Lesson of Fermanagh F: South Tyrone: to New WiGLOries! bi

policy istotally discredited and rendered politically worthless. The SDLP are trying to scrape their way back tocredibility. They, along with Haughey andFianna Fall must be put on constant and unceasing pressure to defend Bobby Sands! seat.

The attempts by Britain and her Loyalist cronies to take away the seat must be exposed anda massive defence mounted. The hypocrisy of the British cannot be shown in any more graphic way then that they would consider stealing the seat of Ireland's most popular M.P..

For the first time in thisphase of the struggle, anti-imperialists have out-manoeuvred the bourgeoisnationalists through the candidature of Bobby Sands in the by-election. The SOLP have been pippedat the post. John Hume!s assertion that the SDLP is'!reservingits forces for the local election In May! can be dismissedasafacesaving exercise andalossof nerve. The SDLP, obviously hedging their bets on Noel Maguire, were quite simply unwilling totest their strength against the swell of sympathy for the HBlock/Armagh prisonersamong thé anti-unionist population.

John Hume, SeamusMallon, Ivan Cooper, Austin Currieall had their call stogive the seat to Harry Westignored, They are nowinsul ting the people who elected Bobby Sandsby calling them '!peculiar! and "exceptional !. They must be forced to withdraw this and to support the demands of the prisoners.

For some yearsnow, the antiimpertalist movement as a whole has failed tounder stand the political obstaclesit faces. Peoples Democracy has |ong since argued that reliance on or Ignoring the bourgeois nation—alistspresents the gravest dangers for the movement. Theirsis the path of accommo= dation withimperialism, Itis not they who have led the fight for the prisoner's, but the anti-imperialist movement, of which may be felt long after the electionisover, Individuals within the ranks of Fianna Fail and the SDLP may be won to the campaign, but itis the anti-imperialist movement who must = lead andcontrol them, These parties will not only offer ‘accommodation to the imperial— ists on the prison struggle but also on the overall interests of the northern minority and of the wnolelrisn working class. The anti-imperialist movement must answer the question: are we prepared toallowthem todo so? Electionsare the only arena allowed by the beorgeol sie in which the masses can make pol— itical decisions, revolutionaries and anti-imperialists shouldbe there to challenge their betrayers It is because of this fundamental necessity that Peoples Democ~ racy intends to stand candidates in the May Local Government elections and offer that challenge.

The May Local Government Elect-— ions are the next big focus for the campaign. Bernadette McAliskey, whose tireless work did so much to bring about the by-election result, has endorseda cal) for making the prisoners Issue central to the elections and for the anti-Imperialist movement to put forward candidates, Other leading militants in the campaignhave al so made the call whichPD initiated, SinnFein's public statements on the possibility of fielding prisoners are tobe welcomed and encouraged. A forthcoming open conference on the elections will hammer out the strategy weneed. WeinPD who have pressed for participation in the electionsintend to fully participate in this conference and will back proposals to challenge the SDLP, Fitt, Paddy Devlin andall! the other misleaders of the Irish people, The turn of the HBlock/Armagh Campaign towards the mass of the Irish people |sbegining tocreate the pre-conditions for victory. The Fermanagh/ South Tyrone election shows the way. Our enemies are reeling: the Irish people can walk all over themif we lead the way. BOBBY?

Builders and ATGWU @ ‘On the blanket’ since 1977 @ Began hunger strike on Ist March _ | HUNGER STRIKER | See - MEF,