National Union Railwaymen executive Geoff Revell told sense. me meenue wal al sectors ed. He said that the crisis we political in nature, therefore demands a pontical response get • membersio to understand the necessity for prolonged struggle political tion, Revell HE NUR ecutives decision to rise ine referred full power of the union defend the membership means LOR. This fighting mood was taken up by many speaker:
the , TOOT.
Hemsby, seranar said: is be for the NUR to take the lea The Tory cuts will mean thousands 01 across the public sector, and everal unions representing TOT IWO Wacks vi sula action against lie governs ment starting 2 February.
Alf Sherwood, convenor of the building unions in the plications of the cuts:
we're playing USE DON a cat and mouse game with We can't be sure cuts will Deal reducTONS in the Whitehall will grant irom least a Inousan redundancies borough. We're flatly refus Have anything to do with redundancies. Pressure "This is why industrial action needed right the Lully.
DICSSUIC
hronent to bear me codes will not be able to ignore us.
Our members would rather lose a fortnight's wages and hoht me covernment mad lose their jobs altogether.
By Ann Henderson, NUS executive (in personal capacity)
OVER 20,000 students marched in London and 5,500 in Glasgow last Friday to demand:
Hands off our unions.
demonstrations June were orcaused •y lae lational Union of Students, in in suppe will have to Col struct a new triple alliance miner rs, steelworkers, and railworkers. sailuld be broadened outhis a general surine.
But member Wolverhampton want the union fight for us before, don't sell us out now.
Stephens, Caroine assistant secretary moved resolution that the executive shona socciy a date strike members at the meeting renained stoneyfaced as declined to pu the resolution to the vote Many 11UC meetings ke uns one u wonuul alc needed to organise lo save "This is everyone has to work out in their own mind.
'The Lambeth recall conference on 17 January is enough seopl can answel ambet's cal taere will l opposition to the Tories' for studen union financing They were the largest marches in Britain on student issues since 1972.
If the government has its way, next September students unions transformed a depart each college, their funds directly from the local receivie Pier Head last Saturday. actional cort asl mcal local action, action The Fire Brigades Union Strike and weil be be part of a the Tories.
Lambeth all the unions are joining together education authoritie This will effectively deny student une organise on political issues have the right to decide how students spend their money Man stuacis demonstrators HaSI WeCK recognised that this is.
attack on their in dependence. Many raised anti-Tory slogans.
The high point in Lon don came when ine marce passed a fire station: loud the Chants of Smash the cent of furLarce numocis •ther education and technical RAILWAY workers marching towards Liverpool's under the one name. This is what happens when you le attacked wouldn't be against the It will be against the government.
'Raising rates is just punishing the ratepayers for The CONCIC Although many students demon have yet them organise autonomously in their colwould put a stop to this te ones •robusals development Throughout the term students have begun to orcanise • Dorca Issuck There was a CND demo in Ocfor A speaking tour on the hunger SUIINCID has from the Student Coa. This held WIt! socakers Against Repression group a student of the hunger strikers las week. councils are facing restrictions from the government ratepayers in their for minc . Lat massive rates "The policy Hci case the government HICK Take the 590nd • Ine • like. the that they are taking employers' • hereasel I shey can caise that they can raise that Know merry, anded it KnOW LICy shouse finance blems!' Welcome The white collar workers Lambeth town hall building Tolowing unions in opposing cuts. Al packed meeting 21 November voted support militant policies to prevent redundancies OI Ine local executive described this • as couraging. meeting reverse earlie.
mass meetings, and decided to take militant action.
earlier meetings, the CACCULIVe members went out and convinced their members against CULS. really repared for th meeting, nd it voted for actior NUS's national conference • It should place this reject any WeCh idea of negotiating a bette Instead it should decide ed on mass action against s it should sets students' rights, and trom movement in that fight such a Igulback mical.
rejecting the 'Developmen Plan put forward by some executive member transform the NUS into an apolltical organsanion Nus leade ship did and leadership loud and clear: fight the Tories pro Dosals & ARMAGH
issues at stake gle for self-determination.
tionary links with the Fourth International.
ple Undefeated.
newspaper.
The hunger strike to the death by the seven H Block prisoners marks a new and crucial phase in the battle for political status.
hangs balance now is not only the lives rignts prisoners but the issue partition itself legitimacy of all forms of opposition to it.
The government has shown itself completely callous and intransigent and is determined to lengths, including collaboration in assassination, to avoid making any significant con Cession.
Force Only one weapon is great lo Iorce the British back — that is the mass force of a risen Irish people organised in a mass movement.
All the elements sary for such a movement exIf we unite and agree programme of action which strikes at the enemy's weakest points, the elements o1. an historic victory over perialism will be in our hands.
Why does the shadow of the H Blocks dominate Irish society? People's Democracy believes that the issue is a central one.- that the outcome will affect the life of everyone in Ireland.
Partition A victory for the British would threaten the legitimacy prall orms of oppositionid partition would strengthen all the forms repression on which partition depends: the special laws, the Support THE National H Block Committee has asked for messages of support for demonstration outside the Decener and on December, series of activities planned for December, Intornational Human Rights Day.
