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rented then so badly, racked the Stability of the 25 Gounties, Lak aur and Fine Gael stepped in during the [970 Arms Trial Crisis ta con= dem Jack Lynch's "ambleuous" app= Teach to TRA violence and, once elected in [475, subordinated «ll theie policies te the one sim of Presecvine partition, THE COALITION PLATS ITS ROLE ODT The flood of repressian they intrade uted was initizlly justified in the cintext af réfernine the G Commties and later placeting the oxtrena lor— alists t stop them gaining power, In the past yror however Le has become: obvidws te all that the era af reform is aver, that Oritain is, to say the least, shifting towards the loyalists, snd that it-plans ta reach a settlement in the 6 Gagnties witheut ridding it af ity sectarian frat= ube sd, Sections af the Southern ruling class Are Werr upeasy about the effects this could hewe and began distancing thet det Party (TRET}.

THE LIHEHIUK C4HPALGK fighting an a working class peag rain was wary emel| sti ceniinec te ensll pockets throughout the 20 Gounties, The basis on wilch Sing Fein = the Workers? Party contested the electein wee [) compete with the bige= er parties on an electeral prog= remme of "More Job and Cheaper Food” while haying no chence of farming the next government — A precondition for the isplement= ation af their limited programme, wich aoly mentioned the Korth in the context af bullting suppart for "peace oalitice™, The Gamuniet Perty. while suppertines netishal mite, Osde om etieek te iieoend= ently gresnize the working cless, The chaire in the Tublin-Wicklow aTee wee sootined te the Togepe eneent Labour spiicidates sad Seamus: Costello, chalepersan ef the Trish Republican Socicl= Joe Harrinetan, in Limerick, the Secialist-Nepuvlicen candidate apoos= ared br the working clasa end trade win pauper, Botte Tas, cetbeed irs CaMpyigo an denis fac National Liberation, Womens" Liberation and the defence of small farmers. Its demand: for the right to work were based oo the oeed for the workers? Myon to orgatise independeotiy ef the state, as this was the only way in which the demands could be get, Tt also stressed the point that wark= ere should place na ilopians in the reformicts and kuresgerst. within the labour merenent zs it was proved ty their ceoord thet they were in oa way heedtent when it came to selling aut ta the government and the employers. though the wate cast in favour of Joe Harrinetan, T22, was small in a conatituency with to less than & independent candidates, the camp Aig praved wery suceess ful in developing and popularising the gio issues facing the Irish gocking class, It provided tie tilitanty af che Tettan Da, with a4 opportuoity ta Cake acy, of the elreetier atmosphere ta take their yeograme Jota the w Slasé estates. Thiring che came :, 000 copies of the platiorn we Wistriguted, ant 4,008) cepies Cantraceptian Action Programe election leaflet were siveo at T, a0 Pasters calling for aeLfOrgamisstion ve well ag a yore far Joc Herrington were put up round the constituency = thes covered desurs roneins fram tha need te cedee the defeace at £ Northern mingrite as an issue to the defence of wares? rich te the right of chase wha work te leor to ow it, In Sauthi the lorgest working clas+ este the city, ©, 200 Llesflets were trigutec calling on tenanks te tae independently rather than en the patreiises at promises capitalist politicisos., As 4 ect ragult at the intecyentier women in the ares Have organi: a petition demmding that che erataan canvert a danardus af quarry inta = Playground fer t ren Of the area. The wonen be como father cynical ahout the iseg of. loczl politicians te | the quarry filled in,

its. The losses suffered by Fine Gael #5062 of the (35,1% ta HOTS - daw 57) and votes, an in= Labour (14,78 to JT,GS = down 2,05) ithe gst el= @ just short i performace « are far Fistns Fail declines, ef a significant sector of the an saclial issoes, in Dublin, [et did test in te is a lerce part of the constituency ia rural 2 meting: were held ii Hoon. a ead Qeppemare as well as the distribute} ian ef aver OG lesflete to etinLL farmecr in the »res. AL te r—warte meetings were eld in Reret on? Krups, 2 af the dsreeact fart orice in the region, a cueniberrr of meetings were pled hel?

guteiee: the L-bour forchange where the Hotton Dog is reg= ularly sold = during tae campaton soles thers weit wp iy BOSS SOCTALIST UNITE On the Saturday price to polling- Le Tat dey an open pir rally was held dn at Themes St, cormer which was attended throughout by a crow of four te five hundred people.

jmdoe the epeskers were Bertade tte McAliskey (Devlin) whe also addressed a late-night meting of TOO wamen outside a binge hall in via noe atriking lesson however was the inpect thet revolutionary Fall dalicts can have theaogh united actjon, The campaign was supported Yacelly sod netionails by the ;

Maremma t. foe n 3aciali-t Bepahlic, Peanlec® Denocrs cy, the Inde peri t= ent Socisliet Perty, the SacivLict Workers? Movement «od Revealutionzry Struzele. | ‘lone with this inciyleosl meme 9 af the TRSP -ctively weed for the sanmpaipa. 4 slzeetle luther ef independent militants were aleo involved, If thie unity Sun continue ans nationwhde — level on the iasues of repression, ikem loyaent and trade anion struggles the weak and divided revolutionary left can begion to mera away (from a» pasitian of d being peripheral to one af beving = a substantial if atill modest influgnor in the workers! move ieee « wore significantly tlezer than Fi= aria Feil's gains and mast gut serieusly inte question any new ce elition saining pewer even Lf suppBesides this the Gaalition does not have the «dcinl base neorasary for pursuing the type af repressive Measures negded be ther ruline class dn the next few years. Fianna Fall fsq because of its social base, The Gaglition could pot have done so — it would have needed the allegiance working Class, The Labour Party, which was supposed te fulfil this need, hag steadily Llogt its weak working= Class base to the point thet 3 of its & Dublin TD's (Horgan, Quinn, and Desmond) depend of a emakl strate un of the petty—bourgeoiaie which finds Fine Gael tes conservative Despite this wand the good showine of the independent Labour candidates [Nocl Erewne and Matt Morrigan), mot to «pesk of the overall increese in support for independent candidates, Sdn Fein = The Workers?

