British Troops to Pull Out ? Only Struggle Will Decide!

Ptt has been known for some time that faith _in the Sunningdale Agreement is declining. What is now becoming clear is that many of the parties to the agreement want either to abandon it altogether or seriously modify it THE BRITS The surest indication of this came from the mew British Labour government. The Labour Minister for Defence, Roy M:soni, heeetened that British troops could te withdrawn in the near future. His Sietement caused a furore and Mr. Wilson and Merlyn Rees later reaffirmed that British troops would remain until “pe ice” feterned to the North. But senior ministers wth so much responsibility do not mike tech obvious blunders on such delicat: matters! Ma son undoubtedly reflects British Labour Party thinking on this issue. At amy rate since British Labour took office here has been considerable rearrangement @f troop deployments. Republican Intelligence sources claim that some fompanies have disappeared in the process.

The growing crisis of British capitalism makes it impossible for a British jevernment to work out a long term st ‘ategy lor a permanent settlement in Ireland 1 hat fould have a reasonable chance of success. [he actions of the British Labour Party Pdicates that it is seriously considering a fort term solution, regardless of the (imate consequence, which would free hand to act in Britain before returning Bp impose a final solution in Ireland.

THE FAULKNERITES The Faulknerite Unionists are also reconsidering the whole question of Sunningdale. Since the Wilson-Coggrave summemst there has been major tensions in the Faulkner camp. Roy Bradford, the Most important figure among the Faulknerites apart from Faulkner himself, wants to unite with the official Unionists and kill the Council of Ireland by stages.

Even the Alliance Party, while formerly accepting the agreement, has stiffened its preconditions for acceptance. The Free State government has been criticised for not carrying out its side of the bargain viz a viz repression of Republicans. And the party leader, Oliver Napier, attributed the precarious state of the Assembly Executive to the failure of the Southern government to recognise the constitutional position of the North.

The shift of opinion among “moderate” Unionists is confirmed by the outcome of the Anglo-Irish Law Commission. The Faulknerite representatives dug their heels in on the implementation of extradition thereby putting obstacles in the way of ratifying Sunningdale.

STRUGGLE!

A temporary short term settlement inevitably means finding some formula which will permit a capitulation to the Loyalists. Any such formula will mean an accelleration of repression against the Catholic minority. Already the British Labour government has initiated this process through increasing arrests, sealing off Catholic areas etc. Parallel with this the para-military Loyalists have been On 29th March 18 students, including 1 member of the Revolutionary Marxist Group, Irish Section of the Fourth International and 9 other members of leftwing organisations were suspended for one year by the disciplinary court of Oxford University. This sentence was imposed on them because they had occupied the Indian Institute at the University, as part of the current agitation to gain the British National Union of Students demand for varifies. given a freer hand as the resumption of the anti-Catholic bombing campaign While all this happens the SDLP continues to tie the hands of the Catholic working class. Because there is no effective opposition to them they have so far been successful. Most of the revolutionary organisations seem to imagine that the Catholic minority will suddenly awaken the Establishment of a Central Students Union’ in the University. Irish University students are more used to this lack than are many British comrades of the Oxford 18. In most of the newer colleges this very minimal claim which demand sthat students should have their own control over at least part of their academic environment has always been recognised by their Universities. Here among other things it has yet to be achieved. In Ireland and renew their unanimous support forthe democratic and anti-imperialist struggle. They persist in their dogmatic and isolated politics, treating the central task of mobilising the Catholic community as a side-line activity. This mistake must be corrected — only a massive struggle by the Catholic working class can bring down Stormont and open the rnad to a united, socialist Ireland.

especially because of the internal dynamic such demands raise the Government and university authorities are also unwilling to grant such concessions easily.

In Oxford the university is dominated by a hidebound academic bureaucracy. It is not coincidental that one of our comrades should be disciplined for fighting in Oxford the same battle that our student comrades are fighting here.

THE PEOUGH — PAGE 1

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R.M.G. STUDENT VICTIMISED AT OXFORD