Individuals and should send tolograms to: Na. tional H Block Committoo. Mountjoy Sq. IT would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the hunger strike or how its outcome will affect the whole progress of the Irish strug Belfast, JOHN MACANULTY amines what is at stake. John is a leading member of People's Democracy, the revolusocialist organisation in Ireland with He is the author of the PD pamphiet A PeoThe article here is a shortened version of one in the current issue of Socialist Republic, the PD the the of the all y torture and 1COICOSOl. the British collaboration with the Loyalist killer squads.
The pressure will be on for Haughey to increase even further the repressive apparatus in the south, which he needs no encouragement to do.
The massive dose of confidence that the would get would mean that the ColOnie and struggles of workers would be beaten back north and south. imperialists would have quai. victory importance. movement would have establisnea would united and filled with of exand fidence and be in a position to move against other aspects of DOESN oppression State collaboration.
The British would have seen the ruin of their main plans and LIC. wilnarawal imperialists become real Above all, there would be the possibility of a unitv of all the political, social struggles of the working class and the forging of revolutionary mass that will finally been perialist and capitalist rule in be con- All the events of the past and Free manner in the question would possibility and can defeat properly. weapon destroy im- It has throughout months have backed up this analysis: British collaboration in the killing of H Block activists, the use of the SAS in sympathy the anti-Unionist areas, the which Thatcher has gone out of her way to put Crept tation way.
British intransigence and the campaign against the H Blocks.
strike is generating forces tha laborationist Britist strategy, if we can apply them a00ll with platitudes. mobilised thousands of H Block militants has speeded up to some extent We lied.
Smas beaten, history.
You Irish, mirrors;
explain Ireland. Or rather that's the promise. episode ot BBC-23 television history The show failed politician Conor Cruise O'Brien. H Block on film All pictures on this page are stills from a new film, # Block Hunger Strike The film can be used for meetings, fund raising, or information. It is available from The Other Cinema, 79 Wardour St, London WIV 3TH. Tel 01-734 8508.
Rental: £20 colleges, £15 others. A review of the film will appear in a subsequent issue of socialist Challenge. the unifying of all the forces involved in the H Block struggle, and it has sharpened the and concern of produced a willingnes to an ordinary COUC and port the campaign in some Above all, it has produced a fear in Fianna Fail and the Democratic and Labour Party that their colpolicies will be exposed, and it has generated a frantic desire to keep quiet the issue or cover up and In order to put together all the elements to ensure a vic. tory we have to look back at By non-jury courts you were 'tried", having been questioned, sensorily deprived.
We pronounced: you are common outlaws and so belied retired? by Britons decried, must squat astride 29/10/80 , debate, and Tuesday the first of Ireland.
the : successful campaign 1 for political status in 1972. . There were three central aspects to that campaign:
•It was able to hold hostage the SDLP and to a much lesser extent Fianna Fai and limit the amount negotiating and collaboration with the British • The campaign was able, by sheer force of numbers, to prevent the free movement of he British army and the RUC in the areas and thus limit their control of the areas.
Sympathy
• It was able to depend on the sympathy of the mass of support prevented British from attempting any repeat of Bloody Sunday.
mass campaign must be built in a similar was It has to present the British NOWA with a worse option than that of giving way polluca status. It must focus on Fianna Fail and SDLP collaboration and demand:
'No talks with British torturers! "SDLP and IIP out of the and government institutions!' The prisoners and Block movement are locked in a literally or death struggle will determined and vicious enemy, examine our resources we can see that they are much greater than we had supposed.
we organise properl the the Irisi working class and all the oppressed layers ot our society can be drawn into struggle.
Problem For all their strength and viciousness, the British have one grea they have to confront the rising strength of the Irish people We must learn from prisoners how to resist show that we too are unwill.
ing to be ruled and coerced in the old way. Only in this way can the lives and rights of the prisoners be protected and the eventual victory of the Irish revolution be assured.
Socialist Republic. (12p) A People Undefeated (50p) The Other Bookshop Uppe St, London Add 20p for p&p.
have rectums pryed, are degraded, abused, your rights denied so your captors can deride crack your pride.
Isn't it time we Brits tried to realise the irish own Ireland and at last Pat Arrowsmith
----- pull-quotes -----
UP TO 50,000 jobs on British Rail could be lost in 1981, a crowded meeting of railway workers in London was told last week.
rail fory and services from THE massive attack on local government services announced on 'Black Monday', 24 November, by the Chancellor of the Exche- quer came as no surprise to trades unionists in the South London borough of Lambeth. parim unIons plan
very im on their one an their
PENSIONERS? SCHOOLS? HOSPITALS?
the need to came a stand insed to take a
HUNGER STRIKE # Block: the
Ireland hits the screen IT HAS been a long time coming but at last it has ar- rived: British television is to discuss,
Next Monday Panorama will feature a debate on Democratic and Labour Party and ex-Irish premier Jack Lynch. Against are Bill 'shout to kill' Craig and
starts. This looks the likeliest to be banned because the publicity material suggests an excellent effort.
The H-block Hunger-Strike — A Brit Response
For unity will be John Hume of the Social On 5 January ITV's history series, The Troubles,