Socialist Challenge has received the following letter, smuggled out of the H Blocks of Long Kesh:
The struggle waged by we Republican socialist prisoners of war to wrest political recognition from the imperialist regime in Northern Ireland once again ascends to the horrific reality of a hunger strike.
This situation could have easily been avoided had the government kept faith with its commitment to implement the solution promised to the last hunger strikers.
This solution was contained in a 30-page document which was presented to the hunger strikers; it was an honourable and principled settlement for all concerned. surrender.
However they (the British government) chose the path of perfidy, no doubt enticed by the thought that, with the loss of world interest and the huge momentum, our morale and determination would be weakened to the point of But these unscrupulous, arrogant adventurers are very much mistaken. We will not dilute or forsake principle. We are political prisoners - the product of 800 years of injustice and oppression.
We experience undisguised political torture and we were jailed by a political judicial system which was introduced solely to remove those who oppose foreign rule in Ireland.
Socialist comrades, we must accept that our opponents entertain the belief that our support base has suffered irreparable damage, and therefore they must feel that they will not have to contion, Armagh Women, Irish feminist Nell McCafferty records their struggle far, mainly the women's own Wores. rowing words that etch women almost destroyca finding the strength to fight back.
In Armagh jail handful of women take the might of the British state, with only their own menstrual blood, urine, and vomit as weapons.
political pressure again.
Blocks.
ONCE again Irish prisoners are on hunger strike. Soon the first prisoner to take this acBobby Sands in the H Blocks, will be joined by women prisoners in Armagh jail. tend with such a massive amount of I do not expect you, our comrades, to submit to complacency. Your support emanates from political awareness, therefore it is solidly intact.
However, I do expect you to increase and expand upon your endeavours to politicise the English working class, if at all possible; and in doing so, to inform them of the grave wrongs which their government is carrying out on the Irish people.
Lastly I ask you to display the truth about the H Block issue to the English people, and I ask those decent working class people of England to mobilise in accordance with truth, and thus help save lives here in the inhumanity of H PATSY O'HARE, H Block 5, singing... And the thing was, those women never realised how brave they were They never knew, really area To: The Eilitor-Sorialist Challengt the support engendered for them.
It is only in the last few paragraphs that the links between feminism and nationalism, implicit in the women's contributions, are explicitly mentioned. This is a shame because it is the nature of these links that has become a key political question.
While extending our unconditional support to the Armagh women, what is to be our attitude to the nationalist movement to which many of unem belong? critically discuss that movement's attitudes to women? How do we do that while maintaining our support of Irish women?
More than ever there needs to be an discussion of the rela tionship between feminism and nationalism. Unconditional support for the Armagh women should not mean that we cannot critically and constructively discuss the Irish nationalist struggl and its implications for feminism.
The Armagh Women, by Nell McCaf. ferty. £1.50 Books S Co-op Merrion Square, Dublin