newspaper.
done? Socialist Challenge gives the What are the Irish fighting about this time?
The latest street-fighting has been sparked off by the spect of the death Bobby and other hunger strikers.
Bobby Sands was elected a couple of weeks ago as an MP South Tyrone. He received just over 30.000 votes By then, he had been on hunger-strike for 40 days and his election showed how much sympathy there was for But Thatcher refuses to no Thatcher refuses anything to try and solve the prisoners' issue.
She says 'a crime, is a crime, is a crime' and that Sands has to be treated as ordinary criminal.
has inflamed situation further, especially in the rioting been particularly fierce, is that government shown that when soldiers 'a crime it is judged Conl by an army Land Rover last 'We will never allow ourselves to be criminalised, nor our people either. Griefstricken and oppressed, the men and women of no property have risen.' week, the police said they were treating it as 'an ordinary traffic accident'.
Can you imagine that when the IRA sets off a car bomb the police would treat that as ordinary traffic accident'?
That's all very well, but how can all these people vote for Bobby. Sands? He's rorist, isn't he?
Well, he's a member of the IRA. But what is a terrorist?
cialist Challenge 30 April 1981 Page 8 THE scenes that have appeared on our television screens over the past weeks are familiar. British soldiers being pelted with all sorts of missiles, massive funeral marches, riots, hijackings and burnings.
Ireland is once more in the headlines and on the front pages of every British Why do the Irish keep on fighting? When will they stop? Can anything be answers to the questions being asked this week in the factories, shops, and pubs.
Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwé used to be called a terrorist.
Then, after he won an election, pro- just as Bobby Sands won his, Mugabe was transformed overnight into a respectable world leader.
Or take another example. in the last war when the Hrench underground movement blowing up trains, There is but a single him issue at stake: the right of human dignity for Irish men and women who are imprisoned for taking part in this period of the historic struggle for Irish independence.' Bobby Sands, MP the has German soldiers has they were called 'terrorists' by the Nazis, but for most of the Many use violence they've no when the normal channels of democracy Look at Bobby Sands' election. used nobody supported the that only a tiny minority backed the hunger-strikers.
The votes in and South . vrone that myth. But when the electors made their wish clear, did that change the attitude? Not a bit : of it.
But that still doesn't explain why they all voted for Bobby Sands.
Obviously, people vote a certain way for different reasons. 'an Some thought Bobby Sands would save his life, because it would force the government to admit he was a political figure and not an 'orter- dinary criminal' keeps claiming.
All those who: voted for Sands must have agreed with the demands of the hunge strikers as that form on which he stood.
Another reason that people voted TOT many support the aims of the SIKA was snooling IRA, tions, shooting, rioting?
They did try that, and were suc cessful, fective. the 1918. Now that's going back a bit, but the roots of the present TAII MANITO AIAM AIARATE Britain Ireland in those days and in the and so on, 1918 election over Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA. ding in support of an independent Irish republic, a Ireland free presence.
No candidates in that election stood on a platform which Ireland, but partition is exactly told what the British established.
IRA, When a majority of Irish MPs refused to accept this and set up a republic in Ireland the Fermanagh dispelled smash the republic.
So it's all very welt talking about democracy as opposed to government's violence, violence which suppressed Irish democracy in the Yes, but that's not the situation today. the people in Ireland want to stay with Britain. voting for That's true, but how was the majority place? The constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone is a good example. as Thatcher It's on the border with the south of Ireland, the majority want to be Ireland, so why were they ever was the platunited irelana and dI CON south.
But the north would the grab в/всof all this and jority.
was erected in Ireland. but it didn't prove ef- CONCOCT The best example was general election ority which controlled all of 70 per cent Irish people voted for Sinn Fein was stanunited of any partition -• of my workplace at was sent in to Bobby Sands, MP WON so that wanted to side, join the south.
The majority of On Northern created in the first give a third control of Britain.
part of a united included in the northern state?
The same can be said for Not county Armach and all of Ireland. the city of Derry. If you were it would be logical that all these would be part of the socialist Loyalists in the ICCI have being. swallowed that. Their aim was Britain.
Ireland as possible, as long as That within that area they could ex- point. pect to have a comfortable maThat was the undemocratic basis on which the border talk of majority rule inside the north tionalists? of reland is to talk of a mai- Of was artificially created. It's like saying that if 75 per cent of union members disappear, vote for strike action, the 25 per cent who voted against have the concerned. right to cross the picket line.
'I was born in Rathcoole, a predominantly Protestant area of Belfast. I was keen on sports and won a lot of medals for Protestant clubs.
'In 1972 my family was intimidated out of our home and we moved to Twinbrook on the outskirts of Belfast. Soon after this I was intimidated from Shortly after this Proined the Republican move. ment. I had seen too many houses wrecked, fathers and sons arrested, neighbours hurt, too much gas, shooting and blood - most of it our own people's.
