Terry Liddle, 1948 – 2012, Comrade

We are reposting the following tribute to Terry Liddle by Andrew Coates. A number of RCN members met Terry in a variety of political organisations, and we can agree with Andrew that “Terry’s contribution to the left was outstanding. He was a great bloke. He will be much missed.” Andrew’s tribute was first posted on his own…

Cruel Britannia – Secret History Of Torture

Tommy McKearney, former republican hunger striker and now activist with the Independent Workers Union in Ireland, has written the following review of Ian Cobain’s book, Cruel Britannia: A Secret History of Torture on his blog. Britain’s public and its government are currently devoting significant attention to the behaviour of the nation’s broadcast and print media. Both…

MI5 – They Haven’t Gone Away You Know!

Below we publish two recent articles from the Irish republican socialist organisation, eirigi, which deal with the continued activities of MI5 in the ‘Six Counties’. SHINING A LIGHT ON THE SHADOWS The Conway Mill on Belfast’s Fall Road was the setting for a very well-attended public meeting on Thursday [November 8] at which éirígí launched…

Freedom Come All Ye

The magazine version of Emancipation & Liberation has contained a Republic of the Imagination section, which has provided articles about historical and ongoing cultural resistance against capitalism and other class-based societies. Our blog intends to look at the cultural debates which have arisen, and which will arise in the future, within a Scottish society looking for…

Radical Independence Conference

The Radical Independence Conference (http://radicalindependence.org/), being held this Saturday, 24th November in Glasgow, is likely to be the biggest gathering of the Left in Scotland for many years. The RCN has been covering this event since the first open organising meeting in June. We have produced a special issue of our magazine, Emancipation & Liberation,…

Genuine Self-Determination Means Acting As Republicans Now

Allan Armstrong will be introducing the workshop on Republicanism at the Radical Independence Conference in Glasgow on November 24th, along with Neil Davidson of the SWP, Graham McIver of Solidarity, and a speaker from Republic Scotland. He has been asked by the conference organisers to prepare an outline of his talk, so that those attending…

Turlough MacDaid, 1930-2012

Allan Armstrong writes this tribute to Turlough MacDaid Turlough MacDaid, a larger than life socialist and trade unionist activist, who had lived in Edinburgh since the early 1970s, died on 27th October. Turlough, although very much an outgoing person and always good company, was secretive about his personal life. His marriage broke up in the…

The Myth Of “Real” Independence

Glasgow socialist blogger, Murdo Ritchie, comments further on the Independence Referendum. As the Independence Referendum moves on the issues get clearer and clearer. The main supporters of the “Yes” vote are attempting to assume all sorts of international treaty obligations and conditions that make the resultant independent Scotland seem more and more similar to life…

Pro-Choice In The US Needs To Take A Left Turn

Susan Dorazio, Women’s Liberation activist and past-convener of the Women’s Commission of the Socialist Party USA, currently residing in Scotland, highlights the dead-end into which the Democratic Party has taken the once vibrant US Women’s Liberation Movement over abortion rights. Since the U.S. pro-choice and pro-life campaigns spring from the same source, namely the ‘new politics’ and…