arrive in Britain full of hope (otherwise why come?), and many still believe that hard work, thrift, and conformity to the values of bourgeois society will bring rewards. (There are signs of revolt, of course • ike the Bradtord Asian Youth -but these are as yet few.)
And, we should not forget that apart from the very politicised, most Asians do not define themselves as black — when they speak of black people they mean West Indians or Africans.
Obviously socialists would like to see a united black movement, but it cannot be wished into existence. A lack of undersianding of the forces militating against it can only make solidarity work with racial minorities more difficult.
JENNY FLINTOFT, Campaign Against the Immigration Laws (in a personal capacity)
THE picket of Armagh jail which was supported by the women who travelled to Ireland from various parts of Britain was a hopeful sign that at last the WLM here will take up the struggle of their sisters in It was great that Socialist Challenge had half a page to tell everyone what is going on, but the actual reporting reflects some of the most vicious sectamanısm which al revolutionaries involved in building a solidarity campaign with the Irish struggle must avoid.
Descriptions like 'the Protestant population', 'a few Protestants hanging around' and 'a Protestant socialist feminist' reflect a crass ignorance of the way in which the British state has used religion to divide and rule.
But the repetition of the conversation about Protestant women not supporting the Armagh pickets because they are terrorists is the most serious. All Protestant women?
Have Valerie Coultas and Pauline Roe never sat in a women's liberation group in Britain where it has been almost impossible to talk about the Irish struggle because 'what has women's liberation to do Socialist Challenge 20 March 1980 Page 14 WHAT a disgraceful article you magnificent working class demonstration against the lory This demonstration, of at least 100,000, was the largest since the 1971 marches against Heath and — together with the opinion polls, which show that an election would willingness of workers to fight this government. Instead of pointing this out Socialist Challenge busied itself with spreading despondency and First, in an even-handed manner you split the difference between the police and TUC estimates of ridiculously low figure of 60,000. Instead you should have pointed out that the police estimate was a politically motivated attack on the attacks on paper sellers and Secondly, the article bemoaned that despite the 'valiant efforts' of some, ine atmosphere of the march was not up to that of an ANL carnival. That might be of interest to revolutionary tourists, comrades, but we assure you it's not the main concern of the hundreds of thousands of workers who want to bring down this government.
Were they to look to us for a lead in doing that, all they would find in the article is 'general strike plus rank and file organisation'. The problem of dealing with the Len Murrays and Moss Evanses of the labour movement is thus ignored. But, as the steelworkers are finding with Bill Sirs you can't do that. TURNBULL, Liverpool THREE Socialist Challenge supporters made separate counts of the 9 March demonstration. Jigures varied between 55,000 and 60,000.
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Avoid religious sectarianism