Common Sense
The consistently inspiring Variant has a new edition out (read it here).It includes an interview with John Holloway, author of Changing the World Without Taking Power (2002) and Crack Capitalism Continue reading
Monthly Archives
Archive for: May 2011
The Gruniad, Britishness and its One-Faced Janus…
By Lallands Peat Worrier For those who keep an eye on the London-based UK press, its collective reaction to this month’s Holyrood result has been rather queer, particularly in the Continue reading
Gil Scott-Heron: The Wisdom of Anger
By Mike Small I’m gutted to hear that Gil Scott-Heron, the American musician and poet, has died at the age of just 62. Described as the “Godfather of Rap”, a Continue reading
Report from the Scottish Independence Convention
Kevin Williamson, Secretary of the Scottish Independence Convention, reports on a lively meeting held in the Scottish Parliament building last night. The first post-election meeting of the Scottish Independence Convention Continue reading
Where Now for Scottish Labour?
By John McAllion The SNP’s crushing electoral victory has changed Britain’s political union for ever. Whatever else now happens, the constitutional and political status quo is no longer an option. Continue reading
What’s Going On?
First up from our occasional series of assorted & haphazard shtuffwhatshappening…is our own NeuReekie…Friday 27 May…Scottish Books Trust, Trunk’s Close, 55 High Street, The Capital. Here’s the blurb: “Neu! Reekie! Continue reading
End of the World: Not Many Affected
By Christopher Harvie If you were looking at Thursday 19 May’s evening news on BBC Scotland, hoping to see details of the Cabinet changes, and blinked, you’d miss them. They Continue reading
Which Way Forward?
Mhairi McAlpine (West Glasgow SSP) writes: My excitement at the implications of the national election result on May 5th, has been tempered over the last few weeks with the realisation Continue reading
Joan McAlpine: Time to change Auntie’s Anglocentric channel
In today’s Scotsman, Joan McAlpine MSP, argues that the BBC has failed to come to terms with devolution and its programming proves how far from fit for purpose it is Continue reading
This is not who we are
Imagine, writes Robin McAlpine, the Scottish people as if they are a Peter Howson portrait, all simmering anger and grimy masculinity, a crowd scene of shared mistrust, the washed-out neutral Continue reading
The Weekend Starts Here: Win a Scottish Spring T-shirt
The last few weeks have taken their toll on the Bella Caledonia team so we’re having the weekend off. I know, how dare we, the world keeps spinning. But before Continue reading
Iain Banks & The Culture
In an article first published in Democratic Green Socialist, Steve Arnott takes a personal look at the ‘Culture’ novels of Iain Banks and argues that sceptics of the genre are Continue reading
North and South, Ecology and Justice
With neoliberalism on a down slope and a new era of South-South cooperation dawning, this is the most favorable historical moment in decades to retake the endeavor of Third World militance and solidarity.
The Socialist Left and the Scottish Election
By James Doleman You do not need to be a psephologist to realise that the Socialist Left* in Scotland did not, to say the least, have a triumphant 2011 Holyrood Continue reading
Independence Lite?
By Pat Kane (from Thoughtland) It’s fair to say – along with the not-so-gentle student arm-twisting of a newly elected representative for the South of Scotland region – that the Continue reading
Donald Dewar’s Glasses
By Gordon Darroch Donald Dewar will be remembered, among other things, as the last Labour figure whom Scots looked upon with any real sense of affection. After his sudden death, Continue reading
Altered State
By Mike Small “We have given ourselves the permission to be ambitious.” More than anything among a barrage of new sensations (collective relief, delight, and unbridled optimism) it was the Continue reading
A Scottish Spring
This is about more than one election result. This is about a deep, long-term transformation of Scotland which has been occurring for decades. From the age of Labour identification, and seeing the world in terms of workplace politics and class. Away from the visceral anti-Nationalist politics which shaped so much of urban Scotland for so long. And towards a new era of SNP support, identity politics and sense of national purpose.
It Was the Scottish People Wot Won It
By Kate Higgins What will it take for the opposition parties to “get it”. Even as Alex Salmond was arriving in his helicopter at Prestonfield House to claim victory, Annabel Continue reading
It’s A New Dawn, It’s A New Day
Scotland has shown that it is no longer content to be a second-class satellite of a union that is built on a global city and a depressed, and increasingly unloved hinterland. Now is the time to start defining what it wants to be instead.
History in the making. And yes it feels good!
by Kevin Williamson On the night of the 1997 British general election, along with my friend Paul Reekie, I took part in an election night cabaret in West Pilton at Continue reading
Porty, Clause 4 and Election Fever
By Justin Kenrick ( a response to A Liminal Moment) Elections are always liminal moments, moments of ‘in between’ when the normal state of things is turned upside down and Continue reading
A Liminal Moment
By Mike Small ‘A relationship is like a shark. It’s got to keep on going forward. What we have is a dead shark.’ – Woody Allen Woody Allen’s views on Continue reading
A Parting Hymn: Lies, Deceit and the Death of the Labour Party
Thanks to Michael Greenwell who sent us this link. The film was made by former members of the Labour Party, the typos are all theirs.
London Calling
Peter Preston – who was the editor of the Guardian for 20 years (1975-1995) – penned a brief little sketch about the demise of the Scottish press in yesterday’s Observer Continue reading
CultureHackScotland
From our friends over at festivalslab: Now that the wedding is out the way, the world can now focus on The Next Thing…namely Culture Hack Scotland which starts on Friday Continue reading
‘In the Present and the Future You Will Need Something More’ The Moment and Motives for Independence
By Christopher Harvie I leave it to the Hootsmon to explain how I came to semi-evict the royal couple from its front page; though (who knows?) reading the draft of Continue reading
Beyond Broken Britain
An SNP administration in full coalition with the Scottish Green Party could allow real change to sweep across the nation. Major shifts towards a low-carbon society AND a transition away from the centralised feudal constitution of the British State ARE achievable through such an alliance.
