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Debate: Scotland and the age of James Connolly, colonialism and radicalism after “the left” page 7 “Celtic communism” page 14 radical feminist green No 28 / WINTER 2010-11 / £2 TWO CHEE RS FOR PARLIAMENT REFERENDUM – UK VOTING SYSTEM ice of nce (1, 2, 3 etc) your cho Place in order of prefere ns to the UK Parliament. voting system for electio AV … well it’s better ALTERNATIVE VOTE 2 than the way ST FIRST PAST THE PO 3 we elect the PROPORTIONAL UK Parliament TATION 1 REPRESEN at the moment! PLUS REVIEWS AND THE LAND LAY STILL THE MODERN SNP: FROM PROTEST TO ISSN 2041-3629 POWER NEOLIBERAL SCOTLAND: CLASS 01 AND SOCIETY IN A STATELESS NATION 9 772041 362003 MAGAZINE OF SCOTLAND’S DEMOCRATIC LEFT EDITORIAL Contents I Perspectives No 28, winter 2010-11 FROM AV TO AYE WRITE! Sketches from a small world ne of the concessions the Continuing the look at books 3Eurig Scandrett Liberal Democrats got from we have a historian’s view of Othe Conservatives as part of James Robertson’s acclaimed And Two cheers for AV the agreement to form a coalition the Land Lay Still , and a review of Stuart Fairweather, Peter government was a referendum to a collection charting the SNP’s rise 5McColl and David Purdy change the voting system for to power. Westminster elections. However, Aye Write!, running from 4th to The age of radicalism the option for change will not 12th March, is Glasgow’s book after “the left” include proportional representa - festival, now in its sixth year. 7Gerry Hassan tion (PR), the Lib Dems’ preferred Democratic Left Scotland, with the method. Instead we will, depend - invaluable assistance of Scottish The dangers of the ing on how the skirmishing Left Review and political commen - third way between the House of Lords and tator and writer, Gerry Hassan, 9Doug Bain the government develops, be has become an Event Partner, and offered the option of replacing the has organised as a strand within The lie of the land current first-past-the-post (FPTP) the festival a series of discussions Catriona MM system with the alternative vote on the theme of Reimagining 11 Macdonald (AV). AV is better than FPTP, and Scotland. Details of these events, should be supported, but falls far how to get tickets and full infor - James Connolly, short of PR. To complicate the mation on the festival are on page colonialism and matter further there are other 4 of this issue. 14 “celtic strings attached. All is explained To coincide with Aye Write!, communism” on page 5. which includes a 30th anniversary Willy Maley Since the days of Thatcherism exhibition dedicated to the publi - and the rise of neo-liberalism, the cation of Alasdair Gray’s Lanark , Book review – The left in Scotland, Britain and indeed the next issue of Perspectives will be modern SNP much of Europe has lost its bal - published at the beginning of 19 Michael Gardiner ance. The question of how to March. It will include material of arrest this decline in fortunes is relevance to the book festival and Book review – controversial and reflected in con - also the launch of a new series of NeoLiberal tributions by Gerry Hassan, who six articles by writer and broadcast - 22 Scotland believes that we need to move er Lesley Riddoch, on the people. David Purdy beyond the historical categories of places and politics of Scotland. left and right, and Doug Bain, who I Letters and To ensure you get your copy of Diary argues for the continuing rele - contributions Perspectives , why not take out a Maire McCormack is vance of left-wing thought and (which we may subscription? See the back cover of 26 The Hat activity, and against notions of edit) are this issue for details. there being a “third way”. welcome and And, if you are within striking The theme of neo-liberalism and should be sent distance of Glasgow, why not join the left response is also taken up by to the editor – us at some of the Aye Write! events? a new book, NeoLiberal Scotland , contact details Sean Feeny reviewed on page 22. below. Editor Perspectives is published four times a year by Democratic Left Scotland, Number Ten, 10 Constitution Road, Dundee DD1 1LL Tel: 01382 819641 / e: [email protected] / www.democraticleftscotland.org.uk ISSN 2041-3629 Editor: Sean Feeny / Depute editor: Davie Laing / Circulation and promotions manager: David Purdy Articles in Perspectives are copyright. Requests to reproduce any part of the magazine should be addressed to the editor. Copy deadline for issue 29 is Friday 18th February 2011. For further information on Perspectives or to submit articles or letters, contact: The Editor, Perspectives, Democratic Left Scotland, Number Ten, 10 Constitution Road, Dundee DD1 1LL e: [email protected] Printed by Hampden Advertising Ltd, 70 Stanley Street, Glasgow G41 1JB. 2 / WINTER 2010-11 / PERSPECTIVES 28 EURIG SCANDRETT SKETCHES FROM A SMALL W