Labour MP KEVIN McNAMARA has launched a Labour discussion paper on Ireland. The paper has been widely discussed in the pages of Socialist Challenge, and as part of this McNamara's welcome step to socialist perspective for the north of a meeting week, are published here.
Ce tricotion welcome the publication this discussion document as a sign that for the first time, Nous ne pro blem of the Six Counties under the carpet and prelena unal Il s all tue laull para-militaries, the NEC has been prepared to examine problems created for the party and for these islands by the tragedy of Northern debate Kevin contribution is of last That, however, is as far as I can go because the paper that has been produced dangerous, foolish paper, a Unionist , some might be a litunkina to call it an Orange paper.
It is a paper in which Enoch Powell and the Uister Unionists must delight. It is not a socialist The whole drift of its argument is in favour of integration of the within the Kingdom continuing death and tragedy in Nor thern Ireland.
The consensus view of the Northern Group of Labour MPs is that the long-term interests of the United Kingdom and Ireland lie in the even. tual unification of the two Istall The major problem in Northern Sureaud LOC constitutional The Istallu was 1921, so as to take account of the wishes of a Loyalist minority in Ireland to opt out of a united Ireland and to retain links with Great Britain.
Northern Ireland is a constituency which was deliberately arawn to give a two-to-one majority In favour of maintainin, link the against an 80 per cent wish that the whole of the island of Ireland be independent.
Loyalists The effect is, that by dint of a sectarian head count, the Loyalists have been presented lasting majority in the Six Counties, maintained programmes vast emigration and deliberate discrimination against the minority. states the argument that Yet the NEC Northern Ireland should return to majority rule - a return the practices and resulted in the present bloodshed and economic disintegration.
The policy of the Labour Party government from the fall of the former power-sharing executive of May 1974 was to draw the conclusion that the only option was Direct Rue while concentrating on improving the economy and security But there was no advance on the political front policy which, of necessity, favoured the Loyalists. The result was that many members of the Northern Irish Democratic and Labour Party were antagonised. and relations between Dublin CanO Westminster were not as happy as they shoulu nave been The in actiul ceding to Unionist demands tor extra seats ir the Six Counties as a prize for continuing support for minority labour Ine zovernicul plete alienation.
This was a complete reversa of orevIou.
polices, and was as cynical political chicanery to retain power as the country has ever seen, and one which the Labour Party is likely to continue sutter The next steps?
many years to come. It was complete sell-out to the Unionists There has to be a new departure The socialist approach 1 would urge would be to scrap the discussion paper.
Let us • start from the CORCCD of the island of Ireland and work out from rather than looking at the Six Counties as some SULL of imperial relic. the interests of all these islands, the sooner the Labour Party starts on a approach to Ireland's British problem, the better.
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LET IRI HUNG savage attack on the Party national executive's
establishing Extracts from his speech, made at on Wednesday
DON'T LET IRISH DON* MUNGER JAKERS DIE