Sinn Fein's election campaign: interview with Danny Morrison

in the EEC elections and beyond, iness siruggies necd a political programme ihai can lead ic a solution of the economic and pOitical crisis which is In theinterests of the Irish working class. Such & programme means: {J 131. The ereation of s 32 county Constitvent Assembly which rejects partition. son re the resi alternative to Stormont Assembly and eny Fond schome tor ‘joint authority’ whish toeves mailer gowers in the hands of Britain and the rest in the hencs ef irteh canitatiam. C1OZ.Remevel of the border aad @ national pian of wid which unemployment and ceate an econemy uch meets the acads ef irish workers ond ile centrotied by Seon. QO f13. Withdrawal from the EEC.

i om cy pede of ith banks end lerpe ldustry te encurs tits implementation of tte netlonss plac ons of Sed te tha axstatintion ef irish workers.

OOS. Meationettsation ef targs page 15 jars ad staig Neo (uit, faymers to that all ihoee exploited can ferm an aillance against ipenaciotios. Once such a programme is carried oul we would ba in a position to call for unity betwean ireland and Gritain - a unily of the trish and British workers in compiete equality and freedem. Mot onty this - the trish working class wil thea demand what the EEC ony Gives hypocritical lip-service (0 at the mornent - the unity of Ei urope. That is why the overall ailernative ta the EEC is the Socialist United States of Europe.

SINN FEIN’S ELECTION CAMPAIGN

DANNY MORRISON SPEAKS

JOE Sais of Peopies Democracy speaks to Danny Morrison "abiout the alms of ths Sinn Fein campasion in tie European election. Sinn Fein are liguiting for the Northern seat and in the four constitvanciea ip the 26 Counties. | JC: Why has Sinn Fein “eckied te eontest the EEC el stions?

Livi: Sinn Fein over the last three.

years hes adopted an electiora:~ strategy as one of the central planks of the struggie. This came about basicaliy fram the mess movement ind the hun strikes and the meod to op an alternative 9) the constitutional, collaberationis:

SOLP.

Our intervention in electoral politics nas cornered the British nationally and internationally and shown that there is a popular war of liberation going on against the British imperialist presence. So, it would have been to dive up thai strategy had we not decided fo contest these elections, fust as we agriculiurs. - againet tho full effects.

nad onntested the June 1985 election to the British parliament st Westminster and the election to the « gembly In 10862. it ie pert of our ongeing strategy.

JG: Mew cirae Stee Fein view ire 29 Aeae imieed’s meahorahio Sta: Membaranip c. ite EEC has bean Gisamteroug iar freland Nerth enc South, particularly for There wers initial bonelits but they SOON dicanspearcd. Tre EEC ls now 6d te large fermere. Snail armera aro its victime - there ara attempts to Crive them off the land, particularty in the South.

In the North emell fermera have io ecm? extent been protected in the South where thera is dairy farmi they are gcing to be particularty hit by the superievy the deciaion to curb milk output.

The EEG aiso opens up ireland North end south to mult nationals and exploitation of the necole. Take for example even housing, there is talk of the money been thrown in here, but when you study where its going to, its just being gobbled up by the British Govt. They are supposed to match the amount of money ant they do not. Vhat is needed is a@ fuge injection of resources to end ihe scands) cof OMe PHBE Bihudetliwii., ce tenes aes Of ireland has the worst housing in Western Europe. We consider there to be extreme dangers aasociated with moambershin of the EEC. Hand in hand with membership goes an orientation to a military alliance.

The EEC at this point in time is gimost interechangeable with NATO - the Western alliance.

AS our policy ts for an independent ireland, a sovereign ireiand, a non-aligned ireland, an anti-nuclear Ireland, we see the da gers of EEC membership - the gradual moves towards a general Western security policy which we believe is Gangerous. That's why we are opposed io EEC membership and we will be contesting the elections on an anti-imperialist

platiorm, oppesing the military nature of the EEC. JC: What.doea Sinn Fels s00 o¢ the cenral lasues In the section?

OM: In the North the EEC elections will be a referendum ‘¥ithin the Nationatist community on the national question. it will not be fought on the issues that will dominate in England, France or a large extent in the 25 counties, although wa will be raising the national question there. in the South, where probably seme. economic and political matiers will be the ssues, wa hope.to turn HK around to the Brits and the Natione!

question. JC: What kind of campaign will _ Sina Fain be fighting ta the Nerth and in the South? OM: tn the Souih thera are many restrictions on us. There is a lack on? access te the state redio any tolevigien networke which has e ‘spillover’ sffect to the rest of the media. Thare have been aliempis to me's political lepers of Sink Fein. We are also nandicapped in terms of underdevelopment. Ye are a vary smali organisation engaged in a vary bid slartion However in the North where Sinn Fein is much stronga than in ing rGst uf ia Gouiliy, Mere will be a campaign where we bslievs we can win. So what we hor to do Is to produce 4 political veto te match the [RA‘s military veto on the British attempt to stabilise their rule and the Oubiln Govt’s coliaboratin with them. Once wo tunmard majority support wiht Gul COMMUNITY o1 the North there will be two developments. Firstly the Gritish Govt. is going to have io change.

its policy. Since the Sunningdale.

agreement in- ‘power-shering’ 2 1974 the Gritleh Govt. has continued to insist - though this insistence has been wiiittted down over the years - that any devaiution af powe 3 io a focal Assema' must commend cros3community support. Once we command meiority support within the Nationalist community we will demand not power sharing, not an vernal settlement, nor A raiormad Six county state, but a united ireland with the Brits out end av end ta the Loyalist veto. Tha Brita are going to have to change ineir policy and either face up to reality cr give mMucti greater supnpert to the Loyalists and their call for devolution which woud mean total support for a sectarian etate which would have lis ramifications on reiationa with the South. Fer the Southern Covi. ieelf, once the SDLP could no jonger claim {to be the meajoriiy represeniatives of ihe nationalist people in the North, then that would bo their enchormen in the North gona. The Southern parties have tormulaied their policies escund tie SDLP, ard once it is in amincrcliy ooetion they will have to deal! realistically with us. Sinn Foin’s. victory vill have a dramatic eifast on the overall political situation with regard to the nathonal question. JO: How does Sinn Fein hope to acvenee tin the Geuth through these slections? DM: VVe don’t expect to win any seats Dut it is the eyperience we are looking for. We are fiying our © fiag arai hoping to get an injection of new members. Basically; you have to crawl before you can run.

Also, we believe that when the total vote is counted we will be the third largest party in ireland.

Vio will have more first proference wotes than the Labour — party. % JC: What is the significance of Sinn Feins decision to take saate in the pariaiment if bectod? | | DM: We realise it would have been political suicide to contest the elections on an abstentionist tk:ket. Also the EEC does not have the same relationship with us as the Gritish occupation or Leinster House. The European parliarnant is sufficiently distant irom the question of irish sovereignty for us to go in and take cur seats. What we wouid ope to do is to use the EEC platform as an international _ lobbying point. We believe that someone in Euvape could lobby sympathetic political parties, the internstional labour rmovemeni and ombarass the Grite and expose their violence in ireland.

JC: How will you measure succers in the elections?

OM: Success will be measured in two ways. First there is the vote ir. ths 26 counties to seo if we have made many inroads. tn. the Morth it will be measured in comparison wiih our June vote - 103,000 at its minimum, taking the seat at maximum. It will be a seat on which we hope to Duiid and strenghten our organisation. 3