David Jamieson is a journalist and socialist activist based in Scotland and the editor of Conter.
Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, who died last week, made Scottish nationalism mainstream. His independence promise was caught in a key contradiction, seeking to make Scotland a model social democracy within globalized capitalism.
The Reformation was a fundamental transformation in European society, blending religious disputes with political ideology and class conflict.
The Reformation was a fundamental transformation in European society, blending religious disputes with political ideology and class conflict. Marx and Engels fully understood its importance for their view of history, and today’s Marxists should do the same.
Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is resigning. Throughout her rule, she has been famed as a savvy political operator — yet her strategy has consistently weakened the Scottish independence movement that first brought her to power.
The new Conservative prime minister Liz Truss has experienced a spectacular humiliation during her first weeks in office. Her self-defeating agenda reflects the mindset of a Thatcherite ideologue managing an economy already ravaged by decades of Thatcherism.
Perry Anderson’s critical analysis of the European Union is a devastating indictment of liberal complacency. The EU is undemocratic by design, and we will have to confront it in order to transform a Europe riddled with inequality and exploitation.
On Thursday, pro-independence parties won a majority in the Scottish Parliament. But Boris Johnson has insisted he’ll deny any fresh vote on independence. Whether we like it or not, socialists cannot afford to turn away from the national question.
Five hundred years ago today, Martin Luther launched the Reformation, unleashing a revolt against the late medieval order that went far beyond his intentions.