Detention without charge a "deterrent

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Builders protest at closure of Birmingham Direct Works PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report Labour chiefs o ind Roy Mason STROOPS OUTS NOW!

repression: Merlyn Rees'(left)' The so-called "Prevention of Terrorism Act". , the set of draconian measures railroaded through Parliament in 1974 in the wake of the Birmingham pub bombings, has received another clean bill of health from Labour leaders.

Lord Shackleton, who as a former Labour leader in the House of Lords has also managed to secure the deputy chairmanship of Rio Tinto Zine has completed the "review" of the Act commissioned last December by Home Secretary Merlyn Rees.

Glibly brushing aside the welter of evidence that shows the wanton intimidation meted out to Irish people under the powers conferred by the Act, Lord Shackleton accuses its opponents of holding "preconceived views" • What matter that hardly anyone out of the 3,259 victims of the Act's powers of detention has been charged with a criminal offence?

People who point this out, according to Lord Shackleton, "ignore the point that its purpose is the prevention of terrorism". The detention powers have great value as a deterrent, he claims.

He goes on to defend proscription of the IRA, which he claims helped to avoid "high feelings" against the Irish community in Britain.

Also defended is the use of exclusion orders, used by police to remove selected victims from Britain, whether or not they could prove them guilty of any offence.

Hint

Lord Shackleton does add a marginal hint of liberalisation by suggesting the lapsing of Section 11 of the Act, which currently makes it an offence to withold information about acts of terrorism.

But even here there is a proviso that Section 11 has been useful in Northern Ireland-the only place where it has actually been used!

The true spirit of reformism emerges in Lord Shackleton's appeal for the detention cells so Direct building departments of local councils should make a profit or be axed-that is the conclusion of a report welcomed by Reg Freeson, Minister of Housing.

A Department of Environment report has recommended that councils should demand a 5% return on capital from their direct labour force or be shut down with the work going to private tender.

Competition

To underpin the move to bring a new spirit of capitalism into the council workforce the Department of Employment recommends that it competes for all building tenders in the area.

Council workforces have certain advantages for the working class-they are unionised, 'lump' free and able to build to higher standards than private contractors.

They must be defended NUSS: WHY THE YC OFFER NO PERSPE( extensively used under this Labour legislation to be made less "gloomy and depressing"

and for the food for the unfortunate victims of police "questioning" to be improved.

In short, the powers of harassment and intimidation in the hands of British imperialism in its repression of the Irish people are to remain intact as a living indictment of the treachery of the British Labour leaders' subservience to their capitalist masters.

The struggle of British workers for the defence of jobs and living standards again and again brings them into conflict with these same Labour traitors and the union bureaucrats who have consciously assisted every reactionary policy.

The fight for the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, for the withdrawal of British imperialist troops from Ireland and the right of selfWORKS last year. against a move which would lead to the sacking of thousands of building workers and open the way for further lump' and non-union employers to increase their empires.

It would also provide Tory councils with a golden opportunity to slash public spending and impose speed-up on council determination for the Irish people is an inseparable part of the struggle for the independent interests of the British working class. Troops October 7 the United On Octobel called a demonstration through the streets of Barnsley-constituency of butcher Roy Masonaround these demands and demanding Prisoner of War status for Republican prisoners.

of solidarity And on November 26, commemorating the 25,000 strong torchlit demonstration through London organised by Karl Marx to protest the hanging of the Manchester Martyrs, the Prisoners Aid Committee is planning a Day of Solidarity with Irish prisoners of war.

The labour and trade union movement must be mobilised to support these important initiatives.

MILLION ANGTON 170,0 workers.

*Nationalise the building industry without compensation under workers' control! Extend direct works!

* An end to lump labour.

A socialist planned economy of useful public works to end unemployment, under the control of the working class. A SOCIALIST 20p 300911 8100%