Emancipation & Liberation » Neil Findlay MSP

Feb 09 2020

TWO SCOTTISH RESPONSES TO THE DECEMBER 12th GENERAL ELECTION

Category: Against Unionism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,England,How we organise,Ireland,Scotland,The crisis on the Left,Wales — RCN @ 2:16 pm

We are posting two responses to the results of the December 12th general election, the first from activists within the Scottish Labour Party and the second form Gavin Lundy, National Convenor of Young Scots for Independence.

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1. Open Letter: Scottish Labour for Radical Democracy

(this was first posted at:- https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2019/12/15/open-letter-scottish-labour-for-radical-democracy)

We demand radical self-determination for Scotland. The Scottish people have, in successive elections to both Holyrood and Westminster, elected majorities in favour of a new referendum on independence. Setting aside the arguments for and against independence, we must not allow a hardline Tory government – which has no mandate here – to override Scotland’s democratic will.

Should all attempts to secure a second referendum by legal and constitutional means be obstructed by the UK government, we support an escalating strategy of non-cooperation and civil disobedience against that government, pursued at all possible levels: from the Scottish Government legislating on, or refusing to cooperate with, matters ‘reserved’ to Westminster, to grassroots non-violent direct action within and outwith Scotland. Continue reading “TWO SCOTTISH RESPONSES TO THE DECEMBER 12th GENERAL ELECTION”

Tags: Blue Labour, December 12th general election, Fabians, Gavin Lundy, Ged Killen, Greens, Jess Phillips MP, Labour Party, Lisa Tandy, Momentum, Monica Lennon MSP, Neil Findlay MSP, Scottish government, Scottish Labour for Radical Democracy, SNP, Young Scots for Independence

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Aug 09 2017

A CRITIQUE OF JEREMY CORBYN AND BRITISH LEFT SOCIAL DEMOCRACY

Category: Against Unionism,England,How they are organised,How we organise,Independent class organisations,Ireland,Radical Independence Campaign,Scotland,The EU,UK state/British imperialism,Wales — RCN @ 3:32 pm

Socialists are now confronted with the unexpected rise of Jeremy Corbyn and the re-emergence of British Left social democracy. This first part of this article by Allan Armstrong will examine the significance of this and make a critical appraisal of their future prospects in the face of the current global multi-faceted political, economic, social, cultural and environmental crisis.

Contents of Part 1

1. From May 2007 to June 2017 – the SNP rules the social democratic roost in Scotland.

2. The rise of Jeremy Corbyn and British Left social democracy

3. The prospects for Corbyn and British Left social democracy when handling economic and social issues

4. The limitations of Corbyn and British Left social democracy when dealing with matters of state

A. Brexit

B. The National Question

a. Conservative, liberal and unionist attempts to maintain the unity of the UK state since the nineteenth century

b. Corbyn and the National Question in Ireland

c. Corbyn and the National Question in Scotland

d. Corbyn and the National Question in Wales

1. From May 2007 to June 2017 – the SNP rules the social democratic roost in Scotland

i. Following the demise of New Labour and its successor, ‘One Nation’ Labour, the SNP has been the most effective upholder of social democracy in the UK. In 2007, the SNP won 363 council seats; 425 in 2012, and 431 in 2017. In 2007, the SNP won 47 MSPs; 69 in 2011; and 63 in 2016, (still easily the largest party at Holyrood). In 2010, the SNP won 6 MPs; 56 out of 59 in 2015, but fell back to 35 in 2017 (still having the largest number of MPs from Scotland by some way). Continue reading “A CRITIQUE OF JEREMY CORBYN AND BRITISH LEFT SOCIAL DEMOCRACY”

