Editorial: A Labour Movement for Freedom
What can the labour movement do to make Scotland into a place for anyone who seeks freedom, a decent income, and a comfortable home?
Issue 139
Against Cheap Labour
Apr – May 2024
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The Strength of Our Unions
This year’s victories are testament to the success of strike campaigns and the deepening of effective political arguments. Roz Foyer, STUC General Secretary, reviews the state of the unions.
Trades Councils Guard the Flame
Trades union councils give strength and focus to the domestic and international struggles of Scotland’s labour movement, writes Mike Arnott, President of the STUC.
Employment Powers for a Purpose
There is now broad support in Scotland for devolving employment law. Dave Watson is author of a new Reid Foundation report on the practicalities of giving the Scottish Parliament those powers.
The Tory War on Migrant Workers’ Families
International workers are the latest target in the Tory war on the family. Catriona MacDonald explains why new laws will hurt many migrant workers and help nobody at all.
Firefighter Mortality is Far Too High
Firefighting is dangerous enough without the growing risk of life-threatening diseases. Colin Brown spells out how the government should radically reduce the scandalous rates of illness and death.
Safety in Schools: A Growing Struggle
School staff unions are grappling with growing rates of violence incidents. Resourcing pupil support and reversing budget cuts are the solution, writes Mandy MacDowell.
First Strike in a Private School
Charles George reflects on the recent strike in Hutchesons’ Grammar, and the seismic shifts that are leading private school staff to organise and strike.
Against Freeports
Freeports are not the solution to Scotland’s industrial decline. Maggie Chapman considers the challenges they present for the left.
What Will Freeports Mean for Workers?
Drawing on years of experience working at Prestwick freeport, Peter Henderson sees dangerous signs in the latest blueprints and sets out nine questions which demand urgent answers.
Nothing Green About These Freeports
Freeports are more than a greenwashing gimmick, writes Ryan Morrison. They mark a grim concession to corporate efforts to profit from the climate crisis.
A New Glossary of Scotch Mining Terms
New poetry by James Barrowman takes inspiration from his namesake's terminological excavations.
The Wordsmith of the Jute Mills
Mary Brooksbank is inspiring a new generation of socialists far beyond her Dundee home, finds Siobhan Tolland.
All That A Myth Gan Give Us
The commemoration of John Maclean a century after his death reveals much about the current culture of the Scottish left, writes Henry Bell.
The Communist and the Lock-In
Alex Baird organised the industrial action that brought the workers of Wallacetown Engineering victory over General Electric in 1982. He tells Cailean Gallagher how the battle was won.
They’re Building a Wall: The Rafah Crossing, 1906-2006
Control of the Gaza-Egypt crossing at Rafah has been shifting for decades. The border’s complex history should inform debates about Egypt’s actions and intentions today, writes Jane Glen.
Why the Gaelic Crisis Matters
Cuts to the Bòrd na Gàidhlig add to the sense of dread in vernacular communities. It has galvanised the grassroots resistance that the whole left should support. By Tòmas MacAilpein.
The Sound of Resistance
Becky Minio-Paluello reviews Palestinian Music in Exile: Voices of Resistance by Louis Brehony (AUC, 2023).
Antisemitism in Scotland: whatever happened to the IHRA?
With its legal credibility torn to shreds, the time has come to re-evaluate the Scottish Government's adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, suggests Phil Chetwynd.
Anti-Colonial Time in Fady Joudah’s […]
Maura Finkelstein reviews [...] by Fady Joudah (Outspoken Press, 2024).