: Brexit, British Empire, Donald Trump, indyref2, migrant rights, peoples independence, Radical Independence Campaign, Theresa May, UKIP

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Mar 29 2017

PADDY BORT – 1954-2017

Category: Commemorations,Cultural Celebration,For Self-Determination: Struggles against Alienation,Ireland,Scotland — RCN @ 2:44 pm

Allan Armstrong writes about the contribution made by Paddy Bort, who died on February 17th, to our understanding of Scottish and Irish cultural and political links.

PADDY BORT – 1954-2017

Eberhard Bort, Germano-Scot and Germano-Irish by choice, “in essence the ultimate European”, and known to most acquaintances in Scotland and Ireland as Paddy, died unexpectedly on February 17th. Steve Byrne, founder member of the folk group, Malinky, and convenor of the Hamish Henderson Archive Trust, wrote what has become Paddy’s much circulated obituary. It begins with the strikingly appropriate words, “A hole the size of Arthur’s Seat is in the Edinburgh folk scene today.”
Continue reading “PADDY BORT – 1954-2017”

Tags: 'Anent Hamish Henderson', 'The Shamrock and the Thistle', 'Translations', Antonio Gramsci, Author: Allan Armstrong, Brian Friel, Carrying Stream Festival, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Festival of Ireland, Edinburgh People's Festival, Freedom Come All Ye, Hamish Henderson, Ireland, John Maclean March, Paddy Bort, Peadar O'Donnell, Ray Burnett, Royal Oak, Sandy Bells, Scotland, Steve Byrne, Tessa Ransford

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Jan 23 2017

BREXIT COUNTER-REVOLUTION

Category: Against Imperialism,Against Unionism,Capitalism and Communism,How they are organised,Ireland,Scotland,The EU,UK state/British imperialism,US imperialism — RCN @ 9:04 pm

We are posting the following article by Steve Freeman of the LUP and RISE and the Campaign for European Republican Socialist Party, which was first posted at:– http://www.republicansocialists.org.uk/blog/.

BREXIT COUNTER-REVOLUTION

Every popular rebellion or revolution produces its equal and opposite reaction in counter-revolution. England’s national uprising against the EU was won and lost on 23 June 2016. No sooner had victory had been declared, than the Brexit counter revolution began. The Crown took control with May at the helm. She declared ‘Brexit means Brexit’. As Humpty Dumpty said to Alice, in Brexit wonderland a word “means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less”.
Continue reading “BREXIT COUNTER-REVOLUTION”

Tags: Author: Steve Freeman, Brexit, British, City of London, Conservative and Unionist Party, Donald Trump, Jeremy Corbyn, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, The Crown, Theresa May, UK, USA, Wales

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Dec 26 2016

SCOTLAND’S REPUBLIC

Category: Against Unionism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,England,How they are organised,Ireland,Scotland,The EU,UK state/British imperialism,Wales — RCN @ 7:29 pm

Steve Freeman of the Republican Socialist Alliance, RISE and LUP, looks at possible futures for the UK in the aftermath of the Brexit vote.

SCOTLAND’S REPUBLIC

In her speech to the Tory conference Theresa May promised the Brexit revolution which would bring power back to the UK. She declared “change is going to come” in what she described as a “quiet revolution”. The “roots of the revolution run deep” in Britain because this was “a revolution in which millions of our fellow citizens stood up and said they were not prepared to be ignored anymore” (1).
Continue reading “SCOTLAND’S REPUBLIC”

Tags: 'Great Rebellion', 1688 Glorious Revolution, 1707 Act Of Union, 1916-22 Irish Revolution, Author: Steve Freeman, Bank of England, Boris Johnson, Brexit, England, Gerard Winstanley, Jeremy Warner, London - eight emirate, LUP, Nicola Sturgeon, Northern Ireland 1968-98, RISE, Scotland, Theresa May, United Kingdom and British Empire, Wales, Yemen

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Dec 08 2016

DEBATES AND DISCUSSIONS ON THE EMANCIPATION & LIBERATION BLOG ABOUT THE EU AND MIGRATION

Our Emancipation & Liberation blog has posted articles about the EU and Migration since it was set up. The earlier postings covered the Republican Communist Network’s involvement, when it was a platform in the Scottish Socialist Party. The first debate was in 2002 over whether the SSP should back joining the euro in the event of a referendum over the issue. The majority in the SSP was anti-euro, although there was a small pro-euro minority. The RCN formed another minority, which was for a campaign of active abstention.
Continue reading “DEBATES AND DISCUSSIONS ON THE EMANCIPATION & LIBERATION BLOG ABOUT THE EU AND MIGRATION”

Tags: 'It's a Free World', 1993 Lisbon Treaty, 2009 Lisbon Treaty, 2016 Euro-referendum, Angela Merkel, Another Europe Is Possible, Anther Europe Is Possible, Apple and Ireland, Author: Adam Majos, Author: Allan Armstrong, Author: Bill Scott, Author: Corina Lotz, Author: Eric Chester, Author: Mary McGregot, Author: Matthew Jones, Author: Murdo Ritchie, Author: Sharat G Lin, Author: Steve Freeman, Battlefield Band, Brexit, Campaign for a European Republican Socialist Party, Catalunya, CUP, David Cameron, debate over euro currenct, DiEM25, Donald Trump, European Anti-Capitlist Left, European democratic revolution, European Economic Community, European Union, German CDU/SDP coalition, Gordon Brown, Greece, Ken Loach, Left Unity Party, Lexit, Manu Chaio, Marine Le Pen, migrant rights, National Front, Nigel Farage, No One Is Illegal, No2EU, Radical Independence, Republican Communist Network, RISE, Socialist Democracy (Ireland), Socialist Party of England and Wales, Socialist Party Scotland, Socialist Workers Party, SSP, SYRIZA, The Campaogn for a European Republican Socialist Party, UK, UKIP

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