Emancipation & Liberation

Feb 25 2018

THE RED AND THE GREEN: A PORTRAIT OF JOHN MACLEAN

Category: Against Unionism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,For Emancipation: Struggles against Exploitation,For Liberation: Struggles against Oppression,For Self-Determination: Struggles against Alienation,How they are organised,How we organise,Independent class organisations,Ireland,Political Campaigns,Scotland,The Socialist Republican Break-up of the UK,UK state/British imperialism — RCN @ 10:16 pm

Gerry Cairns has published a new book, The Red and the Green: A Portrait of John Maclean. This makes use of new material relating to Maclean’s relationship with the struggle in Ireland. Stevie Coyle posted the following review on Facebook, and there is an edited version in February’s Irish Voice. Hopefully this informative review will be just the first review to address the issues that Gerry has raised.

THE RED AND THE GREEN: A PORTRAIT OF JOHN MACLEAN

Members of the Irish community were among those present at the launch of Gerard Cairn’s biography of John Maclean titled The Red and the Green: A Portrait of John Maclean.

The event – organised by Glasgow’s radical bookshop Calton Books and held in McChuills Bar – saw the author demonstrate a passion for his subject and gave an intriguing insight into Maclean the man and the revolutionary, which he interspersed with humour. Continue reading “THE RED AND THE GREEN: A PORTRAIT OF JOHN MACLEAN”

Tags: 'Speech from the Dock', Agnes Maclean, Author: Gerry Cairns, Author:= Stevie Coyle, Barney Friel, Calton Books, Calvinism, Captain Robert De Coueur, Defence of the Realm Act, First World War, Hands off Ireland, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Post, Irish Republican Army, James Connolly, Joe Robinson, John MacLean, John Maclean Society, Marxism, Peterhead Prison, Pollokshaws, Ruaraidh Erskine of Mar, Scots National League, Scottish workers Republican Party, Soviet Consul in Glasgow, The Irish Tragedy: Scotland's Disgrace, The Red and the Green: A Portrait of John Maclean

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Dec 02 2016

ST. ANDREWS DAY OR JOHN MACLEAN DAY?

Category: Against Imperialism,Against Unionism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,Commemorations,Cultural Celebration,For Self-Determination: Struggles against Alienation,How we organise,Ideology and Religion: Science and Secularism,Independent class organisations,Ireland,Scotland,The Socialist Republican Break-up of the UK — RCN @ 6:50 pm

The Irish Workers’ Republican Starry Plough does not have an equivalent accepted by the working class in Scotland

Today is St. Andrews Day. It is not yet a full-blown public holiday, although there is some partial observance. The following article was written by Allan Armstrong for the Lothian SSP bulletin in November 2007. It is even more relevant today, when Scottish nationalists try to subsume all of us under the saltire.
Continue reading “ST. ANDREWS DAY OR JOHN MACLEAN DAY?”

Tags: 1603 Union of Crowns, 1707 and 1801 Union of Parliaments, Author: Allan Armstrong, Butchers Apron, Irish tricolour, John MacLean, Republicanism, Secularism, St Patrick cross, St. Andrew saltire, St. Andrews Day, St. George cross, Starry Plough, Union Jack

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Apr 07 2016

THE CENTENARY OF THE IRISH REBELLION OF 1916

Category: Against Imperialism,Against Unionism,Capitalism and Communism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,Commemorations,For Emancipation: Struggles against Exploitation,For Liberation: Struggles against Oppression,For Self-Determination: Struggles against Alienation,How they are organised,How we organise,Independent class organisations,Ireland,Russia and ex-USSR,The EU,UK state/British imperialism — RCN @ 4:46 pm

As part of our celebration the 1916 Easter Rising, we are posting two new articles. The first is by Allan Armstrong (RCN), and addresses Lenin’s response to in his Irish Rebellion of 1916 (which is also posted). The second comes from the latest issue of Socialist Democracy (Ireland) and looks at the situation in Ireland today, 100 years after the Rising.

