This is the second block of articles on the Scottish Independence Referendum in the discussion and debate being promoted by the RCN. The first block can be found at:- Scottish Independence Referendum The Following Motions On The Scottish Independence Referendum Were Passed At The Annual SSP Conference At Glasgow On 31.3.12 1. An Independent Scottish…
The New Northern State – A Stable Solution?
This article, written by John McAnulty, first appeared in the March/April issue of Socialist Democracy (Ireland) The 2011 elections in the North of Ireland marked a substantial victory for capitalism. It marked the first point where one Stormont administration morphed into another via election, without the collapse of the government. That modest success quickly became a much more substantial victory. The election was preceded by the killing of a Catholic police constable by republicans and the election was settled in advance in a wave of hysteria…
Getting Over the Hee Bee GBs – New pamphlet
Getting Over The Hee Bee GBs An ‘Internationalism from Below’ critique of the British Left In the current period the existence of a majority SNP government in power in Scotland and a referendum on Scottish independence on the horizon poses the question as how should socialists and communists respond to these developments. Should we condemn…
Three Reviews Of Allan Armstrong’s ‘From Davitt To Connolly’ (with replies)
Below are three reviews of Allan Armstrong’s book From Davitt to Connolly. The first one, written by Jim Monaghan, appeared in Saothar (the journal of the Irish Labour History Society); the second one, by T.R. appeared in Socialist Voice (the monthly journal of the Communist Party of Ireland) and third is from Ted Crawford, who helps to compile the Marxist…
Red, Orange And Blue
Allan Armstrong gives his personal reflections on The Provisional IRA – From Insurrection to Parliament (by Tommy McKearney, with an Introduction by Paul Stewart). I first met Tommy McKearney in the preparations for the initial Republican Socialist Convention, which was held in Scotland. He was due to pick me up from the Dublin Monaghan bus.…
A new review of ‘From Davitt to Connolly’ by Tara O’Sullivan
Celtic Soul Brothers Tara O’Sullivan (from Red Banner, issue no. 45) A review of From Davitt to Connolly: ‘Internationalism from below’ and the challenge to the UK state and British Empire 1879-95, by Allan Armstrong Earlier in the year we witnessed much discussion of relationships between Ireland and Britain. Some was of interest, but the worst…
Tommy McKearney’s new book – ‘The IRA – From Insurrection to Parliament’
Tommy McKearney, former Provisional IRA member and hunger striker, now an organiser for the Independent Workers Union in Ireland, has spoken at the first Republican Socialist Convention organised the the SSP’s International Committee, and at the third Global Commune event – Trade Unions – Are They Fit For Purpose (organised jointly the the RCN and the…
Review of From Davitt to Connolly by Chris Gray
The following review of From Davitt to Connolly: ‘Internationalism from Below’ and the Challenge to the UK State and British Empire 1879 – 1895 appears in Issue 20 of Permanent Revolution Allan Armstrong, From Davitt to Connolly: ‘Internationalism from Below’ and the Challenge to the UK State and British Empire 1879 – 1895 (Intfrobel Publications…
After May 5th – A Looming Constitutional Crisis?
Part One – the Meaning of the May 5th Elections A good kicking for the Lib-Dems disguises the wider impact of the National Question on May 5th On May 5th, the Lib-Dem-initiated referendum proposal to introduce AV to Westminster elections was massively rejected in every nation and region of the UK, including Northern Ireland. In…
Irish elections: Revenge, but not yet resistance
by Kevin Keating and John McAnulty, Socialist Democracy (Ireland) In the run-up to the Irish election of 25th February a number of key issues arose. The major issue was the imposition of four years of renewed austerity overseen by the intervention of the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. The second issue was the…