The following article by Jonathan Cook was first posted on his blog at Substack. It highlights the inconsistencies in the official Israeli account of events on and since October 7th and the willingness of much of the western media to go along with this, making it easier for Israel to pursue its genocidal policy in…
Benjamin Zephaniah’s break-up of UK and the republican dimension
Benjamin Zephaniah’s unexpected death on the 7th December at the early age 65 has been a shock to the countless thousands, maybe millions, who have come to love his work. His autobiography, The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah, is a very powerful book. It draws on a range of life experiences that few others…
The Uighurs and the Palestinians
This article compares the treatment of the Uighurs in Xinjiang (Eastern Turkestan) by the Chinese imperialist state with the treatment of Palestinians by the racist, apartheid Israeli state backed by western imperialism – US, UK and the leading EU powers. The author is a Chinese student with a partial Uighur background. This article was first…
The cultural is political: Gig for Gaza and the rebirth of Irish cultural activism
Padraig Mac Oscair wrote this article for Rupture, the ecosocialist quarterly of RISE – Revolutionary, Socialist, Internationalist and Environment. He reviews the recent ‘Gig for Gaza Fundraiser’ in the 3Arena, as well as highlighting the clear link between the cultural and the political in expressions of solidarity from Ireland. THE CULTURAL IS POLITICAL – GIG…
Less shock and more strategy needed after Geert Wilders victory
The following opinion piece was written by Mehran Khalili for Diem 25. In the light of Geert Wilders election victory in the Netherlands Mehran argues whenever a disruption candidate does well on the right, the reaction from the mainstream and the left is anything but analytical. That has to change. LESS SHOCK AND MORE STRATEGY…
Silent Singing and John Maclean
George Gun has written this article first posted on bella caledonia. It commemorates the 100th anniversary of John Maclean’s death on November 30th 1923. It argues against Maclean’s death being viewed mainly as a historical commemoration for academic historians, but that his politics in the last year’s of his life are highly relevant to the…
Grangemouth no more
The following article by Mike Small was first posted by bella caledonia. It highlights the failure of either the UK government (the main culprit) or the Scottish government (despite paper commitments) to follow a policy of Just Transition in the face of climate breakdown. It also points to further Unionist attempts to break the SNP/Green…
Ceasefire Now
Pauline Bradley of Sound Inspirations and Protest in Harmony, Glasgow, has written and performs Ceasefire now. Ceasefire now written by Pauline Bradley In Solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine Chorus Ceasefire now, Ceasefire now, We are calling on a ceasefire now, Ceasefire now, Ceasefire now we are calling on a ceasefire now,…
Bernadette McAliskey on Nationalism and the Far Right
The following podcast was made of Bernadette McAliskey’s contribution to the ‘We Only Want the Earth’ weekend school held on Inis Oirr. It was reposted by bella caledonia on 24.11.23. BERNADETTE MCALISKEY ON NATIONALISM AND THE FAR RIGHT ___________ also see:- To Scotland with love: A report from the ‘London Says Yes’ rally on…
The Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales closing its visitor centre is tragic
At a time when there is an ever mounting corporate fossil fuel and Right wing offensive against any possibility of a Net Zero or a Just Transition, the closure of the Centre for Alternative Technology, near Machynlleth in Wales, which pioneered practical green solutions, is a major setback. This article, written by Ken Moon, provides…