Now Ukraine

We are posting the poem Now Ukraine by Jim Aitken which will be published by Culture Matters in Jim’s forthcoming book Declarations of Love. NOW UKRAINE 1. Yes, it is absolutely ghastly and gruesome. Yes, Putin is responsible for war crimes because war itself is a crime, a failure. I started marching during the Vietnam…

Former NATO military analyst blows the whistle on West’s Ukraine Invasion narrative

The following article by Jaques Baud, intelligence and security consultant and former NATO military analyst, has been much posted by those on the Left opposed to giving support to the Ukrainian people in their opposition to Putin’s invasion. The EL&SD Editorial Board  voted by a majority to post this article. Allan Armstrong has written a…

Catalangate: the surveillance state in Spain

The following article by Jordi Oriola Folch on the Spanish/Castilian state’s clampdown in Catalunya was first  posted on bella caledonia CATALANGATE: THE SURVEILLANCE STATE IN SPAIN On the 18th April, The New Yorker uncovered in an extensive report [1] the biggest case of espionage in an EU country. The Canadian organisation Citizen Lab had documented [2] the spying on…

Macron, the ‘President of the Rich’, reelected in France amid record abstention

The following article by Damien Bernard was posted by Left Voice (USA). Emmanuel Macron has won a second term as president of France in an election marked by record abstention. As he prepares to continue his war against French social gains, the Far Right is consolidating its base in opposition to the failures of Macronism.…

An open letter from Asad Ghanem to the Ukrainian president

In an open letter, first published in Al Jazeera,  political analyst Asad Ghanem urges the Ukrainian president to stop employing double standards and to support the Palestinian struggle.   Dear Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Your recent speech before the Israeli Knesset was a disgrace when it comes to global struggles for freedom and liberation, particularly of the…

Self determination and sovereignty in Europe

This article by Mike Small was first posted on bella caledonia. It  highlights the Gadarene stampede to the Right by media commentators following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Ian MacWhirter, for a short period a supporter of Scottish independence, but now following his longstanding attacks on public sector workers, followed by transgendered  people and environmental activists,…

EL&SD – Ukraine coverage since 2013

Below we are posting links to all the articles EL&SD  has posted on Ukraine since 2013, along with some other links to related articles. EL&SD COVERAGE OF UKRAINE SINCE 2013   This van provides a lifeline service to Ukrainians: Could it be under threat? Ukrainian Letter of Solidarity with the Palestinian people Why Ukrainians should…

Doubling down on double standards – the Ukraine propaganda blitz

  We are posting this article from Media Lens in response to the mainstream media coverage of the war in Ukraine. This reminds that those fighting back against  similar brutal onslaughts in Palestine, Yemen and  Kurdistan are ignored or vilified by BBC and other media outlets.   DOUBLING DOWN ON DOUBLE STANDARDS – THE UKRAINE…

Former Left Bloc partners crushed by (social democratic) Socialist Party in Portuguese elections

We are posting this article from Left Voice (USA) translated from the one which first appeared in  IzquierdaDiario.es. The Left Bloc (along with the Portuguese Communist Party) had joined a coalition with Antonio Costa’s Socialist Party in 2015.  The Left Bloc like Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain is an essentially Left social democratic…

EL&SD coverage of Migration

The issue of migrants has been very important for the RCN. The RCN was central to getting the SSP to support the free movement of people and affiliating to ‘No One Is Illegal’.  After ceasing to be a platform in the SSP on June 22nd 2012 , the RCN continued placing emphasis on the importance…