Allan Armstrong will be introducing the workshop on Republicanism at the Radical Independence Conference in Glasgow on November 24th, along with Neil Davidson of the SWP, Graham McIver of Solidarity, and a speaker from Republic Scotland. He has been asked by the conference organisers to prepare an outline of his talk, so that those attending…
Turlough MacDaid, 1930-2012
Allan Armstrong writes this tribute to Turlough MacDaid Turlough MacDaid, a larger than life socialist and trade unionist activist, who had lived in Edinburgh since the early 1970s, died on 27th October. Turlough, although very much an outgoing person and always good company, was secretive about his personal life. His marriage broke up in the…
The Myth Of “Real” Independence
Glasgow socialist blogger, Murdo Ritchie, comments further on the Independence Referendum. As the Independence Referendum moves on the issues get clearer and clearer. The main supporters of the “Yes” vote are attempting to assume all sorts of international treaty obligations and conditions that make the resultant independent Scotland seem more and more similar to life…
Pro-Choice In The US Needs To Take A Left Turn
Susan Dorazio, Women’s Liberation activist and past-convener of the Women’s Commission of the Socialist Party USA, currently residing in Scotland, highlights the dead-end into which the Democratic Party has taken the once vibrant US Women’s Liberation Movement over abortion rights. Since the U.S. pro-choice and pro-life campaigns spring from the same source, namely the ‘new politics’ and…
When Will We See Tanks In Barcelona?
The following article first appeared in International Viewpoint, the journal of the United Secretariat of the Fourth International. The Unionists’ Better Together campaign has invoked the Spanish state in its opposition to Scottish independence. Esther Vivas, an activist in Barcelona, highlights that the reason for the Spanish state’s attitude can be found in the unreformed Francoist elements still…
Beyond The Saltire And St. Andrew – Flying The Red Flag On John Maclean Day
Allan Armstrong argues that the saltire is not a symbol nor St. Andrews Day a celebration which republican socialists, or indeed anyone committed to a multi-ethnic and multi-faith (and non-faith) Scotland can see as their own. However, he points out that Scottish socialists can still make November 30th their own, whilst flying the red flag.…
The Republican Communist Network (Scotland) What We Stand For – From Theory to Practice
1) Another world is possible – a joyful, creative, new world communism which emancipates us all from oppression and frees us all from exploitation, and which forms a new sustainable relationship between humanity and the environment. Socialism is not the ultimate aim. It can either be a phase on the way to communism or a…
What is happening in Greece and why
Lina Christou, who lives in Athens, explains the background to the current crisis in Greece. Greece has been chosen by the ‘graduates’ of the Chicago school as a country in which the ‘Shock Doctrine’ approach could be applied in the way this is described in Naomi Klein’s book[1]Naomi Klein (2008) The Shock Doctrine: the Rise…
Ireland and the broader consequences of the 2014 Scottish Referendum
Jim Slaven of the James Connolly Society highlights some of the publicly unacknowledged features of the 2014 referendum, how they fit into the British ruling class strategy to maintain its rule over these islands, and a new challenge to this in Ireland. The deal between Alex Salmond and David Cameron on the arrangements for the…
The Slippery Slope
Murdo Richie explains the consequences of the SNP conference decision on NATO. We are being deceived into thinking that we are safe with NATO-friendly nationalists when instead we have a disgraceful pretence,[1]The SNP and its leadership are taking us for fools claims Lord NATO alias its former General-Secretary and former UK Defence secretary, George Robertson.…