We are posting this article from Republic Media (Ireland) outlining why it is very unlikely there will be a Border Poll anytime soon. This article also breaks out of the Irish nationalist exceptionalist tradition and draws evidence from recent events in Scotland. This is followed by a comment by Allan Armstrong, RCF, RSP about the…
Freedom Come All Ye – Resisting the RIC Terminators
On 3rd February 2021, bella caledonia published an article by Allan Armstrong, Freedom Come All Ye. This included an analysis of the politics behind the attempt by the Terminators to shut down RIC nationally. Since then, a provisional ‘Yes Alba’ has also morphed into ‘Now Scotland’. Allan’s original article has been updated to take in…
Workers Unity: Lessons From Scotland
Paul Inglis, who is a member of Socialist Resistance and Anti-Capitalist Resistance, is the co-ordinator of the Republican Socialist Platform’s working group on Relationships with Mass Organisations. In this article posted on the RSP website, Paul considers the history of the ‘united front’. This is an important article. Separated from us as it is by…
Popular Culture, Brexit And One Nation Toryism
The following article by Jim Aitken, first appeared on the Culture Matters blog. There was a palpable sense of euphoria on the BBC during the morning after the night before of the General Election of December 12, 2019. It had a feeling of glee about it; a childish excitement that the un-English dragon of socialism –…
Mary McGregor Reviews ‘A Kist Of Thistles’
Mary McGregor (RCN) reviews a new collection of radical poetry from Scotland ‘A KIST OF THISTLES ‘- AN ANTHOLOGY OF RADICAL POETRY FROM CONTEMPORARY SCOTLAND, EDITED AND INTRODUCED BY JIM AITKEN Too many people on the left still regard art and culture as peripheral to the class struggle. They fail to recognise that for millennia…
The British Left and the UK State
Below is an outline of the Contents and the concluding chapter of The British Left and the UK state, written by Allan Armstrong. The article addresses the need for a socialist republican ‘internationalism from below’ strategy to address the current challenges the Left faces. The full article can be read at:- https://allanarmstrong831930095.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/the-british-left-the-uk-state-.pdf _____________ From…
From Grey To Red Granite – Viewing the Left, the Scottish Question and the Nature of the UK State through the Lens of Neil Davidson’s Writings and Political Work
Below are the Contents and Introduction to Allan Armstrong’s article, From Grey Granite to Red Granite – Viewing the Left, the Scottish Question and the Nature of the UK state through the Lens of Neil Davidson’s Writings and Political Work. The full article can be read at:- https://allanarmstrong831930095.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/from-grey-to-red-granite-1.pdf Contents
Constitutional action In unconstitutional times: independence and the legalism trap
E&L is posting this article by Seamus McGuigan of the Republican Socialist Platform highlighting the flaws in Chris McEleny and Angus McNeils’ Plan B legalistic route to Scottish independence. The latest existential drama to engulf the SNP saw a new development this week as the so called ‘Plan B’ motion received approval from the National Secretary to…
Glasgow Students Call For A Rent Strike
Paul Inglis of the Republican Socialist Platform has written the following article on the proposed Glasgow University Students’ Rent Strike (also see Glasgow Uni Rent Strike) The big news of the last few days has concerned the outbreaks of COVID-19 in student halls at Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. With an explosion of positive cases,…
Labour’s Historic Defeat In Scotland
We are posting this article by Steve Freeman first posted on the Republican Socialist Alliance outlining, mainly for the benefit of republican socialists in England, the Scottish dimension of ‘Labour’s historic defeat’. You may remember the famous Monty Python sketch about a parrot returned by a dissatisfied customer, John Cleese, to the pet-shop run by…