CRAIG SACKED—PERRY RIOT CASES HALTED TREMBLING UNIONISTS PROMISE SLIGHT REFORMS

STORMONT REGIME IRISH 1/-

DEMOCRAT No. 293 JANUARY 1969

SINN FEIN ARD FHEIS FILLS LIBERTY HALL Socialist aim reaffirmed

T H E Slim Fein Ard Fheis took place in Liberty Hall this year 1 and many saw this as Symbolic of the greater appreciation of

James Connolly's teachings which has occurred among members of the Republican Movement during 1966.

The conference was the best

STUMBLES IN CHAOS

KEEP UP THE PRESSURE 7969 VITAL FOR IRISH FREEDOM

A NEW era has begun in Ireland. It is the era of fraternal co-operation between Catholics and Protestants for the

satisfaction of the people's needs.

attended for years and Important decisions were taken at it. There were clashes between old and new at the conference, an awareness of past history but a n evident con-sciousness that the people of Ire-land were In a new mood and that 1968 would probably be Seen as an important turning point in our politics.

As Tomas McGioUa, President of GUnfe Fein, said: The conference

ipm just 50 » » » p , , h4sk>rtc Sinn "

in the 1918 election a d corrupt

Parliamentary Par ty and set" the nation o n a » w jrevohitio<nary road -WO W* WW witnessing what ; we hope is the beginning ot the dis-integration of t h e two o l d a n d cor-rupt patties in Belfast and DuWin. As wr.djjpptoili the 50th anniver-sary i f ' M * first Bail we need to bring our movement ever closer to the: aims and idpals of Connolly, Pearse and Tone." r INHERE were two main-political J- resolutions. T h e first called cm Irish people everywhere "to support the Northern I n l a n d Civil Rights Association by all means in their power, especially by organising mass support to exert pressure on the Government of the country in which they reside to fotve Britain to concede democratic rights tp all the people of t h e six counties." An amendment was rejected which

(CcntiiHfed on Pago Three)

ACT "HUSH DEMOCRAT" is calling a conference at the

FumfeMflg Trades Union Hall (Jockey Fields, Bloomsbury) on Sunday, February 23rd, to discuss the measure necessary in Britain to, support the aivil rights struggle In Ireland.

While the "Irish Democrat" Is Here is a list of the sponsors: taking DoHtinJ end pontHMM*

House QL Lords: Lord Boyd-Orr Campbell of

:)?pn, The Rev.:

it poesiM* three eeganlsations, two t r h h «nd one International are edMWIy associating themselves

with the effort.

They a r t the Connolly Aseoeia-J l

In j j j j i l i a i j Pat Byrne) and

t h e Movement for C Menial Free-dom (Secretary Barbara Haq).

in addition a number of die-in pubNo life In

f o a e t as spen-• Amm rt# . Mteif^Mefti^ BT u atfta nAPMdhn •KH 9 Wl -»!•• .-WWHIwmWBi • IVAI1 flWIIwo are ooming In every day. So fa r the list ecWMIne four Lords, forty Mimbori of Parliament, and Ave leading trade uMen oMilaie. All trade union leaden a s s a l a t s them-selves erith the conference In their most strictly personal capacity.

House . of < Commons: Frank Allaun, Norman Atkinson, Alan Beaney, Sid Bidwell, Edwin Brooks, Richard Crawshaw.Attce John Dempsey, James James. A. Dunn, Owynfor Andrew Faulds, Will CWT"* Heffer, Dennis Hobdn Hughes, Peter M. Jacteon, Jenkins, Anne Kerr, Rqescffl Joan Lester, Arthur W< J. Leslie Lever, Marcfts Upton, Lubbock, q t m McNaWpW, "" Miller, William MollQy, *r*c man, Alfred M«ris</8taiit Heweos, Christopher Norwood, * * c Ogden, Ben Parkin* John Parker, I#urie Pavitt, P a u l B , Rose* John Ryan, Julius Silverman. Michael Winstan-ley.

Trade union leaderst Lawrence Daly, Ck: H. Doughty, George Elvln, Vincent Flynn, Harry Fran-cis.

ECONOMIC GQNGNRS IN CORK CITY |RELANO

, t n e option but to

take the eeelallst road, said Mr. A. v. Heffernan (U.0.0.) at a session of the Keonamlc Congress at university Cottage, Oct*, In the course of a paper on "The feasi-bility of soolsilent f rom en coonomlo and administrative point of view."

Private enterprise capitalism, he said, had failed hopelessly to satisfy the needs and of the majority of our people. It was quite plain to any-one that capitalism in Ireland had failed and the biggest failure had been the inability of the system

to provide employment for our people.

Capitalism had maintained hypo-critical, selfish, wealthy, minority "the conservative middle class Christians' whose interests are served by successive governments with their patchwork economic policies. And what do these so-called economic policies show? Tfcey show that the annual growth in gross national product, over the long-term is the lowest in Europe."

Mr. HMfemen then ipelie of the ways In which a sooiallst soolety

could fee achieved. "The Irish working d i s s is at

last beginning to re-eottvate itself, even the Labour P p t f p ls re-discovering the Mar*h» Socialism of Connolly and X«(Un. The fanners are also leaappig the ad-vantages of direct aotiOSL I t Is being realised that only seme form of socialist co-operative farming can solve the problems. o t our im-poverished small f a r m n Socialism is not ahy mace an aptioaal extra, but in our situation a tdstoric neces-sity." '

It Has been long heralded. Now it has come with the spectacular climb-down of six-county Unionism in front of the Civil Rights movement and the groat solidarity campaign which swept Britain.

