Flynn As Don Flynn, secretary of the LCI writes in the current edition of and Ireland:
It is absolutely essential that the present unsurge of interest in the political situation in Ireland should not be allowed to fade away All constituency parties will have a lamp-dowi moving The amendment reads: "Yur. thermore, conference calls on the NEC working party - on posals as its terms of reference for its researches and its finst report.* A RECENT advertisement in a new Irish magazine declared: schedules carefully worked out to meet the businessman's needs. Io help you make the time.' advert. What makes it interesting is the magazine in which it was placWorkers Life, a peculiarly named which "businessman's needs':
Worker's Life is the official organ of Sinn Fein, the Workers Party, past 11 years is an object lesson in Irish politics.
In August 1969 what was to become the leadership organisation was then in control of une irish kepuoncan Army, and Is political wing, hese split in 1970, Official Sinn - was one result; the Provisionals, the other.
The Officials quickly became known in Belfast as the Stickies' • occausc a nad gum on is back which tne bearer was meant to 'stick" on to his/her lapel.
Northern At the time of the split many saw the Officials as the left wing of the Republican movement, fly • LE most of your •The tire democratic tended to advertise Party of Ireland.
The Provisionals' the Catholic When Provisionals south of Ireland revelation on badge they distributed in the Irish magazine Magil Fail gold', but it has SFWP votes in the North of Ireland May 1973 local elections:
February 1974 Westminster elections:
October 1974 Westminster elections:
May 1979 Westminster elections:
June 1979 European elections:
was because the Stickies' had a left programme, critical within Republicanism, and had links with the Communist no trouble for government.
The Provisionals. bv. contrast at the time of the split, denounced the 'Marxism' of the Officials and IRA cuted t as one reason tor une sont other criticism was the failure of the leadership of LIOn population against the Loyalist attacks on the Catholic ghettos in August 1969. place.
There was a suspicion that the had been largely Inanced by memoers or tne greet Tory Fianna Fail party in the "The truth of this last rumour • has now been clarified by the recent Westminster as sottlicni 'arms crisis' of 1969/70 published Great Britain.' sionals did receive some Fianna that so too did the Officals. Both these payments took the form of Hence money by members of % of votes 3.0 3.1 2.2 2.4 1.7 0.8 Fianna Fail to the beleaguered Catnone population in tne north.
• The payments were also designed to ensure that Sinn rein causec the Fianna Fail A turner spectacular exposure from Magil is that two 'Stickies' in Army regularly informing on the IRA to the Southern Irish state forces It is unlikely that such infiltraexplains . Ine subsequent degeneration of the Officials, that degeneration The level to which it has now the reached is evident in SFWP support for: a devolved parliament in he North of Ireland; the H-Block policy of the British government: the increase of Unionist seats at la democratic and naturál sten in bringing Northeri Ireland into line with the rest of As a. consequence of such atbeeh revealed titudes SFWP now has hardly any support in the Catholic ghettos of the north. Its decline in votes is evi dent frout the table produced here The party fares a little better in ine soutn but is boast al tne las southern south win thee seats in the trish Arish proved hollow. policies in the South were summed us i a recent salemen bow president Thomas MacGiolla: *We do not attack the (Irish) Labour Palty, even wren we alsagree will what it says.' Behind such thinking, especially as far as the north is concerned is a theory about how 'socialism' can be brought about in Ireland - and it is a theory which is often repeated in Britain.
At its core is an insistence that before anything else can be con tween the northern Protestant an Catholic class. Conse quently SFWP. either not raise the national ques tion, or when it does to support th Lovas vasor one ssuf Unfortunately for the SFWP Loyalists have shown they in the first place, and the Catholic working class has totally abandoned SFWP because of its attitude to the national question.
The political degeneration of the Officials, as well as its decline in support, emphasise: that those in Ireland who do no put the issue of British presenee in Ireland to the forefront of thei thinking may as well take one ol those businessuen -trips to t
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Socialist Challenge 7 August 1980 Page 8 dimendment to the resolvines:
May 1975 Convention elections: May 1977 local elections: