Reland Delegation

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It was in discussing the relationship between 'Ireland and England in - the last century that Marx commented that a nation that oppresses another cannot itself be free.

So still in 1976, British soldiers campaign to maintain law and order' in Northern Ireland and their allies in the South imprison people on the say-so of policemen. Here in Britain hundreds of people have been picked up under the so-called Prevention of Terrorism Act, including pacifists like Pat Arrowsmith, trade unionists like Joseph Gallacher of the Bletchley Trades Council and members of the Irish Young Socialists who are known for their opposition to individual terrorism.

TRUTH

The truth of Marx's analysis is being clearly demonstrated, as the capitalist press in this country increasingly distorts and obscures what is happening in Ireland itself.

At a time when the Labour government has apparently abandoned its efforts to discover a pro-imperialist "final solution' in the North of Ireland, the press only reports occasional terrorist incidents' or 'loyalist protests' against negotiations, parole or virtually any attempt made to come to terms with the movements fighting for self-determination.

PRESS

Typical of the looking-glass attitudes of the capitalist press has been the account of what has happened after the assassination of the British ambassador in Dublin on 21st July.

Not only was half the entire police force of the Irish Republic directed to finding those responsible, but many people were picked up who could not have had anythinn ta An with id jail sentences for even belonging to what the Government decided to be 'subversive organisations" were announced.

Truly, no government could go further in showing its selective concern for the citizens of another!

No publicity whatever has been given by the capitalist media in this country to a further serious reactionary, move by the Fianna Gail - Labour coalition government of the Irish Republic.

This is the sentence of death which has been passed on two anarchists who are said to have murdered a policeman.

Noel and Marie Murray have been under this sentence throughout the summer and their next appeal will not be heard until October.

There can be no doubt that this sentence is part of an attempt to increase repression against political movements throughout The Murrays are political activists opposed to the policies being carried out by the present repressive and anti-democratic regimes in Ireland.

The campaign against the sentence passed on them has pointed out the scandalous abuses of their "trial" which took place without a jury.

The efforts to free the Murrays must be supported by all class conscious workers.

It is in order to uncover and report on developments/in Ireland that the Troops Out Movement in Britain has been organising a National Labour Movement Delegation to Ireland.

This kind of initiative merits full support within the working class movement.

Already thirteen Labour MPs and ten Trades, Councils have ing to its literature the has adopted these aims.

...to establish the facts about what is happening in Ireland, by discussing with representatives of the labour movement in Ireland, thereby enabling the labour movement in Britain to arrive at an informed and progressive policy which will assist the Irish people to establish their right to national self: determination.

UNIONS

Other sponsors include union branches - such as the Hatfield Main NUM branch and the North London District Council of the NUR, as well as a number of individuals from the Irish labour movement such • as Phil Flynn, Deputy General Secretary of the Local Government. and Public Employees Union and Ramond McGain of the Dublin Trades Council Executive.

So far about ten British Trades Councils have elected delegates, along with seventeen trade union branches, three constituency Labour Parties and five student unions.

The delegation will visit Dublin on 17-18 September when they will meet two Labour members of the Dai, David Thornley and. John O'Connell, as well as representatives of Fianna Fail, Provisional and Official republican groups and others.

On 19th and 20th September they will visit Northern Ireland and meet tenants groups, trade unionists and others.

Many further details remain to be worked out by the delegates themselves, but in the meantime union branches, Labour Parties and other working class bodies who want more details should contact the Troops Out Movement at 1, North End Rd. London

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Bureaucrats imposing wage cuts: Jones, Basnett, Scanion, and Gormley.

In our last edition we carried the full text of a statement by the newly formed Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement, an ad hoc committee set up by trade union militants.

As a first step in this campaign the committee issued a call for a conference to discuss "Wage Control and Union Democracy" to be held in Birmingham on Sunday October 24th.