The crucial event was Terence O'Neill's dismissal of H o m e Sec-retary William Craig on Decem-ber 11th.

JOE DEIGHAN CASE RESULT

FININQ Mr. Joseph Deighan two guineas

.dqUBA IS t ra t t m i told Mm: "I would Uke to guineas costs, b u t . f j might have that

This was a reference to the fac t that Mr. Deighad was represented by counsel in th is important case Which drew .comment from national Sunday netespapwi^ a

Mr. Deighah had been arrested for selling the "Irish Democrat" i t a site Just outside Hyde Parte where papers have been tracftenally sold for years.

Me toM the "Mafe P e n o r a t " : "I am net going to give up, ThcMgf t -Hf*«M Aaf m g naMBM ;lkklaiiiM':

IWpnVB pvopiv vv. F^pil^fc It Is being mlHwed,"

Since then be has secured an in-terview with his Member of Parlia-ment,, Mrs. Lena Jeger, who h a s promised to take tip tig* whole matter With the Home Secretary, Mr. Callaghan.

Meanwhile the Connolly Aaooela tion to at heavy oupaaae to pay Mr.

lawyers* coats as MH a s

Inn M M , with a Wot olear they are Intends* far uaa against tha obstruotion ease.

B.R. SQUEEZE British Rail are refusing to

supply cattle-trucks for Irish cattle landed at Birkenhead. This is a part of their cold war the Irish-owned B. & L line, also intend to run down the cat t le trade at Holyhead. No traake will be replaced as the existing ones wear out.

It was the point of no return. From this will follow the inevitable decline and fall oT six-county Unionism. And nothing that Pate-

. ley, Craig a n d die-hajpds can

For when Harcld WOsob ordared O'Neill to introduce reforms be served notice on the six counties

-tWIt traditional Unionism had loot its' value even t e British Imperialism.

, After the reforms were announced 1 at the «od Of November, all d p

see how pitifully inadequate tMy • were. "„.;_. *"'".'"' ' '

(Continued en f a i a

Labour JPjppp Bf» Was agog with

tion after It that Conor Cruise joined the Labour years and would gffe 1 America if he was found a seat bl Dail Eireann. .. ,

At a not very well ing in l iberty Hall, be

r ideas, and It became was being groomed for

In a .Labour coalition? The old hands in the Labour : coalition, but they are mat WMh the argument that Labour aheaja gets the second class mhdsMaa, A man like Conor Cruise CMBlrlea, el Incisive Intellect, powerful wfly great integrity, but politically on the national independence <

j tion, might be Just the m a n want

^ Rumours are current in B that the "Irish Times" had a In the new departure.

|i

THE IRISH DEMOCRAT January 1969

WINDOW ON THE WORKERS' PAST By R. and E. FROW

THE 1914-1918 WAR, AND THE STRUGGLE AGAINST IT A FTFR the Great Unrest of National Union of General Workers

and John Hodge of the British Steel Smelters' Society all became Ministers in the Government.

the 1910-1914 period, most t r a d e unionists were th inking in t e r m s of all workers s tr iking s imul taneously in a general s t r ike. While this knowledge cannot have been the only fac-to r which influenced the rul ing class in their decision to em-broi l the count ry in a savage war , it mus t have passed t h rough their minds tha t wor-k e r s involved in wa r have l i t t le t i m e for the class struggle.

It is also true that out of the dawning consciousness of the work-ing class in the first world war -.that they were being grossly exploited in the name of patriotism, arose the shop-stewards' movement.

Traditionally, the Labour and Socialist movement has resisted war as a .means of settling inter-' national difterenees. The concept of internationalism is deeply rooted in the working class. But, as the recent events in Czechoslovakia have shown, national feelings are also ingrained and when war is declared and national patriotism is appealed to, the working class tends to split into those few who recog-nise that war is.contrary to their interests and the mass of people whose predominant thought is to save their country.

Before 1914 there had been a : considerable campaign-to warn the

, people against the danger of war. A manifesto was issued by J. 'Keir Hardie and Arthur Henderson on .behalf of the British seotion of the International Socialist Bureau, Which called on the "Men and Women of Britain" to proclaim that for them "the days of plunder and butchery" had ended. They asked t h a t messages of "peace and frater-ni ty" should be sent to those of their fellows who had less liberty t h a n they, and ended, "Up with the peaceful rule of the people."

tTI/C>WE¥ER, when war broke out, - lX^gcep t for the revolutionary I*f fc-wing Socialist societies such .jw t&at led by Karl Liebnecht in Germany and John McLean in

TBWtain, in most countries interna-tional working-class solidarity was forgotten and the leaders of the trades union and labour moyement in each country joined forces with t h e capitalist class to prosecute the war in. the national interest.

IB tXfcttaiiu the logical • .corollary of this situation was seen in the elewUina of labour M t h r s into poSMons -Ot trust and' influence in Government-counsels. Acthur.Hen-de«HK vvtofrwwas t tar M m i D of the 'PaHtamentary Labour Party,

Bijsade a ftavy- Councillor, and union leaders such as..Mr. G. s of the Amalgams*®*,Society

o f rflagineers, J. R. Clynes of the

The Labour Party in Parliament ceased to be an Opposition and de-clared a truce with the class enemy in order to wage war against the national enemy.

