Scottish Socialist Freedom Group

Aims and Principles of the The Scottish Socialist Freedom Group

The SSFG is an organisation of revolutionary class struggle that will result in an Independent Socialist Republic of Scotland.  We aim for the abolition of the United Kingdom, all hierarchy, and work for the creation of a world-wide classless society.  

Capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class by the ruling class.  But inequality and exploitation are also expressed in terms of race, gender, religion, sexuality, health, ability and age, and in these ways one section of the working class oppresses another.  This divides us which benefits the ruling class.  

We believe that fighting racism and sexism is as important as other aspects of the class struggle. A Republic of Scotland cannot be achieved while sexism and racism still exist.  In order to be effective in their struggle against their oppression both within society and within the working class, women, lesbians and gays, and black people may at times need to organise independently.  However, this should be as working class people as cross-class movements hide real class differences and achieve little for them.  Full emancipation cannot be achieved without the abolition of capitalism and this cannot be done without the destruction of its founder, the United Kingdom.   

As well as exploiting and oppressing the majority of people, Capitalism threatens the world through war and the destruction of the environment.

It is not possible to abolish Capitalism without a revolution, which will arise out of class conflict. The ruling class must be completely overthrown to achieve true Scottish Independence and freedom. Because the ruling class will not relinquish power without their use of armed force, this revolution will be a time of violence as well as liberation.

Unions by their very nature cannot become vehicles for the revolutionary transformation of society.  They have to be accepted by capitalism in order to function and so cannot play a part in its overthrow.  Trades unions divide the working class (between employed and unemployed, trade and craft, skilled and unskilled, etc).  Even syndicalist unions are constrained by the fundamental nature of unionism.  The unions have to be able to control its membership in order to make deals with management.  Their aim, through negotiation, is to achieve a fairer form of exploitation of the workforce.  The interests of leaders and representatives will always be different from ours.  The boss class is our enemy, and while we must fight for better conditions from it, we have to realise that reforms we may achieve today may be taken away tomorrow.  Our ultimate aim must be the complete abolition of wage slavery.  Working within the unions can never achieve this.  

Genuine liberation can only come about through the revolutionary self activity of the working class on a mass scale.  A Socialist Scotland means not only co-operation between equals, but active involvement in the shaping and creating of that society during and after the revolution As Scottish Republicans we organise in all areas of life to try to advance the revolutionary process.  We believe a strong organisation is necessary to help us to this end.  Unlike other so-called socialists we do not want power or control for our organisation.  We recognise that the revolution can only be carried out directly by the working class.  However, the revolution must be preceded by organisations able to convince people of the Socialist Republican alternative and method.  We participate in struggle as Scottish Republicans.  We reject sectarianism and work for a united revolutionary Scottish Freedom movement. 

The Declaration of the Scottish Republic

To the people of Scotland:   Scotland, through us, strikes for her freedom. We declare the right of the people of Scotland to the ownership of Scotland, and to the control of Scottish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished. In every generation the Scottish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty, they have asserted it both in arms and through political institutions. Standing on that right, we hereby proclaim the Scottish Republic as a Sovereign Socialist Independenct State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare, and its place among the Independent nations of the World.

The Scottish Republic is entitled to the allegiance of every Scot. The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, oblivious to the differences carefully fostered by a foreign government, which have divided us in the past and present.

We place the cause of the Scottish Republic under the protection of the sovereignty of the Scottish people, and we demand that all those who serve the cause honour it with dignity. In this supreme hour the Scottish nation must sacrifice themselves for the common good, proving itself worthy of the destiny to which it is called. 


Signed by

The Scottish Socialist Freedom Group

Scottish Socialist Freedom Group joint Statement on Ireland (by Scottish and American Chapter)

Dear comrades, brothers and sisters.

The SSFG call for the unconditional end to the occupation of Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan by British forces in these countries.

That the British government must allow immediately for a referendum in the 32 Counties of Ireland for the Irish people on the island of Ireland to decide as a unit on their future.

An end to British military activity, policing and agencies of covert operations; MI5, MI6, and all the other corollary instruments of oppression and intelligence gathering in the Irish Free State and the North of Ireland.

An end to harrassment of Republicans on the island of Ireland.

Non recognition of the quasi British parliament Stormont in occupied Ireland.

The release of all Irish political prisoners and during this process the immediate repatriation of political prisoner Noel Maguire to be near his family as is his right as an Irish citizen and under the terms of his European rights as a citizen as well.

That the SSFG call for the maximum solidarity with Irish POWs this Christmas and recognise their full entitlement to political status.

We support the march to Scottish, Irish, Welsh and Breton freedom and our express belief in the building of Socialist Republics in the Celtic countries and around the world.

ENDS
SSFG Alba Comunn
SSFG US Chapter

Socialism and independence

The Scottish Socialism Freedom Group support the right of Scotland to self-determination and independence however believe the interests of the nation are best served by a Scottish democratic socialist society in the form of a republic.  We reject both the politics of the unionists and constitutinal nationalists as the former offer more of the same in a failed British capitalist system while the latter seek to make capitalism work in Scotland. Constitutional parliamentary means will never deliver socialism to deal with the far reaching problems of ineqauliity in Scotland. We remain faithfull to ideas and beliefs or writings of Marx, Connolly and MacLean. However we are not against voting in Scottish and local elections to attempt to secure more democracy however urge voting for a  pro-independence party while only seeing this as not a means to an end but merely progress. A means to an end is to remain faithful only to the idea of socialist revolution in action and the Scottish Socialist Republic in a New Scotland. 

Scottish Socialist Freedom Group Manifesto

Note the updating of this site and manifesto is presently ongoing.

The work on the manifesto is presently being done and is almost complete. Updating on this will be at regular intervals or daily. The manifesto provides a basic outline of how an Independent Socialist Scotland can be developed in various area of society and social transformation in a New Scottish Republic.  The manifesto should mould our beliefs  as Scottish Republican Socialists in Old Scotland and our vision for a new transformation of Scottish society based on socialism and not wealth and greed.