Murray thrown out

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Len Murray, one of the most unrepresentative "representatives" ever inflicted on the labour movement appears to be a misunderstood man.

Arriving at a hotel after a hard day attempting to smash the power workers industrial action, Murray was turned away by a confused. irate owner who proclaimed:

'I don't want people under my roof who are ruining the country.

Murray, who along with the remainder of the TUC leadership and in particuiar TGWU full time officials, has done all possible to ensure that hotel owners are not troubled by trade sriers organised in the *c:: :::= a06 450 33 should be asking is who foots the bill for Murray's £7 a night strike breaking tours?

Does he claim it on TUC expenses? Is he on contract to the EETPU who have tried every other way of ending the power workers' action?

Or is he paying out of his own pocket for a little weekend amusement?

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its evicted in Famine. the completely disappointed, as the Acts in no way affected the land system.

Their continued militancy forced O'Connell to go further and campaign for the repeal of the union.

However his leadership was to say the least inconsistent After his first attempt to pass a Repeal Bill was defeated in 1834, he turned his attentions to making an alliance with the Whigs.

In doing this, he decla red himself willing to give up the demand for Repeal in exchange for 'equality' for 'The people of Ireland are ready to become a portion of the empire provided they are made so in reality and not in name alone. They are ready to become a kind of West Briton if made so in benefits and in justice, but if not, we are Irishmen again.' Bargaining Counter Like the present Social Democratic and Labour Party SOCIALIST PRESS that he betrayed it when challenged by the government over the Contarf meeting.

His political career of manoeuvring and compromise in Parliament testified to his aversion to violent revolution.

The intriguing aspect was the violence with which he waged his campaign. In the famous 'Mallou Defiance' of June 11 1843, O'Connell warned his audience:

'The time is coming when we must be doing. You may have the alternative to live as slaves or die as freemen.' On the face of it these are not the words of a reformist. However, they can be explained by the desire of the Catholic middle class (aided by the clergy) to separate the masses from the influence of the other current of resistance, the peasant secret societies.

Regain Control The tone of O'Connell's Repeal campaign was thus an effort to regain control of the peasant masses.

He even included certain economic measures such as security of tenure in his list of demands.

O'Connell was aided in retrieving the peasantry by the support of a group of young writers grouped around a paper called The Nation.

This 'Young Ireland' group led by Thomas Davis, engendered a revival of Irish poetry and song, which popularised the Repeal movement.

After the Clontarf betrayal E ung reland became ine the and more estranged.

Their non-sectarian approach conflicted with O' Connell's clericalism. Eventually in 1846, O'Connell succeeded in expelling the Young Irelanders on the sham pretext of their not excluding the possibility of violent Middle Class In fact, for the majority of Young Irelanders their middle class orientation removed them so completely from the peasantry, as to make the question of revolution an academic one.

One or two exceptions merged, notably, James Finton Lalow and John Mitchel.

The latter led an attempted rising in 1848, but it was quickly put down and Mitchel was transported.

Despite its failure, this rising formed an important link between the rising of 1798 and that of 1916.

This period of Irish history is not however remembered mainly for its political developments, but for an event which changed the face of the entire country, the great Famine.

Starvation In 1845 there was a partial failure of the potato crop, a not uncommon occurence. However it was followed in 1846, '47 and *48 by a total blight on the crop and since the potato was the staple diet of the peasants this meant mass starvation.

Although the blight which hit the potato crop was a natural disaster, the ensuing hunger was entirely man-made.

Under the influence of the Manchester school of economists and continuing profits, the government decided that, despite the bad potato harvest, free trade must continue.

Therefore the export of grain crops and dairy goods from Ireland to England continued and at times even increased, during the famine years.

This produce was enough to feed the population of Ireland twice over.

Typhus

In these three years over a million people in Ireland died of starvation or typhus and a similar number emigrated.

Despite this, the limited public works programme initiated by the government as a form of relief, was continually resisted by the landlords, as it was providing an alternative to work on the land.

From 1840 on there was a profound change in the population of Ireland-from 8 million in 1841 to 5½ million in the mid 1860's.

Apart from the death by starvation of 1/7 of the population, emigration was the chief cause of the depopulation of Ireland.

Emigration: had already begun in the 40's but was brought to a climax by famine when over one million left Ireland for America, Canada, Australia or England.

However, between 1840 and 1880 nearly 4 million sailed from Ireland on these routes.

Exodus

The famine exodus was thus merely the highest point of phenomenon which lasted for over half a century nd brought the scattering of