As. the war progressed and condi-tions worsened, it became apparent that it was being waged in the interests of the profits of the arma-ments manufacturers and profiteers. The gap between the leaders of the working class and the rank and file increaaed to the point where there •was nweympathy at all. A leader-ship then emerged from among the workers themselves. It consisted of workers on the job whose basic class interests coincided with the men and women whom they repre-sented.

centre and birthplace of this important development was the

Clyde. In 1915, the employers played a typical delaying game by refusing to agree to a wage rise to cover the alarming increase in the cost of living. In reply to the claim, they- made a derisory offer of a farthing an hour. They then delayed meeting the men and ex-pected them to continue working at the old rate.

The men saw through the ruse and threatened a strike if their claim was not heard. The shop-stewards from the principal fac-tories involved called a conference which demanded a central confer-ence with the employers without delay and declared that all over-time should cease until the em-ployers agreed. The A.S.E. district committee and national executive advised against this course of ac-tion, but the men fdHowed the lead of their rankrand-file leaders, the shop-stewards, and stopped working overtime.

The employers made a new and equally unacceptable Offer of three farthings an hour and the national executive advised acceptance. For-tunately they had no power to make the settlement, but they agreed to submit it to a ballot of the whale Clyde district. They fixed the date for the return of the ballot papers a month ahead, thus post-poning the issue again and forcing the man to continue working at the old. rate. This was too much. Qn, February 16th, the men in the main factories stopped work and Uub spread rapidly until 16,000 men were out.

HTHE unofficial leaders of this stoppage, the shop-stewards,

disgusted with their offloial repre-sentatives, formed themselves into a .new authority called the "Central Withdrawal of Labour Committee '. This so alarmed the A.S.E. execu-

Continuing a series de-signed to tell Irish exiles the rebel past of the British working class, so that they can understand

them better.

tive that it brought forward the date of the ballot and tried to pacify the men. The indignation of the engineers was shown in the decisive rejection of the employers' derisory offer and a continuation of! .the strike.

The strike lasted eighteen days and was punctuated by a vicious Press campaign against the work-ers. It was called off by the shop-stewards on the Government's in-tervention. The claim went to so-called impartial arbitration and was decided as a war bonus only of Id. This caused great dissatisfaction and the "Withdrawal of Labour Committee" decided to continue in being permanently.

Although the Clyde engineers began the revolt of the workers against the wartime shackles im-posed by the employers and the Government working in collabora-tion, they Were by no means the only ones. Edinburgh labourers struck for 15 days, four thousand men working on army huts on Salisbury Plain took action, four thousand jute workers in Dundee struck for six days and the dockers in London and the miners in Merthyr Tydfil joined in.

Each manifestation of the work-ers' determination to resist a lower-ing of their already abysmal stan-dard of living was met by the Government with further attempts at restrictive legislation. Up to July, 1916, 1,006 workers had been convicted for strike activity and 10,695 for breaches of the Muni-tions Act.

4 rpHE shop-steward movement grew -L rapidly, especially in the engi-neering industry. Wartime produc-tion gave rise to rapid changes in technique and long-standing agree-ments and practices often had to be discarded in the face of new methods. This called for a repre-sentative of the workers on the spot who could deal with local con-ditions at a moment's notice with-out invoking the ponderous na-tional negotiation machinery. The main responsibility for the main-tenance of t r a d e union s tandards fell naturally upon the shoulders of the local spokesman.

This became emphasised in tho6e unions where the gap between the membership and the official leader-ship developed lack of communica-tion and understanding. The Clyde shop-stewards changed their name to the "Clyde Workers' Committee" and their lead was followed by the formation of similar committees in other centres of industry. During 1916. these committees linked up nationally, under the name of "Na-tional Shop Stewards' and Work-ers' Committee Movement". There was an associate membership with a contribution of one penny a week.

The shop-stewards' movement did not arise in opposition to the trade union movement, but rathe: as a local watch-dog for the main-tenance of the basic tenets of trade-unionism. Intelligent employers recognised the value of on-the-spot negotiation and many local griev-ances were resolved by involving the shop-stewards in averting collision decisions.

In 1917 the Engineering Employ-ers' Association signed an agree-ment with twelve unions which in effect recognised shop-stewards and their committees as an integral part of the negotiating machinery. It also laid down the principle that a shop-steward must have access to his members and to the manage-ment.

After the war, the work of the rank and file gave rise to many changes in the trade union move-ment. In the engineering unions the agitation for amalgamation and a strengthening of organisation gave rise to the Amalgamated aigineering Union in 1920. The shop-stewards' movement became an integral part of the trade union movement.

But the shop-steward in the fac-tory is still the man on the spot and therefore the man (or woman) who knows the workers at the factory and understands the local problems. He it is who gives day-to-day leadership at "grass-roots" level and it would not be stretching a point too far to say that the shop-stewards will play an active part in leading the way to basic social change in the not-too-distant future.

"O EADING I v Collins

TWENTY MINUTES IN RARKHURST MIL by

KAY OmiQRDAN

the article by Joe (alias Conor Mac

Nessa) in the October issue of' the "Irish Democrat" about the prison terms he and other members of the I.R.A. served in Dartmoor and Parkhurst jails, for their part in the I.R.A. campaign in England in the late 1930's, prompted me to write about a visit my husband and I paid to Parkhurst prison late in 1946.

Pat Dooley had arranged the pass for this visit through the offices of Frank Lee.

My husband had listed five pri-soners he wished to see. They were serving 30 >year sentences.

The first prisoner we saw was Dan Crotty. Dan had a deliberate way of talking, and what registered most with me was the disappoint-ment he expressed that the Re-publican Movement had not made headway.

irpHE next prisoner to step before us was Jim Regan, the dia-

logue between him and my husband

more than his rulers who keep far away from the scene of jails and gibbets.

