The Coalition and Blueshirtism
Socialist Republic1981The Southern state and its partiesPrisoners and the hunger strikesJames GallagherThe Southern state and its partiesPrisoners and the hunger strikes
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The last Fine Gael/Labour coalition government, which held office from February 1973 to June 1977, will long be remembered as the most openly proBritish administration to hold office in the South of Ireland since the 1920s. Its policy of ‘saying or ee doing nothing which might offend the Northern Unionists’ was complemented with a dangerous growth in the power and activity of the Secret Police, widespread attacks on the democratic nghts of republicans, and a growing security offensive by the British in the North. Towards the end of its reign its leaders began to believe their own propaganda and went over the top. Cooney crowed of his ‘victory’ over the Portlaoise hunger-strikers, Cruise O’Brien promised a new coalition would abolish Articles 2 and 3 of the constitution, and Cosgrave, at the Fine Gael Ard-Fheis leading up to the June 1977 General Election made an infamous attack on ‘blow-ins’ who had fairly successfully opposed the attempt to introduce seven day detention and a state of emergency. This explicit proBritish stance was too much for the voters to stomach. Fianna Fail scored a massive victory.
The question anti-imperialists and socjalists must ask now about the new Garreti Fitzgerald-led coalition is whether we are in for a repeat performance. On tae evidence so far there are a number | of disturbing signs about the governmen’s intentions. A particularly chilis appointment was the nomi-~ nation of Patrick Cuoney as Minister for Telecommunications, which leaves him directly in charge of censorship on radio and television, Cooney lost his seat in the 1977 rout of the last coalition and often makes a point of saying this was nothing to do with political objections to his anti-republican activities. Cooney described the strong showing of H-Block hunger strike martyr Martin Hurson (over 5,000 votes) in his own Longford-Westmeath constituency as “disappointingly high’. When Fitzgerald was challenged about this appointment at a press conference A Bae ta ? . -Assembly.
American politicians (the Four HorseThis Fine Gael/Labour government has shown itself already as a more willing collaborator than its Fianna Fail preOctober.
than in 1977 of the need for mass mobilisations against it. The anti-imperialJuly 9th.
trying to beat the anti-imperialist movement but unable to fully identify with Thatcher’s ruthless policies for fear of putting his fragile government out on a limb. We must keep the pressure up, alive, Without that, we will be sitting