1. LENIN AND THE IRISH REBELLION OF 1916

The Dublin GPO during the 1916 Rising, painted by Robert Ballagh

In the midst of the First World War, following the Dublin 1916 Easter Rising, Lenin returned to the issue of national self-determination. He had already addressed this at the beginning of the year in The Socialist Revolution and the Right of Nations to Self-Determination. Immediately before the Rising, he had also gone on to write The Discussion on Self-Determination Summed Up.
Continue reading “THE CENTENARY OF THE IRISH REBELLION OF 1916”

Tags: Author: Allan Armstrong, Berner Tagwacht, British troops, CPGB, ECB, Finland, First World War, Free Belgium, Fresh Start, Henry Hyndman, ILP, IMF, Imperialism and annexations, Ireland, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Dail, Irish Rebellion of 1916, James Connolly, John MacLean, Karl Kautsky, language and assimilation, Lenin, NAMA, Nashe Slovo, national self-determination, partition, Poland, Rech, Russian Revolution, Second International, social democrats, Socialist Democracy (Ireland), Stormont, The breakup of the UK and British Empire road to socialism, The British road to socialism, The First Irish Republic, The Language Movement, Troika, UK, Ukraine, USSR, UVF, Zimmerwald Left

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Nov 30 2015

JOHN MACLEAN COMMEMORATION DAY

Category: Against Unionism,Capitalism and Communism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,For Emancipation: Struggles against Exploitation,For Liberation: Struggles against Oppression,How they are organised,Ireland,Scotland,UK state/British imperialism — RCN @ 3:45 pm

On November 30th, 1923, John Maclean, the great Scottish socialist, died, after two decades of committed struggle. Eric Chester (RCN) has written the following piece, which is a contribution to today’s celebration of John Maclean’s life.

JOHN MACLEAN – 1879 – 1923

Glasgow has a proud tradition of radical politics, one that is particularly important to remember when the government is promoting jingoistic celebrations of World War I centenaries. During the four years of that devastating conflict, the Glasgow working class engaged in a series of mass actions to protest the war and the profiteering that accompanied it.
Continue reading “JOHN MACLEAN COMMEMORATION DAY”

Tags: Author: Eric Chester, British Socialist Party, Glasgow Green, John MacLean, May Day 1918, STUC, World War I

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Aug 12 2015

THE RCN AND THE SCOTTISH LEFT PROJECT

Category: Against Unionism,Capitalism and Communism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,For Emancipation: Struggles against Exploitation,For Liberation: Struggles against Oppression,How they are organised,How we organise,Radical Independence Campaign,Scotland,The crisis on the Left,The Socialist Republican Break-up of the UK,What is communism? — RCN @ 11:45 am

THE RCN AND THE SCOTTISH LEFT PROJECT

The Republican Communist Network (RCN) affiliated to the Scottish Left Project after our aggregate held in Glasgow on 27th July. This was addressed by Jonathon Shafi. Previous to this, our members had been involved in meetings to bring people together in Edinburgh and Dundee. We have also sent delegates to the SLP national forums in Glasgow to prepare for the launch of the new organisation [1].

The RCN was formed originally as a platform within the Scottish Socialist Alliance in 1998. We continued as a platform within the Scottish Socialist Party until January 2012 [2]. We became involved in the setting up of the Radical Independence Campaign affiliating at its first conference in Glasgow in November 2012 [3].
Continue reading “THE RCN AND THE SCOTTISH LEFT PROJECT”

Tags: Author: Allan Armstrong, Eleanor Marx, Emancipation & Liberation, Freedom Come All Ye, Immediate Programme, James Connolly, John MacLean, Jonathon Shafi, Mary Brooksbank, Radical Independence Campaign, Republican Communist Network, Scottish Left Project, Scottish Socialist Party, What We Stand For

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Aug 05 2015

WHAT THE FUK? – Fascist UK, Britannia and the Far Right

Gavin Bowd’s book Fascist Scotland, Caledonia and the Far Right has given succour to unionist opponents of Scottish self-determination. Allan Armstrong (RCN) provides a republican and international socialist critique.

WHAT THE FUK?

Fascist UK, Britannia and the Far Right

1) What is a fascist organisation?

