Emancipation & Liberation has been asked to post the this Statement by the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign (UK). Pro-Russian para-militaries are surrounded in the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk but peace in Ukraine is far from certain, the remaining inhabitants are in a perilous position. Since April more than 1,543 military and civilians have been killed,…
A Letter To Scotland’s New Radicals – Gerry Hassan
The writer and political commentator, Gerry Hassan, has written the following letter to “Scotland’s New Radicals”, including the Radical Independence Campaign. Gerry raises some pertinent questions, so we asked him if we could repost his article. Gerry agreed. We hope to post a reply quite soon. Radical Scotland’s re-emergence and re-invigoration around the independence referendum has been one…
Sexist abuse in the Trade Union movement – a case requiring a proper response
The RCN takes seriously the continued appearance of cases of actual and alleged sexual abuse that have arisen in the Socialist, Labour and Trade Union Movements. Sexist behaviour needs to be driven from our movement and not brushed under the carpet. This is why we have decided to post the statement from Morning Star reporter,…
Public Transport In Ukraine: Drivers Are Forgotten
A major dispute is underway in the western Ukrainian city of Khmelnitsky where the transport workers have organised in the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU). Pavlo Vezdenetsky is an organiser of the KVPU who has been campaigning in the city. In response the management are now victimising the union representative Anastasia Podpruzhnikova,…
Protesting Against The UK Government’s Launch Of The First World War Commemoration In Glasgow On August 4th.
Eric Chester (RCN) reports on the official opening of the UK government’s First World War commemoration in Glasgow on August 4th. The UK government is determined to use the commemoration of World War I as an opportunity to promote militarism and imperialism and to defend the British role during that war. The last part of…
One Hundred Years Of Counter-Revolution
Kool34 sent us a comment on the articles in our recent bulletin on the First World War (Emancipation & Liberation Special Bulletin – The Centenary of the World War I Imperialist Slaughter). This comment invited us to read the following article by Mark Kosman. We are pleased to draw this to the attention of our readers. In 1871,…
Wales And Scottish Independence – Leanne Wood, President of Plaid Cymru
Last year, in the run-up to the second RIC Conference, the Edinburgh branch put forward a proposal to organise a session on ‘Internationalism from below and the break-up of the UK, with speakers from Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales, This was agreed agreed and Mary McGregor (Dundee RIC), Bernadette McAliskey, Steve Freeman (Republican Socialist Alliance…
The Empire Strikes Back
Jim Slaven of the James Connolly Society wrote the following article for the Irish-based 1916 Societies. Here Jim examines the implications of the Scottish referendum for Ireland. As Scotland enters the final three months of the independence referendum campaign it remains too close to call. The No campaign have been consistently ahead throughout but the gap has…
This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land
Ray Burnett, who lives in Benbecula, wrote the following article for Bella Caledonia on the continuing significance of the ‘Land Question’ in Scotland. ‘Divide and rule’. It’s the oldest game in town, so why on earth do we fall for it? Set up the polarities: Highlander/Lowlander, Gaidheal/Gall, local/incomer, crofter/environmentalist and let rancour commence. Scotland fractures,…
The Further Decline Of The ‘New Unionist’ Settlement In Northern Ireland
In the following two articles from Socialist Democracy (Ireland), John McAnulty of chronicles the further decline of the ‘New Unionist’ settlement in Northern Ireland. 1) ON THE RUNS – CONCESSIONS TO SINN FEIN WERE MERE SMOKE AND MIRRORS When Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss was nominated to head an enquiry into child sexual abuse by leading politicians,…