The RCN, like most of the rest of the Left, is having a debate on the EU referendum. This is the second contribution by Steve Freeman of the Republican Socialist Alliance. It has been posted on the RSA blog (http://www.republicansocialists.org.uk). A modified version has also been posted on the bella caledonia blog (http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2016/04/13/scotland-remains-and-england-abstains/) EU…
A POLITICAL COMPARISON BETWEEN THE 2012-14 SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE AND THE 2016 EU REFERENDA CAMPAIGNS
Allan Armstrong (RCN) has written a second piece on the forthcoming EU referendum. This is a contribution to the debate in the RCN and the wider Left. Allan has spoken on this issue at the RIC national conference (Feb. 20th), SSP National Council (28th Feb) and the Glasgow Assembly for Democracy (2nd April). ___________ A POLITICAL…
REPORT OF REPUBLICAN SOCIALIST ALLIANCE MEETING, STOCKPORT, 12th MARCH
The RCN is affiliated to the Republican Socialist Alliance. Allan Armstrong attended the meeting hosted by the new RSA (North of England) group on the 12th March in Stockport. Steve Freeman, acting RSA convenor, has written the following report. Report on Republican Socialist Alliance meeting, 12th March, Stockport This was a productive with decisions taken…
HAMISH HENDERSON, FOLK SONGS AND THE BUILDING OF SCOTTISH LEFT WING IDENTITY
Adam Ramsay of open democracy has written the following review article after seeing the new film, Hamish, about the life of Hamish Henderson. It was first posted at:- https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/adam-ramsay/hamish-henderson-folk-culture-and-building-of-scottish-left-wing-identity HAMISH HENDERSON, FOLK SONGS AND THE BUILDING OF SCOTTISH LEFT WING IDENTITY For me, he was the polyglot communist who first translated Antonio Gramsci into English.…
THE EU AND THE EUROPEAN DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION
Steve Freeman (Left Unity and RISE) sees the forthcoming EU referendum as undermining the potential for a European democratic revolution. The UK’s European referendum is no more than an opportunity for the Crown to extract more concessions for the City, whilst promoting its anti-working class racist neo-liberal agenda. It is not enough, however, to say…
RCN BULLETIN FOR THE 4th RADICAL INDEPENDENCE CAMPAIGN CONFERENCE
Today we are holding the 4th RIC conference. RIC has been very much a contributor to Scotland’s ‘democratic revolution’, where 97% registered and 85% voted. Despite the ‘No’ result, politics in Scotland have been transformed. However, both the British unionists and the wannabe Scottish ruling class, who have latched on to the SNP, are trying…
THE DEBATE OVER SCOTLAND, CORBYN AND THE UNION
Steve Freeman (Left Unity Party and RISE) has been conducting a campaign in England and Wales, along with members of the Republican Socialist Alliance, to get socialists to understand the significance of the Scotland’s ‘democratic revolution’ and the need to break away from the British Left’s traditional unionist politics. Steve has fought consistently to try to make the LUP…
The Making And The Breaking Of The UK State
This article by Allan Armstrong (RCN) was posted on this blog on 9.6.12, after being updated from an earlier version originally posted on 30.9.11. That article has become contaminated and so is being reposted. Although the most recent section has been superseded by the Scottish Independence Referendum, it still includes a lot of relevant historical material.…
JEREMY CORBYN AND THE RE-EMERGENCE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
Steve Freeman of the Republican Socialist Alliance, who stood as a socialist republican and anti-Unionist candidate in Bermondsey in the General Election, makes his political assessment of the Corbyn campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party. JEREMY CORBYN AND THE RE-EMERGENCE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRACY The fall and rise of Social Democracy and…
THE IMPACT OF REACTIONARY UNIONISM ON UK POLITICS
In the struggle over the future of the UK, the main battle is being conducted between the SNP pushing for a liberal unionist ‘Devo-Max’ agenda (looking for support from a possibly Corbyn-led Labour Party, Plaid Cymru and the Greens) and the conservative unionist alliance led by David Cameron, with the tacit acceptance of ‘One Nation’…