Issue 129
May – Jun 2022
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For the left, the ‘test of war’ is said to be the ultimate test of their politics. This phraseology follows the collapse of socialist internationalism at the beginning of the First World War in 1914 when nearly all socialist parties in the countries of Europe dropped their commitment to defend the interests of their fellow […]
As the Calmac crisis continues to push the SNP Scottish Government further towards the rocks, Gregor Gall introduces a major new book on facilitating a future society in Scotland from the Jimmy Reid Foundation. We are now one year into Nicola Sturgeon’s third SNP Scottish Government. Barely a week goes by without a new, regressive […]
Contents Foreword Rozanne Foyer 1 Introduction Gregor Gall 2 The structural development of poverty and inequality Carlo Morelli and Gerry Mooney 3 Towards climate justice Mary Church, Niamh McNulty and Eurig Scandrett 4 Neo-liberalism and Scotland George Kerevan 5 Economic democracy and public participation Andrew Cumbers and Robert McMaster 6 Re-thinking public ownership for an […]
Kirsty Alexander and Jenny Morrison argue for enhancing participation, reimagining economics and ending gender-based violence. Three inter-connected aspects of distributive gender injustice in Scotland are: unequal gender representation and participation in public life, gendered divisions of paid and unpaid labour, and gender-based violence (GBV). These are among the most historically and structurally entrenched and, thus, […]
Willie Sullivan, Lynn Henderson, Linda Somerville and Ruth Lightbody show not all progressive political change comes in the form of traditional party politics. Institutional power no longer delivers for citizens. It always struggled to do so but did so much better before. The ‘golden age’ of representative democracy in Britain was probably the post-war consensus, […]
Kate Hudson lays out a blueprint for bringing about harmony and reconciliation. A negotiated settlement is the only way to bring about an end to the Ukraine war. Neither the Russian nor NATO-backed Ukrainian forces can be simply defeated militarily because of the scale of the forces and weaponry available and the seeming willingness of […]
Bill Bonnar examines the background to the war in Ukraine. To be clear from the outset: The Russian invasion of Ukraine should be completely condemned as should the appalling consequences of that invasion in terms of the death and destruction which has rained down on the people of that country. Whatever justification the Kremlin offers, […]
Gilbert Achcar dissects the differences as well as their origins and their outcomes. The anti-war, anti-imperialist left worldwide has been deeply divided on the war in Ukraine along quite unusual lines, due to the novelty of the situation represented by Russia’s invasion of a weaker neighbouring country as part of Russia’s openly stated nationalistic expansionist […]
Arthur West argues that double standards have outflanked diplomacy but peace can be secured. The tragic war in Ukraine has caused considerable suffering and loss of life. It’s appropriate to positively acknowledge the support many people across the country have given to humanitarian appeals supporting people in Ukraine affected by the conflict. It has also […]
Alison Mitchell explains why UNISON has dedicated 2022 to be to a 365-day disability campaigning agenda. The union’s strength lies in its recognition of the value and unique experiences disabled people bring to the workplace and to our union. UNISON recognises that people are disabled by societal and environmental barriers rather than their medical condition. […]
Bryce Evans recalls a time when food poverty was not privatised and individualised as it is now. In the last twenty years, the food bank has become the staple response to food poverty in Britain. Most food banks are run by the Trussell Trust and most insist on recipients producing a written referral before receiving […]
Kevin McVey reports on a new initiative to build socialist support for independence. Scottish politics is dominated by the debate about independence. It colours all the discussions about Scotland’s future. Across the left there are many shades of opinion on how Scotland can determine its own future and what that future should look like. Socialists […]
Mick Lynch says the RMT will stand firm against gangster capitalism and to defend workers. The sacking of 800 P&O workers in March shocked and appalled the entire union movement. The callousness of the decision with no thought towards the livelihoods it would destroy or the inevitable damage it would wreak on a struggling industry […]
Louie Gibson explains the process by which he became interested and active in left-wing politics. I attribute my interest in politics to two factors. The home I grew up in, and the turbulent political period I became a teenager in. I grew up in a house in which politics was on the discussion table. My […]
Lynn Henderson argues for radical change in our electoral system to ensure radical political outcomes Twelve years of Tory rule has seen workers’ wages stagnate, their basic employment protections ripped up and they now face a crippling cost-of-living crisis that is plunging families into poverty. The need for a progressive government that stands up for […]
Carole Ewart reports on the campaign to prevent the rich and powerful remaining unaccountable Curiosity in – and scrutiny of – supply chains has resulted in exposures of and improvements to the food industry, clothing manufacture, PPE production and a host of other issues. The news and information supply chain also deserve rigorous scrutiny because […]
Dr David McKinstry Teaches History at Holyrood Secondary in Glasgow. The 70s A more naïve and innocent time Where no one scratched the head, Whilst Eric and Ernie Were sharing a double bed. The miners were still underground Whilst the Wombles were overground And wombling free, Virginia won Wimbledon In the silver jubilee. The only […]
James Bluemel, director (2020) Once Upon a Time in Iraq, KEO Films – Reviewed by Jackie Bergson Award-winning documentary series, Once Upon a Time in Iraq, focuses upon the experiences of civilians, journalists and soldiers who were actively involved, or involuntarily trapped, in the midst of war conflicts in Iraq during the past two decades. […]
Richard Seymour, The Disenchanted Earth: Reflections on Ecosocialism and Barbarism, Indigo Press, 2022, £9.99, 9781911648413 Reviewed by John Wood Capitalism is a ‘multi-species affair’ whose success is fortified by its ability to produce a superficial ‘screen’ distracting from its destructive origins. This trait, usually in the form of material goods or perhaps digital experiences like […]
Lachlan Munro., R. B. Cunninghame Graham and Scotland: Party, Prose, and Political Aesthetic, Edinburgh University Press, 2022, £85, 9781474498265 Reviewed by Gerry McGarvey R. B. Cunninghame Graham (1852-1936) was, and remains, the great enigma of Scottish politics. Graham was a quarter-Spanish cowboy in South America; a large Scottish landowner who was the first declared socialist […]
Andrew Cockburn, The Spoils of War: Power, Profit and the American War Machine, Verso, 2021, pp288, 9781839763656 Reviewed by Bill Ramsay Cockburn powerfully evidences the theory that where western weaponry is deployed and used is not driven by rational operational far less strategic considerations. Often, what is passed off as strategy are really post-facto ‘rationales’ […]
Adam Tooze, Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World’s Economy, Allen Lane, 2021, pp368, 9780241485873, £25 Reviewed by Will Podmore This is an exceptionally useful study of the impact of Covid. Tooze is a noted economic historian, author of Crashed: how a decade of financial crisis changed the world and is the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom […]
Two very strange thoughts have been running through my mind since the start of March. One is: ‘Thank goodness for the common sense of American people’. The second, somewhat to my own surprise is: ‘I really hope Boris Johnson stays in his job, at least until August’. Let me explain. Point One. We can all […]