Fighting for Labour solidarity with Irish prisoners with Irish prisoners

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excesther Don Concannon must be seriously looking over his shoulders these days.

His reactionary visit to Bobby Sands' death bed to declare his support for Tory repression in Ireland far from expressing the mood of the Labour Party now looks more like the bitter rantings of a petty bureaucrat who sees he has lost control.

Symptomatic of this are the moves in Leicester in both local unions and the Labour Party. Ireland has in the past month, become the sharp edge of discussion.

Signature

First, following South constituency MP Jim Marshall's signing of the early day motion regretting Sands' death . the General Management Committee issued a press statement supporting Marshall's action and the campaign for political status and also held a minute's silence for Sands.

Then, during the selection meetings for a candidate to replace Social Democrat Tom Bradley in East constituency, City Council Labour Group leader Pete Soulsby declared himself, at an SEA meeting, in favour of political status and troops out and called for an end to bipartisanship.

The local Tory rag, Leicester Mercury-owned by the Daily Mail-was hysterical with rage. But worse was to come. Last week against the wishes of all its officers, the local Trades Council re-affirmed its support not only for political status, but also for troops out, Irish self determination and the scrapping of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

All this against a background of open witch-hunting in which Paul Hoare, Trades Council Presidentwith typical impartialityadvised delegates that since no union nationally supported such policies no delegate should really be able to vote in favour of the four demands. When delegates from NUPE, AUEW, UCATT, APEX and TASS proceeded to lambast this craven covering up for army repression in Ireland, and to win the vote, the officers responded in truly "repres entative" fashion.

"Concern"

The Leicester Mercury was allowed to print a statement from Brian Prangle, Trades Council Secretary, expressing concern at this democratic vote and urging unions to carefully investiOxford campaigners mount vigil for dead hunger strikers. gate how their delegates had voted. Such statements are an obvious cue far richt win• inspired witch-hunts of Irish militants and the left on Union branches The left must respond by building the newly establish ed local Labour Committee on Ireland, stepping up the campaign to win union branches and Labour Party wards to the four demands, and by countering the witchhunters by asking now "who do they speak for?" The elected delegates who established Trades Council policy or the embattled right wing rump in the labour movement who want to bureaucratically defend imperialist domination in Ireland.

BR Paves a.

spitter In Leeds, Chapel Allerton ward of the Labour Party at a wellattended meeting voted by nearly 2-1 to endorse a resolution which:

*Opposed Michael Foot's criticisms of Bobby Sands;

*Called for political status to be granted to all republican prisoners sentenced by the Diplock *Supports those MPs who have broken and campaigned for a break in the bi-partisan policy on Ireland;

*Calls for a policy of troops out of Ireland.

The motion was selected the ward's resolution to forward to the GMC of P.D.W LAT North Fast Leeds CLP for submission to the Labour Party conference.

An alternative motion on Ireland sponsored by supporters of the Militant tendency received only 4 votes.

In Leeds as a whole there is comparatively strong support for the 'H' Block struggle. A demonstration through the city called by local 'H' Block campaigners attracted 450 people.

This support must be taken into the organised labour movement, and in particular consolidated within the Labour Party by the building : of a local branch of the Labour Committee on Ireland.

to have an impact in the Coventry labour movement.

The last meeting of Coventry South West CLP adopted a resolution which included a call to break Labour's bi-partisan policy, for the sacking of Concannon and for support of the five demands of the hunger strikers.

Encouragement

This should give great encouragement to those who have felt themselves isolated from labour 1 movement support in the campaign so far.

Passing resolutions is of course only the first step in any campaign, and efforts must be made to find ways of putting flesh on the South West CLP policysupport for the July 4 Concannon's constituency for example.

While it would be correct to point out that many people who vote to support the five demands in labour movement organisations do so from a variety of standpoints, one thing is becoming clearer every day. Many, socialists are heartily sicken- Many trade unionists and ed by the sycophantic support given to the Tories by the Labour leadership.

The road is opening daily for Ireland to become a seriously discussed issue within the Coventry labour movement.

And that road has been forced open by the deterhunger strikers.

Whatever one's attitude to the Republican movement you can't get away from the fact that people branded as "sadistic" "mindless"

murderers are prepared to die for their five demands, that 30,000 people were prepared to vote Bobby Sands into Parliament, and 100,000 were prepared to show where they stood by attending his funeral.

This is making many people rethink their whole attitude to the Irish struggle.

We should not be surprised that as the case of the hunger strikers begins to get a hearing and a response, that forces fundamentally opposed to the irish freedom fighters will win temporary victories.

case has condemned the support given to the local Ad Hoc Hunger Strike Action Committee by the Trades Branch officials have announced that they are monitoring the activities of the Trades Council and the NALGO delegates on it might argue for disaffiliation at the December AGM.

It is understood that similar moves are to be expected in other unions locally.

But if the issues are carefully spelt out and a serious small defeats are i victer bey wowed the right wing will do them no good.

The labour movement in the city is beginning to discuss the Irish war.

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LIVERPOOL-LONDON SOCIALIST PRESS, 1 Every time a Tory economic •spokesman speaks of light at the end of the tunnel there appéars to be another fall of rock. "hursday. 11. Lune 1981 .Ledt A 1 ... Pag

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