Assesses the

“d Britain and local and international allies and not at the expense of the Irish people. But does it follow that the economic crisis should form part of a programme for uniting anti-imperialists at this point in time? Peoples Democracy gives an affirmative answer to this question. The severity of economic and social distress will tend to depoliticise rather than radicalise people. If this happens then it will be extremely difficult for the anti-imperialist movement to mobilise support for the demands of national unity and indepdendence. A united response by the anti-imperialist movement to the economic crisis which can make maximum impact in the shortest possible time is essential HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY On the more positive side the economic crisis needs to be put in historical perspective. Not since the War of Independence has such a deep going crisis of British rule in Ireland combined with such an intractable economic crisis. In other words, for the first time since Partition the conditions which enabled a thorough mass revolt against British rule in the early 1920s are re-emerging. It is a Maura McRory who topped the poll on re-election to the H Block/Armagh Committee historic opportunity which will be missed if the lessons of history are not learned. The major lesson of the 1920s as Liam Mellows pointed out was the disregard for the interest of workers and their consequent apathy towards the republican cause. That mistake was partly corrected during the hunger-strike when a specific appeal was made to workers. Any new united front which wants to build on the gains of the H Block/ Armagh campaign must take this initial approach to workers to its logical conclusion. This will require integrating the demands of workers with other anti-imperialist demands.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ELECTIONS So far we have argued that since the ending of the hunger-strike the political situation has changed in two important respects, ie with regard to Britain’s strategy and with regard to the economic crisis. The combination of these two changes has produced a further change which will affect the development of any new anti-imperialist unity We are referring here to the ir,stability of government in the South. This development has brought electoral activity te the fore as an important | weapon in the anti-imperialist struggle. i Because of this Peopies Democracy argued at the H Block/Armagh conference that a new united front would have to put the aim of creating an anti-imperialist electoral front at the centre of its perspective.

As distinct from other organisations and individuals in the H Block/Armagh campaign we lay particular emphasis economic and social crisis a growing number of people are looking for strategic alternatives rather than piecemeal solutions to their problems. The is uppermost in their minds. At the from the major parties which is why there is government instability. The beneficiaries of this situation so far have been mainly the pro-imperialist left.

If the anti-imperialist movement is serious about winning a mass audience for its ideas it must be able to present itself as a serious governmental alternative. Moreover it is not just a question of winning an audience for ideas but of actually promoting practical resistance to exploitation and repression. In the present situation this practical resistance has declined In many cases there is an instinctive feeling that individual issues cannot be won while all the major parties in Leinster House are committed to repression and austerity. The promise therefore that there will be a major political alternative in Leinster House will be an important factor in organising a fight back at grass-roots level. The electoral united front which Peoples Democracy advocates therefore will not be electoralist in the usual sense. We see such a front as the spear-head of a campaign to encourage resistance at all levels of society.

In the coming months these are some of the ideas that we will be putting to other anti-imperialist organisations and individuals. In the next issue of Socialist Republic we will discuss some more questions such as the nature of an anti-imperialist economic programme and democracy within a united front,

PAGE 6 SOCIALIST REPUBLIC THE BRITISH government likes to see itself as a bastion of freedom, this image abroad despite its racist fair play and democracy and promotes poor. The rich go anywhere they like. They have no boundaries. “These immigration laws they intro-