Kool34 sent us a comment on the articles in our recent bulletin on the First World War (Emancipation & Liberation Special Bulletin – The Centenary of the World War I Imperialist Slaughter). This comment invited us to read the following article by Mark Kosman. We are pleased to draw this to the attention of our readers. In 1871,…
Wales And Scottish Independence – Leanne Wood, President of Plaid Cymru
Last year, in the run-up to the second RIC Conference, the Edinburgh branch put forward a proposal to organise a session on ‘Internationalism from below and the break-up of the UK, with speakers from Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales, This was agreed agreed and Mary McGregor (Dundee RIC), Bernadette McAliskey, Steve Freeman (Republican Socialist Alliance…
The Empire Strikes Back
Jim Slaven of the James Connolly Society wrote the following article for the Irish-based 1916 Societies. Here Jim examines the implications of the Scottish referendum for Ireland. As Scotland enters the final three months of the independence referendum campaign it remains too close to call. The No campaign have been consistently ahead throughout but the gap has…
The Further Decline Of The ‘New Unionist’ Settlement In Northern Ireland
In the following two articles from Socialist Democracy (Ireland), John McAnulty of chronicles the further decline of the ‘New Unionist’ settlement in Northern Ireland. 1) ON THE RUNS – CONCESSIONS TO SINN FEIN WERE MERE SMOKE AND MIRRORS When Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss was nominated to head an enquiry into child sexual abuse by leading politicians,…
Proposed Amendments To The RCN’s ‘What We Stand For’
The Republican Communist Network (Scotland) can be considered a ‘work on progress’. The principles upon which we stand can be summed up in our ‘What We Stand For’. However, these are not fixed but are changed through new knowledge gained in the struggles we are engaged in. The last change was made in May 2012…
Emancipation & Liberation – Radical Independence Campaign Special Bulletin, August, 2014
Below can be found the two articles from the third of the RCN’s Radical Independence Campaign Special bulletins. BETWEEN NOW AND SEPTEMBER RIC activists across Scotland are doing an amazing job leafleting, canvassing and organising meetings and events to help win a Yes vote. Many of us are aware, though, that irrespective of whether the…
Making Plans For Nigel
Allan Armstrong (RCN) examines the situation Socialists face across these islands in the light of the recent European election and the ongoing Scottish independence referendum campaign. A SOCIALIST REPUBLICAN ANALYSIS OF THE STATE OF THE UK AND ‘NEW UNIONISM’ IN THE LIGHT OF THE RISE OF UKIP AND THE FORTHCOMING SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM CONTENTS Introduction…
Labour And Socialist Left Unionism In The Scottish Independence Debate
Allan Armstrong (RCN) prepared a talk for the Conference of Socialist Economists Day School held in the Out of the Blue Centre in Edinburgh on June 21st. The article below incorporates some of the discussion points that were raised. It provides a socialist republican analysis of the British Left and the case for an ‘internationalism…
2 New Pieces On Ukraine
The RCN co-sponsored a tour by Zakhar Popyvych of the Left Opposition in Kyiv to Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow from May 16th-18th (see Ukraine – Caught between East and West). Patricia Kirk (RCN) videoed Zakhar’s talk in Glasgow, whilst John Lanigan (RCN) took a number of photographs. Two of these photographs and the video link…
Just Say Yes? – A Review Of ‘Yes – The radical case for Independence’ by James Foley & Pete Ramand
Murdo Ritche (RCN) reviews Yes- The Radical Case for Scottish Independence by James Foley & Pete Ramand (Pluto Press, 2014). This was first posted on Murdo’s blog (http://murdoritchie.blog.co.uk) and has been slightly changed. JUST SAY YES? The cover and the title of this book summarize the contradictory tensions that flow all through the text. The word…