By Jock Mulligan Allow me to introduce old Bricriu Nemthenga, or Bricriu Poison-Tongue. He’s a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, particularly famous in the tale of Fled Bricrenn (Bricriu’s Feast). He was a wealthy hospitaller, a man of means who was expected to provide hospitality, but his true nature was one of […]
Left Politics
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 […]
Left Recompostion CAN’T Include Red Brownism…
Although Daphne Lawless is in New Zealand, every word of this is familiar as the British left makes its moves to grind together again… My bottom line on Left recomposition is that I’ve found out, by experience, that there are a hell of a lot of people who call themselves Socialist who are reprehensible human […]
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 […]
Scottish Political Biographies: Rosie Kane.
Rosie Kane: A Life of Passionate Advocacy and Kindness Rosemary “Rosie” Kane, born on June 5, 1961, is a former Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) politician who served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow Region from 2003 to 2007. Rosie Kane’s journey into politics is rooted in her dedication to causes, […]
Golf: Socialism enclosed and privatised
By Jock Mulligan. The editor wanted to know why I hit a wee ball around a municiple gort. I said, “You want both barrels at once, do you? The socialist soul of the golf ball smashed against the exclusivity of the grand clubhouse, and all of it born on the windswept links of Scotland. That’s […]
Jane McAlevey: Unions Against Poverty
The Unwavering Backbone: Why Trades Unionists Stand as Guardians Against a Rising Tide… by Karen Orr The forest, in its vast complexity, teaches us that collective strength is paramount. A single tree, standing alone, is vulnerable to the fiercest storm. But a grove, with roots intertwined and branches forming a dense canopy, can weather almost […]
The Musk/Zuckerberg/Bezos Dystopian Novel…
Fucking tech bros; those billionaires who read a bit of sci-fi and think they’re building the future, when really, they’re just building bigger cages. It’s enough to make me fucking spit, for sure. Fucking megalomaniacs, the lot. You have your Musks and your Bezoses, don’t you? Raving about Iain M. Banks’ Culture series and how […]
Why Alien Earth doesn’t Andor
By Jock Mulligan Andor is a fine piece of work, a real look at the grim reality of the whole damn thing. It’s not your usual space opera with a few lads waving light-sticks; this is the story of how the working-class and the oppressed had enough of the boot on their neck. It’s got […]
The Two Tier Patriarchal Medical Framework
Medicine for men has ignored millions of women in Scotland for hundreds of years, says Karen Orr. A woman’s place in society has been a perpetual struggle, and for far too long, that struggle has been compounded by a willful ignorance of a natural biological process: menopause. The medical establishment and corporate world, products of […]