RLD ’m writing this immediately after the Westminster Prince undisciplined outbreaks of window smashing with parliamentary vote on raising tuition fees in Charles and systematic thuggery simply recruits more people to IEngland, and the media coverage of the the ranks of those looking for a fight with the police. “violence”. I wasn’t in London for the protest (I was Camilla were The next time the violent contingent on the at the Edinburgh protest – no violence so very little merely going demonstrators’ side will probably be better armed, media interest) so I only have the media to go on, but about their and even worse, there may be many people put off it is clear that coverage and comment is in danger of from demonstrating. losing any sense of proportion. normal Now that Cameron and Clegg have got into their Actually there seemed to be very little violence at business of stride of inflicting violence on the country surpassing the student demonstrations. There was some damage decadence at what Thatcher achieved, I’ve been wondering what it of property, some smashed windows at the treasury (a would have taken for people of my generation to legitimate target by anybody’s calculus) and an attack taxpayers’ stop Thatcher in her tracks. Not more violence. on a royal car (opportunistic, and although not expense. There was plenty of fighting and police malpractice relevant to the student fees debate, at least a then, whether in the black youth ghettos of London legitimate target in terms of gaining publicity). There or the coalfields throughout the country – although were a fair number of protestors who were spoiling eventually “riots” did finish off the poll tax. Even the for a fight with police, and a lot of police inflaming IRA bomb in Brighton didn’t succeed. Violence gets the situation with their kettlings and cordons directly publicity but is unlikely to get results. But Cameron confronting marchers and using batons and horses as and Clegg need to be stopped before they do too weapons, largely against sticks and paint bombs. much more damage. As Sir Hugh Orde, President of There was one serious injury of a protestor, caused by the Association of Chief Police Officers (not a known a violent attack by police. radical) has noted, just like in Thatcher’s time, we’re Violence is of course a traditional part of already seeing a politicisation of the police with the demonstrations – regrettable, but almost inevitable. force being used to facilitate the imposition of A confrontation at this level will attract people on government policy against those who will suffer both sides who are looking for a fight. Despite from it. violence being almost predictable, the media treat it The outcome of the climate talks in Cancun is as newsworthy so that violence guarantees news disastrous again, just like Copenhagen. Unlike coverage where a peaceful demonstration usually gets Copenhagen, which ended with no agreement, none. The paint bomb attack on the car of Prince Cancun has ended with an agreement that Charles and Camilla, who have nothing to do with greenhouse gases need to be reduced, but not by vote on tuition fees and were merely going about whom, by how much or when. The decision to their normal business of decadence at taxpayers’ transfer money to the global South to deal with the expense, ensured that publicity reached the front climate disaster which we seem to be unable to stop, page of most newspapers. The Metropolitan Police is as likely to be fulfilled as the Global Climate Fund Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said armed established with Kyoto, or the Global Environment police had shown “enormous restraint”, Fund set up at the Earth Summit in 1992 – none of presumably because they didn’t gun down which reached anywhere near their original targets. unarmed protesters. There is still no recognition that we – the rich The Metropolitan Police are clearly out of countries – have already used up more than our share control and their political masters have lost any sense of the atmosphere. On the contrary, capitalists can of their purpose. The point of police on keep making money from a wrecked climate, and it is demonstrations is to protect the right of citizens the poor who will be the victims. to protest. There is always a minority of But one interesting development is that the people who attend protests in order to talks were attended by the Jewish National fight the police, so the job of the police Fund which is increasingly portraying should be to defuse the violence, not itself in an environmental frame. Until inflame it. There’s nothing professional very recently I knew nothing about the about hitting out with a truncheon – JNF and could have been fooled into most young men can do that without believing that they were a legitimate training.

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