Democratic Left Scotland ''(na Deamocrataich Chli na Alba)'' is a non-party political organisation, membership of which is open to both those who belong to political parties and those who do not. DLS has members and supporters in the

Scottish Green Party The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party; gd, Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Green Pairtie) are a green political party in Scotland. The party has seven MSPs in the Scottish Parliament as of May 2021. As of the 20 ...

, the Scottish National Party and the Labour Party, and DLS members are active in a range of trade unions, community groups, networks and campaigns. Democratic Left Scotland does not stand in elections, though several Scottish left democrats are elected representatives through the political parties of which they are members, including Maggie Chapman, Scottish Green Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland, and a number of local councillors. ''(When he served as

Member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothians, Mark Ballard was active in DLS)''. The organisation currently has a particular profile in Dundee, and also has members and supporters in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Fife, south-west Scotland and other parts of the country. One of DLS’s key understandings is that ‘there is more to politics than parties’. It aims to offer spaces for people to come together to discuss ideas and policies, and to support them in their campaigning work. The organisation ‘promotes collaboration and alliances around values and possibilities’ rather than ‘positions’ and ‘programmes’. It aims to ‘engage in practical activities that help push forward a transformational politics that reflects the reality of people’s experience and their hopes for a different kind of society based on radical, feminist and green principles’.

History and international links

Democratic Left Scotland was formed as an autonomous organisation in May 1999, as the Scottish Parliament was being established. This involved an agreed separation from the UK-wide Democratic Left, which subsequently merged into the London-based campaigning organisation

Unlock Democracy Unlock Democracy is a British pressure group, based in London. The organisation campaigns for a more participatory democracy in Britain, founded upon a written constitution. Unlock Democracy works to promote democratic reform across the politica ...

. Democratic Left was the constitutional successor to the Communist Party of Great Britain ''(1920 – 1991)'', and so Democratic Left Scotland is the successor organisation to the CPGB in Scotland. This legacy does not define the organisation in any limiting way: although some current members were active in the ‘democratic’ /

Eurocommunist Eurocommunism, also referred to as democratic communism or neocommunism, was a trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties which said they had developed a theory and practice of social transformation more rele ...

wing of the CPGB, others were not, and the organisation ‘draws freely on a range of values and perspectives developed by socialists and Marxists, feminists, greens, anti-racists’ and others. Between 2002 and 2016, Democratic Left Scotland published a print magazine
Perspectives
It publishes occasional pamphlets, including one by

Neal Ascherson Charles Neal Ascherson (born 5 October 1932) is a Scottish journalist and writer. He has been described by Radio Prague as "one of Britain's leading experts on central and eastern Europe". Ascherson is the author of several books on the history ...

on the life and work of

Tom Nairn Tom Nairn (born 2 June 1932) is a Scottish political theorist and academic. He is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University. He is known as an essayist and a supporter of Scottish ...

Painting Nationalism Red?
''(This 2018 publication marked the presentation to

Dundee City Council Dundee City Council is the local government authority for the City of Dundee. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. History Dundee City became a single-tier council in 1996, under the Local Government e ...

of a portrait of

Nairn Nairn (; gd, Inbhir Narann) is a town and royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness, at the point where the River Nairn enters the Moray Firth. It is the tradi ...

by Sandy Moffat, which was commissioned by DLS)''. The organisation currently produces a regula
PDF newsletter
and publishes a range of ‘news, views, perspectives, reviews and reflections’ on th
Democratic Left Scotland website
Democratic Left Scotland defines itself as ‘a European organisation’ and is a partner organisation of the

Party of the European Left The Party of the European Left (PEL), commonly abbreviated European Left, is a European political party that operates as an association of democratic socialist and communist political parties in the European Union and other European countries. ...

, which organises left-wing, green and radical parties and networks across the continent.

References

External links

* Website
https://www.democratic-left.scot/
* Twitter: @demleftscotland Organizations established in 1998 Political advocacy groups in Scotland Political and economic think tanks based in the United Kingdom Think tanks based in Scotland {{poli-org-stub