Pilgrimage to London

Over the past few months of political crisis, during and since the Loyalist U.W.C. strike, the southern Government have become the originators of an entirely new form of politics, known as ‘Government by deafening silence’. Bereft of anything meaningful to say on the present situation, embarrassed by their total inability to pursue a line of policy on the North within even an asses roar of independent thinking, the “likely lads’ of the Coalition have followed up their grand silence with by Gimmick’’. Such a.gimmick was the recent much publicised visit to London of Cosgrave and a whole goggle of government aides and ministers. This particular gimmick was vitally necessary to make it appear as if the Dublin Government knew what they were at all along by keeping silent, and were just waiting for the Correct opportune eeu -Nothing could be further from the truth — Cosgrave sneaked off to Westminster trailing clouds of pure bluff. In interviews before he went, he hinted darkly that he would be taking up such issues as the British claim to Rockall Isle and the introduction of the Green Pound for agriculture. The main point, however, was to seek firm assurances from the British Government on power-sharing and the “‘Irish Dimension’. (Despite the fact that these last two points were supposed the old Fianna Fail-style ‘Government to have been signed, sealed and delivered at the Sunningdale Conference — and, in fact, were announced by Cosgrave as being the non-negotiable corner-stone of Coalition policy on the North!)

After hours of what is known in diplomatic jibberish as ‘‘meaningful discussions’’, Cosgrave came away with no undertaking whatsoever on the Green Pound — not even an moment,to stick the boot into assurance that the British Government "Ar old” would not oppose it! (The ‘’Green non-negotiable cornerstone of Coalition agricultural policy!) He British government agreeing to belong to them in the first place, and then refusing point-blank to Power Sharing and the “‘Irish and watery statement which to nothing at all and left the Coalition boys standing around Cosgrave got NOTHING. a joint Anglo-Irish Security the Free State forces and the back this up Cosgrave gave a firm of ‘‘furitive offenders’’ fromthe North in southern courts. The Coalition went across to London Pound” is supposed to be the present received what amounted to a dismissal on the Rockall question, with the negotiate something which does not name a date for these negotiations.

The much sought-for assurance on Dimension’ turned out to be a weak committed the Labour government twiddling their thumbs — In short, Coalition made plenty of promises Chile.

What did come out of the meeting, however, was the ready agreement of the Coalition government to hold Conference in Dublin, to integrate security North and Souty, between British Army and the RUC. And to undertaking to introduce laws in the Dail to allow'the trial and conviction Ireland. —_— OO??? oO ee a —eETEeEeEe————OO ees eS _"*" eee eS eo eS 05

Amid a massive blaze of press and “GREEN

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