Two Royal Weddings… and a Republican Funeral for the UK?

Allan Armstrong (RCN) has written an article for the Word Power site (see Two Royal Weddings and… a Republican Funeral for the UK? by Allan Armstrong). He is author of the book, From Davitt to Connolly and co-author of the pamphlet, ‘Republicanism, Socialism and Democracy‘, puts the case for using the opportunity provided by the British…

RCN Bulletins on the addressing the crisis and disunity of the Left in Scotland

1. RCN Bulletin SSP AGM In Dunfermline, April 2011 Facing Up To The Crisis In The SSP The motions for this year’s Conference highlight the toll taken on the SSP over the last six years. Is the Scottish Socialist Party still a party, or we have we just become a loose alliance, looser even than…

Trade Unions In The Twenty First Century

Below are two articles. The first is a report of the Third Global Commune event entitled ‘Trade Unions – Are They Fit For Purpose?’. The second is Allan Armstrong’s talk given to the Independent Workers Union conference in Dublin on 4.4.09. on behalf of the SSP’s International Committee. 1. THE THIRD GLOBAL COMMUNE EVENT, 29.1.11…

RCN Motion to Special Conference

This should be read in conjunction with the RCN Statement to Conference. Conference holds Tommy Sheridan’s anti-party actions to be responsible for the damage inflicted on the SSP and on the socialist movement in Scotland, aided, in particular, by the decisions taken by the leaderships of the CWI and SWP. The decision to split the…

Trade Unions – Are They Fit For Purpose? – Global Commune Event

3rd Global Commune Event Trade Unions – Are They Fit For Purpose? Saturday, January 29th, 2011 Registration 10. 30 for 11. 00 – 16.30 Out of the Blue Centre, Dalmeny Street, Leith Edinburgh In both the UK and Ireland today, the overwhelming majority of trade union leaders have signed up to social partnerships. These effectively…

The Sheridan Perjury Trial

The split on the Scottish Left between celebrity populist and genuine socialist politics On May 1st, 2003 six Scottish Socialist Party members were elected to Holyrood. From December 23rd, 2010, by far the best-known (former) member of the SSP, Tommy Sheridan, faces a jail sentence for committing perjury, following in the footsteps of Lord Jeffrey…

Brian Higgins Anti-Blacklist Campaign

Updates on anti-blacklisting campaign and Brian Higgins Tribunal process grinds on… and on After months of being involved in the tribunal process, Brian Higgins, with other UCATT and UNITE members, has now reached the stage where he is waiting for a preliminary hearing which will decide whether he has a case that will be heard…

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…