ScottishLeft Review Issue 96 November/December 2016 - £2.00 'best re(a)d' 1 - ScottishLeftReview Issue 96 November/December 2016 LRD TUC Sept15_Layout 1 10/07/2015 14:09 Page 1 FIGHT ANTI-UNION LAWS www.rmt.org.uk General Secretary: Mick Cash President President: PSeaneter P iHoylenkney ASLEF CALLS FOR AN INTEGRATED, PUBLICLY OWNED, ACCOUNTABLE RAILWAY FOR SCOTLAND (which used to be the SNP’s position – before they became the government!) Mick Whelan Tosh McDonald Kevin Lindsay General Secretary President Scottish Ocer ASLEF the train drivers union- www.aslef.org.uk 2 - ScottishLeftReview Issue 96 November/December 2016 feedback comment Back to the future and forward to the past he Jimmy Reid Foundation, the Foundation, it was my duty and Labour (instead of Blair, Brown and sister organisation of Scottish honour to give the vote of thanks Miliband, and the array of Scottish TLeft Review, held its annual at the end of the lecture. I took the Labour leaders – Dewar, McLeish, lecture on Thursday 6 October. This opportunity to say that I was sure that McConnell, Gray, Alexander, Lamont, year, the fourth annual lecture, was Jimmy Reid would have welcomed reviews Murphy and now Dugdale). Corbyn’s given by Jeremy Corbyn. He received Jeremy’s election and re-election to refusal to support independence a rapturous reception before he had the leadership of the Labour party. would not have been such an issue in uttered a word and then afterwards a This was for various reasons, all these circumstances as it would have standing ovation from the majority of centred around the point that Corbyn been counter-balanced by his more the 600-odd people gathered in the is the Labour leader that many on the left-wing policies so that far fewer Govan Old Parish Church that night. left have been wanting - and waiting would have supported either the for – for at least a generation. He spoke eloquently and passionately independence or the SNP. But that as about his different vision of society, Indeed, there are many citizens we know has not been the case and based on need not greed and in Scotland who might have been Scottish Labour elects its own leader. community and compassion, not attracted to stay with Labour had We await to see whether Dugdale competition. As the director of the such a person been the leader of will survive the likely drubbing that ScottishLeftReview Cover: Nadia Lucchesi Issue 96 November/December 2016 ([email protected]) Contents Proofing services: Bob Thomson Editorial comment: Back to the future and forward to the past ......................................3 and John Daly 16 days of action against gender-based violence Carole Ewart ........................................5 Communications and Securing equal protection from assault Claire Simpson ..................................................6 organisational development: Carole Ewart Spend now and save later Angela O’Hagan .....................................................................7 Editor Email: The women’s aid movement in Scotland: are we finished yet? Marsha Scott ................8 [email protected] Acknowledging violence in the workplace Lilian Macer ............................................... 10 Web: www.scottishleftreview.org Gender and the local elections Alison Dickie, Lesley Brennan ..................................... 11 Tel: 0141 424 0042 Socialism in a warming climate Stephen Low ............................................................... 12 Address: Turning Brexit into Lexit Neil Findlay and Alex Neil ...................................................... 14 Scottish Left Review, May, Corbyn and the retreat into traditionalism Peter Kerr ......................................... 15 741 Shields Road, Pollokshields, The great education governance review Bill Ramsay ................................................... 17 Glasgow G41 4PL Alternative for Germany – menace to Europe Victor Grossman .................................. 19 Printed by ‘I, Daniel Blake’ – interview with Ken Loach .................................................................. 21 Hampden Advertising Ltd, Book reviews Robin Jones, Emma Ritch, Donald McCormick and Sarah Collins ........... 23 70 Stanley Street, Glasgow G41 1JB, Vladimir McTavish’s Kick up the Tabloids ...................................................................... 27 Tel: 0141 429 1010 3 - ScottishLeftReview Issue 96 November/December 2016 Scottish Labour will receive in six members had a chance to vote, only his vision as ‘21st century socialism’. months’ time in the local elections. 