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Letter from abroad: Bernie won Iowa and beyond
A surge behind the campaign of left-winger Bernie Sanders, and some strange goings-on in Iowa, has captured global attention. Conter spoke to Pete Ramand, a volunteer organizer with the Sanders campaign who was campaigning in the key Iowa cities of Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, about what happened, and what comes next for the historic movement.
Radicalism now more than ever
Speaking at the Radical Independence conference in Glasgow this weekend (26 Oct) trade unionist Suki Sangha warned that we need a politics that reaches beyond rival wings of the British establishment. We reproduce it here as the British state leaps deeper into crisis with the likelihood of a general election.
Shifting the SNP on Foreign Policy
‘Bairns, not Bombs’ was a rallying cry for many independence supporters during the 2014 referendum, but many campaigners on the left feel this is undermined by the Scottish National Party’s NATO commitments. Lewis Akers argues Sturgeon’s government has slowly but surely shifted on foreign policy but that there’s scope for activists in and out the party to bring about change…
Why Macron Must Go
The Yellow Vests protests continue to spread and intensify across France despite President Macron’s concessions on minimum wage. Calum Martin argues Macron’s climate change programme only succeeds in letting the super rich off the hook for a crisis they were complicit in creating…
Lessons From Nicaragua
“Somoza y Ortega son la misma cosa” - Somoza and Ortega are the same thing. That is the message from protesters in Nicaragua, who cite human rights abuses and murder of civilians. Joan Rowley and Norman Lockhart, Scottish Medical Aid to Nicaragua volunteer in the 1980s, says there are lessons to be learned and that the working class revolution in the country has been betrayed...
On Labour, the SNP & Palestine
It's fallen off the news agenda since the right of return marches, but the need for solidarity with the Palestinian people has never been greater. Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign activist Kishore Lennon reflects on the urgent need to support the oppressed Palestinian people and argues that both members and figureheads in Labour and the SNP need to be doing much more...
Reflecting On Trump Rallies
The response to Trump's visit this week was emphatic and defiant, but some have criticised the rallies for indulging Liberals and tolerating other right wing state visitors. David Swanson dismisses these quibbles and argues the marches united hundreds of thousands of people at a time when it was greatly needed...
Lessons From Ireland's Tax Scandal
Ireland, Scotland's Celtic cousin across the sea, is regularly cited as a potential independence model to follow. But the Irish government's disgraceful decision to give Apple illegal preferential tax treatment serves as a reminder why the neo-liberal Celtic Tiger model is so dangerous. Calum Martin, National Co-Chair of the Scottish Socialist Party, says there are lessons we can learn...
On Catalonia & the EU's Human Rights Failures
Over the past few weeks, Conter has sought to engage with Scottish socialists on the issue of Brexit in a variety of different pieces. Rory Steel, member of the SNP and the Catalan Defence Committee, says the EU's implicit support for Spain's violent measures in Catalonia exposes its hypocrisies on issues related to human rights and self-determination...
Smashing the Far-Right with Democracy
It's a well accepted narrative on the left that neo-liberalism has provided the perfect terrain for the reactionary right to flourish. Young activist Jack O'Neill provides a broad overview of how we reached this point and argues that democratisation at all levels needs to be a key focal point in the fightback going forward...
Reflections on Catalan Elections
Catalonia is still embroiled in crisis, with many pro-independence politicians still jailed after being charged for sedition following the independence referendum on October 1. left wing activist Andy relays his impressions from Catalonia during the election, which saw a surge in support for centre-right parties on both sides of the constitutional divide…
Trump & Jerusalem
Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem is the official capital of Israel has rightfully been widely condemned. But Kishore Lennon says his actions may also harm American imperialist interests in the long run and says there is much to be achieved from mass mobilisation of the left...
Zimbabwe: What's To Be Done?
The ousting of Zimbabwean President and former revolutionary Robert Mugabe has been celebrated by people on all sides of the political spectrum, including socialists. However, Bright Green editor Peter McColl warns against complacency...
Russia: The Bogeyman at Scotland's Door
Former first minister Alex Salmond's decision to launch a chat show on the state funded Russia Today platform has caused consternation among Scotland's politicians, pundits and journalists. David Jamieson says it has also brought an unwelcome menace to Scotland's door.
Catalonia, Scotland & National Questions
Do socialists have a duty to support Catalan independence or simply the right to self determination? How does this relate to the Scottish national question? In this week's long read, Chris Bambery wrestles with these thorny issues. Alongside SNP MP George Kerevan, he co-authors 'Catalonia Reborn', forthcoming from Luath Press.
Responding to the Catalan Crisis
Events in Catalonia are unraveling at a dramatic pace: Catalan ministers have now been placed into custody and leader Carles Puidgemont is in Belgium. Writing from Barcelona, Jonathon Shafi, co-founder of the Radical Independence Campaign and a signatory to the newly formed Catalan Defence Committee Scotland, argues there needs to be a Europe-wide response from the left...