Gavin Bowd’s book, Fascist Scotland, Caledonia and the Far Right, contains a lot of useful material about far right writings, culture and organisation in Scotland since the 1920s. However, Bowd does not define what he means by fascism, nor distinguish it from other forms of reactionary or right populist politics. These often invoke similar chauvinist, ethnic or racist themes. The purpose behind Bowd’s lack of clarity over the political basis of fascism only emerges gradually.
Continue reading “WHAT THE FUK? – Fascist UK, Britannia and the Far Right”

Tags: 'One Nation Labour', 'Red Duchess' of Atholl, 'War on Terror', 1320 Club, 1913 Third Irish Home Rule Bill, 1919 Amritsar Massacre, 1919 Spartacus Rising, 1920 Iraqi war, 1936-9 Palestinian Rising, 1944 Kirkcaldy by-election, 1945 General Election, 1945 Motherwell by-election, 2008 Financial Crisis, 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Alex Salmond, Alexander Ratcliffe, Alexander Sloan, Anders Breivik, anti-Catholic Irish sentiment, Anti-Semitism, Archie Lamont, Arthur Donaldson, Auschwitz, Author: Allan Armstrong, Axmed Abuukar Sheek, Babi Yar, Black and Tans, Boleslaw Beirut, Bowd, Braveheart, Brian Hosie, British concentration camps in South Africa, British fascists, British National Party, British Union of Fascists, Britishness, Captain Archibald Maud Ramsay, Charles Forrester, City of London, civic nationalism, Clann Albainn, Common Wealth Party, Communist Parties, Communist Party of South Africa, conservatives, CPGB, David Camerson, Dr. Robert McIntyre, Duke of Hamilton, Emrys Hughes, Ernest Bevin, ethnic nationalism, Eu referendum, Fascism, Fascist Scotland Caledonia and the Far Right, Francis Glancy, Franco, Freikorps, FS, Fullerton's Billy Boys, Gavin Bowd, George Galloway, Gordon Brown, Greek Resistance, Greens, Guernica bombing, Hamish Henderson, Harry Miller, Hector Smith, Henri de Man, Hitler, Hitler-Stalin Pact, Hugh Dalton, Hugh MacDiarmid, Ian Smart, Independent Labour Party, Irish Citizen Army, Irish war of Independence, Islamophobia, Jason Campbell, John Cormack, John MacCormick, John MacLean, John Strachey, John Taylor, Josef Stalin, Karl Radek, King Edward VIII, King George V, Kormack's Kaledonian Klan, Kristallnacht, Labour Party, Leo Schlageter, Lewis Spence, Lib-Dems, Loyalism, Mark Scott, Marshal Badoglio, Mussolini, Naqba, National Bolshevism, National Front, National Party of Scotland, Nazi Germany, Neville Chamberlain, New Economic Policy, New Labour, New Party, Oliver Brown, Oswald Mosley, Plaid Cymru, Popular Front, Protestant Action, Red Army, Red Paper Collective, Red/Brown pacts, Rical Inependence Campaign, Roland Muirhead, Scottish Democratic Fascist Party, Scottish internationalism, Scottish Neutrality League, Scottish Protestant League, Scottish Socialist Party, Scottish Unionism, Scottish Watch, Settler Watch, Shutzbund, SNP, Social Democratic Parties, Soil nan Gaidheal, Spanish Republicans, Terence Reilly, Third International, Third Period politics, Timothy McVeigh, Tom Johnston, Tony Blair, Ulster Volunteer Force, Unionism, Vidkun Quisling, William Power, William Weir Gilmour, Winston Churchill

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May 11 2015

‘NONE OF THE ABOVE’ AND ‘ABANDON THE MIND-FORG’D MANACLES’

Category: Against Imperialism,Against Unionism,England,How they are organised,How we organise,Independent class organisations,Ireland,Latin America and Caribbean,Scotland,The crisis on the Left,UK state/British imperialism,US imperialism,Wales — RCN @ 1:52 pm

Jim Slaven of the James Connolly Society in None of the Above calls upon socialists and republicans to have a closer look at the nature and record of the SNP. This was first posted at:- http://107cowgate.com/2015/05/05/none-of-the-above/

Murdo Ritchie (RCN ) in his Abandon the Mind-forg’d Manacles offers an alternative analysis of the rise of the SNP.