Jk SIUSiEHT JLQOKSJtf THE BUILDING TRADE J - i*n

building trade? There is nothing like it in this world.

r came over from Ireland to earn money and send Jt home. ; Being a stndent I said to myself, "It's, only

' f o r a short while; It can't be too I could envisage spending my

"little- nest-egg later.

Iml—l.i >l»r first daywas not too ' M l . rI met>.my<-bQMW~j*he agent, • mm Ui'nn nHfaniann; the«anger,<fche

1 sad it >«me nearly breakfast time before I met a

• rtwl. I t looks goad to"have-one i tevyour ihand. Particularly when

the big boys are about. *Nwt if you can't do anything useful without

what an idiofc'jww are!

The first shock I got-was twhen I I found my working elotasa were the »cleanest on the site. Dirty blue J jeans -tomorrow; natwhite corduroys i here.

ROUND me great hulks of men. A I have strange arts of their own. They {can move any quantity of material. I But they always move themselves x with quiet eaflfc .Utth >»n absolute I minimum of effort. I don't dare to

touch Ihe .loads they earry. Again, why should they earry them? All to make somebody they never saw rich and happy.

Of course they can make them-selves rich. Very rich. They can earn a'krti ot njaney in a long time; if they .work 80 hours (there are 168 hours in, a week), they can earn £30. That's £22 clear. It does for the wife and the weekend, and next weak they're too busy working to need money to spend. Five days pig-sty; two .days palace.

•Every industry, even agriculture, begins with building. But society forgets the builders. Or it doesn't know the continuous creativity, in-genuity and constructiveness of men who embody tte; urimjiple o$ practi-cality. They teprovtee to oorrectia faulty design, or act with lightning speed to avert an accident. Acci-dents always threaten in this dangerous trade.

TV/TEN from the' North, iafin from J**- Scotland. You could leaxn any accent. You can also learn geography. The incomers bring different experiences. I remember hearing about the miners. How

they, used (to be treated, muoh as the building workers are today. Crawl-ing home after a shift, dog tired, black as Oerberus from the pit. Now there are piWiead baths, all mod. con. fully laid on. The miner returns home like a gentleman. And how did he-do'lt? By organisation. By trade unionism. But by seeing above all tha t the workers are the union,- not clerical men in a distant office.

Some: people think life isn't to be enjoyed. They should join the building.'industry Too many accept uncomplainingly the deplorable standards that are widespread. Workers shift about too much for easy organisation. But a quiet

odetermtaaiion guips the best sites. - and Aher capacity >of the meni to dig in their heels when they feel like a struggle has to be seen to be be-lieved.

lntM«o DO^Miuot memories of the jQfc UB* I ttuaowrwm feelings for

. tb» workers I met on It. There shoutd-bo no freeze on these men's Meltings. They deserve j a o for a •HMwr week, not Mis otkor way round.

went at a speed; early on J im asked: "How is my mother, and what is my young brother like, he was eight when I last saw him?" The conversation went on to the political scene, inasmuch as they talk about it. J im plied question on question, his face taking on the look of one reconstructing a graph.

The third and last prisoner we saw was Joe Collins (alias Conor Mac Nessa), he stepped an f ron t of us and gave a military salute, the air seemed to buzz. Joe held his head just straight and every blade of hair on it was cut to the bone, there was the sharpness of flint in his look; now, he and; tmy husband were'taking etock of-each other, this was the first time they h a d met. Suddenly Joe smiled in a most disarming way and said: "I believe ye are on yer honeymoon, congra-tulations."

However, his expression froze as .politics were introduced, and ,he said challengingly to my hsubemd: "I believe you are for constitu-tional methods now"; my husband answered in m e a s u r e d tones. "Because I believe it is the best way now," they eyed each other, watching Joe his eyes seemed to be smouldering and his jaw was rigid. P r e s e n t l y when my husband brought up the matter of a near release, Joe made comment in very defiant tones and said:

"They told me I would be released if I signed a guarantee that I would . 'not return to this country but I am a soldier of the Irish Republic and I will go where I am sent," he paused a moment and then pitching his voice a bit

i higher, he .added: "They can bring in the hangm:in but I will never «ign." I was standing every inch of my height but my breath refused to come, while every gibbet I saw depicted in our history's fight for freedom seemed to rear itself in the narrow liigh-'wallod yard back of where Joe Collins stood. I stole a glance at the nearest warder, his expression was stem but his eyes were on t h e ground, perhaps he understood

Joe Collins stood tall, gaunt and resolute in the enemy's stronghold, and decreed the terms on which he would accept release and on which finally he was released.

As we stepped outside the prison building I stopped short, as down the road that led to the prison gate was a group of convicts work-ing at either side of the road. I asked my husband were there any I.R.A. men among them, he scan-ned the group and said he did not recognise anyone. I felt it was at once better and worse. A few yards below the convicts was a long line of prison guards just inside the exit. There was not time to specu-late for what crimes these convicts were imprisoned, or the morass that may have led them, to crime. I walked on because I must.

T T made a grey scene these grey-garbed men bent over shovels

and stones, they seemed to work in silence; a few of them had looked in our direction as the prison door aloeed behind us, but right now my husbaod Jaad taken out a box of cigarettes and was tapping one on the cover, eyes were .leaving the shovels and light-ing on the cigarette box and bark to the ground, like lighthouse flashes.

