0 years of British rule!

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LAST YEAR the Tory minis er of State ai the Foreign Office wrote to Peter Thomas, Tory MP;

It is understandable that the US government feels the need to resume military assistance to the government of El Salvador. Their interest in countering Cuban and Soviet subversion in South America is one we share.

In January this year, horrific reports of massacres committed by Duarte's government troops appeared. The only survivor of one massacre, in Mozote, a village in Morazan province, was Rufina i Amaya. She described the butchery to reporters. The entire village was forced into the village square, then marcher pump money in to support Duarte - he's due for another 55 million dollars. But what is it that Reagan and Thatcher are so scared of? It isn't the 'Soviet threat' though they are rabid anti-communists. What Thomas Enders, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs said recently is more like it;

'We must use our assistance to help El Salvador control violence, make land reform work, develop a democratic process and bring murderers to justice. How long would it be before major strategic interests - the Panama Canal, sea lanes, oil supplies were at risk?

T e Duarte regime plans to hold elections on March 28th. These are nothing Demonstrate against EL SALVADOR Assemble 12.30 p.m. MARCH from Speakers Cr RALLY in Trafalgar Squai ner to , 2.30 p.n Barry Walton star1 the first of a two part article on the background to present events in Ireland.

THE RELIGION of English and Scots settlers who began to colonise Ireland in the 17th century was Protestant, while the native Irish were Catholies. It became established that the religion of the ruling class in Ireland, known as the Ascendancy, was Protestant.

As capitalism developed, trade and finance links grew between the Protestant community in Ireland and England. Land, factories and property were owned by the ascendáncy and the well-paid jobs went to loyalist (loyal to the British Crown) workers. Catholic workers sutfered unemployment and exploitation. We can see how protestant workers began to support the ruling class, because of the marginal benefits they got from imperialism, ie. jobs, houses, better pay.

Challenged

British rule in Ireland was constantly challenged by rebellions. In Easter of 1916. a rebellion in Dublin tried to establish an independent Irish Republie. It was followed by a war of independence in 1919-21. and then a civil war in the South.

Britain was unable to control all of Ireland, but the country was partitioned in 1921, and six of the nine counties of Ulster, containing the main industries, remained part of Britain. The other 26 counties formed the Irish southern state, governed by the Dail.

We can see how the Orange state of Northern Ireland was created to serve the bosses' interests. Loyalist workers allied with Britain because of small benefits they got from imperialism at the expense of Catholic workCrs.

Constituency boundaries were altered to ensure Loyalist majorities on local councils, and the trade unions became divided on sectarian lines. "This situation continued till 1969, with the IRA fighting hopeless campaigns. The situation in the North reached a crisis in 1969, with discrimination against Catholics in jobs, housing and voting. A civil rights movement developed, demanding equal rights with protestants. It had massive support aniongst the Catholics.

The privileges of the Protestant workers could only last as long as the Catholic workers were down-trodden. The Loyalist thugs of the RUC and B-Specials attacked the Catholic areas. Catholic youth fought back with petrol bombs, establishing 'no-go' areas.

There was talk of the Southern army going in to the North to help the catholics. Britain could not stand the sight of the 'nogo' areas and sent the troops in August 1969. They were supposed to be keeping the peace. A Labour government did Confused The Republican response to the troops was confused. Some Catholic areas welcomed the British troops as peace-keepers, only to find that Free Derry was brutally attacked. Rubber bullets and CS gas were used by the the troops on theFalls Road. The pro-Loyalist role of the army became clear, and Catholic workers began to join the IRA in order to defend themselves and their homes.

Loyalist workers began to support the army in everything. Any _attempt at reform in the North has been met by solid opposition from the Loyalists, including strikes.

The experiment in power sharing ended with the Ulster Workers' Council strike, which the army refused to break.

The capitalist crisis has affected the North of Ireland particularly badly an and clearly has nothing to offer any worker in Ireland.

Republican prisoners in jail in the North and in Britain are political prisoners. They have taken up a political and military struggle against British imperialism. Under the Special Powers Act, republicans are arrested at whim, held without trial indefinitely and tortured into making a confession.

Male republicans are held in the H-blocs of Long Kesh concentration camp and women are held in Armagh jail.

In 1972-76 it was accepted that Republican prisoners had a right to special status; they could wear their own clothes and had their own command structures in the prisons.

In 1976, the Labour government said Republicans no longer had special status. This was the beginning of the criminalisation programme, which tried to portray Republicans as common criminals and deprive them of any political status.

Blanket

The prisoners responded by refusing to wear prison uniform, wearing only a blanxet. In the lace ot increased brutality, they began the'no-wash' protest. This attracted international solidarity. The struggle for political status continued, but the IRA offered little leadership and initiatives were left to the prisoners themselves.

Unable to see any alternative, the prisoners decided on the tactics of a hunger strike to win political status.

Seven men and three women began a hunger strike in 1980.A compromise was reached on the clothing issue and the strike was ended. But the government back-tracked and the prisoners were not allowed to wear their clothes.

On March 1st, 1981, Bobby Sands began the second hunger strike, winning a massive propaganda victory when he was elected as an MP for Fermanagh South. Huge numbers • of republicans were mobilised during the hunger strikes. Support that has been wasted as the IRA did not use it to try to win the British labour movement to their side. The IRA has returned to the military strategy and the bombing campaign.

Next month:Why troops out must be won.