The Way Forward : Take Campaign to Constituencies to Youth
Socialist Republic1981Prisoners and the hunger strikesTrade unions and workers' strugglesThe Southern state and its partiesElections and electoral tacticsPrisoners and the hunger strikesTrade unions and workers' strugglesThe Southern state and its partiesElections and electoral tactics
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The question facing us all Is "What do we do now?7"!, Ths immediate priority is to palicly show our sorrow at the death of Bobby Sands and Francis Hughes and our solidarity eth the remaining 3 hunger strik@ps. IN THE NORTH On the streets, local H Blogs Committees can organise rag blockings and mass pickets ef barracks. These activities must be charactarised by diglpline and unity. They must be used to involve as many people as possible in active oppositian to the British through democratic organisation, There is the probability of RUC and army raids on the districts to round up local activists. We can prevent this by barricading off side streets and ensuring that personnel are there to defend them at all times. This will not only provide effective protection for campaign activists but gave a necessary alternative activity for our youth to Involve themselves in, as Opposed to the present unco-ordinated rioting. In the past, bin lid bashing has proved a good militant response to Incursions of any "free areas!!! that we set up, Throughout this campaign we have pressurised the SDLP to take a positive stand on the 5 demands. We must demand that the local councillors come off the councils till the political status issue is resolved. Pressure can be stepped up through picketing SOLP Head Quarters.
On a wider plane the electors of Fermanagh/South Tyrone should organise a mass petition calling for another by-election for Bobby Sands! seat and then stand another hunger striker which will allow us the opportunity to consolidate the original victory and further isolate the SDiLP leadership and discredit the British and Irish governments.
LABOUR MOVEMENT The trade unions must put teeth into the numerous resolutions passed in sUppért of the prisoners. They have a grave Border. Charles Haughey had the power to save Bobby Sands and Francis Hughes but refused to use it. An all-Ireland demonstration can be organised to march on Dublin with the demand that the Fianna Fail government either take decisive action on the Hunger Strike or resign} The question has to be put to every Irish citizen, ''Do you support the prisoners or the British government", Our activities should be organised to allow massive involvement. Rioting in Dublin streets could frighten people away. We need not only to show our anger but to win, Therefore, contin-uing the plans as laid down at the Belfast conference — press~ ure on the roots of Fianna Fail by taking the issue into the constituencies Is as vital as preparing mass Industrial We can win this campaign. We can save the lives of the remaining Hunger Strikers. We must prove both to ourselves as well as to the British that we are not beaten and are prepared.to fight on till we win.
A PEOPLES Why are the H/Block Armagh prisoners "prisoners of part— ition"? "They are In jall because of the mass political convulsion that has challenged imperiallst rule in Ireland over the past twelve years", The understanding of the role of the prisoners and of the importarice to Thatcher of the policy of criminalisation is-crucial
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Peoples Democracy is standing candidates in the Local Government Elections as a way of buildIng a militant fight back against Imperialist rule In Ireland at a time when that rule has entered anew and more acute crisis. We no longer believe that boy— cotting elections is a useful or appropriate answer to British Release committee to the present struggle for the five demands of the prisoners, we have striven to build a mass movement on the streets and in the factories that would finally defeat the British. We began to organise around the question of politiical status in February 1976, when the British first began their should be set aside as a quota for Catholic workers, and massive emergency funds set aside for those areas suffering the greatest deprivation, WOMEN Catholics as a group aren't the only victims of discrimination in our society. The redundan-
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