The gap between the Scottish Socialist Party’s success in the Scottish Parliament election of May 2003 and the poor showing in the 2005 General Election, have led to a number of discussions and suggestions within the party. The Republican Communist Network has made its own proposals in the last two issues of Emancipation & Liberation…
Helen Macfarlane: A Feminist, Revolutionary Journalist and Philosopher in mid-nineteenth century England
by David Black, Published by Lexington Books, Maryland. Tribute to Helen Macfarlane— That the Parliament notes the forthcoming launch of the book, Helen Macfarlane: A Feminist, Revolutionary Journalist and Philosopher in mid-nineteenth century England; welcomes the fact that this radical Scotswoman will at last be rescued from obscurity and given her place of importance in…
The British Left and the Irish Struggle
Former Sinn Féin member, Philip Ferguson, has written an important article, Behind the betrayal, showing both the significance of the Irish national liberation struggle against the British state, and a critique of the politics of its leadership. However, he also points out the much greater failings of the British left, when it came to offering…
The Scottish Executive’s ‘Sectarian’ Smokescreen
This article is from the Republican Communist bulletin produced for this year’s Edinburgh James Connolly march Political attacks on Republicans It is 12 years since the old Lothian Region Labour group banned Edinburgh’s James Connolly March. Following the 1993 show of defiance in Broughton Street, we won the right to march. However, our annual commemoration…
Respect victory – a new dawn for the left?
J.M. Thorn (Socialist Democracy, Belfast) looks at the implications of Respect’s election preformance The election of George Galloway as an MP for the Respect Coalition has been hailed as a major breakthrough for the left in Britain. Contesting its first general election, Respect overturned a Labour majority of ten thousand in the East End constituency…
Paisley triumphant as UUP implodes
by John McAnulty (Socialist Democracy, Belfast) When the leader of Ulster Unionism, David Trimble, is defeated at the polls by over 5000 votes in favour of a hymn-singing local meat plant owner and subsequently resigns as UUP leader we can be sure that something historic is happening. The swing of 45% effected by Jeffrey Donaldson…
Learning from the General Election
Mary McGregor assesses the outcome of the 2005 general election campaign The UK general election on May 6th already seems a distant memory. It came, went and nothing much seemed to change. Tony Blair was re-elected with a majority of 66 seats. This was slashed from a 166 seat majority at the 2001 election but…
Basketball rules in Palestine
Written by Dror Feiler, an ex-Israeli para from kibbutz Yad Hanna, now living in Sweden. He is a member of European Jews for a Just Peace. Published in New Interventions, Volume 12, no.1, Spring 2005. Israelis have the right to play on both sides of the court, whereas Palestinians can only play on their own…
Human rights abuses continue in Turkey
The Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which had once dominated south-eastern Europe and most of the Middle East, as well as what is now Turkey. The first president was Kemal Ataturk, the only important Turkish general never to be defeated in World War 1, when the…
Leaves In Leith
A clump of leaves lay by the road-side; crisp, hiddled and seemingly sedate; a soft patch-work quilt of golden rags. And as I walked on, a cold north wind, fierce and biting in the gutter, scattered the leaves in all directions And I saw demonstrators running in Ramallah, Hebron and Nablus, the occupying wind chasing…