When we were within a few paces of them, whilst -we kept watching the prison guards my husband threw some cigarettes for-ward and right to the convicts, the cigarettes vanished in raid-au: another pace or two and still watching the prison guards he threw some left to the other group of convicts but one of them glvinn a careless jerk of his head in the direction of the guards had taken a step out to make sore he'd get'a Cigarette, I kept my * eyes riveted on the guards wondering If one or more of them had seen, but their line along the exit remained un-broken. The throw of cigarettes had none -skowways, as a couple ot them., landed between the stones and there were more convicts than cigarettes.

In a few paces we were to the exit, and the heavy door was edged open and closed.

t

January 1969 THE IRISH DEMOCRAT

LETTER TO WILSON

We publish below the text of the letter delivered to Mr. Harold Wil-son at his meeting in Glasgow by the Glasgow Campaign for Democracy in Northern Ireland. Comment appears beneath it.

rpHE City of Glasgow has long J- been steadfast in support of the Labour Movement. Defeats in re-cent elections do not indicate any turning away from the principles and ideals which formed the Labour Party but rather the bitter disap-pointment of many of our fellow citizens that those we sent to repre-sent us appear to have abandoned, or are afraid of, these ideals. We, however, realising that there is only one alternative government — and that much worse, have continued and shall continue to support the Party.

Many were saddened by what they regard as your failure to give ade-quate support (in positive action) to the African majority in Rhodesia. You did, however, endeavour to iso-late Smith and impose sanctions upon him. Others would condemn your (indirect) involvement in the bloody conflicts in Vietnam and Biafra but we realise that your in-fluence in both these spheres is lim-ited. There is one question, however, on which you have both the legal authority and the power to act.

Authority given you under Section 15 of the Government of Ireland Act (1920), and the power of the purse strings (not to mention our ulti-mate military involvement).

Why, when we must suffer cuts in our social services (which were so important to our Labour pioneers), do you continue every year to spend many millions of pounds of our taxes to support this petty pocket of fascism in the North-East of Ulster?

An essential feature of the Bri-tish way of life is surely tolerance and an unqualified acceptance of full political democracy. If we ap-ply this yardstick then the "Ulster" Unionists, no matter what slogans they shout, are not British. We ob-ject to our money being used to support, not a constitution, not a state, but a single party which stays in power by gerrymandering and stirring up irrelevant sectarian hatred on a scale not seen since Hitler's Germany in the early '30's.

We call upon you to act NOW ! To act as Keir Hardie would have acted.

| CI r P H E Glasgow Committee who

drafted the letter to Harold Wilson are to be congratulated.

First they reject the absurd no-tion that the return of the Tories is any solution to the problems con-fronting the British and Irish peoples today. What is needed is a change of policy on the part of British Labour, and they are right to address words of dignified pro-test demanding such a change from the Prime Minister.

Already we are in a pre-election period. The "Irish Democrat" was alone in the entire press in pointing out that the Derry affair was not directed only against O'Neill but against Wilson. Wilson has saved himself by moving to the left. He ran only save his Government, and the Labour Party, by the same pro-cess.

Second, they correctly relate policy on the six counties with the other aspects of Government policy which are so much criticised. It Is because Britain has pursued re-actionary foreign policy in relation '<> Rhodesia, Vietnam and Ireland " " say nothing of Europe) that the British people are faced with bal-•"I'e of payments difficulties and "'Is in social services.

Finally, they recognise by their r' fcrence to Keir Hardie that the " n l v s"und policy on all these ques-t l n n s ' s a socialist policy, and they indicate the common interest of all '"'' Peoples of these islands, and "'f world.

1 ct the Scottish call be our slogan '"r 1989.

MANY NEW MEMBERS JOIN CONNOLLY ASSOCIATION

r J ' H E membership book oi the Connolly Association is now

m o r e hea l thy looking than it has been for several years.

Enquiries about joining are com-ing into the office at a steady rate and a good proportion of applicants are joining.

Branch meetings are better at-tended, and active groups are be-ing formed in new areas.

The reason? The public vindica-tion of the Association's policy in the successes of the Civil Rights movement in the six counties.

The Association had no part in organising that movement, as it does not consider its function is to do the work of people who are liv-ing at home. There is plenty to be done in England.

"yyHAT the Association can defi-nitely claim, however, is that

it pioneered the idea that lack of democracy was the vital weak spot in the armoury of six-county Union-ism, and urged the whole working class and progressive movement in Britain to use its strength to free the people of the North.

The result is that when the Civil Rights movement really started up in the six counties, the Unionists were caught between two fires. They could no longer rely on help from England. Instead, Harold Wilson realised that it was more than his Government's life was worth to help the Unionists, even if the Tories put a pistol at his head. But as it turned out even the Tories felt they dare not brave the public opinion the Connolly Association's years of meetings, marches, paper-selling, pamphlet-printing and reso-lution-passing had built up.

r PHE' fight is not yet over. It is only beginning. There will be

setbacks yet. It will never be a walkover. And to the Connolly As-sociation at least. Civil Rights i.s only one step on the path to a United Irish Republic founded on the principles of James Connolly in accordance with the wishes of the Irish people.

The members are coming- into the Association because it is being re-cognised as the organisation that is both practical on things immedi-ately happening, and idealistic for the future. Many members of other organisations are members of the Connolly Association as well.

It has the most experienced lead-ership of all, over 30 years of tradi-tion of political struggle, full-time staff and a paper 30 years old.

Reader, when you read this, re-member you are Irish too. The Con-nolly Association may be just what you've been looking for. Fill in the form on the back page.

Embassy picket in January

' T H E Irish Anti-apartheid move-x ment will be picketting the

British Embassy during the London meeting of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers. They will be de-manding no independence be given Southern Rhodesia in advance of majority rule.

