No Space Left?

Over the past forty years, while activists on the Left have battled to retain our movement's collective ideas, stories, knowledge and experience, our physical spaces in which these are shared and spread have diminished.

The effects of Thatcherism, the decline of the organised labour and trade union movement, as well as the eroding of public space and increasing costs of renting private space means that for many left-wing groups, the ability to organise effectively and in-person has been seriously diminished. 

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On top of this, the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated pre-existing trends towards online forms of organising, methods which embraced digital and social media over face-to-face connections and in-person meetings.

PEN Scotland was set up by a group of likeminded activists in 2015 who all subscribed to one simple idea: that through education, we can find our liberation. Ten years on, and after hosting film nights, hosting guest speakers, organising seminars, book groups, and running weekend schools on everything from community gardening to the history of capitalism, we have come to realise that our next project needs to be something much bigger, and more durable.

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For too long our movement has been homeless. We need to change that. We need a place to meet. A place to learn. A place to socialise. And importantly, a place to organise. 

PEN Scotland also wants to find a home for our growing library, the bulk of which come from a collection bequeathed to us by our dear friend and comrade Brian Lewis. Brian died suddenly in 2024, leaving behind over 1,500 books, pamphlets, newspapers and articles, dating back over fifty years.

We want to get Brian’s books out of storage and create a space that will allow his entire collection to be enjoyed by everyone. We want to create a space that is not owned or controlled by any one part of our movement, but enjoyed and shared as widely as possible.

PEN Scotland is putting a call-out to anyone in the movement who shares our vision of a space which can be used by the entire movement and over which there is a sense of shared ownership.

If you want to join us in our search for and attempts to establish a Left space in Glasgow, one that belongs to the whole movement, please reach out to us by email: penscotland@gmail.com