THE CASE FOR A REPUBLICAN INTERNATIONALIST COALITION FOR SCOTLAND’S INDEPENDENCE a. The Radical Independence Campaign An examination of the wording of the initials and principles of the Radical Independence Campaign is instructive. R = Radical, I = Independence, C = Campaign Each one of these terms is ambiguous.
THE UK STATE, RIGHT POPULISM AND REACTIONARY UNIONISM IN 2020 – rUK IT or fUK IT?
Allan Armstrong has produced his third online pamphlet, following The Continuing Shift from Neo-Liberalism to Right Populism. This follows the last update which looked at the impact of Right Populism and reactionary unionism on the politics of the these islands after the December 12th UK and February 8th Irish general elections. The contents of the…
In memory of Neil Davidson: The West – No Better Than All the Rest
Allan Armstrong was reading How the West Came to Rule – The geopolitical origins of capitalism, by Alexander Anievas and Kerem Nisancioglum, as he learned of the tragic death of Neil Davidson. This book was influenced by Neil’s work on Uneven and Combined Development at a world scale. Allan has engaged in several debates with Neil…
ON LOOTING AND STATUE TOPPLING
These two short pieces have been taken from the Scottish Left Forum ON LOOTING AND STATUE TOPPLING __________ The initial US BLM protests were accompanied by looting and statue toppling. This amounted to oppositional ‘shock and awe’ tactics. These which were mainly responsible for breaking through the usual media silence and downplaying of constitutional…
KEVIN KEATING – An Appreciation
It was with great sadness I learned of the death of Kevin Keating. I first met Kevin and his partner, Anne Conway, at the Socialist Democracy (Ireland) weekend schools held near Kippure, in the upper Liffey Valley in the Wicklow Mountains, from 2007-9. The political debates were of a very high standard, and the camaraderie…
INTERNATIONALISM FROM BELOW, Volume 4, part A
Allan Armstrong is in the process of writing Volume Four of the Internationalism from Below series. This volume is entitled, Communists, nation-states and nationalism during the 1916-21/3 International Revolutionary Wave’. Due to the Coronavirus lockdown, Allan has not been able to complete the research to finish this. However, the part which deals with the situation in…
PAULINE BRADLEY SINGS ABOUT HELEN MACFARLANE ON MAY DAY
May Day Greetings Comrades and Friends. I sent this to the on line #VirtualMayDay PSI event and it was aired, Thank you. It’s from the play Rare Birds about revolutionary Scottish woman Helen MacFarlane from Barrhead, the original translator of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. However she was published under the male pseudonym of Howard Morton.…
INTERNATIONALISM FROM BELOW – Volume 3
Allan Armstrong has completed the third volume of his book – Internationalism from Below: Reclaiming a communist tradition to challenge the nation-state and capitalist empire. This volume is titled, Revolutionary Social Democracy, Nation-States and Nationalism in the Age of High Imperialism and the Second International (1889-1916). It can be read online at:- https://allanarmstrong831930095.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/internationalism-from-below-book-3doc-1.pdf Most of…
COMPETING STRATEGIES IN THE FACE OF THE BREAK-UP OF THE UK AND THE CASE FOR A SOCIALIST REPUBLICAN ‘INTERNATIONALISM FROM BELOW’ ALLIANCE
Allan Armstrong has added an addendum to his book From Pre-Brit to Ex-Brit (https://allanarmstrong831930095.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/socialists-and-december-12th-election.pdf) following the December 12th UK and February 8th Irish general elections. COMPETING STRATEGIES IN THE FACE OF THE BREAK-UP OF THE UK AND THE CASE FOR A SOCIALIST REPUBLICAN ‘INTERNATIONALISM FROM BELOW’ ALLIANCE Although Johnson gained an overall…
PEAT AND DIESEL AT THE BARROWLANDS
Allan Armstrong reviews Peat and Diesel playing at Glasgow’s Barrowlands on 25.1.20 PEAT AND DIESEL AT THE BARROWLANDS As a fan of traditional and folk rock music since the 1960s, I have had some great nights out. But straight into my top 5 would be Peat and Diesel performing at Glasgow’s Barrowlands…