THE second national conference of the H Block campaign held in Dundalk on 6 September clarified the situation or the r block movement in irelano atter the deaths of ten hunger strikers. It remains determined and on the course it set more than a year ago, but is suffering from a loss of momentum and resulting problems.
The Dundalk conference registered me growin or the r Block campaign into a mass Over 400 local action groups were represented, as against 20 in the first con terence a vear ago or ou al the end of the first hunger The weight of the movepresence of Paddy Duty the ment was bellwether leader of the Social Democranic ano cabour rawho up unt now has generally brink attending Block conferences Sinn Fein rrovisiolial and heavy-handed way than were given a list of candidates vote on to the National committee resultine politically narrower National Committee The Sinn Fein leaders 1opmost prominent leader in the ly ninth in the field of 20 laura McCror of lose most responsible for tr and develonment of the H Block movement was not elected.
On the other hand the two telescalatives La Hu LEC Kepubicar Party were re-elected.
Provisional leaders seemed to that an • error was made and that the composition of the commitice would nave Lo. Dt broadened by co-options.
The coverage of the con ference in Provisional' paper An Phoblacht seemed acsiencu lo reassert ine com mitment movement to a broad campaign. About a quarter of the space in the major article was taken up with icoortune Der nadelle s report for the na tional Committee It reaffirmed the strategy and porters who were aroused po those (kenublican campaign's electoral orientation.
i ne uiscussiol on elec. tons was a very datel one It raised the issue of absten versus Parliament, the most divisive allul imperialist, movement, at least 1920/1 Civil War The major successes of the second nuncer sirike Call nan nave been eector vice tories and there is increasing tions to advance the protest But the present generation of Republican leaders have been participation as an inviolable princile uncle nave been signs of movement on this question tionalists al c all the dosm as a smooolett …ne contilci and eve SP Provisionals has also come to focus around group has moved away from abstentionism in the last few Hills Phoblacht suggested a formula for keeping the issue from dividing the In fact, as the committee's candleares ratner that ine Republican movement would continue to sup port the committee and build he campaign lo maller Wile was adopica by the conference' negative reaction of the Provisionals to political problems arising in the move. ment has been to try to outlaw there were see effect, several resolutions hat called for thai my Hallowiy ucicate However Phoblacht ting the broad comer of broad character of the this planation accepted the Republican movement it would represent a pontical step forward The H Block movement able achieve only a small part of ine moad a woule nave nad in the electoral arena because of the divisions over such tac tics. Since there is a limited strike, anything less than the effectiveness threatens to be the margin of defeat Taster uner une mass nove ment can ne extendedanis leads to narrowing the move. ment and exhaustion Parallel to this it leads to
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also nored with approval that ce hoed on