The movement is also pressing the Dublin Government to pledge itself not to recognise the Smith administration even if Britain sells out.

" -Continued from front page

would have called on Britain "to remove her armed forces from Irish soil," as not being appropriate to the present political situation in the north, and people in the twenty six counties were urged "to attack all undemocratic legislation in such a way as to remove all obstacles to 32 county unity" as the best way to support the norther-ners.

The second resolution called on the trade unions "to reject utterly the concept of free trade with large and powerful neighbours and to demand more control over trade and movement of capital so as to defend Irish industry from take-over and bankruptcy."

m H E abstention question came before the Ard Fheis in several

resolutions and it was clear that opinion was divided, with possibly the majority of delegates realising that the political situation in the aftermath of the Referendum and the Civil Rights Movement required a- realistic and critical evaluation of past policies. At the same time both those who wished Sinn Fein

to take parliamentary seats if elec-ted and those opposed to this were clearly anxious that there should be no organisational split on this within Sinn Feinn. It was decided to set up a commission which would look at the matter, as well as other political and organisa-tional questions, and that this body would hold consultations with branches and members and report back to a special conference within a few months.

The radical mood of the dele-gates was shown by the way in which resolutions urging Sinn Fein "to have no association with the Irish Workers' Party or with the Connolly Association or the Con-nolly Youth" were overwhelmingly defeated in favour of a resolution that there should be co-operation "with other radical organisations."

M UCH emphasis was given to the sales of the "United

Irishman" at tlje Ard Fheis. The sales of the "United Irishman" have almost doubled over the past year, largely due to the1 fact that the four f u l l - time organisers which the Republican Movement has now on the road are making sales of the paper the main crite-

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COMHALTAS CEOLTOIRI DINNER V^OITH LONDON Branch of ( omhattas C'eottoiri held its first annual 1 dinner at the Paviours Arms Hotel, Pare Street, Victoria, on Satur-day December 21st. There were about a hundred present.

The chair was taken by Mr. Gerard Harrington, of Bantrv, and a few words explaining the progress of t he organisation in promoting support for Irish music were said by Mr. John Hjtoes, of Offalv.

Mr. Hynes, who is chairman of the Council of Britain of the Com-lialtas, explained that since the Council had been given'full status along-side the four provinces of Ireland, he hopes for further rapid expansion and improvement.

Among the clergy present were Rev. Fr. O'Keefe, who had come specially from Manchester, and Rev. Fr. MeNamara.

A display of step dancing was given by Michael Johnson the All-Ireland junior champion, and by Gerald Murphy and Teresa ( urran.

PROUD OF RECORD ' yy iTH this issue the "IRISH

DEMOCRAT" enters its 31st year of continuous publication,

This is a tremendous long life for a paper to maintain on a shoe-string. It has happened as a result of the devoted work of members of the Connolly Association. We are proud of this record.

Now at last some of the things we fought for look as if they may be coming to pass. But there is a long struggle yet. This paper needs to expand. And at this time it could expand. The best and quickest way to help it expand is to send a dona-tion to the development fund.

Our thanks to : J. Guilfoyle, £1; T. Morrin, 3/-; P. Hensey, 5 -; B. Jordan, 3 6; W. Hickey, 1/6; L. Fen-nel], 10/-; A. Broadhurst, 7/-; Ethel Mannin. £5; B.G.W., £5; B. Wil-kinson. 15/-; South London Read-ers, £1; Kilburn Readers, £1; L. O'Farrell, 2/-; P. Cunningham, £1; L. McCormack, £1; J. G. Bfeese, 4/-; Mao-tse-ke. £31; "Eagle," Camden Town, 1/6; P. J. Quill, £1; Mrs. Thorpe, £1; Miscellaneous dona-tions, including office tin, £6.

Total : £61 12s. 6d.

m i l rion of activity. There is an appre-ciation now of the value of a poli-tical newspaper as educator and organiser which was almost totally lacking two years ago.

Delegates f r o m C l a n n na hEireann emphasised the necessity for work within the British Labour movement by Irish people living in Britain. Mr. G. Doherty of Glasgow spoke of the need for all Irish immigrants in Britain to unite for this end and he urged an appre-ciation among people at home of the way in which the Irish in Britain, a l l i e d t o the anti-imperialist wing of the Labour movement, could be a vital help in the struggle for democracy in the six counties and the eventual ending of partition.

ORGANISATIONAL changes were adopted by the Ard Fheis

which should make Sinn Fein a more centralised and tighter organ-isation. "We must be an organisa-tion of political activists and workers from top to bottom," said Mr. Sean Garland. Attendance at a minimum number of branch meetings will be necessary to qualify for voting rights a t annual meetings in future and a system of associate membership was adop-ted for those who wish to be less active. The Ard Fheis will in future elect the President who will in turn nominate the officers of Sinn Fein from among members of the Ard Comhairle. Moreover, in future only half the Ord Comhairle will be elected at the annuftl Ard Fheis. The other half would be elected by delegates from each province meeting locally soon after the Ard Fheis. The purpose of this is to give a wider geographical spread of representatives and to encourage the election of leading activists in each province to the Ard Comhairle.

The Ard Comhairle members elected at the Ard Fheis consisted of Miss M. BOurke and MM«n T. McGlolla, C. GOUldlng, 8. CMtMlo, K. A gnaw, s. Garland, 8. 8t*phen-son, D. Kelliher, E. Thomas, L. Grogan, Joe Clarke, T. Ruane and 8. Brady. Dr. Roy Johnston, mil known In London Irish oiroles some yvan a«o, dtd not stand for rottoetton to the Sinn Fein Ard Comhatrte this year.

