STRIKE ation from

British argument that anti-imperialist violence justifies internment. Meanwhile Tomas Mac Giolla in his Presidential address joined Cruise O’Brien, Patrick Cooney and Bishop Daly in denouncing the Provos and blaming them for the repression used against them.

In an anti-imperialist war like present one in Ireland, there can be no neutrals. Those who slander and denounce the guerillas, like the Officials are aiding the imperialists. The logical conclusion of their attitude was shown a few days after the Ard Fheis when Gerry Doherty, a former national organiser of Clann na h-Eireann, the Officials’ organisation in Britain, was deported under Jenkin’s new racialist laws. He commented “I’m more annoyed with the Provisional I.R.A. than with the British Government. . . I’ve always campaigned against the Provisionals. They are a monster which has been allowed to grow up in our midst.”’ Presumably drastic measures are necessary against monsters. Docherty ended up making excuses for the Ggovernment which had deported him. He said he supposed the British Govt. had to do something after Birmingham.

“PROGRESSIVE LOY ALISM” — A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS While they slander those prepared to resist British Army terror and Loyalist Fascism, the Officials’ own solution to the Northern situation is a mixture of make-belief and surrender. The Ard-Fheis called for dialogue with “the more progressive loyalist groups’’. They refuse to see what is staring them in the face. There are no “‘progressive loyalist groups”. The UDA and UVF whom the ‘United Irishman’ repeatedly flattered and praised, have proved points of entry — including main the blockading of the docks was proving successful that the strike gave a committment to strike in sympathy.

were made, the first of £6.50 per Establishment condemns strike the establishment was one of condemnation and outrage. The such as “‘shops have no goods”’;

unnecessarily”’; “‘strikers causing lies about medical supplies not getting through to the hospitals.

responsible for the assassination campaign and the Dublin and Monaghan bombings respectively. Progressive Loyalism is a contradiction in terms. Protestants who are progressive are not Loyalists, they are Republicans or Socialists. Again the logic of their position was revealed in a speech when Sam Dowling of Newry called for the acceptance of a 6-county and on the other, to cause maximum disruption of the economy with the subsequent loss of profits to ensure The first part of the operation was carried out successfully by picketing other depots and the second part by blockading docks and all major roads across the border. It was when became headline news and the strike cominittee decided to allow urgent settlement. medical supplies through to hospitals. At this point 3000 men were taking part in the strike and 300 dockers Meanwhile the J.I.C. had been meeting continuously and two offers week, the second of £8.80 per week, both of which were rejected by the men who were holding out for their original demands of £1.00 per hour.

As one might expect the attitude of old familiar phrases were trotted out, “ordinary man in the street suffering economic hardship to small business men’’. etc. etc. They also told blatant The Road Transport Association issued slanderous statements about the workers, saying they didn’t deserve a rise as their productivity output was much lower than their counterparts across the water. But the most virulent oppositon came from the small transport firms and owner-drivers, particularly in larne where they drove their vehicles onto the ramps to prevent strikers unloading urgent medical supplies, thereby hoping to discredit the strikers and to. put pressure:on the Government to push for a quick Strike cost £4million per week By the 3rd week of the strike, it was costing the transport industry £4million per week and an offer of £35 per week was rejected by the men. [t was at this stage that the allegation of a ““Republican plot”

were made public. Although no one seems to know for sure who was the source of these allegations, it is obvious the bosses would have a vested interest in seeing the strike break up by using the oldest trick in the book in Ireland i.e. dividing the workers on sectarian lines.

However, commonsense prevailed amongst the workers as was shown at the final meeting of the strikers on Saturday 16th November when the strikers won their demands and agreed to accept the employer’s offer of parity of wages with drivers in Britain. At the same meeting the trade union representatives were boohed off the platform and a future in trying to re-build the Official movement on the original 1970 lines for the seeds of its degeneration were sown much earlier than that. The hard realities of the situation in Ireland have narrowed down the political field considerably. The Peoples Democracy is the only will prominent member of the strike committee was appointed to chair the meeting. It seems clear from the feelings of the men at that meeting that they intend setting up a new branch of the T.G.W.U. in an attempt to oust their present trade union leadership.

Trade Union activity alone not enough We in P.D. wholeheartedly support those who wish to see a greater degree of democracy and control by the rank and file within the trade union moment and a very practical starting point would be to demand that all trade union officials be paid the same wages as the membership to see that they keep their feet firmly on the ground and-to ensure that the officials will always understand the needs of their members.

Finally we would point out to all trade union members, that trade union activity alone will not solve the economic problems of the membership. All the social and economic ills of the Irish people are a direct consequence of imperialist control. It is the task of the Peoples Democracy and should be the aim of every trade unionist to ensure the destruction of that control and to ensure the establishment of a 32 County Workers and Small Farmers Republic.

Issued by the Industrial Committee of the Peoples Democracy organisation with a 32-County perspective, trying seriously and with some success to build a revolutionary Marxist Party in Ireland to-day. Those who have left the Officials and are Marxists or are moving in that direction, have a simple choice. : wth,