Party actuslly loct » Little ground of the workers and small farmers, sdice if ds not based-on the ideas So pequest by che undiene for na gueta ef the eest: on the Adiminictroative Mumed] wee dioissed be the party leaterchip). While it case feceiye Fineori«] SUppOSe from the wien there ie very little averlsp oat ackivict= between the two Valike it: Enelick counternare it pam inficpensible in the implenent=tion ef wee ae— ree thie BIG TRANSFER TO FINE G4EL The heterowenoue of LB Support may be seen by exatiolne the level af fransfers ta its Bluesbict ceslire In T9732 the national 3 ree ot Cransfers was 705 whereas ic Tet? it way 8S, only 1 of Le waters became aliensted [rom-a party whileh did an action cuplay or ire 2s arieine with a Blueshire rally at its dase ded=Fimeds, qd whtee record an yl] other So5uek has remsited unregentantly riaat— wine, The fact that the LP fallec to meintcin a reel indepenrent identity io Coalition (in ather words if wes net cmeq' qs = obolits lan Of appice! parties bat a. 5 furiorn af closer if distinct aorties } Pravites sy explenatien for the FOULK ¥ote aime te FF, ik UNEASY AMALGAM The Lp bas ore to warrr skew from the eloction results than ite slightly tecreseec overall vote woul? indicate, PAT OTCCNOH haa eesio decressed ond the onby new Fares, Watertord and Cork Sorth= Rast, It would be premacure toe eetieralies from this however.

Jor Sherlock. their Cark canfidate, A setae the “Workers! Farty!

Kae acl another af their cqcuidates who did well, Dewinachadhs Mac Raghnaill in Louth, used election porters caminated with a trical= our aymbelj] Just bow fae this party has gstreved from Repub Licanism can be seen fram the Fact that Louth was the only aren din che wauotey where it gave s heavier transfer ta Fine Gacl than Tianna Fail] Its suppart in Dublin seams to be based on people mildly digsatisfied with Labour who then La The Trish Labour Party eccupies 2 pecul= lar political position in counE ry where s straiehtfonard bour cecls party Stamands the SUppart of the majority It is mot 4 Social Tetwcratic party ef the Trade Colon movetient or Lis lure vaucragy (=f lpst rearts conference raleres, ante, Fisona Fold can fulfil Function just as adequately, ion parther otter 4 years in zovernment, wides Teader rated gsainst cantrs ception, “ The support which it claims os its uet= ining feature - ite workine-clags base — five their transfers ta bath Coalition parties.

Their evolution shows eaactlr why tke National qurstieo is 0 impertant, The only read to Seclali«m in Ireland Lies in resclutely opposing partition ant defending all thage ottenpe= ing to end it. These whe stray Tram Chat toad end up ae thie Flere? cover for Labour, ar woree still, Fine Gael, and fail ta weaken Fianna Fail's hold on the working class. It is ta that task tevelutiooaries. in toe South tiiet direst themselves with renewed pracy an the vuors xhedd.

DAVID CARHLE Lublin <ert. which it wor were io the”

middle class constitiuenciss of South ounty and South East, which retursed John Horesn sod Nusiri Quinn. Le Loin F 3 Dublin vote went down from 222 in Tavs to [72 in I97t, while in the urben ceptors is the rest of the ctuerhes the resolts wee even mare disasr— rous, Falling to IOS af the vare in Cork. 62 in limerick, 6% in wateTtard ood a mere 55 in Co, auth, The Tih who mtoa hieh mirker of firel preferences auch ee Jehn O'Connell, Eileen Desir and Jon Terileehan dia aa mare on the hesis of a persoal folloyvins ant hard qonetituency work thot anan itentifieslion with the TTrinciples of Labouri-m; It de terhsp: cheracterictic ef the canfured orieine ef Irieh Labour, which eat = lot of its FUT [nan rasBecome' ites, that even tatay the LP renteine 2 aise bee af Liberals, eaeisliere, pnti-oa tional ic Le, emis Terublicsre, rors] bizets, trade unive officiel’, intellectusls, snd eerl= Literate. (40 heave infinitely gure ta Fivide them than unite chem, Conte Crudee OHeien favours oLL Pneerssery repregeive legislation. Stevie Gaugkhlan courts the fateticm sliv Cz tholiec Lingrick Confrateccity, Teo Sprice cinverdencly absented him self from the desate aid ware an the saverinent aontraception ill, Dreodg: Gorish saye be is a Cethalic Titet and a docigliat: secoud. Thue Cony o, il

On June-ind, 26 workers from East= wood's acrap=metal firm in Ander =Ongtow wet go strike over union recognition, On the Lith, their union, the Hunicipal & General Workers’ Qnion (MGW) made the *

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