The following article by Jonathon Shafi, of the Conter editorial board, was first posted on the Substack blog. It outlines the SNP leaders’ accommodation to landowners in Scotland, and the Scottish Green leaders’ accommodation to the SNP, when it comes to renewable energy. IS THIS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE? The latest in the great Scottish sell…
Gordon Brown’s new report and the Supreme Court ruling
Mike Small of bella caledonia has written this response to Gordon Brown’s report ‘A New Britain: Renewing our Democracy and Rebuilding our Economy’. He argues that this report collapses under the weight of its own incoherence. Instead of viewing this as a set of solutions for Scotland, it should be seen as Labour’s attempt to create…
Holyrood dismantles UN special rapporteur’s arguments against gender recognition reform
The following article by Alex/Rose Cocker was first posted by The Canary. It shows the misrepresentation of the status of the UN special rapporteur, who has been used by those who opposed gender recognition reform, and then deals with the rapporteur’s arguments. HOLYROOD DISMANTLES UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR’S ARGUMENTS AGAINST GENDER RECOGNITION REFORM On 29 November,…
Elaine Murray – a remarkable woman
Elaine Murray was a remarkable woman. Being an active trade unionist and political campaigners were just two aspects of her full and rounded life. Many people – family, partners, friends, sisters, brothers and and comrades – attended her commemoration meeting. This was held on Thursday, December 1st in the Kings Manor Hotel in Edinburgh. This commemoration…
Distorted reporting of the 2021 census echoes a racist conspiracy theory
The following article written by Benali Hamdache was first posted by openDemocracy. It highlights the Right media’s calculated distortion of the 2021 UK census data, and hoe liberal media like The Guardian has been complicit in this. DISTORTED REPORTING OF THE 2021 CENSUS ECHOES A RACIST CONSPIRACY THEORY Our lives are filled with bad…
Mary Brooksbank -125th anniversary of her birth
Hi all, Please join us in Dundee next Saturday 10th December at 1pm for our annual Mary Brooksbank commemoration, this year marking the 125th anniversary of her birth. Mary Brooksbank is Dundee’s best-known communist and trade unionist. Growing up working in the jute mills like many working class women and girls of her day, she wrote…
Aneurin Bevin on the Socialist ambitions of the NHS
This article written by the Editorial Board of Tribune points out that decades on from the creation of the NHS, there is no scarcity of praise for the greatest social achievement in Britain’s history, but readers of the mainstream press today find precious little mention of its socialist roots. However, this article and interview are struck by…
How anti-trans activists forced Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre into lockdown
The following article by Adam Ramsay of openDemocracy describes the vicious campaign mounted by transphobes in Scotland, directed against Mridul Wadhwa, the director of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. HOW ANTI-TRANS ACTIVISTS FORCED EDINBURGH RAPE CRISIS CENTRE INTO LOCKDOWN Edinburgh’s Rape Crisis Centre had always kept its front door open so survivors could walk in…
The currency capitulation
The following article, written by Jonathon Shafi of conter, outlines the political significance of the SNP government’s Building a New Scotland. He argues that adopting this paper means “any Scottish sovereignty is more distant than ever”. THE CURRENCY CAPITULATION The realisation of any Scottish sovereignty is more distant than ever We don’t need to…
EL&SD coverage of republicanism
The Republican Communist Network and the Republican Communist Forum have been at the centre of the campaign to build support for republicanism in Scotland. This has involved upholding republicanism as the sovereignty of the people against the UK’s sovereignty of the Crown-in-Westminster. We have criticised those who limit republicanism to anti-monarchism, which can provide cover…