January 16th 2010, Out of the Blue Centre, Edinburgh Over the last year, comrades in the RCN have become more and more aware of the ideas and activities of comrades In The Commune, based south of the border. Like many on the left, older members of Commune have been round the block a bit in…
SSP and Elections
Members of the SSP have been asked to contribute documents on electoral strategy, here is a contribution from the RCN. A Contribution To The Discussions Arising From The Glasgow North East By-Election 1. How did the SSP publicly assess the by-election result? The Republican Communist Network (RCN) welcomes the decision of the SSP Executive Committee…
Global Commune Meeting
The Global Commune It is now 20 years since the collapse of the Berlin Wall. For most people this signalled the end of communism. However, there has always been another view, which understands that the USSR and its satellites and emulators were never communist, socialist or workers’ states. They represented the negation of communism. The…
The Need for Socialist Unity
A contribution from Allan Armstrong of the Republican Communist Network. This is immediately followed by a supplement analysing the European election results, which assesses the current balance of political forces in the EU. In Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales the main lesson of the 2009 European elections is clear – we need Socialist unity. In…
Left Unity
The SWP have published an open letter on Left Unity in the past few weeks. There is a reply from the Commune which the RCN is in broad agreement with. We reprint it below. Reply to socialist workers party’s open letter to the left Comrades, We write in reply to your Open Letter to the…
SSP Conference Bulletin March 2009
The RCN urges Conference delegates and visitors to apply the following principles when they discuss, debate and vote on this year’s Conference motions. Do they enhance the political independence of our class? Do they promote greater democracy both in our own organisations and in wider society? Do they develop genuine internationalism? Do they oppose British…
From Davitt to Connolly – Internationalism From Below
The challenge to the UK state and British Empire from 1879-95 Contents of forthcoming book Introduction The growing conflict between liberal and conservative unionism in the period of New Imperialism Michael Davitt and the launching of the Irish Revolution in 1879 Davitt adopts an ‘internationalism from below’ strategy to spread the revolution The struggle against…
Republican Socialist Convention
Uniting the Left on the basis of ‘Internationalism from Below’ Frances Curran – Scottish Socialist Party Mike Davies – member of former Welsh Socialist Alliance Dan Finn – Irish Socialist Network Tommy McKearmey – Fourthwrite Declan O’ Neill – Convention of the Left Speakers will lead off Introductory outlining struggles in their particular countries and…
New Republicanism pamphlet
We have just published a new pamphlet titled Republicanism, socialism and democracy It is available for £1 including postage from the usual address. A short extract follows. For socialists republicanism in the United Kingdom describes the movement from below for a radical and militant democracy. Republicanism addresses those immediate democratic issues faced by the working…
Respect Split
Ed Walsh, (Irish Socialist Network) gives his personal views on the recent split in Respect Originally printed at http://www.irishsocialist.net The British Left has now experienced two acrimonious splits in the space of eighteen months. After the grim transformation of the Scottish Socialist Party into two bitterly-divided camps (The SSP split has been covered in back…