1. NONE OF THE ABOVE

None of the above? This is the question I’ve been asking myself for the last few weeks. Or perhaps more accurately for the last few years. Having never been a member of a political party, I’m what pollsters call a floating voter. Granted, as someone who has been a political activist for nearly 30 years, I might not be the stereotypical floating voter but nonetheless I have no tribal loyalty to any political party.
Continue reading “‘NONE OF THE ABOVE’ AND ‘ABANDON THE MIND-FORG’D MANACLES’”

Tags: Arthur Scargill, Author: Jim Slaven, Author: Murdo Ritchie, Bermondsey Socialist Republican, Betty Battenberg, Caribbean, Central America, Coulport, DUP, Faslane, Grenada, Ireland, James Connolly, Jean Paul Sartre, John MacLean, Karl Marx, Laffer Curve, Left, Lenin, NATO, New Labour, Northern Ireland, Offensive Behaviour Act, Orange Order, Republic, Ronald Reagan, Sandinistas, Scottish Labour Party, single Scottish police force, SNP, Steve Freeman, The Cause of Labour, Tony Blair, Trident, Wales

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Jan 21 2015

THE RCN AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR SCOTTISH SELF-DETERMINATION

THE REPUBLICAN COMMUNIST NETWORK, THE RADICAL INDEPENDENCE CAMPAIGN,

AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR SCOTTISH SELF-DETERMINATION

Photo of RCN banner – Patricia Kirk & John Lannigan

Contents

A) The emergence and clash of Left British unionism and Left Scottish nationalism

B) The politics of the Scottish independence referendum campaign

C) How the Left responded to the demand for greater national self-determination in Scotland

D) Carrying over lessons learned from the SSP experience

i) the need for political platforms

ii) the need for a revolutionary pole of attraction

iii) the need for political balance sheets to avoid repeating earlier mistakes

E) Promoting socialist republicanism and ‘internationalism from below’

i) The political legacy of the Republican Socialist Conventions and the Global Commune events

ii) Debating with other socialists during the Scottish independence referendum campaign

iii) promoting socialist republicanism and ‘internationalism from below’ in RIC

iv) the debate over secularism

v) the debate over Ireland

F) Debates and differences within the RCN

i) in the lead up and during the referendum campaign

ii) since the September 18th referendum

iii) the future for RIC, the all-islands Republican Socialist Alliance and the Scottish Left Project

Appendix

___________________

Continue reading “THE RCN AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR SCOTTISH SELF-DETERMINATION”

Tags: 'Yes Scotland', Alan Graham, Alan McCombes, Alan Story, Author: Adam Majo, Author: Alan Johnstone, Author: Alistair Black, Author: Allan Armstrong, Author: Andy Ashe, Author: Angharad Tomos, Author: Bernadette McAliskey, Author: Bill Scott, Author: Bob Goupillot, Author: Chris Gray, Author: D. R. O'Connor Lysaght, Author: Dave Douglass, Author: David Betteridge, Author: Duncan McCabe, Author: Eric Chester, Author: Ewan Robertson, Author: Geraldine Gould, Author: Gerry Hassan, Author: Gillian Ferguson, Author: Gregor Gall, Author: Iain Robertson, Author: James Kelman, Author: James Turley, Author: Jim Aitken, Author: Jim Slaven, Author: Leanne Wood, Author: Leigh French, Author: Liam O'Hare, Author: Mark France, Author: Mary McGregor, Author: Murdo Ritchie, Author: Nick Rodgers, Author: Paul Feldman, Author: Penny Cole, Author: Ray Burnett, Author: Rory Scothorne, Author: Steve Freeman, Author: Stuart King, Author: Susan Dorazio, Author: Tara Sullvan, Authors: James Foley and Pete Ramand, Authors: Tommy McKearney & Paul Stewart, Authors; cat Boyd & Jenny Morrison, Bella Caledonia, Brendan McGeever, Charlie Rees, Colin Fox, Commonweal, CPGB, CPGB - Weekly Worker, David Betteridge, David Torrance, Declaration of Calton Hill, Deidre McCartan, Doune the Rabbit Hole, Edinburgh Radical Book Fair, Emancipation & Liberation, Frontline, George Galloway, Isobel Oakeshott, James Connolly, James Connolly Society, Jason Allardyce, Jim Aitken, Jim Monaghan - Saothar, Jim Sillars, John Lanigan, John MacLean, Left Unity Party, Liam Turbott, Michael Davitt, Michael Marra, National Collective, Nick Clarke, Patricia Kirk, Pauline Bradley, Peoples Assembly, Permanent Revolution, Plaid Cymru, Rab Wilson, Radical Independence Campaign, Red Banner, Red Paper Collective, Republican Communist Network, Republican Socialist Alliance, Republican Socialist Conventions, Rod McGregor, Sandy McBurney, Scotland: Go For It rally, Scottish Left Project, Scottish Republic Yes Tendency, Scottish Socialist Party, Solidarity, SPGB, Ted Crawford, The Commune, The London Artist Taxi Driver, Tommy Sheridan, Turlough McDaid, Weekly Worker, Welsh Language Society, Word Power Books, World to Win