Maybe one solution would be to redraw the boundary those areas which would be allowed on te пошлети to practical level that wouldn't work. Take the exam- ple of Belfast. Around a third support of the population there sup ports a united Ireland, but you govern it to the south and leave the rest under the Anyway those in the north people. of Ireland who support the ending of partition don't necessa- socialise rily just want to be transferred into the south, They want a united Ireland, and that means Many are also critical about the type of state the south has become. For example, the Prosay they favour a republic and the south of lre and is as far from be socialist as Thatcher's brings All this talk of Irish unity ana insa nationalism why should socialists be insuch things?
Aren'tsocialists meant to be imeramonansts naeventually the socialist vision is of a world in which national boundaries will but that should be the free choice of the peoples And certainly Britain is not tain in Ireland for internationalist reasons — it is there to defend Britain's own national interests and those of its Western allies.
Socialists say that in a contest between British nationalists and Irish nationalists we should the Irish because or the tools on insanito Ireland to own country, while British nationalism aims at repressing that right It is the British state which is the aggressor against the Irish second point is that in Ireland is only the possible, once there is the prospect of a united working class. and the working class in Ireland are permanently divided by the border.
But why is Britain in Irelandi The only thing we seem to gettin out of it is trouble Ideally, Thatcher and. the Tories would like to get out. O at least they would like to be able to withdraw the troops and see the north return to some degree of normality. They might even put up with a united if stopped 'the • troubles'.
But a number of conditions would have to be met first. They would need to be sure that united would be friendly to interests; that Ireland would join NATO for example They would need to know that British investments would Many unica Ireland. and that British companies and financial institutions would be free to continue to exploit Irish workers None of this would be at all certain if Britain got out now which is why British governments have always felt obliged to stay in Ireland. The dilemma they face is that the longer they stay, the more opressive their presence becomes and the greater is the anti-British feeling in Ireland itself.
In that respect, it is very diffaint to the rout casteland because it • cannot be certain of what it will leave behind But surely, were out, First, let's appreciate the role of the troop and the aim of Britain's whole security policy The troops are all stationed ir Republican areas.
They are supported by the Army-controllec ence Regiment, over 90 per cent of whose membership is made up of Protestants. The IRA is an illegal while Loyalist Ulster Defence
SH ciation, who openly admit ndering Catholics, is not. n other words, the troops there olics and* they are there to h the anti-British rebellion.
Britain's g the troops are essential that role, n't there the whole nori state val atself and the Loyalist not maintain their m× nomena counces.
Loyalists this, that the troops have to cause would be lost if Brir withdrew, British weren't them up. - would be aid. i the short term, there may andr that Ecome from the Loyalists, ed arainst Catholics et it is in those areas where alics would 30BBYi SANDS talist Republic -out - 15p ward to new victories! aple's ange Fitt and Devlin at alls ons of the struggle of PD nors or Partition' able hist Challenge seller Other Bookshop, Street, it from PO Box 50 Lon17 25p inc pap keep the Protestants WUt poll because if they would collapse; the • hold themselves which is why they they know the there increase in the violence be HUNGER STRIKER DON TLET HIM DIE!
Democracy pamphlet your London N1.
tionary spirit of freedom.
Bobby Sands, MP vulnerable to Loyalist attacks - the working class ghettoes where the call has been loudest for Britain to get out.
The people there know that the sooner greater the prospect will be for permanent peace in Ireland.
So So Britain should get out Yes, and not just because that is most practical The Irish people have a right to Tute their own future their affairs terference of what most of the population regard as a foreign government.
The people of Ireland have been fighting the British in their country for over 800 years, and all the signs are that they will keep on fighting until Britain leaves.
That is why socialists in this country call for and self-determination for the His peopic as a wilbic.
So what can people do who support these arguments? First of all they should win the broadest the H Block/Armagh prisoners inside the British and international labour movement. there are also a number of difterent country who are active on the Irish question, support of British withdrawal.
The largest is the Troops Out Movement which has locki branches in 1 many country. The TOM is open to 'I was only a working class boy from a nationalist ghetto, but it is repression that creates the revolumy country, until Ireland becomes a sovereign independent socialist republic.
We, the risen people, shall turn tragedy into triumph. We shall bear forth a nation.
Britain leaves, the solution.
themselves, to determine to sort out without the In the immediate British troops, support possible for TICH this parts of the I shall not settle until I achieve the liberation of agree demands troops.
by phoning (01) 267 2004.
conference and fice, don SW1.
For those in Party Committer terence called upon Labour government mediately begin the process withdrawal can be contacted ford Hill, Londón N16.
Socialist 'I went to Socialist Challenge to tell what do support.
It's the only left paper I read and feel at one with.
Michael McAliskey on why he loRt une story Bernadette McAliskey were shot.
• self-determination for the Irish people, and the immediate withdrawal of British The TOM can be contacted There is also the Committee for Withdrawal from Ireland which has organised meetings, demonstrations. They can be contacted by writing to CWl, c/o Youth OfWhitehall Place, Lonthe Labour there is also the Labour Ireland whose motion at the last Labour conthe next … to 'imof The LCI c/o 5 StamChallenge really happened because the truth of the matter is that it is the only paper !
Socialist Challenge 30 April 1981 Page 9
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