Biueshirt Crusade the North

majerity of whom were elected on substantial votes. PO's Fergus O'Hare annihilated Geny Fitt who was trans: formed overnight into a has been, It must be said that the faihire to oontest the elections was a basic and fundamental mistake ag it once npore gave the SDLP virtwally a clear run and they ratitained their number of councillors. Before the election Hume met Thatcher to discuss the hunger strike in a pretence of concern but alter the election threal was removed the SDLP felt able te move towards tutright hostility to dhe prisoners, The election ofa farge monber af anti-H Block councillors would have been a great stap fomyard for the sirugele and coulil haye forced the SDLP off the councils.

The Seathern Genera) lection WHE BTW OppeTlunily fest con electoral dilervertion. There was a split onthe National H Block! Armagh Comanittee with the Republican prisoner = abstenticnist line winning by the narrowest of margins, PE prisoner candidates meant that they had no effect whatsoever in -postelection events whereas non-abatentionist candidates coukd have caused a eovernmenital stulemate, Similarly a non abaienttonist candidate for the coming Cavan/Monaghan by-election would transform electoral tactics from 8 inansi ory pretest to active opposition te all three onllaborations! par lies, Future elections will he of major importance for ant-imperialists and will provide one of the best means of gaining political leadership of the Trish working class provided. that participation is seen as part of an overall strategy to build a mass working, class based resistance, To adept a boycott position ls to abstain from the fight for leadership with the bourgeois parties and to adopt an abstentionisl position is merely clevaling a possible tactic into a aelt-deleating principle and ignoring the possibilities for developing the pralitical struggle. boundary settlement, Lhe Blueshirts and the Heavy Gang, we have “the Great Constitutional Debate" or “How the North was lost”, HOSE (O'MAHONY gives her thumbs down verdict.

The néw moves ey the coalition government to remawe articles 2 and Sof the constitution represent a blatant attempt to deny th: right of the Irish nation to-self<leterminition aod is a chear signal to the cathobic minority m the & counties that this government intends do da all in ite power te legitimise Unionist rule in the North, Two things were noticeable in Fitzgerald's remarks on ihat new iifarnous radia imteriew on RTE, On the one hand his servile une spporiive altitude toward: Unienists (4 | were a Northern Protestant state like the South") and on the movement, Wis weacly hysterscal reaction ta the suggestion chat he Might meet Owen Cirron MP deft ws in ne dowht as tu wis he sees as the real eneiniy bo be grushesl, DTV CRC BE His concerns to “secularise” the South is 2 anokescieen for his-real aim. Fitzgerald refused to resign or even repiter protest at Lisi Coegrane's refusal to vote for the Cooney contraception bil in 74. His solution ws the problema of marital breakdown now is te set up ajoint working party in the Dail. In other words, despite bis preat “cruaade™ he will not propose a teferendwin on divores without Pwould not want to live in a sectarian other his hatred of the anti-imperialist view of the Bil There is no possibility that Fine Crael will lake on the Catholic Church are fight it. Throughout history, Cumann na oGeedhael (the foreranner of FO) has been first to accept legislative suppestions from te hierarchy, whether in the 20s on censorship and the outlawing of forms of public dance , ond the banning of divorces: io the 30s on contraceplion: ur in the in the 305 when Noel Browne’s move towards a stole health service was re by the bishops. Toba A ‘cate lle, the Pine Gael leader of the tirme said he was proud as a Iegishilor ta accept the Cacholic hierarchy’:

OPPRESSED UNIONISTS Garrett would like ws to belicve that he is ditferent, Ubat he cares about the rights al minwrities Urough enue the country, Ehet the altitude of his marke was shove must suceetly oy Gerona Hussey on agother radic programme wher she slated chat “the most Uirealened and oppressed group in freland loeliny ie thie: the snti-imperialist movement te de. partition this ecuntoy and destroy the sectarian state on which wniumist paivilege is based.

The Labour Party was aa-uswal, on Fine Gael’s coattails seconding the reaolution in the senate. They raised same hackneved points about ‘pressurising’ Unionists aod decried the territonal claima to a United: Irelind, Jim Kemmy TG has pone one better whou heasid the aspiration of the Trish people 1 onity snd seltdetermination was an ‘imperialiat® UNIONIST REACTION The reaction of loyalist opinion has heen Litereiting. This 'threarened species’, from the Official Unienists to lhe DUP welcomes) the call For the dropping of Articles 2 and 3 laut asserted that this would in we wary influence their eiew on the South, that they simply did not wish to be inchided in a United Ireland. Tistead of challenging the ross head om, Fianna Fail is heard to mutter about “views in keeping with the heliels of the majority of cur people”, By defending Catholic mspined legislation they hare attempted ta perpetuate the oth that Wationalist = Catholic, The only way in which Ireland's lw cin be teuly aecularised is in the context ofa wilted Ireland free trom ihe imperialist tink, Tt is clear from the latest “parliamentary parleys’ chat iy serigus moves iit that diraeion can only come from the anti-imperialist people throughout the country mobilised to win their aims without kew-lowing to either Unionist reaction onthe Cathobic

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