[The opening of a debate on Ireland taken…]

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The opening of a debate on Ireland taken into the last meeting of Southampton Trades Council met with censorship of a different kind than that recently experienced by Tameside.

Firstly, the EETPU resolution that had sparked off the proposed debate turned up on the Trades Council agenda with a content that contrasted sharply with the motion actually passed by the branch.

This motion, in quite specitic terms, had called for:

•.. re-attillation of lameside and active support for the Tameside initiative in its debate on the continuing suppression of Irish workers by the British Left out The EC minutes (and therefore the agenda) omitted altogether that clause relating to the struggle faced by Irish workers.

Meanwhile, chairman Ted Berrow (a Militant supporter) informed council delegates that unless any new points arose from the discussion then the motion, if passed, would not He argued that it was more.a question of whether Tameside should recognise the TUC than the other way round.

He also contrasted the consistent refusal of Southampton Trades Council to identify with the oppressed Irish working class, with their present campaigns of solidarity with workers in South Africa and Chile.

Reaffiliation

Tameside's re-affiliation must be forced through by workers themselves, he concluded.

At this point, with one other EETPU council delegate (and Socialist Press supporter) warming up and ready to expand the debate into support for the Tameside Conference resolutions, chairman Berrow contravened Trades Council rules by. refusing to lay the discussion open to the floor.

In protest at this bureaucratic manoeuvre the delegate reminded the counci that he was entitled to speak on a resolution passed by an affiliated majority of delegates, bolstered leaders. by the strong Militant grouping The resolution read:

"That Trades Council should reaffirm its decision on Tameside Trades Council and that the Secretary should write to the TUC supporting the right of any Trades Council to organise conterences; moreover that the TUC should organise a series of Regional conferences on Ireland to make its position clear, and where minority viewpoints could also be represented. This decision does not imply support for the Tameside conference"

This does at least make it crystal clear where the Militant stands.

In directing away from the campaign developing around Tameside, towards calling on leading union bureaucrats to initiate conferences on Ireland, these Trotskyists' provide left cover for continuing TUC class collaboration with the Tory government in its imperialist wat.

Endorsed

policy *Troops out of Ireland no Irish people!

*Restore political Irish prisoners of war. TICK TOCK LAND