Don't Let Irish Prisoners Die!

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from the Tory press and against British imperialist rule in mass media, Irish republican the occupied six counties of prisoner Bobby Sands has Northern Ireland.

hunger strike in the Long and other republicans are Kesh concentration camp. thought likely to ioin the He is demanding recognition hunger strike as it develops. political prisoner-a But the British press is using prisoner of war in the struggle the tactic of silence in an attempt tó minimise the impact of the struggle on British workers who are also faced with He has now been ioined in the need to fight the same his struggle by Francis Hughes, Thatcher government.

Indeed direct ruler and torture chief Humphrey Atkins has been told by both the Tory cabinet and leading Labourites not to mention the hunger strike in Parliament lest it attract publicity to the case.

The Labour and trade union leaders have for years maintained a guilty silence on the barbaric military repression meted out to the Irish people by the British army in the six counties.

on Ireland One of the most important developments in the Labour Party over the last year has been the rapid growth of discussion on Ireland and in particular of the Labour Committee Con The annual conference of the LCI on 14 March reflected this development. 60 delegates Pickets during last week's day of action attended representing regional organisations in Scotland, West Midlands, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, the South West, South Wales and London.

The greatest success of the LCI to date was discussion achieved at the Labour Party conference and the degree of constituency support that this revealed.

This is now being followed up in areas like the West Midlands where Birmingham District Labour Party have adopted a model LCI resolution as its resolution to the Regional Labour Party conference.

One weakness of the LCI over the last year was the unwillingness of the leadership to fight for the statement of aims adopted at the founding conference which calls clearly for immediate and unconditional British withdrawal from Northern Ireland.

However the statement of aims remains unchanged after They will gladly cooperate in attempts to hush up the bitter strugele by Bobby Sands and the prisoners in the 'H' Blocks in Long Kesh for recognition as political prisoners.

It is up to rank and file trade unionists and socialists to raise a campaign of solidarity throughout the labour movement.

Pickets, protests and demonstrations should be organised in support of the hunger strike in every area.

Don't let Bobby Sands die! Join his fight against the Tory government! Political status now! Demand the immediate withdrawal of British troops from Ireland! Self determination for the Irish people! the conference and it is to be hoped that the new National Council will base its work on these principles.

Over the next year the LCI must start to make an impact in the trade unions who have a decisive say in Labour Party conference policy. The outgoing National Council has made provisional arrangements for a national labour movement conference on Ireland on June 5. This is a most important initiative which it is essential that all readers of Socialist Press take up in their trade union and Labour Party organisations.

Political status A resolution was also passed committing the LCI to supporting the renewed struggle by republican prisoners for political status.

The LCI remains a coalition of people with views on Ireland ranging from immediate withdrawal to a committment to start discussions on a process of withdrawal, but it has proved its right to existence by its success in bringing the Irish question before layers of workers who have never considered it before.

That is why socialists should continue to see it as a necessary and useful vehicle for work on