On How The Vestigial Left Is Failing To Understand The Political Life Of Scotland Today

Murdo Ritchie (RCN) provides his response to the Red Paper Collective’s critique of the Scottish SNP government’s White Paper. THE RED PAPER ON THE WHITE PAPER or HOW NOT TO UNDERSTAND CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE As moves toward Scottish national independence happen, the “mainstream” camps have presented their visions, but on the fringes lots of different illusions…

Sinn Fein On The Run As Settlement Slips Further TO The Right

After the demise of the Haas Talks, the Unionists, playing to the Loyalist gallery, are pushing even further to unravel the original Good Friday Agreement. In this article, John McAnulty of Socialist Democracy (Ireland) explains the significance of the latest ‘on-the-runs’ issue. Another week, another crisis. The Irish peace process continues to have popular support (or at…

Republican socialist candidate for the executive of the Left Unity Party

Steve Freeman of the Republican Socialist Alliance is standing as for the Executive of the Left Unity Party. Steve spoke, along with Bernadette McAliskey and Mary McGregor (RCN) at the 4 Nations After the UK session at the Radical Independence Campaign conference in Glasgow on 23rd November. This is the statement he has produced for…

Republican Socialist Alliance In England Responds To Cameron And Osborne

Below we are posting the statement agreed by the RSA Steering Committee in London on Feb. 14th in response to Cameron and Osborne. This is followed by a statement of solidarity sent to republican socialist organisations in Scotland by Steve Freeman, member of the Republican Socialist Alliance and Left Unity Party in England. He was a…

A Review of Jim Sillars’ ‘In Place Of Fear II’ by Gerry Hassan

If much of the Left in England has become all nostalgic about Old Labour following Ken Loach’s The Spirit of ’45, then much of the Left in Scotland, both in and out of the Labour Left, look back to Scottish Labour’s ‘glory days’ in the 1970’s. Here Gerry Hassan reviews dissident SNP member, Jim Sillar’s…

The SNP And Scottish Independence

Eric Chester (RCN) outlines some of the problems that the SNP government’s White Paper Independence-Lite proposals would pose for genuine Scottish self-determination. As the referendum campaign unfolds, it becomes increasingly obvious that Alex Salmond and the SNP have no interest in a truly independent Scotland. Instead, a ‘yes’ vote is a vote to authorize Salmond to…

‘Just Say Naw’ To Galloway’s Sectarian British Unionism

Bella caledonia posted an article by Richard Cameron (RCN and Edinburgh RIC) outlining the politics behind George Galloway’s Just Say Naw Scottish road tour (see Just Say Naw – To Galloway’s Sectarian British Unionism). Given the short time to write this article a number of errors appeared, none of which affected the overall arguments presented. However, Richard…

Human Rights Are Under Threat In North Of Ireland

http://www.scotsrepublic.com/2013/09/human-rights-are-under-threat-in-north.html New York based Sandy Boyer is the co-host of “Radio Free Eireann” broadcast Saturdays at 1pm on WBAI, 99.5 FM, or wbai.org. He has helped to mobilize support for political prisoners including Marian Price, Roisin McAliskey, the Birmingham 6, Pol Brennan and Joe Doherty. Here he outlines the continued threat to human rights in Northern…

Alex Salmond And The Written Constitution

Murdo Ritchie, a new member of the RCN, writes about the political significance of the issue of a written constitution raised the SNP government’s White Paper. Although the First Minister has abandoned the SNP’s commitments to referenda on a future independent Scotland’s membership of NATO and the European Union as well as continuing the current…

Republican Socialism And Left Unity

Steve Freeman of the Republican Socialist Alliance in England spoke, along with Bernadette McAliskey and Mary McGregor (RCN) at the ‘break-up of the UK’ session at the Radical Independence Conference on 23rd November in Glasgow. The following week on November 30th in London Steve spoke at the Left Unity Party founding conference putting the case for…