Tags: 'Blatcherism', 'Butskellism', 'Devo-Max', 'One Nation Labour', 'Spirit of 45', 2012 Welfare Reform Act, 2014 and 2016 Immigration Acts, 79 Group, Alex Salmond, Alex Tspiras, Alternative Economic Strategy, Author: Allan Armstrong, AWL, Bernadette McAliskey, Better Together, Brexit, British Left social democracy, British monarchy, Campaign for Socialism, Cardiff Bay, Chuka Umanna, Clive Lewis, Common Programme, conservtive unionism, CPB, CPGB, Crown-in-Westminster, cultural renaissance, David Cameron, Devolution-all-round, Duncan Smith, DUP, Ed Miliband, Emmanuel Macron, Empire2, England, Far Right, Federalism, Francois Mitterand, George Galloway, Good Friday Agreement, Gordon Brown, Grenfell Flats, Holyrood, House of Lords, IndyRef1, indyref2, Ireland, Irish Civil Rights Movement, Irish Republican Movement, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, John Trickett, Kate Hoey, Kezia Dugdale, Kier Starmer, Labour Friends of Israel, Labour Party, language issue, Leanne Wood, Len McCluskey, liberal unionism, loyalists, Mhairi Black, Micael Gove, Militant, Momentum, Neil Findlay MSP, neo-Keynesianism, New Labour, New Unionism, Nicola Sturgeon, Nigel Farage, Norther Ireland, Orange Order, Plaid Cymru, PUP, Radical Independence Campaign, reactionary unionism, Scotland, Scottish Labour Party, SDLP, Seamus Milne, Single Market, Sinn Fein, SNP, Social Chapter, St. Andrews Agreement, Stormont, Stormont Agreement, SWP, SYRIZA, Theresa May, Tommy Sheppard, Tony Benn, Tony Blair, Tory Right, Trident, TUV, UDA, UK state, UKIP, unionist state, UUP, UVF, Vladimir Putin, Wales, Welsh-British, Welsh-Welsh, Westminster

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Oct 08 2012

SCOTTISH SELF-DETERMINATION AND THE ‘ACTUALLY EXISTING’ LABOUR MOVEMENT

Category: Against Unionism,Combined struggles for Emancipation, Liberation and National Self-Determination,England,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,Radical Independence Campaign,Reviews,Scotland,The crisis on the Left,The Socialist Republican Break-up of the UK,UK state/British imperialism,Wales — RCN @ 10:47 am

A response to the Red Paper Collective’s

Power for Scotland’s People – A labour movement view

The ‘Independent Scotland Debate’ was organised by the Edinburgh Peoples Festival on September 9^th. 86 people attended this well-conducted event in the Out of the Blue Centre in Leith. The speaker supporting independence was Kevin Williamson of bella caledonia, who argued from a Left nationalist perspective. The speaker opposing independence was West Lothian Labour MSP, Neil Findlay. Neil is also a member of the Red Paper Collective [1] (RPC), which includes British Left unionists in the Scottish Labour Party and the Communist Party of Britain [2]. Supporters of the RPC handed out their pamphlet, Power for Scotland’s People – A labour movement view [3], to elaborate on the points Neil made in the debate.

This website has already posted critiques of Left nationalist approaches to the SNP government’s 2014 referendum [4]. This posting is a critique of the British Left unionist approach outlined in the RPC’s pamphlet [5].

Continue reading “SCOTTISH SELF-DETERMINATION AND THE ‘ACTUALLY EXISTING’ LABOUR MOVEMENT”

Tags: 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Alex Salmond, Alistair Darling, Anti-Poll Tax campaign, Author: Allan Armstrong, Bella Caledonia, Broad Left, Campaign for a New Workers Party, City of London, Communist Party of Britain, Communist Party of Scotland, Constituent Assembly, CPGB, Crown Powers, Danny Boyle, David Cameron, Ed Balls, Ed Miliband, George Osborne, Grass Roots Left, Holyrood, Internationalism From Below, Isles of Wonder, Johann Lamont, John Foster, John MacLean, Kevin Williamson, Margaret Thatcher, NATO, Neil Findlay MSP, New Unionism, Occupy Movement, Peter Mandelson, Power for Scotland's People - A labour movement view, Radical Independence Conference, Rank and File, Red Paper Collective, Royal Bank of Scotland, Scottish Labour Party, Scottish self-determination, Scottish Teachers Rank & File Group, Sir George Mathewson, SNP, SSP, Tony Blair, Westminster

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