John Maclean

Frae Wikipedia

John Maclean (1879-1923) wis born in Glesgae, Scotland intae a faimily o Hieland oreegin frae the Isle o Mull. Maclean becam a dominie an syne gaed tae the Varsity o Glesgae, graduatin wi a Maister o Airts degree (Maclean aye uised MA efter his name whan bein setten furth efterhaund). Maclean is seen as ane o the chief feegurs o the Reid Clydeside era.

Maclean becam convinced that the staundart o livin o the wirkin-clesses coud be made better throu the uptak o Marxist thocht juist, an he jynt the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), an bydit in the organisation as it formed the Breitish Socialist Pairty. Bi the time o Warld Weir I his socialism wis o a revolutionary mak, altho he wrocht wi ithers on the left that's socialism wisna, sic as his freend James Maxton. He strangly opponed the weir acause he felt it wis a weir o imperialism that sheddit wirkers ane frae the ither.

His poleitics made him weel kent tae the authorities o the time, an in 1915 he wis seckit frae his teachin post. Acause o this, he becam a fou-time Marxist lecturer an organiser, eddicatin ither Glaswegian warkers in Marxist theory. He later foondit the Scots Labour College.

In Warld Weir I he wis yauld in anti-weir groups an wis pitten in the jyle for his ettles in 1916, anerlie bein lowsed efter left-wing demonstrations follaein the Roushian Revolution in Februar 1917.

Maclean wis made Soviet Consul in Scotland bi Lenin as a gratification for his revolutionary socialist ettles.

Acause he wis a revolutionary enemy o whit he saw as an imperialist weir MacLean steively opponed the staunce taen bi the heid-anes o the BSP aboot H. M. Hyndman. Houaniver, he wisna a pairt o the new leadership that replaced Hyndman in 1916.

Acause the BSP wis the chief constituent organisation that merged intae the new-formit Communist Pairty of Great Breitain, MacLean wis alienate frae the new pairty maugre o his uphaudin o the Communist Internaitional. It seems that he micht hae becom a member o the Socialist Labour Pairty at this time for a while. Houaniver this wis aucht tae his growin belief that warkers in Scotland coud gang in a revolutionary airt quicker nor thair comrades in England an Wales.

It wis roond aboot this time that Maclean becam mair naitionalist in thocht an he eventually formed the Scots Warkers Republican Pairty that pit Communism an a belief in Scots unthirldom thegither.

Whan Maclean dee'd, his halth brucken by years o the jyle, several thoosand fowk lined the streets o Glesgae tae see his funeral procession gae by, sic the extent o his repute bi the time o his death.

He left a legacy that haes efterhaund been claimed baith bi the Scots Naitionalist an Labour muvements, makkin him aamaist aesome in this respect amang Scotland's historical feigurs. The modren Scots Socialist Pairty lay strang claim tae Maclean's poleitical legacy, in parteicular the Scots Republican Socialist Muvement (a faction athin the SSP).