This article was first written for socialists in England and Wales. It has been published on the commune website, and issue 23 of Permanent Revolution, in slightly edited forms. The Scottish local council elections, held on May 5th, have attracted much wider interest than would normally normally be the case for such an event. The primary…
The Scottish Independence Referendum Debate, Part 3
This section of our continuing debate on the Scottish Independence Referendum addresses the British Left. The commune asked Allan Armstrong and Bob Goupillot to submit an article on the issue. This article, The Scottish Independence Referendum, appeared in the April, 2012 issue of the commune. Barry Biddulph replied to this in the June issue with…
MAY DAY GREETINGS
MAY DAY GREETINGS from EMANCIPATION & LIBERATION May Day Greetings from Emancipation & Liberation The Scottish Independence Referendum Takes Place In 2014 The British unionist parties and the SNP government both want a Scotland which is:- part of the UK under the Crown Powers part of NATO and participates in imperial wars dominated by the…
Scottish Independence Referendum Debate, Part 2
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…
Scottish Independence Referendum
The RCN discussed the forthcoming Scottish Independence Referendum at its Dundee aggregate on March 25th. Papers were presented by Allan Armstrong, Eric Chester and Susan Dorazio. Allan and Susan presented general papers covering the principles behind any campaign for Scottish self-determination. Allan and Eric also provided papers with more immediate proposals. The RCN also noted…
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…
Reform Or Revolution In An Era Of Economic Crisis
The gap between revolutionaries and reformists is fundamental and widening as the economic crisis deepens. This gulf in underlying perspectives is reflected in the conflicting approaches taken to an array of specific issues. Specific differences in strategy and tactics should be viewed as elements in a recurring pattern that in varying forms is being constantly…
The RCN Platform And The SSP
At its AGM on January 22nd 2012 the RCN agreed to withdraw as a Platform within the SSP. This decision was not taken lightly as many of us in the RCN were founder members of the SSA and in turn the SSP. We agreed from the start that the project of bringing together the Left…
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.…