By Shaun Morris, Glasgow Marxists
The shadow of sectarianism loomed large this summer, as the annual Orange Order marches drew criticism and outrage. In Belfast and other parts of the North of Ireland, loyalist mobs clashed with police and intimidated nationalist communities when bonfires were removed on safety grounds. In Scotland, a Catholic priest was spat on by a passing Orange parade.
The Tories will leave students with £1 trillion in debts that can’t be repaid. So much for “conservative fiscal responsibility”!
By Alex Johnson, IMT Edinburgh
Stressed out teachers are leaving the profession in droves, an overhaul of GCSEs has led many students to feel suicidal and declining conditions are hitting university staff. The British education system is in crisis left, right and centre. Young people are bearing the brunt of this crisis with ever-mounting debts from maintenance and tuition fees and a lack of career prospects. The worst outcomes and highest debts are falling on the shoulders of working-class students.
Continue reading Tories will leave students with £1 trillion in debts that can’t be repaid
by Ross Walker
The July/August Revolution is out now. Subscribe on our website to get it delivered to your door. Articles on the Growth Commission Report, the move to the left in USDAW, left opposition within the SNP, John Maclean, Israel and Palestine and more. Read here the editorial written by Ross Walker of the Edinburgh IMT branch. If you like our analysis and aims, do not hesitate to contact us and join.
Continue reading Class Struggle Begins to Thaw (Issue 22 Editorial:)
By Shaun Morris, Glasgow Marxists
Since becoming a party with a mass membership, there has been an underlying tension between the SNP members and their leaders. The constraints of the SNP’s old structure have been shown on multiple occasions at conferences and on election campaigns, when members have mobilised themselves and had to drag the party’s officialdom with them. The party has opened a constitutional review to look into how it could reform.
By Ellen Morton, Glasgow Marxists
The current crisis of capitalism has had huge consequences for ordinary people, with dramatic falls in living standards, job losses and welfare cuts. Working class women are being particularly hard hit by this crisis, facing stagnating wages in already low-paid jobs and often having to bear the brunt of austerity cuts to public services and welfare. Since 2010, 86% of the Tory cuts have been targeted at jobs and services that are dominated by women
By Marios Kalomenopoulos, IMT Edinburgh
The publishing of the Growth Commission report, “Scotland – A New Case for Optimism” has raised the question of whether independence can work under capitalism clearer than ever before. This paper has received criticism not just from raging unionists, but importantly large elements of the YES campaign and indeed within the SNP itself and mostly from the left. The discussion around this document is a very welcome development, and with the SNP promising to hold public meetings over the summer on the report, it is likely to provoke a debate where socialists should present a clear alternative.
Continue reading Growth Commission report: No to Scottish Capitalism, For a Workers’ Republic!
By Max wright, IMT Edinburgh
Over 300 Properties at Glasgow Harbour[1], as well as two new Hospitals, have been revealed to have the same deadly Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding which added to the devastation of June 14th’s Grenfell fire. Now the tenants of the cheap building efforts are being made to foot the bill.
Continue reading Who’s to pay? Glasgow Harbour Tenants vs Private Construction
Yesterday, RBS Chief, Ross McEwan told MPs that the closure of 62 branches was “commercially necessary”. We publish here an article form our recent issue of Revolution on the RBS and why think its necessary (for non commercial reasons) to nationalise the banks under workers control.
Continue reading RBS Closures: Nationalise the Banks Under Workers’ Control!
By John Webber, Glasgow Marxists
In the last two weeks we’ve seen Holyrood coming into conflict with Westminster over the devolution of powers and Corbyn declaring his support for remaining in the customs union after Brexit. At the weekend we also saw Sturgeon and the National liken Corbyn to Farage after a speech on immigration at the Scottish Labour conference. In light of such events, we publish here, a Marxist analysis by John Webber on the Labour, the SNP and The Single Market.
Daniel Morley of Socialist Appeal in London discusses the latest accusations and revelations that have engulfed Oxfam and the murky global charity sector, including Scottish charity SCIAF. A sexual abuse scandal originally centered around Oxfam has now spread to many other household name charities, including Red Cross and Unicef. This has shone a bright light into the opaque world of the big charities, revealing that these organisations are part and parcel of the capitalist system that they purport to be on a mission to make just. In reality, they feed on poverty and the public’s conscience whilst doing nothing to end it.
Originally published on socialist.net
