Speaks!

thelr abulity or strategy in regards ta the campargn. It is a nice fealing to be abba to hold and helps the morale no enc, While | am net saving the campaign went perfeet, | am sure that the leon will be learnt from any weakness that showed up.

My positon row is that: there is a moratorium period for the authorities to act in a honest manner, that is Ff thay want to. Without this 40 called Gairn..., Blackrrail by hunger strike I feel it's essential if this campaign is to be successful that all resources are concenirated on the one single issue, Hy immediate release. To achieve this qpoal the camipatign will have to remain ag broad based aa possible and inenlve all

Friends, We gather here today to honour Bobby Sands and his colloaque: who died on hunger strike in the fell hole of Leng Kesh, Bobby Sanda, who spent most-of his young life imprisoned behind the bars and barbed wire of the foreign oppressor, felt that only a hunger trike, if necessary to the death, would force the British government to drop its criminalisation policy and concede to the five jst and legitimate damands of the political prisoners in Long Kesh and Armagh.

Tha British Government in introducing the oriminalisation policy thought it could convey to the world that there was no political profilem in the North and that all offences committed were committed by ordinary criminals. The British Government despite the death: of the hunger strikers, refused to drop its criminallsation policy, burt at the conclusion of the hunger stike campaign that policy lay in: tatters.

Mire Thatcher and her Gereermiment wanted the world to believe that the prisoners in the H Blocks and Armagh were purely erimin ais invelved for personal galn, but Bobby Sands and his-colleaques nailed that lie to the mast, Bobby Sands and his colleagues did nat die im vain - their sacrifice did morein a few short months bo undermine the British occupation and to undermine British. imperimist policy than: all the wolance of the past |4 years.

On the firet day of his 98) - Bobby Sands, writing in hig. secret diary said: ‘Porerniast in my bortured ming is Se Drought that ere can never dae peace in irdand wan oe foreign arooooressie Artie pres ance is moned, Waving all the Jrish peoole ae a unre te ania! their om arts im and determing air ORT Ostet aa.9 Sovereign Peonle, free a mind aed Sody, saperste and aleniact payatcaty; culturally arc ecananicaliy.”

On Meoaday March 8th he wrote :/ aways feeo faking of Janes GConnoHy, and the great calm ad dianity that he shoved, Apitt to iis ven eed, As courage and resolve, Per aos fan biased, because there have been owen Hike Jhim, but Gommolly fer always teen the mart! took eyo te, Lika Bobby Sands, Connelly is alsa the mart | fook up to for Bonnadlby was a Marxist, a socialist and thereforg a Republican. Shortly before his death in [S16 he said : “Pe are ou! for Iretand for ie [ristt. Sut wito aretha irish Mot the rack-rerting stur-owning (aediord: not the seveurt1g, orotitgnindng caoitel fet oor the siegk and’ oily lawyer; not the orostituie pretend - ie Aired Mersot the onerny. Mort these are the (nish apo witonm the future Gepernos, Nor 1iese, but te frigh working class, heooniy fecure Foursation Loon piel ares nation can Oe react”

Connally was & Republican in the réal sense, He placed no trust in the bourgeois catholic nationalists. He pointed out the immense differsnor between the socialist republioans and the physical force meer. Aund as we asenvble here today, 06 honour the memory of the hunger strikers, we should remember that AO one group oF orgariisat ian: has a menopaly on rapublicanism. There are thoss, North and South of the border who would make such a claim But | would rmepidiate that claim.

Republicanism has its roots in the democratic revolutionary traction: of the United brishmen, whose objective was ‘to broak the connection with Britain’ and whose moans was the winning of political unity of “Catholic, Protestant and Dimenter. British |Imoerlaliem must never be uncer estimated, Jin the 20's it responded to the struggle for independence by forcing partition on the Irish people. The seeds of thee present erlais - the violence, deaths and repression - lie in this injustios and are directly Britains responsibility.

The setting up of the twa states suited the mut conservative sections of the bourgealsle in bath states, a5 they feared that the struggle for independence would go furthar along the noad of social -+mvalution indigated by Connally.

The eontinucus political origi in M. Ireland sinos Oeteber O68 hes clearly shown that the 1920 salutien to the brish question is-no longer viahle.

Tha overriding obstacle to the achievement of national liberation end seecial emantipathon by the brish working ‘dass anc ite allies ig British imperialism, But, there ara athe rpoditical forces ratacd iy progress whieh must be taker into secount, particularly in Mortharn trolaried, where Unianist ideology can still sustain a ras base, While the forces of the OHicial Unionist Party the Gomarmed campsigns".This reflects the blinkered view which the CPL has of oehathe Unionist Party and other sections of Unionism oomclously stand inthe wary of the [righ people's acvanca fo national liberation and social emancipation.the per: amilitary campaigns of the Catholic nationalists have teriously damaged the anti-imperialist +truggie, Tha nesulte of their military actions have been to prevent the defeat of Unionist ideology amongst the Protestant sect: offs. of the population: to allenate-the Brith working das, so weakening the opportunity to win them aay from support of present \Westminater palley; to push to one aide the ckemocratic struggle forelvil rights; aed to give British imperialiam a Pieudo-justi fication tor thair policy of repression. in addition, their declared aim of destabllising the Republic of Ireland would in: fact objeetivaly strength: en imperialism's position in Ireland, oy further tilting the balance of foress m Britain's interest.

| say that the way tocde feat British Imperialism in bre land is not by elitist military methods » whether ty boro and bwullet in Britain, or in the cities, towns, willamas of this country. These actions hava provided a psauda -justification for repression and have alienated large masses of people, in |relarved as wall as in Britain, However, the way to over: come the ideas and practioa of tha Matlonalist pararnilitaries is notte parrot British Tory government policy to pander te Unianist sectarian ism or to bolster repression,