70 more votes were cast compared to Historically, social democracy But even if she does not, it is by no 2014, up from 34,934 to 35,004. has comprised not the abolition means certain that a left leader can or of capitalism but the reform of Nonetheless, the political earthquake will replace her. Scottish left MSPs are capitalism through state intervention represented by Corbyn and the not in large numbers and Scotland, to ameliorate the outcomes of the Corbynistas represents the best according to the Herald (18 October market. Public ownership and wealth chance in a long time to end the 2016), was the only part of Britain redistribution are among its key tools. Tweedledee and Tweedledum of which voted for Owen Smith and not ‘Parliamentary socialism’ – Labour mainstream politics in Scotland and Jeremy Corbyn (by 6,856 for Smith legislating for social democracy – is Britain, where despite apparent and 6,042 for Corbyn). the means. differences each major political The argument that possible party subscribes to not just a By, contrast, socialism is the abolition Corbynistas have, in fact, joined the particular version of capitalism of capitalism and political power SNP (given a Corbyn led Labour Party but the dominant current mode of directly wielded workers (through was not an option until September capitalism, namely, neo-liberalism. a new form of democracy) for 2015 and the mass flow into the In the programme for the Corbyn they will now control and benefit SNP’s ranks began immediately after lecture, we reprinted the editorial from the ownership of the means the referendum result in September that Jimmy Reid wrote for the first of production, distribution and 2014) is questioned by the outcome edition of Scottish Left Review in exchange. of the SNP depute leadership 2000. It, along with Jimmy’s column How socialism comes about is not contest.Editorial Just Committee 34% of the 120,000 odd in the Herald newspaper (collected likely to be a repeat of the October members voted and Angus Robertson in his book published in 2000 1917 revolution in Russia, involving won with enough first preferences called Power without Principles – as it did an insurrection and civil war. in the first round. Robertson was the New Labour’s Sickness and Other This is not least because an array of senior right wing candidate and the Essays), excoriated capitalism for the technologies are now different and two left candidates, Tommy Sheppard iniquities and inequalities it created. Scotland and Britain are advanced and Chris McEleny only got 29% But crucially and critically, it also capitalist economies (unlike Russia at between them. The turnout was also excoriated ‘new’ Labour for defending the time). But what we can say with down from 55% when Stewart Hosie and extending the reach and power some certainty is that the split in the won the position two years ago, of the neo-liberal form of capitalism. international socialist movement meaning that though 40,500 extra The abolition of Labour’s old Clause occasioned by the Russian revolution Four of its constitution is one that is still with us, solidifying (in 1995) committing the two types of commonly held Scottish Left Review itself to public ownership The Scottish Left Review is a non-profit making publication. version of radical new societies, and Blair’s praise of the Please subscribe or make a donation by going to www. namely, social democracy and (alleged) dynamism of scottishleftreview.org where you can pay by credit card socialism. We shall be revisiting these the market mechanism or by filling in your details in the form below and returning issues at some length in our next were what he took aim to Scottish Left Review, 741 Shields Road, Pollokshields, edition (January-February 2017) when Glasgow G41 4PL at. we ask apropos of the centenary of Name For those of us that the October revolution: ‘What can we are serious socialists, learn from dead Russians?’ there is a necessary Address discussion to be had on what is the definition of socialism and how the means of getting Tel: there relate to the ends Editorial Committee of what socialism is E-mail: or constitutes. What Bill Bonnar Bill Ramsay Jeremy Corbyn outlined Cat Boyd Lilian Macer Subscription/Donation at the Jimmy Reid annual Sarah Collins Gordon Morgan lecture and the week Date: Moira Craig Tommy 196 before at the Labour Carole Ewart Sheppard Subscriptions: £18 (waged), £14 (unwaged), £24 (local Party conference are Gregor Gall Dave Sherry organisations), £30 (national organisations). described as both Donations will be gratefully recieved. Cheques should be social democracy and Editor Stephen Smellie crossed and made payable to: Left Review Scotland Ltd. socialism. Indeed, Tommy Kane Bob Thomson You can also subscribe/donate online at www.scottishleftreview.org Corbyn has referred to Pat Kelly Convener 4 - ScottishLeftReview Issue 96 November/December 2016 16 days of action against gender-based violence Carole Ewart