Democracy Denied in Shankill

The principle of One-Man-OneVote will be denied to the people of Shankill Ward, when they vote ina by-election for Belfast Corporation on October 7th.

There will be no question of 'votes at 18' - the election is to be fought on the 1967 register (which is three years out of date) and voting will be confined to householders and their wives, or those who have a business qualification. The 'over 18's' will be excluded. So will people who live with their parents, with relatives or inlodgings. On the other hand, people who have premises, but who do not live in the Shankill Ward, will be entitled to vote. So will company directors who have company offices in the Ward. The notorious multiple voting for businessmen will operate - while working class people will still be deprived of the right to a say in local government. A ministry of Home Affairs spokesman made it clear to Free Citizen on Wednesday that One-Man-One-Vote still did not apply in Council elections: it would not be introduced he said, until the "general' local government elections which had been 'postponed' until 1971 'or even late.’.

This flatly contradicts a propaganda statement put out only last week be the Government (mis)Information Service. In a booklet entitled 'Facts at Your Fingertips' newspaper correspondents were informed: “One-man-one-vote now applies to local council elections. (Electorial Law Act 1967). The same act also authorises votes at 18 in all elections."

The dishonesty of the Government about the election reflects their total disregard for the people of the Shankill area.

The Unionist lackeys who have represented the business interests of Shankill in the past have never won anything for the working people. Peter's Hill Swimming Baths was knocked down years ago and still has not been replaced.’

Housing conditions in the area are among the worst in Belfast. At the same time 'redevelopment' has led to very justifiable fears that the community is going to be destroyed. No attempt has been made to enable people to see that they can both have better houses and preserve the community.

P.D. fully supports the demand of the people of Shankill for their democratic rights. LAW AND ORDER That well known comedy double act law 'n order had a field day this week. Finally we had the news that the police had narrowly voted against rearmament. Only 66% voted and since the ballott wasn't secret it is probably true that some chickened out of voting against the Hunt Report for fear of reprisals from good old Artful Tongue. Clearly the days of gun toting cowboys masquerading as guardians of law and order are over.

This is especially true of America where Sgt. John Harrington, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, said last week, "if the courts won't stop this permissiveness, unless the people we work for are going to back us up, then the feeling of the police is that we'd better resort to the old Mexican deguello - a shootout where we take no prisoners (dictionary defination of deguello - throat cutting, massacre, Slaughter). There is a thin line between civilization and the jungle and that line is (you've guessed it) law and order'’. He also Claimed that pop festivals are a communistic plot to destroy our youth".

RIGHT ON!

FREE CITIZEN 18th SEPTEMBER 1970