BREXIT HASN’T GONE AWAY – THE VIEW FROM IRELAND

This article first posted by Socialist Democracy (Ireland)  highlights the continuing relevance of Brexit to the British ruling class national populist strategy to attack the working class, and to continued inability of the the British Labour leadership now under Sir Keith Starmer to counter this.     BREXIT HASN’T GONE AWAY – A pandemic of repression is…

KEVIN KEATING – An Appreciation

It was with great sadness I learned of the death of Kevin Keating.  I first met Kevin and his partner, Anne Conway, at the Socialist Democracy (Ireland) weekend schools held near Kippure, in the upper Liffey Valley in the Wicklow Mountains, from 2007-9. The political debates  were of a very high standard, and the camaraderie…

TWO RESPONSES TO THE COVID19 PANDEMIC

Following from our earlier postings from Trade unionists, health workers, independence supporters and community activists and from Socialist Democracy (Ireland) (http://republicancommunist.org/blog/2020/03/26/fighting-the-covid-19-pandemic/), we are posting two further statements on the Covid19  pandemic, the first from Dumfries TUC , the second from SNP Socialists.     1. Dumfries TUC Co19 Statement

CAPITALISM AND WORKERS’ HEALTH – PLUS CA CHANGE

Karl Marx had something  to say about capitalism and workers’ health  in Capital, Volume 1. Chapter 15. (https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Capital-Volume-I.pdf – page 316). We are posting this below. CAPITALISM AND WORKERS’ HEALTH  – PLUS CA CHANGE Nineteenth century factory Twenty first century factory What could possibly show better the character of the capitalist mode of production, than…

INTERNATIONALISM FROM BELOW, Volume 4, part A

Allan Armstrong is in the process of writing Volume Four of the Internationalism from Below series. This volume is entitled, Communists, nation-states and nationalism during the 1916-21/3 International Revolutionary Wave’. Due to the Coronavirus lockdown, Allan has not been able to complete the research to finish this. However, the part which deals with the situation in…

PAULINE BRADLEY SINGS ABOUT HELEN MACFARLANE ON MAY DAY

May Day Greetings Comrades and Friends. I sent this to the on line #VirtualMayDay PSI event and it was aired, Thank you. It’s from the play Rare Birds about revolutionary Scottish woman Helen MacFarlane from Barrhead, the original translator of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. However she was published under the male pseudonym of Howard Morton.…

STEVE HEDLEY APPEAL – Finsbury Park branch, RMT

Steve Hedley, an officer with the RMT in Britain has used frank and direct speech to describe what the Tory Prime Minister is and what he represents! This has resulted in an attack on him, led by The Sun newspaper, and his suspension by the Union’s executive which caved in to the demands of the…

INTERNATIONALISM FROM BELOW – Volume 3

Allan Armstrong has completed the third volume of his book – Internationalism from Below: Reclaiming a communist tradition to challenge the nation-state and capitalist empire. This volume is titled, Revolutionary Social Democracy, Nation-States and Nationalism in the Age of High Imperialism and the Second International (1889-1916). It can be read online at:- https://allanarmstrong831930095.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/internationalism-from-below-book-3doc-1.pdf Most of…

GENERAL ELECTION: PODEMOS COMES TO IRELAND

We are posting the following article from Socialist Democracy (Ireland) about the outcome of the Irish general election held on February 8th   GENERAL ELECTION: PODEMOS COMES TO IRELAND     Sinn Fein were expected to do well in the recent Irish general election. In the event they topped the poll, reviving the old call…

CONCERTED CLASS STRUGGLES IN FRANCE

This article on the ongoing class struggles in France was first posted by Socialist Democracy (Ireland)   CONCERTED CLASS STRUGGLES IN FRANCE     Following months of Yellow Vest protests last year against fuel tax rises during which President Macron had to partially retreat he then switched his attentions to the public sector, launching his…