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Aug 15 2014

WALES AND SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE – Leanne Wood, President of Plaid Cymru

Category: Against Unionism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,England,Ireland,Radical Independence Campaign,Scotland,UK state/British imperialism,Wales — RCN @ 4:24 pm

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 MacGregor ( Dundee RIC), Bernadette McAliskey, Steve Freeman (Republican Socialist Alliance in England) and Leanne Wood (President, Plaid Cymru) were all invited to speak. Unfortunately, Leanne had another engagement and sent her apologies.

In June, some Plaid Cymru activists met with Pat Smith and Allan Armstrong of the Edinburgh RIC branch, and with Glasgow RIC members. The net result of this was decision to reinvite Leanne to speak in Scotland. In the event, the venue chosen was Glasgow. And, as you will to read from Leanne’s talk below, this was a particularly appropriate decision.

_________

Leanne Wood speaking to RIC public meeting in St. Andrews Hall, Glasgow, July 22nd

I want to thank you for the invitation to speak to you this evening.  It is a particular pleasure to address you at this venue.

The last Welsh political leader to visit this building, as I understand, was David Lloyd George back in 1917 as Prime Minister, when this building was known as St Andrew’s Hall.

Continue reading “WALES AND SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE – Leanne Wood, President of Plaid Cymru”

Tags: David Lloyd George, England, Irish Free State, John MacLean, Leanne Wood, Miners' Strike 1984/5, No camp, Plaid Cymru, Rhondda, Scotland, St. Andrews Hall Glasgow, Stormont, Tony Blair, Tonypandy, United Kingdom, Wales, Westminster

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Aug 10 2014

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND

Category: Against Unionism,Cultural Celebration,For Emancipation: Struggles against Exploitation,For Liberation: Struggles against Oppression,For Self-Determination: Struggles against Alienation,How we organise,Independent class organisations,Other Economic Struggles,Political Campaigns,Scotland — RCN @ 5:39 pm

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, this great ‘Union’ of ours is thereby preserved and we will all live happily hereafter – ‘Better Together’ an’ a’ that.

Continue reading “THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, THIS LAND IS MY LAND”

Tags: 'Autonomy for Scotland', 'Butcher's Broom', 'Eilean a'Cheo', 'Forward', 'Gloomy Memories', 'Hallaig', 'Screpadal', 'The Cheviot the Stag and the Black Black Oil, 'The History of the Highland Clearances', 'West Highland Free Press', 'Whose Land Is It Anyway', 1886 Crofters' Act, 7:84 Theatre Company, Alexander Mackenzie, Angus Macdonald, Angus Macleod, Author: Ray Burnett, Barra, Bella Caledonia, Benbecula, Clearances, Colonel Gordon of Cluny, Crofters' War, David Harvey, Domhnall Iain Domhnallach, Donald Macleod, Eriskay, Gaelic, Galdhealtachd, Highland Land League, Inverness, Joe Duncan, John Macdonald, John MacLean, Lady Gordon Cathcart, Land Question, Mairi Mhor nan Oran, Napier Commission, Neil Gunn, Pete Seeger, Raasay, Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism, Sorley Maclean, South Uist, This Land Is Your Land, Tom Johnston, Vatersay, Woody Guthrie

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