Lett Rs and Russia

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In Weymouth Young Socialists we support almost entirely the ten» point programme which is printed in the paper. B ut we disagree with the idea that the Soviet Union should retain its nuclear weapons. It does not seem right that we claim to support workers' movements in the deformed socialist countries but presumably would not support a workers' movement in the Soviet Union calling for unilateral nuclear disarmament.

Also we have all heard of the computer errors in America which have nearly started a nuclear war, but what about a Russian computer error? Is this also not a possibility?

Whilst I personally (not all of our Young Socialists agree) see that we must defend the Soviet Union in terms that it is economically different from capitalist countries and we must defend what is anti-capitalist, I cannot see thät defending it to the extreme of allowing it to keep its nuclear weapons is practical or necessary. I'm not sure that Trotsky would have taken the theory of defence of the Soviet Union so far.

Yours Fraternally, Caroline Lees Weymouth YS a magical solution "if only people were peaceful and democratic."

The British reaction to the peaceful election of an IRA MP is to let him die and ban prisoners from standing again for Parliament.

The extreme violence of the situation in Northern Ireland is the product of British/Loyalist activity, both in the long term -500 years of sporadic slaughter and sustained oppression - and in the short term: the RUC attacks on peaceful civil rights demos in 1968 and on Catholic communities in 1969. These armed attacks (half of the Falss Road burned. down in Disagree; agre Write to usat:

Class Fighter, BM Box 5277, LONDON WC1 printed in the NME rel velcome change from the u irculation!

1969) on an already oppressed community forced the Catholics to fight back in self-defence. At that stage the IRA was practically defunct and weaponless.

Having said that, we in no way support attacks on civilians. This is why the Birmingham bombings were excepted - we should have included others. For some years now civilians have not been considered legitimate targets for the IRA but there is a well-orchestrated and hysterical media campaign about the extremist violence which hides this fact and ignores the fact that innocent civilians now being murdered are victims of the Army. Five have beer killed this year by plastic bullets, including two giris.

History will regard the IRA (as much of the world