Riddoch’s Scotland – Eigg: God appears before the House of No man is an island page 9 Commons select committee page 24 radical feminist green No 31 / WINTER 2011-12 / £2 AT LANTIC DEPRESSION HOW CAN WE AVOID ANOTHER GREAT RECESSION? PLUS PRETTY NASTY: THE COSMETIC COVER-UP ISSN 2041-3629 THE PENSIONS DISPUTE: WHAT NEXT? THE JIMMY 01 REID FOUNDATION SKETCHES FROM A SMALL WORLD THE FERAL SUPERCLASS REVIEWS DIARY 9772041362003 MAGAZINE OF SCOTLAND’S DEMOCRATIC LEFT EDITORIAL Contents I Perspectives No 31, winter 2011-12 ECONOMICS AND INDEPENDENCE Sketches from a small world here are two great issues that that might avert lengthy and debil - 3Eurig Scandrett are likely to dominate Scottish itating recession. Tpolitics over the next few The dark cloud cast by the Atlantic depression years: the continuing financial financial crisis is picked up by David Purdy crisis and the run-up to the SNP other contributors: Stuart 5 Scottish government’s promised Fairweather on the (at the time of referendum on independence, now writing) unresolved public sector No man is an island pencilled in by Alex Salmond for pensions issue, following the huge Lesley Riddoch autumn 2014. strike in November; and Erik 9 Taking the latter first, it is clear The whole Cramb writes about the feral from the UK coalition govern - debate has superclass who appear to owe loy - Pretty Nasty ment’s recent intervention, seeking alty to no-one – apart from them - Morag Parnell to lay down the law as to how and the power to selves. 13 when this referendum will be con - generate far 2011 marked the 40th anniver - ducted, that the whole debate over more heat sary of the UCS work-in. The role The Jimmy Reid independence has the power to of Jimmy Reid, who died eighteen Foundation generate far more heat than light if than light. months ago, in this landmark 16 Robin McAlpine the political parties have their way. industrial action has been the Given its momentous nature, this inspiration for a new organisation The pensions issue requires a rational and wide- that aims to bring fresh thinking to dispute ranging debate, involving all the left-wing politics in Scotland. 17 Stuart Fairweather people of Scotland and the many Jimmy Reid Foundation director and varied organisations to which Robin McAlpine explains. The feral they belong. Elsewhere, Morag Parnell looks superclass Indeed, Jenny Marra MSP, in her at the politics of personal beauty 19 Erik Cramb diary column (page 26), argues that and Lesley Riddoch continues her the big question of independence series on Scotland by examining Book review: deserves big answers and they will the island community of Eigg, and 1707 and all that need to be explained and debated what it might teach the rest of the 20 Alf Young over the next two and a half years. country. Perspectives intends to be there, Book-wise, Alf Young reviews an Book review: raising the questions and teasing updated volume on Scotland’s The roots of New out answers, so, if you don’t have a constitutional future and Eric 21 Labour subscription already, please com - I Letters and Shaw examines a study of the poli - Eric Shaw plete the form on the back cover contributions tics of New Labour. and be with us for the debate of a (which we may And finally, a big thank-you to God appears lifetime. edit) are regular contributor Tim Haigh for before the House On the economic front, with the welcome and recording another conversation 24 of Commons euro in seeming interminable should be sent the rest of us might so easily have select committee crisis, David Purdy asks if we can to the editor – missed. Tim Haigh avoid another Great Depression, contact details Sean Feeny and maps out a three plank policy below. Editor Diary Jenny Marra MSP is Perspectives is published four times a year by 26 The Hat 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 32 is Friday 27th January 2012. 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 2011-12 / PERSPECTIVES 31 EURIG SCANDRETT SKETCHES FROM A SMALL W RLD early 20 years ago, apartheid in South Africa We led a There have been regular protests against the was brought down by a combination of disruption of supermarket Tesco for consistently breaking the Ncommunity protest, violent uprising, boycott of Israel by stocking Israeli products. In international boycott and skilled negotiation by the IPO September, a “flash mob” entered Tesco in Nelson Mandela and the other leaders of the ANC. concert at Cannonmills, Edinburgh where Israeli products are In Scotland at the time, after more than a decade of the Royal on sale. A choir amongst the protesters burst into