The Case for Left Wing Nationalism

Spanning four politically and socially tumultuous decades, Stephen Maxwell’s writings explore the origins and development of the modern Scottish Nationalist movement. As an instrumental member of the SNP and a life-long socialist, Maxwell’s work provides an engaging contemporary insight into the debate over Scottish independence, setting out a clear ideological and practical arguments for a socially just Scotland.

The Case for Left Wing Nationalism – Maxwell’s seminal 1981 pamphlet – considers the historical and cultural roots of Scottish national identity and stresses the importance of a realistic understanding of the past as the basis of a more prosperous, independent future. It concludes with Hugh MacDiarmid’s prescription for a Scottish renaissance: Not Traditions – Precedents.

Stephen Maxwell STEPHEN MAXWELL was active in the debate on Scotland's political future for four decades. A native of Edinburgh, he studied at the universities of Cambridge and the London School of Economics before teaching and researching in international politics at the universities of Sussex and Edinburgh and at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, London. He was the SNP's national press officer between 1973 and 1977 and subsequently a Lothian Regional Councillor and director of the SNP's campaign for a Yes vote in the 1979 Scottish Assembly referendum. Until October 2009 he was Associate Director of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.

Jamie Maxwell JAMIE MAXWELL is a Scottish political journalist. He has contributed to New Statesman and The Scotsman, and is currently on the editorial team of Bella Caledonia.