The Scottish Republican Socialist Movement (SRSM) is a

political organisation A political organization is any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, and special interest advocacy groups. Political organizations are those engaged in politica ...

that was formed out of the now defunct Scottish Republican Socialist Party (SRSP), a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

that operated in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The SRSM campaigns for Scottish independence at a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

level and through cross-party organisations like Independence First, and organises regular events, including the annual 1320

Declaration of Arbroath The Declaration of Arbroath ( la, Declaratio Arbroathis; sco, Declaration o Aiberbrothock; gd, Tiomnadh Bhruis) is the name usually given to a letter, dated 6 April 1320 at Arbroath, written by Scottish barons and addressed to Pope John ...

rally, the Glencoe rally, and the John MacLean commemoration. It publishes two magazines, called ''Scottish Worker's Republic'' and ''Red Duster''.

History

Formation

The Scottish Republican Socialist Clubs were formed in 1973 to introduce socialism to the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...

(SNP) and grow support for Scottish independence among the left. After the expulsion of the

79 Group The 79 Group was a faction within the Scottish National Party (SNP), named after its year of formation, 1979. The group sought to persuade the SNP to take an active left-wing stance, arguing that it would win more support, and were highly critic ...

from the SNP, the Republican Clubs decided to form a coherent political party and the Scottish Republican Socialist Party was created in 1982. While agreeing with the SNP insofar that they believed in independence, the SRSP believed this should be combined with support for revolutionary socialism. They argued that independence is meaningless to the working class unless it is socialist, and adopted an

abstentionist Abstentionism is standing for election to a deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business. Abstentionism differs from an election boycott in that abstentionists participate in ...

position towards UK general elections.

Affiliation to the Scottish Socialist Party (1998–2006)

In 1998, the

Scottish Socialist Party The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP; gd, Pàrtaidh Sòisealach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Socialist Pairtie) is a left-wing political party campaigning for the establishment of an independent socialist Scotland. The party was founded in 1998. It c ...

(SSP) was formed and the SRSP narrowly decided to join them, reforming as a cross-party movement called the Scottish Republican Socialist Movement. Many members ended up within the SSP, but not exclusively. In December 2004, the SRSM was designated as a banned organisation by the SNP because of its affiliation with the Scottish Socialist Party. As a result, SNP members were no longer allowed to be members of the SRSM. The SRSM was active in campaigning against attempts within the SSP to ditch the policy of supporting independence. It succeeded at persuading high-profile SSP members like

Alan McCombes Alan William McCombes (born 1955) has been a leading member of the Scottish Socialist Party for several years, and was the editor of the ''Scottish Socialist Voice'' until 2003. With Tommy Sheridan, he was also author of Imagine: A Socialist Visi ...

Rosie Kane Rosemary "Rosie" Kane (née McGarvey) (born on 5 June 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish Socialist Party politician. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow Region from 2003 to 2007. Political history Introduction to pol ...

, and Kevin Williamson to speak at its rallies and for its cause. The SRSM twice attempted to entrench a commitment to Scottish independence in the SSP's constitution. In 2005, there were calls for the SRSM to be ejected from the SSP due to its vocal support for the

Irish Republican Socialist Party The Irish Republican Socialist Party or IRSP ( ga, Páirtí Poblachtach Sóisialach na hÉireann) is a Marxist-Leninist and republican party in Ireland. It is often referred to as the "political wing" of the Irish National Liberation Army (I ...

and other Irish political groups that have been characterised as "opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process". In the ''

Sunday Herald The ''Sunday Herald'' was a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published between 7 February 1999 and 2 September 2018. Originally a broadsheet, it was published in compact format from 20 November 2005. The paper was known for having combined a centre- ...

'', journalist

Paul Hutcheon Paul Hutcheon is a Scottish political journalist who currently serves as Investigations Editor for the ''Sunday Herald''. In 2006, while serving as political editor for the ''Sunday Herald'', he won both Journalist of the Year and Political Journ ...

characterised the movement as having "web-links to Irish terror groups". John Patrick, a member of the SRSM and the SSP's animal rights spokesperson, insisted that the SRSM had no political links to organisations in Ireland but had a relationship "based on solidarity in trying to break up the British state".

Disaffiliation and later activity (2006–present)

In October 2006, the SRSM announced that it was disaffiliating from the Scottish Socialist Party, citing unhappiness with unionist elements within the party and the failure of their third attempt to entrench a commitment to independence in the party constitution. The SRSM confirmed it would continue to operate as a cross-party organisation, and a "minority" of SRSM members remained part of the SSP. In September 2012, the SRSM were banned from participating in the 2012

March and Rally for Scottish Independence The March and Rally for Scottish Independence was a demonstration in support of Scottish independence that had taken place in Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, in both 2012 and 2013. It was originally set to take place again in 2014, shortly befor ...

in Edinburgh, because reports circulated by the Better Together campaign characterised the SRSM as "a group who regularly burn Union flags, attack the Queen, glorify terrorism and advocate a violent Scottish revolution". The SRSM's organiser, Donald Anderson, responded by stating the organisation "do not have any intention of burning flags at the Edinburgh rally", and that: "We will be there as individuals carrying Saltires, despite Unionist objections to our national flag. The Imperialist Union flag is not called the 'butcher's apron' for nothing." The organisation reaffirmed and also updated its key values/demands at its Ard Fheis on Saturday 29 November 2014. The SRSM stands for: *Independent Scottish Socialist Republic *A Scotland that is nuclear free and out of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

*A democratic society based on a sustainable economy and workers' control. The organisation is cross party and non-party and endeavours to work with all other organisations that share its goal of an independent Scotland. The organisation organises a number of annual events including a republican

Burns Night A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), the author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, known as Burns Night ( sc ...

and commemorations at Glencoe, Arbroath and

Bannockburn Bannockburn ( Scottish Gaelic ''Allt a' Bhonnaich'') is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing i ...

. Its main annual event however is the John Maclean March and Rally each November. The Honorary President and Treasurer is Donald Anderson.

References

External links