In Scotland, a remarkable popular movement, the campaign for independence, is heading towards it decisive test. On September 18, a referendum is being held on whether the country will remain part of the 鈥淯nited Kingdom鈥.
To better understand the surge in pro-independence sentiment over the last weeks of the campaign, 麻豆传媒 Weekly's European correspondent Dick Nichols spoke with Alister Black, editor of the Scottish independent Marxist review .
Britain
If you were in Newport and Cardiff in south-east Wales during the first week of September, you might have thought you鈥檇 entered a warzone. Instead, it was simply the September 4 and 5 NATO Summit.
As NATO warships drifted ominously into the harbour and US Osprey and Nighthawk helicopters thundered in the sky, above mile after mile of steel fencing, disgruntled residents were left taking to Twitter to complain about their desks shaking at work.
鈥淭he amount of helicopters I have heard today makes it sound like we鈥檙e at war,鈥 one said.
Live coverage of a speech by Britain's Trade Union Congress general secretary Frances O鈥橤rady was cut off minutes after she had warned of a return to a 鈥淒ownton Abbey鈥 society, on September 8, 鈥渇or a newsflash announcing that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting her second child鈥.
In Place of Fear II: A Socialist Programme for an Independent Scotland
By Jim Sillars
Vagabond Voices Publishing, 2014
www.inplaceoffear.com
Jim Sillars is a well-known and well-respected figure on the Scottish political scene.
Elected a Labour Party MP for South Ayrshire in 1970, he shifted away from mainstream Labour Party politics due to his commitment to setting up a Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
The Scottish Socialist Party is pushing a 鈥測es鈥 vote in Scotland鈥檚 September 18 referendum on independence.
SSP national spokesperson Colin Fox is part of the Advisory Board of Yes Scotland, the cross-party campaign for Scottish independence. He wrote a pamphlet with a vision for what an independent Scotland could look like, called 鈥淔or a Modern, Democratic Republic鈥.
The Radical Independence Campaign released the largest public canvass sample in the referendum to-date on August 19 (see graphic).
The findings are in stark contrast to the official polling companies, and show that communities all over Scotland are simply not swallowing Project Fear.
Having been failed by decades of Westminster rule, and now facing the Tory cuts, privatisation and austerity, people are increasingly looking towards a Yes vote as a platform for social change.
Former British prime minister, and current United Nations鈥 Middle East 鈥減eace envoy鈥, Tony Blair has an insatiable appetite for cuddling up to despots and tyrants. This time it is Egypt's dictator, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, responsible for the mass murder of more than 1000 peaceful demonstrators.
We know it was the biggest protest in world history. We know that millions of people who'd never before felt like they could make their voices heard by taking action, marched in the streets of 800 cities to say 鈥淣ot In Our Name鈥; that they dared hope for peace, but were committed by their governments to a bloody and illegal war.
Hundreds of thousands of South African demonstrators marched through Cape Town on August 9 to protest against Israel鈥檚 military assault on Palestinians in Gaza, said the next day.
Organisers said it was one of the biggest rallies in the city since the end of apartheid.
Demonstrators carried posters stating 鈥淚srael is an apartheid state鈥 and 鈥淪top Israeli murder.鈥
Palestine solidarity activists in Britain declared victory on August 4 after the National Executive Council of the Nation Union of Students voted to pass a motion in solidarity with Palestine, and for an arms embargo against Israel, the next day.
The NEC motion condemned Israel鈥檚 lethal assault on and blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Jan Woolf is the cultural coordinator of the , a group that seeks to counter the celebratory narrative of the British government鈥檚 commemorations of World War I. She spoke to online radical cultural Red Wedge Magaize about the campaign鈥檚 use of art and media 鈥 both past and present 鈥 to communicate its message. It is abridged from .
***
Why was No Glory started?
Palestine solidarity protesters burned their TV licences in front of BBC Bristol鈥檚 HQ on July 28 in protest at the broadcaster鈥檚 biased coverage of Israel鈥檚 onslaught on Gaza.
Peace activists began their occupation of BBC Bristol鈥檚 grounds on July 23.
The act of civil disobedience came after campaigners handed a dossier to BBC bosses providing examples of biased reporting of Israel鈥檚 war on the Palestinians.
It came after the BBC issued 鈥渘otice to quit鈥 letters in past couple opf days threatening court action if the protesters don鈥檛 end their 鈥渋llegal occupation.鈥
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