Bad blow to Irish trade

' J pHOSE who said three years ago that Sean Lemass 's

F r e e Trade Agreemen t wi th Br i t a in was fol ly and disastrous f o r the country can now say to themselves, we told you so.

I t is gloomy consolation for the Socialists, Republicans and Labour men though even they had hardly expected they would be able to say it so soon, less than four years since Britain broke the last Trade Agreement in 1964. Their surprise would have been if Britain had kept her bargain. Their fear at the present is that the lesson Fianna Fail and the civil service will draw is not the need to strike out on an independent course but rather the opposite.

This would be consistent with the Government's reaction when the last Trade Agreement was broken. The reaction now may be to seek some kind of federal arrangement with Britain which would guaran-tee the Twenty-Six County State against the blows Britain is wont to deal out to her clients, states and neighbours. Back to the United Kingdom, to the "security" of Nor-thern Ireland or Scotland!

"ORITAIN'S " i m p o r t deposit" 1 J scheme breaks the spirit and the letter of the Free Trade Agree-ment. It breaks Articles 18 and 24 and it blows to high heaven the guarantee of "free access to the British market for ever" with which Fianna Fail sold the Free Trade Agreement to the people in 1965. The craven reaction of the Dublin Government is to give British importers an interest-free loan of £25 million to enable them •to pay these deposits to the British Treasury and so continue to buy goods from us. In other words we pay the British to buy from us.

Even in some Irish business circles there has been criticism of such appalling Government mis-management. Diversify our exports, reduce our dependence on the British market, has become the cry among many. Fine Gael are doing their best to make political capital out of the situation, but the Labour Party is not allowing Fine Gael to forget that it refused to vote against the Free Trade Agreement in 1965. Labour's own opposition vote has been completely vindica-ted and the members of the Wolfe Tone Society and others who organ-ised a lobby of the Dail against the ratification of the Agreement find their far-sightedness Justified.

np"HE Labour Party is calling for the complete scrapping of the

Agreement and the negotiation of another that would be more favour-able to Ireland. No more tariff cuts under this Agreement, says Mr. Brendan Corish. The jobs of Irish workers come first. ^ .

Mr. Jack Lynch, whose troubles have been piling up somewhat over the past few months has admitted to discovering "some chinks" in the Agreement. He even made a pass-ing reference in the Dail debate to the desirability of Sinn Fein policies. By ourselves alone. Look at the Germans and all they have been able to achieve since the war by their hard work, said Mr. Lynch. It is whistling to the birds indeed and nobody believes it i.s anything but rhetoric.

Anglo-Irish talks on the Free Trade Agreement will continue over Christmas and into January. Britain has applied the squeeze and has certainly got the Fianna Fail Government trembling at the moment. She will seek to drive an even more advantageous bargain for herself economical^ and poli-tically while she has got so craven an administration at her mercy.

I

I i

I

m

CIVIL 8 THE IRISH DEMOCRAT January 1969

GREEN FASCISM THREATENS REPUBLIC

AN INTERNATIONAL QUESTION-Pat Devine A S world capitalism finds it-

self challenged from all sides, it bares its teeth, and ignores all the rules in its fight to hold on to its ill-gotten wealth and privilege.

No longer .able to rule by the normal democratic procedures im-perialism, in its deep and final crisis, aims to crush civil liberties as Nazi Germany did in the early 1930s.

The 1939-45 second world war was to be the final decisive im-perialist blow, to smash democ-racy and firmly impose a dicta-torial fascist rule on the world, in which trade unions, co-opera-tives, the Press, radio and televi-sion, the right to organise, free speech and assembly and national independence, would be suppressed and all power vested in the capi-talist oligarchy.

The rivalries between capitalist countries, each of whom wanted a larger part of the world capi-talist cake, brought about a situation where the main imperial-ist powers—the U.S.A., Britain and Prance—were forced to Join with the Soviet Union and the national independence movements in a Grand Alliance.

This alliance brought about a decisive defeat of fascism and a great victory for democracy. National independence gained iy strength. Vast aregs of colonial territory were formed into inde-pendent nations with an avowed anti-imperialist policy.

CIV IL L IBERT IES Imperialism has been fighting

back on all sides, as can be seen from the following birds-eye pic-

> ture of events in various countries. GREECE. This country gives

the clearest, simplest and gener-ally accepted- picture of the ex-tremes of torture, murder, and political oppression all aimed at destroying all vestiges of civil liberties.

The regime of King Cons tan tine and his mother Queen Fredericks, in the early 1960s, used every method of intrigue to thwart democratic advance in Greece by their attacks on and imprison-ment of Tony Ambatlelos, and imprisonment of his wife Betty at a late? stage, the beating up, im-prisonment Mid--murder of Dr. Lambrakis, the Greek opposition M.P., which brought 250,000 people to Ms funeral In Athens and aroused world-wide protest.

Protesting at the news of the death In Jail of 76-year-old, ill and blind political prisoner Con-s tan t ly Yioltsstdes, Lord Russell said: "This is barbarism. I am at a loss to understand such in-humanity. No possible national interest is served by the imprison-ment of so sick a man.

"If t taeOwek Government were determined to make as many enemies as poasitte It would be-have in practoely this wicked man-ner. As you know, many other political prisoners are seriously ill.

- Their lives are also in danger.

"How many more deaths of these victims must the world en-dure? I urge you to arrange their immediate release.

"Mr. Yioltzldes was one of the political prisoners for whom we were demonstrating diving the Royal visit to London You must now understand why such protests were necessary."

