When I left school in 1975, Edwin Morgan had not yet pushed his way on to the syllabus for Higher or sixth year English. When I returned to school 4 years later as a student teacher, he was taught to all years and has stayed there for the best part of 30 years. When he…
The Communist Case for Internationalism from Below
A contribution to the debate at The Global Commune event of 22nd May, 2010, in Edinburgh 1. Three Left approaches to building a new world order The Republican Communist Network (RCN) has mainly applied an ‘internationalism from below’ approach as a way to unite communists, socialists and revolutionary democrats throughout these islands around an immediate…
Report of Second Global Commune Meeting
May 22nd, 2010 The second Global Commune day school, jointly organised by the Republican Communist Network (RCN) and The Commune, was held in the Out of the Blue Centre in Edinburgh on May 22nd. People attended from Aberdeen, Bristol, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Midlothian. The first workshop session, ‘After the Election, What Next?‘ was introduced…
A reply to Alan Johnstone of the Socialist Party of Great Britain” from Allan Armstrong
In his letter to Weekly Worker, no. 812, Alan Johnstone attacks my claim that Marx and Engels would have been supporters of an ‘internationalism from below’ strategy from the time of the First International. On Alan’s first point, that what socialists should do in 2010 does not depend on what Marx and Engels may or…
A Reply to Nick Roger’s Workers Unity not Separatism
A Reply to Nick Roger’s Workers Unity not Separatism (edited version in Weekly Worker, no. 211) Independent Action Required to Achieve Genuine Workers’ Unity First, I would like to thank Nick for the tenor of his contribution to the debate about communist strategy in the states of the UK and the 26 county Irish republic.…
Book review: The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers Party
Colm Breatnach of the Irish Socialist Network and Scottish Socialist Party, reviews, bestselling, The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers Party, by Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, published by Penguin. Over a decade before the SSP, the Workers Party built up working class support which enabled it to win seven…
Tibet – A country suffering from Chinese imperial repression
Rod MacGregor of Dundee SSP puts the case for Tibetan self-determination. The Indian town of McLeod Ganj takes its very Scottish sounding name from a British military officer, having been a garrison town during British rule in India. Though it is now over six decades since the British state gave up its imperial ambitions in…
Business as usual for Israeli Apartheid
David Landy, chair of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign writing in a personal capacity for the Spring 2010 issue of Resistance, the bulletin of the Irish Socialist Network When Barack Obama was elected, he made many pledges about bringing peace to Israel/Palestine, and there was some hope he would end the Bush Doctrine of supporting…
Report Of The Second Republican Socialist Convention, 13.2.10
Below is the report of the 2nd Republican Socialist Convention. This was hosted by the Socialist Alliance London on 13.2.10. Both Colin Fox and Allan Armstrong spoke for the SSP. The report is followed by Allan’s contribution. This produced a response from Nick Rogers of the CPGB-WW which is also posted along with Allan’s reply. 1.…
Book Review: A Celebration of the Life and Work of Robert Burns 1759-1786
A Celebration of the Life and Work of Robert Burns 1759-1786 An Independent Revolutionary Radical By James D. Young; Printed and published by Clydeside Press; £3.95 What does Robert Burns mean to me? Edinburgh People’s Festival Published by WP Books; £3.00 It is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns and we have…