Mobilise Against Prior in the South
Socialist Republic1982The Southern state and its partiesPartition and the national questionRepublicanism and the IRAPrisoners and the hunger strikesLabour, the left and left unityThe Southern state and its partiesPartition and the national questionRepublicanism and the IRAPrisoners and the hunger strikesLabour, the left and left unity
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The present Fianna Fail government in the 26 counties is opposed to Prior’s assembly plans. Both Haughey and justice Minister, Gerry Collins, have made speeches detailing their opposition to British plans. By these statements Haughey hoped to rekindle the pretence that this government will protect the interests of the Minority in the 6 counties. Ata time when Fianna Fail is mounting massive attacks on the living standards of southern workers, such ‘republican’ demagogy has the benefit of keeping in step with the national sentiments of the Irish working class.
There is only one problem with Haughey.and Collins’ speeches: they are just that - speeches, Behind them lies the massive machinery of collaboration between Leinster House and Stormont Castle. Such collaboration has been stepped up under Haughey so that the British can now condescendingly state that they have ‘No complaints about border security", British incursions into the 26 counties for place with such regularity that they are no longer news.
Fianna Fail’s antics on the national question are only so much hypocritdoes Fianna Fail propose against the Assembly? The latest kite from the strategists of Kildare Street is a ‘Council! fora New Ireland" This kidnapping and reconnaissance, take ical hot air, What practical alternative SDLP. Like previous stunts pulled by the SDLP and Dublin it is a cover up for continued collaboration under a ‘national’ cloak.
For most southern workers, however, the nature of Priors’ assembly and the extent of collaboration is not clear, Suspicion exists in the minds of most southern people that the Government says one thing and does the complete opposite. They are also becoming more aware of the massive financial drain this collaboration has on an economy about to collapse. Each year some £300m is spent on border security - money that could be spent on hospitals ar But this suspicion has not been channelled into political activity. Since the ending of the hunger strike unity of the anti-imperialist organisations has become a thing of the past. What the forces who were in the H Block committees around the country now lack is resolute and united leadership of the anti-imperialist parties. This must now be changed and Sinn Fein, IRSP alongside P.D, should commit themselves to building united activity in the south. This fight against Priors assembly could open up a strong base of resistance to the collaboration of the southern capitalists with Britains plans to defeat the antipartition movement.