Only days after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he “wasn’t ruling out” consenting to a second Scottish independence referendum, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard seemed to signal this weekend it’s completely off the table if the party gets into power. But Rory Scothorne, writer and activist with Labour Campaign for Socialism, says Scottish Labour is ultimately still traumatised by the independence referendum and won’t be able to get over it until it develops a plan to transform the structures of the British state…

This Monday, the first of many ConterCast debates will be held in association with Sunny Govan Radio. Conter ed team member and CommonSpace journalist David Jamieson will debate Labour activist and ex-candidate Laura Dover on the question: is Labour's road to socialism viable. In this piece, David Jamieson sets out why he believes socialists should resist the temptation to ‘pick a horse’, and instead develop a discussion around the crisis of the British state...

A number of crises and disagreements have left many pro-independence socialists and activists feeling alienated from the wider Yes movement in recent months. But while many hesitate to wave saltires at nationalist-led rallies, Allan Armstrong argues the left needs to put aside reservations and engage with the All Under One Banner demonstrators. In this long read, he charts the winding fortunes of the Yes movement, the circumstances in which it has been maintained and evaluates how we reached this point...

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...

The SNP's rallying cry of 'Stronger for Scotland' has until recently carried the party from one success to the next. In a recent piece, Perthshire North MP Pete Wishart argues “we have to get to a One Scotland approach”. SNP member and founder of left wing pressure group Neutral Scotland Tejas Mukerji asks the question: which Scotland?

Much has been made about the SNP's new “blueprint” for an independent Scotland, which indicates a move away from the mooted Nordic model towards a more neo-liberal prospectus. But Hugh Cullen, Scottish Socialist Party organiser in the Lothians and member of the party's NEC, argues the Nordic model itself is no quick fix and fails to address key issues...

The issue of Scottish independence continues to divide anti-capitalists, just as it does mainstream political parties. With the mooted second referendum on hold, we ask contributors to consider the bread and butter issues that surround independence. Writer Gabriel Neil argues a new constitution and status quo would benefit radicals seeking change in society...