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…

It was the worst of times, it was the best of us!

In this article Rod MacGregor looks at how the Danish people took effective action to protect their Jewish population from Nazi extermination October 1, 10 p.m., 1943 Copenhagen. Nazi occupation forces knock on the doors of the Danish Jewish population. In Denmark, the “final solution” to the “Jewish problem” is under way. The following morning,…

Solidarity with Scottish PSC action

Five members of the SPSC are on trial, charged with “racially aggravated conduct” for protesting against the Israeli government backed Jerusalem Quartet in Edinburgh. We publish this statement of solidarity from anti-Zionist Jews. International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) Statement, 11 August 2009 We are writing to express our unwavering support for the action taken by…

Afghan women bear the brunt of the hypocritical “war on terror”

A piece written for The Commune by members of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan Recently the media has widely reported the deaths of British troops in Afghanistan with the escalation of violence. Additionally, there is much debate of British policies in Afghanistan. What the people of Britain miss here is the suffering…

Portugal’s Left Bloc Consolidates Its Gains

In European elections in June the Left Bloc in Portugal made the most significant gains of any member of the European Anti-Capitalist Alliance. In September, the Left Bloc made further advances in the Portuguese General Election. We asked Raphie de Santos, a supporter of the Fourth International, to analyse the evolution of the Left Bloc.…

History and Resistance: The Rise of Latin America’s Indigenous Movements

Not unlike the incorporation of labor, which proved to be the crucial political juncture of the twentieth century, the mobilization of indigenous Latin Americans represents what could be for many countries the most pivotal political event of the current century[1]Eaton, Kent, ‘Backlash in Bolivia: ‘Regional Autonomy as a Reaction Against Indigenous Mobilization’, Politics and Society,…

Highland Migrant Workers

Bill Scott uses the traditional song, Erin Go Bragh to explore the historical role of migrant workers in Scotland In our feudal past, apart from the merchant towns such as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, Scotland was almost purely an agricultural community. Three quarters of Scotland’s total land area is still agricultural land, mainly hill and…

Migrant workers are at the heart of our fightback

Editorial from The Commune, no. 6 The jobs massacre currently taking place under the cover of recession is an attack which particularly endangers casually or precariously employed workers; furthermore, migrants are also being scapegoated for ‘stealing’ hard-to-come-by jobs. Immigrants, many of whom are forced to leave their countries of birth by repressive regimes directly or…