By Jock Mulligan How can the rigorous moral architecture of the ancient Celts relate to today’s politics? Well, we can learn from folk history; much of it is a blueprint for a disciplined, ethical politics of its time- and let me suggest, the Left, especially in places like Scotland and Ireland, where the ghosts of […]
Human Rights
Notes 2: New York heralds the New Realism
Kathy O’Connor on Mamdani’s victory. It is an occupational hazard for anyone interested in American politics to become overwhelmed by rhetoric. The national conversation is so often conducted in italics and capital letters—TREASON, LOW-IQ, DEEP STATE—that the essential banality of governance, the stuff that determines whether your rent goes up or your subway runs on […]
Notes on the Structural Failure of Young America’s Scaffolding, and the New Realist Fightback
American Youth bite back. By Kathy O’Connor It’s difficult to say, exactly, when the future began to feel less like an aspiration and more like a poorly executed eviction notice. One felt compelled to conclude, watching the seemingly endless, granular erosion of American civil liberties—the systematic dismantling of protections for reproductive autonomy, the punitive erasure […]
Time to Die for Profits!
By Neil Scott I’m off work with covid. Imagine those words 5 years ago. Imagine a friend messaging that to you back then. Covid still can be dangerous for many people- and was deadly for many more half a decade ago. It killed family and friends -and work colleagues- and the devastating footage of people […]
Scottish Hallowe’en 2026: for our Fierce, Strong Women!
By “Gael” Reclaiming October 31st a Day for the Fierce Women of Scotland Last night when I was out walking our firework frightened dog, I watched women (mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts) and some men, trailing after children knocking doors for candy- doors sometimes decorated with those cheap hangings that are becoming the symbols of what […]
Karen Orr: How Many Working Class Americans will Kill and Die for Venezuelan Oil?
As swathes of English people are fooled into flag wars, and Americans are being groomed to hate oil rich Venezuela, Karen Orr explores the history of the working class dying for billionaires… The history of conflict is not the grand narrative of kings and causes taught in schools; it is, at its core, a sordid […]
The Scottish Struggle against Donald Trump
The relationship between Donald J. Trump and Scotland, the birthplace of his mother, Mary MacLeod, has been anything but harmonious. Despite significant investments in two high-profile golf resorts—Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire and Trump Turnberry in Ayrshire—his presence has been a prolonged saga of deep-seated civic and political resistance. This opposition began as a […]
Scottish Political Biographies: Mary Barbour
Mary Barbour, born Mary Rough in Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, in 1875, stands as one of Glasgow’s most profoundly kind and courageous champions for the working class. Her life was a testament to the power of community, compassion, and tireless activism, centered on the belief that dignity was a right, not a privilege. The Heart of ‘Mrs […]
Scottish Political Biographies: Ailsa McKay
Professor Ailsa McKay was a leading Scottish feminist economist, renowned for her dedication to challenging and evidencing the impact of economic policies on women. Born on May 25, 1963 (or June 7, 1963 in a separate source), she died on March 5, 2014, at the age of 50. Academic and Professional Career Ailsa McKay graduated […]
Scottish Political Biographies: John Maclean.
John Maclean was a man whose dedication to justice was an act of profound kindness to the working people of Scotland. John Maclean (1879–1923) was a Scottish schoolteacher and revolutionary socialist from the “Red Clydeside” era, who dedicated his tragically short life to educating and organising the working class. A Life Rooted in Empathy Maclean […]










