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…
Secularism: Time To Seperate Church And State
This is an introduction given by Allan Armstrong (RCN) to the Edinburgh branch of the Edinburgh Radical Independence Campaign on Monday, September 30th. It is followed by some responses from other socialists. Two interesting articles were published last week. The first one in The Herald (27.9.13) highlighted the recent Scottish census, which pointed out that,…
Single Ends And Hobbit Houses
Murdo Ritchie places the so-called ‘Bedroom Tax’ into the wider economic and political context of housing provision today. When debating supporters of capitalism and capitalist markets I am told about the system’s greater efficiency in the use of natural resources. At this point, I ask my opponent if they have an indoor toilet. They smile…
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…
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.…
The Radical Independence Conference – Which Way Forward?
Murdo Richie who runs the blog (http://murdoritchie.blog.co.uk/) argues that the Radical Independence Conference faces a choice of taking one of two political paths – tail-ending the official SNP campaign or developing the best policies for an independent Scotland The Radical Independence Convention can only travel in one of two directions after the Conference of Saturday, November…
Why The Independence Referendum Is Being Turned Into One On NATO
Murdo Ritchie looks at what is behind the SNP leadership’s move to drop party policy against NATO. The coming referendum on Scottish independence is rapidly being turned into one on NATO membership too. It is consciously being used to shape the future character of Scotland’s relationship with the principal nuclear weapons powers. Supposedly, only a…