REVIEW: CLASS NOT CREED, 1968

Connor Beaton reviews the pamphlet Class Not Creed, 1968 by Richie Venton both as a historic account of events in Northern Ireland and as an indication of the current politics of the Scottish Socialist Party.     Fifty years after the beginning of the civil rights movement in the north of Ireland, the whole island…

JIM AITKEN WRITES AN APPRECIATION OF TOM LEONARD

Jim Aitken, poet and playwright,  has written an appreciation of the Glasgow poet, Tom Leonard, who died on 21st December, 2018. It can be seen on the Culture Matters blog at:-  http://www.culturematters.org.uk/index.php/arts/poetry/item/2972-ach-well-all-livin-language-is-sacred-an-appreciation-of-tom-leonard _________ also see:-  

FAILING GOVERNMENTS IN IRELAND – SOUTH AND NORTH

We are posting two articles from the Socialist Democracy (Ireland) website, highlighting the problems faced by  the current Fine Gael  government in  the Dail and the lack of enthusiasm for reviving Stormont in Belfast.   1. CONFIDENCE AND SUPPLY AGREEMENT EXTENDED A de facto government of national unity in Ireland weakens capitalism and poses a…

UK: THE POLITICAL CRISIS INTENSIFIES OVER THE BREXIT DEAL

This article first posted by Socialist Democracy (Ireland) analyses the crisis for the UK state, the British ruling class and the Tories and Labour over there deal May is trying to get through parliament. UK: THE POLITICAL CRISIS INTENSIFIES OVER THE BREXIT DEAL The unveiling of the draft agreement on withdrawal from the EU has…

AN IRELAND UPDATE – SOUTH AND NORTH

We posting to articles from the Socialist Democracy (Ireland) website on the current political situation South and North. The first looks at the recent Presidential election; the second at the collapse of Stormont. 1. IRISH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: AN ELECTION WITHOUT CANDIDATES Throughout the presidential election one could only watch open mouthed as RTE, an organisation…

REMEMBERING THE WOBBLIES

Eric Thomas Chester,  is author of The Wobblies in Their Heyday (a history of the Industrial Workers of the World during its most vibrant period, the World War I era ) and Yours for Industrial Freedom (an anthology that provides insight into the IWW as it really was based on letters introduced by the prosecution during the 1918…

RENEGING ON REPEAL: A NEW THREAT TO ABORTION RIGHTS IN IRELAND

This article, first posted by Socialist Democracy (Ireland) on the situation in Ireland following  the earlier successful repeal of the 8th amendment highlights the need to organise independently of the state.      RENEGING ON REPEAL: A NEW THREAT TO ABORTION RIGHTS IN IRELAND After a period of quiet relief following the repeal referendum the…

ALL UNDER ONE BANNER DEMO – EDINBURGH, OCTOBER 6th

ALL UNDER ONE BANNER Saturday 6 October Assemble 12.30pm, Johnstone Terrace Edinburgh   RIC Edinburgh has agreed to organise a contingent on the march to emphasise RIC’s Scottish republicanism, internationalism and diversity. We have new banners for the event including – Another Scotland Is Possible, Another Europe Is Possible, Another World Is Possible For an…

REVIEW: BALLYMURPHY PRECEDENT (Channel Four)

The following review from Socialist Democracy (Ireland) is of the film Ballymurphy Precedent made by Callum Macrae for Channel Four.     A HIDDEN HISTORY OF BRITISH MILITARY REPRESSION AGAINST CIVILIANS  The Ballymurphy massacre has the simplest of all dramatic structures. It is a narrative built around a chronology – a three-day assault by the…

THE IHRA AND APARTHEID ISRAEL

We are posting three pieces following the Labour Party’s adoption of the IHRA statement on Anti-Semitism. the first is by Moshe Machover, founder member of the socialist Matzpen Party in Israel, who successfully resisted  a joint Zionist and Labour Right attempt to have him expelled from the  Labour Party. The second is by a Shahd…