Taken from Peter Tatchells site Pope Benedict preaches intolerance & rejects key human rights Even most Catholics oppose many of his teachings London – 13 August 2010 Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who is also a spokesperson for the Protest the Pope campaign, spoke at a public meeting in Richmond, London, last night. In his…
Brian Higgins Anti-Blacklist Campaign
Updates on anti-blacklisting campaign and Brian Higgins Tribunal process grinds on… and on After months of being involved in the tribunal process, Brian Higgins, with other UCATT and UNITE members, has now reached the stage where he is waiting for a preliminary hearing which will decide whether he has a case that will be heard…
The Communist Case for Internationalism from Below
A contribution to the debate at The Global Commune event of 22nd May, 2010, in Edinburgh 1. Three Left approaches to building a new world order The Republican Communist Network (RCN) has mainly applied an ‘internationalism from below’ approach as a way to unite communists, socialists and revolutionary democrats throughout these islands around an immediate…
Report of Second Global Commune Meeting
May 22nd, 2010 The second Global Commune day school, jointly organised by the Republican Communist Network (RCN) and The Commune, was held in the Out of the Blue Centre in Edinburgh on May 22nd. People attended from Aberdeen, Bristol, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Midlothian. The first workshop session, ‘After the Election, What Next?‘ was introduced…
A reply to Alan Johnstone of the Socialist Party of Great Britain” from Allan Armstrong
In his letter to Weekly Worker, no. 812, Alan Johnstone attacks my claim that Marx and Engels would have been supporters of an ‘internationalism from below’ strategy from the time of the First International. On Alan’s first point, that what socialists should do in 2010 does not depend on what Marx and Engels may or…
A Reply to Nick Roger’s Workers Unity not Separatism
A Reply to Nick Roger’s Workers Unity not Separatism (edited version in Weekly Worker, no. 211) Independent Action Required to Achieve Genuine Workers’ Unity First, I would like to thank Nick for the tenor of his contribution to the debate about communist strategy in the states of the UK and the 26 county Irish republic.…
Word Power – an interview with Elaine Henry
WORD POWER – “A veritable flea market of books and ideas” Allan Armstrong interviews Elaine Henry who set up the Word Power bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland’s only independent Left and radical bookshop Why did you decide to set-up Word Power? I’d been a volunteer in the women’s bookshop, Womanzone, and was aware of other radical…
White Pete
To give it this obscene nickname is to make it seem attractive and much less harmful than it is like calling cocaine simply ‘ coke’ or the atom bomb ‘ Little Boy’ to render the screams of children the impotence of their parents their frantic hope for remedy without mention whatsoever and to still light…
Book review: The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers Party
Colm Breatnach of the Irish Socialist Network and Scottish Socialist Party, reviews, bestselling, The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers Party, by Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, published by Penguin. Over a decade before the SSP, the Workers Party built up working class support which enabled it to win seven…
Notes from Copenhagen
A socialist perspective on climate change Eric Chester and Susan Dorazio, two comrades from the Socialist Party of the USA visited Scotland recently, lived in Glasgow and joined the Maryhill branch of the SSP. They became very involved in the party’s activities and debates, as well as making new friends. Here we print Eric’s thoughts…