Commit Tees

Government can hide this fact.

“grees by another 7,400 men and women and devolve authority to « local level where the para-militarists and fanatics can gain control.

, SECURITY: LOYALISTS STRENGTHEN THEIR GRIP Already the security forces and legal system are operating in a blatently sectarian way. According to a Community Relations Commission report, shortly before the Commission was disbanded, only 10%—15% of the security forces activities are concentrated in Loyalist areas although more arms and ammunition has been found there than in Republican areas. The Association of Legal Justice has also pointed out that figures for May and June of this year indicate that only 25% of those arrested were actually sent to prison, thus showing a wide margin of harassment and intimidation Moreover the average sentence of irmaprisonment was only 3.2 years for Protestants while it was 6.5 years for Catholics.

But this is only a garden-party situation towards what will happen next now that security is being put more and more into the hands of the Loyalists. And make no mistake about it, that is what Rees is doing.

Up till now all sections of the local security forces have been under-manned. The RUC Reserve for example had a ceiling of 3,000 members yet only 2,585 persons enlisted. This was due to Loyalist disenchantment with the role of these forces and were not prepared to join them under these circumstances. If Rees could not find another 415 people not unduly influenced by Loyalism to fill up the RUC reserve quota, Since the victory of the UWC strike the situation in the North has been sliding towards a restoration of the Protestant Ascendency. No amount of “plamas” by Rees or the Labour While Rees tries to soft-talk the Catholic minority, he is retreating day by day before the advance of the Loyslist. This is most obvious in his decision to expand the local security have also teken the political initiative.

The Loyalists know that the crisis facing the British ruling class is forcing them to hand over the political control once more to the Unionist Old Guard. Even at the elementary level of security, this crisis is evident. Britain’s army of 170,000 is stretched to the limits — nearly 60,000 men are serving with N.A.T.O. in Germany, 15,000 more are stationed in the Far East, another 10,000 in Cyprus and a further 10,000 dotted at random points around the globe, 40,000 are on leave or in training, 15,000 are in the North of Ireland and only 20,000 men are deployed in Britain.

That leaves only 1,000 readily available for deployment in “emergency situations”.

In this regard, the formal adherence of Powell to the Loyalist cause is symbolic.

It signifies an irreversible turn by the British ruling class on the trish Question with Powell representing the wing that is most likely to go the full distance. He was not idly boasting when he said at a Press Conference (August 30th) that “Both British parties, both prospective governments, have now come at last, in all but public admission to recognise that there is no practical or just alternatives to what the electorate of N. lreland (read loyalists — ed.] have demanded all along With this knowledge behind him Powell declared-a week later that “No where is he going to get 7,500 non loyalists government will be so foolish as to attempt from?! It is obvious that every man and again the experiment v‘hich was called force. The ground is slipping from the “moderate” on either side. Even Faulkner is forced to imitate the Loyalist camp with his rejection of the White Paper and his calling for stronger security.

On the minority side, the SDLP has been forced to make a complete turn-about Hume who originally welcomed the White Paper as a bright light which “laid down paramenters very clearly” for cooling the situation, was forced a few weeks later (August 8th) to declare that “the White NEW STRIKE OFFICIALS. © CHILE o EQUAL PAY