Lessons of the struggle Prisoners of Partition
Socialist Republic1981Partition and the national questionPrisoners and the hunger strikesInternment, repression and the courtsPartition and the national questionPrisoners and the hunger strikesInternment, repression and the courts
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the past twelve years. They are in jail because of the special political laws and the political mechanisms of torture, repression and judicial internment that are necessary tokeep partition alive. Finally, their treatment in prison is part of anattempt tolegitimate partition and secure Britishrule over yet another generation of the Irish people!'.
It also sums up the approach of the pamphlet - ie broadly analy—tical of the anti-imperialist struggle over the last decade. Itis, above, all, anattemptto (in its own words) "learn as much as we can from thishistory of our struggle rather than repeat the mistakes of the past".
"PrisonersofPartition", lays squarely the blame for a second hunger strike on British shoulders. They have refused to con-— cede to the five demands andrejected any form of compromise with the prisoners.
For five longyears, the menin Long Kesh have been "on the blanket"! and the women in Armagh have joined the protest of their comrades. The pamphlet makes it clear that for five years British intransigence isnot simle stubbornness or even pure vindictiveness. Notatall, criminalisation of political prisonersispartandparcel of aplan to legitimise the Britishpres— ence andpartition by way of smashing the anti-imperialist resistance.
Imperialist Strategy, by way of the establishment of the sectarian six county state and the whole arsenal of repressive legislation is alsotackledin''Prisoners of Fartition''. Internment , Bloody Sunday, Diplock Courts, Emergency ProvisionsAct, Prevention of TerrorismAct, the use of torture both the forerunn— er andthe transmission belt to the H-Block and Armagh, are marked off clearly.
No one nowcan be in any doubt of H-BLOCK/ARMAGH Ireland", Armagh campaign. The decline was inevitable due to the political confusion and lack of aclear perspective and strategy inside the movement. AsPrisoners of Partition states:
"It had achieved sufficient clar—ity andunity inits demands, and methods to bring down Stormont, but not sufficient to force out the British and achieve an United The pamphlet takesa hardanddirect look at the mistakes of the anti-imperialist movement and notably of the main constituent organisation, theProvos. Their militarist emphasis strategically is traced throughout the rise, decline andrise again of the mass movement from the Coalisland Conference, through the Burntollet Commemoration, the European Elections and the estab— lishment of the National H-Block/ The repetition of some mistakes made once in the RAC!s andnow again inside the campaign, the "restrictions! on democratic representation are highlighted as impediments to the campaign.
The important andcentral role of Peoples Democracy, its traditions andreal roots in the strug— gle are explainedtoreaders. It is a tradition of the fight for arevolutionary Marxist analysis of the struggle against British Im— perialismand the programme to Perhaps the most important section of the pamphlet is the last one entitled ''Where do we go from here", Aimed at the H-Block/ Armagh campaign, it best encap-— sulates the.main political concepts of the pamphlet asa whole and lays before the reader a strategic orientation for the anti-imperialist movement in this prison struggle. It wouldbe difficult to summarise - why not buy andread the pamphlet yourpolitical positions around which HY