Dec 02 2016
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?”
Apr 07 2016
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”
Nov 30 2015
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”
Aug 12 2015
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”
Aug 05 2015
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”
May 11 2015
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’”
Jan 21 2015
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
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Continue reading “THE RCN AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR SCOTTISH SELF-DETERMINATION”
Aug 15 2014
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.
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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”
Aug 10 2014
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”
Aug 09 2014
WORLD WAR I – THE CATASTROPHIC RESULT OF IMPERIALIST RIVALRIES
On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, A Serbian nationalist, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire. This incident sparked World War I, that soon engulfed much of the world and led to the deaths of millions of soldiers, and millions of civilians.