centralised British Thatcherism which the Scots song close to the checkouts, singing (to the tune of consistently and increasingly rejected, a head of Albert Hall Bye Bye Love ) “don’t buy dates / don’t buy Jaffa fruit steam was building to challenge this democratic by singing an / don’t buy Israeli goods / there’s a boycott going deficit. A group of activists from Scottish Education adaptation on …” before being hustled out by over-zealous and Action for Development (SEAD) visited the security staff. newly democratic South Africa, and met with fellow of The Scottish Low Carbon Investment conference, activists for mutual learning on protest, democracy, Beethoven’s held in Edinburgh, was sponsored by RBS, which popular education and appropriate development. Ode to Joy. bankrolls many high carbon emitting industries, Amongst the many insights which the SEAD activists including the Alberta tar-sands extraction, in which came back with was the role which political song had large areas of fragile ecosystem on First Nation played in mobilising, educating and inspiring protest Canadian lands are destroyed to extract the oil during the years of resistance to apartheid. residues. Friends of the Earth Scotland drew Song has played an important role in protest in delegates’ attention to this greenwash with their “girl Scotland, and in recent years seems to have band” performing outside. Watch it on developed new roles in the politics of dissent here http://youtu.be/V26AyA8ZKGI. and across Britain. The Edinburgh-based political The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) was choir Protest in Harmony formed after the invasion invited to perform during the Proms concert season. of Iraq. Amongst the thousands who angrily This constitutes a breach of the cultural boycott of protested against this act of criminal aggression, Israel, with the IPO actively representing themselves which Tony Blair had led ostensibly in our name, as ambassadors for the state of Israel, defenders of its were many who felt frustrated that megaphone policies of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and chanting and slogan shouting were the only forms of apartheid conditions of segregation and differential protest. It seemed like the only way in which the rights of Jewish and non-Jewish citizens. Attempts voice of dissent could be made was in the same were made to have the invitation to the IPO language of belligerent and somewhat masculine cancelled, to no avail – on the contrary, London aggression that many of us wanted to challenge. Philharmonic Orchestra musicians who had signed Music on the march was a missing component. A letters to the press were disciplined for their action! group of activists gathered to form a group which A group of London-based anti-Zionist Jewish would acquire a repertoire of protest songs, old and activists (Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods), new, to be sung on demonstrations in addition to the including professional musicians, mobilised a protest shouted chants (www.protestinharmony.org.uk). “choir”, which I joined. We led a disruption of the Now well established, with its monthly rehearsals IPO concert at the Royal Albert Hall by singing – regularly attracting more than 50 people, Protest in during a quiet section of Webern’s Passacaglia – an Harmony has become a regular feature on marches adaptation of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy with these in Scotland such as October’s People First march of words (try it at home): “Israel end your occupation / trades unions, faith groups, anti-poverty and welfare Palestine must now be free / ethnic cleansing and campaigners protesting against the cuts. Protest in apartheid / should belong to history”. This Harmony also joined a number of other political disruption, plus later interruptions by activists choirs throughout Britain for a massed singing chanting slogans, led the BBC to stop its on the TUC March For The Alternative in live coverage of the Prom. The March. disgraceful action of the Proms and Imaginative use of song is also finding its BBC of breaking the cultural boycott way into other forms of protest, extending led to the first interruption of a what the sociologist Charles Tilly called concert in the Proms’ history. The the repertoire of contention. Here are full story and links to the protest just a few examples from September on facebook from that I’m aware of. http://jews4big.wordpress.com/ PERSPECTIVES 31 / WINTER 2011-12 / 3 People and politics In Scotland, as in the rest of Britain, there is widespread disillusionment with politics.