Election Special

movement for a socialist republic election special

VOTE AGATNST

The eri ravernment has called Chis election at a time when the economic si been intensifying, wit the real unemployment figur- at 160,000, and with workers! : ndards of livi falling. they looking "fee a vote in their fovus not anly that they wil Well if re-e ( they will « even better, We don't doubt they will, In fact we sare fully confident that if re-e6lected unemployment will continue to rise, only to be equalled by prices.

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1 = 1 which 2 ament too The oon important this: election #re n 1 ences ee Kaess tne coalitic Fianna Fail, but their and it is on these ques they are silent, ohn on th sa Ieee Northe to woly The} ‘ifting a discrimination minority in Pying to- ge sectarian 6 e Britash Army, Ee m ct

UNEMPLOYMENT

loyment. “debate about end Wi debate Both parties kno ie farcical; that,t6 cr hat this you Need mew ew jobs

te ereate new industries, So where is this money gfoing to come from? There is no: way anyone is going to lend them enough money to end unemployment. On the contrary the bankers are’ very Well aware that far from things improving they are g¢ving to get worse. The only way we can get the resources to create new jobs is by taking it; by nationalising under workers control the wealth and resources of this country and initiating a 32 County National Plan to provide jobs rather than profits.

While such a move would benefit the vast majcvpity of the Irish peition/Mkgbe Pat SROAECTESER Fe anna Fail and the Coalition represent, The point is not that any of these parties is unable to end unemployment but that they are unwilling to take the hecessary measures. The obstacles to solving unemployment are ultimately not economic but political, Both the Coalition and Fianna Fail recognise only too well that they are totally unable to solve the economic crisis and it will @et steadily worse and worse; and as More and more people are without jobs and real wages continue to fall the working class will begin ti fight: back, It is this "problem" which they are preparing to solve by increased rep-= ression. 50, in reality, despite their pretended differences, the Coalition and Fainna Fail are united in their policies; defend the status quo north and south by escalating repression, It is for this reason that we as socialists have as our main slogan - VOTE AGAINST REPRESSION.

FIGHT BACK NOW! i he eae But while we realise that only s0Cialist measures Can ensure jobs for all and ecen tand= ard of living note Be fio, Sugpen to advocate. a blueprint for the future, we must begin to organise Workers,' women, students, siuall farmers, the unemployed and the youth to fight for their rights.

And we must begin now! Young people out of work can see no way forward and if they are-to EE Ee me ——— ee ee a as Se lf a 4 mount + real strugele Againet,nemployment, the oreaniacr mast pire them confidence by showing strength, — especially in the area of redund- : ancies. The samc is true in all other areas. If we pre to support the Northern minority in getting rid of British troops and ending sectarian discrimination we must first of all mount a powerful can= paign in defence of civil liberties and democratic rights whick are being rapidly eroded, Likewise in education; a truly democratised educational system is not possible until we can first of all fight to Maintain existing standards and facilities, Because a Working class which lacks the experience of fighting to defend democratic richts nnd its own immediate interests will never achieve a Socialist Republic, So rather then seeing these electiont as just another gimmick by the ruling class We must see them as an opportunity to besin the fight back.

FOR 4£ BLUESHIRT GOVERNMENT - VOTE

LABOUR!

The central point in these elect ions is the extent to which an opposition emerges to the fovernment's eolicy of repression; and it is 4 around this issue that we should judge the various parties and candidates. It is unfortunate that " the larcest party which claims allegiance to the working class, the Latour Party, should stand four square behind the repressive polaicies of the government. Labour ministers such as Cruise O'Brien and Micheel O'Leary have made a point OF ceing the most ardent and. virulent exponents of police state mearsures while almost all the other Labour TD's Have come «rovelling in behind every Blueshirt attack en democratic rignts. They have participated in = fovernment which has administered bie erosions: in living standards of the workers without muttering a word of dissent, If'we want.a real party representing the interests of the workers there must be ‘no coalition with = party like Fine Gael. By voting for cantlidates who publicly suppgrt repressipn we would not be strengthening spposition within the Labour Party but giving those who trail behind the Blueshirts a blank cheque for the future, For this

~reason we advise not to vote Lab- GUE = although exceptions should be made for people like David Thornleywho, however critically, have publicly opposed repression.

THE NEW OPPOSITION

Despite Labour's continued servile participation in coalition this election has shown signs of the emergence of new oppositoon forces in the 26 Counties. This oppos- #fion, although presently fragnented, and creates the possibility of initiating mass struggles against the repressive policies af both Fianna Fail and the coalition.

most significant forces to come out in opposition to these policies are the independent Labour candi dates for Artane and Finglas, Matt Merrigan and Noel Browne. Tn their programme they declare their intention of campaigning against the National Wage Agreement and and for full defence of civil .liberties and a comprehensive family planning service. Given this and their links with the labour movement a strong poll for them will open up big opportunities for launching nati ual campaigns around these issues and for mount ing a fight within the trade unjon movement to defend workers’ rights. The chairperson of the Trish Republican Socialist Party, Seamus Costello, is also high- -lighting the issue of repression and deserves to be supported, We also suggest voting for the Communist Party candid ates and ror The other candidates op.0sing repression = for example James McKenna in Ballyfermot, Unfortunately Sinn Fein - The Workers' Party have been driven by their obsessive hatred of the Provisionals into a position of neutrality on the question af civil iiberties and are sometimes supporting repres*ion, Their candidete in Limerick has tried to jump on to the clerical bandwagon which is 'anti-vandalism' and he actually calls for more police in working class areas (!) end for more detention cemtres’(!!). Surely any socialist would realise that the real criminals who are ultinately behind vandalism are those who deprive working class people of a decent standard of living and their areas of proper amenities. } Rather than calling for these young people to be locked up we call on them to direct their anger against the system which oppresses them.

"BC THOM DOG CANDIDATE

The campaign of Joe Harrington, a Socialist Republican sponsored by the "Bottom Dog" newspaper, in East Limerick, is very important for the development of afa militant socialist opposition in the Lebour movement. In an interview with SOCIALIST REPUBLIC Joe Harrington explained that he was contesting the election in order to popularise the idea of the neceseity for workers to organise themselves to fight against unemployment and repression. "We cannot trust the politicians, We Can only trust in our own strength".

He also stressed the need for a fight for womens' rights pointing out that despite ten years of promises we still don't have contraceptives freely available throught the health service. He hoped in the course of his campaign to 6 build support for the Contraception Action Programme (CAP).

He also defends the rights of small farmers: “Toa many people fail to distinguish between the big ranchers and small farmers. It is only the ranchers who have penefitted from the EEC. Most small farmers are no better off than the average factory worker. Indeed they are ofthe worse off. The smell farmers are the natural allies of the working class’. Joe Harrington welcomes the emergence of a left wing opposition to the fovernment's policies especially the candidature of Browne and Merrigan.

He hopes to combine with them and anyone else interested in building a mass action movement in defence of civil liberties. He believes that "these elections can be the begainnine of a real fight back against the erosion of democracy and the working class's standard of liv=ite

STOP THF EROSION OF CIVIL LIBEFTIFS -

‘VOTE AGAINST REPRESSION*

| supoRr THE STRUGGLE AGAINST REP-

1RESSION NORTH AND SOUTH - READ

‘SOCIALIST REPUBLIC

SOCIALIST

REPUBLIC

movement for a-socialist republic election special _