Palestine

October was a month of half-centenaries. The Hungarian uprising and the Suez War received wall to wall coverage. Another major event of October 1956, however, has been ignored in the British media – the slaughter by Israeli forces of 49 Arab citizens of Israel (including 23 children) in what has become known as the Kufr Qasim massacre.

 

Scotland

It was a great relief, arriving at the SSP conference on October 7, to participate in an event where the mood was so buoyant and confident. The SSP remains remarkably intact given what it has been through over the last two years – being dragged through the court by Tommy Sheridan’s decision to sue the NoTW for defamation after admitting that some of the allegations it made were true.

 

Scotland

Scottish Socialist Party MSP Frances Curran spoke at a meeting in London hosted by Socialist Resistance on October 27.This is an edited version of what she said.

 

Ireland

Ken Loach’s award-winning film The Wind That Shakes the Barley is set in Ireland in the 1920s when volunteer guerrilla armies of land workers fought Britain’s ruthless Black and Tan squads sent to block Ireland’s bid for independence. To mark the launch of the film on DVD its screenwriter Paul Laverty spoke at a recent Socialist Resistance meeting. Here is an edited version of his remarks.

 

Environment

November 4 saw the biggest protests on environmental issues ever to take place in Britain as 50,000 activists thronged to Trafalgar Square in the run up to the international climate change talks in Nairobi. The London protests were part of an international day of action that saw tens of thousands mobilised across the world. Sheila Malone explores the context of the movement in Britain