Votes Prove Support for Prisoners

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Ambulance crews ur probs imprisoned people--whetner Fianna F'ail party of Charles remams unresuivcu.

AMBULANCE says:

, ł -L-enfannf 1n70 The election of two H-Block republican prisoners to the Irish Parliament is another decisive nail in the coffin of the hoary old lie that republicans have no popular support.

Paddy Agnew was elected to one of the five seats in Louth, and hunger striker Kieran Docherty elected for Cavan Monaghan.

15 per cent Despite a press campaign designed to portray republicar candidates as hopeless outsiders, the prisoners polled nearly 15% of the first preference votes in the four border areas where they stood.

This show of support, following on the 30,000 votes cast for Bobby Sands in April, confirms the strength of nationalist feeling on both sides of the border.

It is for this reason that the Thatcher government is attempting to rush through a gerrymandering Representation of the People Bill' to exclude the possibility of imprisoned people--whether they be republicans, trade unionists or other political activists-standing for election.

In other words, while denouncing republicans for taling to use the ballot box, the Tories-with the vocal backing of many right wing Labour MPs-are taking dictatorial powers to prevent certain people from standing and thus restrict the choice of the electorate!

This position has produced the first substantial breach in the "bi-partisan" policy which commits the PLP to support Tory policies on Ireland.

Meanwhile in London a demonstration some 3,000 strong joined a 3 hour march last Saturday in support of the hunger strikers and their demands.

This was larger than some recent Irish solidarity marches, but again underlines the fact that the British labour movement remains pitifully slow to respond to the Irish struggle.

Deadlock

*The Irish election has produced a deadlock, in which neither the ruling Fianna Fail party of Charles Haughey, nor Garret Fitz gerald's Fine Gael hav sufficient parliamentary support to form a stable The Labour Party, whict lost support and saw it: leader Frank Cluskey defeated at the polls, appeat! once again ready to talk of coalition with the reaction ary Fine Gael.

Nothing to offer

Republicans wert claiming that electoral sup port for the prisoner candi dates came from forme Labour voters.

But just as the Labour leaders have nothing to offer workers who regard the fighi for a united Ireland crucial, so the H Block campaigners have failed te address the other issues con fronting the Irish working class-unemployment, livine standards, social services As the two main bour geois parties squabble over who should rule and the Labour careerists seek a cosy niche for themselves, the task of building a principiec leadership for the Irish masses, north and south. remains unresolved.