ple of weeks.
At the moment the many rank and file Labour Party members will be to celebrate the results of the local elections, but take this example: in the local government constituencies North, South, and Central there are twice as many voters as there are in the parliamentary constituency Fermanagh Tyrone. won by Labour last week, but even the combined vote of the three candidates fell short of that received by Bobby Sands. Sands resolution This... calls upon the national executive committe to disassociate the Labour Party from the statements made by Michael Foot and Don Concannon on the hunger strikers up to and after the death of Bobby Sands MP.
We call on the national executive to condamn the bipartisanship approach to Ireland as followed by the Parliamentary Labour Party in conjunction with the Tory government.
On the issue of the prisoners we call on the adopted by the Scottish Tucthicstied national executive to support the immediate government action to ensure that the hunger strike in the Maze is ended, on the grounds that the 'demands put forward by the prisoners have wide support from sections of the trade union and labour movement of wider sections humanitarian demands'.
preoccupation of of Hackney and South The three Hackney seats were all issue of the Irish who see them as tant expresses the obvious contradiction apparent in the above quotations. Riots For, if the youth of and Brixton rioting for the sallic which are, says Militant, a reaction to the terrible conditions of high unemployment', then how to 'sectarian tension': especially Militant Bobby Sands died, trere was tue enthusiasm for the hunger strike, Catholic areas"
Indeed, on 1 May, when Bobby Sands was days trom death. Militant assured its readers that "to the fore in Northern Ireland' were "strikes, occupations, anti-Tory demonstrations unconnected with the hunger strike. tant argued, 'H Block, like all aspects of repression is really a class question. But if the labour movement does not take it up it will be championed by bigots who will turn it into a sectarian issue' in the north of which the Militant frequently: poweri did not take ! the H Block issue and so, a year later Militant claimed the H Block committees which were leading the struggle were 'sectarian based and 'sectarian organisations'. Sectarian It is true that those who make up and support the H Block : struggle tend to same make struggle 'sectarian'. organisation is judged not on the religion of its participants but stands for politically, and how it organises.
The H Block campaign has, by and large, been organised in an democratic manner, and has no other basis except support for the prisoners' five demands.
Its leaders, such as Bernadette McAliskey, have gone on record as saying they would support political status for Loyalists. Indeed Bernadette has said she would grant it to those who attempted to assassiTrue ner Despite criticising Bernadette and others for their 'sectarianism'. the Militant is not • nearly generous. The newspaper has argued that not all the IRA or Loyalist prisoners should be given status, that those who are should be treated as criminals.
Given Militant's definition of 'sec. tarian' that does not give much hope for the majori. ty of prisoners, but what is pernicious in this approach is the evenhanded condemnation Militantgives to both Loyalists Republicans.
No distinction is made between the politics of the Republicans who fight against imperial ism, British repression and for Irish majority rule; and the Loyalists who against majority rule and are for and repression of the Irish national majority Neither does Militant eneralis the Marxist view that unconditronal political support, struggles for satin nal sell should be "given to determination, the methods employed.
Nor does Militant acknowledge James Connolly's assessment that the labour movement in the north and throughout Ireland would be divided 'while partition lasts', and that the smashing of partition is a precondition for Instead, for Militant the urgent need is the building of a Labour Part Northern which would provide 'fighting class alternative' to the 'dead end methods of the Provisionals'. Control In other words the Irish people should drop their demands to contro their own country, work ers in the North should en dorse partition by forming a party confined to the six counties and should follow the lead of the gooc old British workers and
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