• • • * • J VSf

l a the. political turmoil arising from ttktm oppressions the demo-cratic foroe* In Greece were gathering strength in order to

make a united attack upon the government at the next election which they Were certain to win if democratic electoral procedure from fascism, were to apply.

strengthen the fight for civil liberties and help the people of Portugal to win their freedom^

The former Greek Minister Andreas Papandriose was im-prisoned on a charge of high trea-son.

The famour Greek composer Mikos Theodorakis was refused a trial on a charge of planning to overthrow the regime. I t was a campaign to thwart the advance of democracy.

THE COLONELS T A K E OVER

On April 21st, faced with the almost certainty of a.victory for the progressive forces in the Imminent election the establish-ment initiated a Colonels' coup d'Etat for the overthrow of the Government, the banning of free speech, civil liberties and democ-racy. Thousands of Greek Pro-gressives were arrested and im-prisoned in the island of Youra, and kept in virtual solitary con-finement; other equally disgrace-ful Drison camps were crowded.

Since then a reign of terror has existed. But the people fight on.

PORTUGAL Here is a classical example of

how the capitalist class sets out to deal with the danger of work-ing-class democratic power. With little variation the same thing happened in Spain

The last King Manuel II left in 1910 to be followed by a Re-publican regime which was ousted by a military putsch which aimed at denying the progressive aspira-tions of the working-class.

Salazar joined the military junta as Finance Minister and became Prime Minister in 1932.

The trade unions and political parties—excepting the Fascist National Union and were sup-pressed. No free election has taken place in Portugal since 1926; thou-sands of Portuguese have been imprisoned, tortured and mur-dered.

Salazar's government supported and helped to prepare the attack by Franco on the Spanish-Repub-lican Government. We must

RHODESIA The facts are simple and un-

challenged. Over four million native Africans are held in near slavery by a white junta repre-senting fewer than a quarter of a million.

The jails or concentration camps are packed with Africans and their leaders. Their political par-ties are banned.

Democracy is unknown. The government loudly proclaim their right to rule without the Africans. These have no right to vote, or hold public meetings or engage in any political activity.

Rhodesian judges are ignoring the right of appeal to the Privy Council. Prisoners are condemned and hanged without the right of decent trial.

The United Nations has over-whelmingly denounced the Ian Smith dictatorship and called for majority democratic elections and government, but the junta ignore the decision.

Democracy and one-man-one-vote in Rhodesia would at once eliminate the Smith planters' government and firmly establish democratic rights and an anti-apartheid government

In spite of all the taljc by the Prime Minister of the Labour Government about their desire to wipe out racialism, the Smith regime persists in its foulness.

T H E U.S.A. Civil defence and democratic

rights for the Vietnamese people have been violated ever since the brutal bombing, defoliation and napalnf burning conducted by American forces. The Vietnamese people fight back and are win-ning.

But American big business is not Just killing or restricting the civil rights of the Vietnamese or Koreans, it Is attacking democra-tic liberties at home, especially amongst the Negro people.

In some southern states of

America even today, the Negro people are prevented from exer-cising their right to vote, to eat in public restaurants or travel on buses and trains without being subjected to apartheid.

The recent activities of the Chicago police under Chicago Mayoi Daley was a blatant ex-ample of the violation of elemen-tary civil rights, not only to the negro but to the white Democrats led by Senator McCarthy and numerous Democratic mayors, governors, senators and Congress-men.

A document, "Rights in Con-flict", a 340-page report on the violent police suppression of de-monstrations in Chicago during the Democratic convention, is an eye-opener.

Here are some points from that document:—

". . . the street battles between police -and demonstrators at the Democratic convention here vir-tually brought Mississippi justice to the North.

"Representatives of the Secret Police, the U.S. Fif th Army, the U.S. Army III Corps, the National Guard and Chicago's police and fire departments were briefed by senior police officers on convention security.

"But they were not told tha,t the National Guard was to be called out. And as the convention opened 6,000 soldiers, crack troops, were airlifted in 'flying boxcars' to Chicago, equipped with full field gear including rifles, flame-throwers and bazookas.

"The Police Chief, already pub-licly attacked in April for not shooting rioters and looters, had been dressed down and virtually told to be tough.

"Civil Rights demonstrators visiting the convention to lobby their representatives, Negro free-dom fighters and thousands of youth demanding improved edu-cational rights were continuously molested.

"Police slashed car tyres, hit priests and doctors, clubed by-standers, car-drivers, lawyers, people getting off buses and punched girls.

"An officer who has left the force since August said: 'We got the word to put the boot in, it's as simple as that. '

••The Press suffered; 63 news-papermen, one in five of those assigned to cover the streets, were attacked by the police. The pro-testers suffered; most did not in-tend to start violence but many expected it."

Mayor Daley proposed £830 a year pay rises for police and fire-men, making them, at £4,550 a year, the nation's highest paid.

I could continue this description but the facts are clear, and could apply to many more countries.

Ireland has long been in the vanguard of the fight for freedom. The Derry fighters for one-man-one-vote are maintaining that proud reputation.

J put il:

r ^ H E draf ter Criminal

are worthy Unionists. It Unionists of the very leg: Northerners closer togethei

Kmnna Fail 's . l i ce Bill 1968 is of the Uls te r as if the n e w

ie South copy ilation of t h e

move ever in policy.

as they

tl ise A t

h£ e

Whole section Justice Bill ar identical with Public Order servants of th Justice must Act before them

The thugs batoned the have been glai have some of minal Justice Guards. In ample, it is the Affairs who car meeting under power has been against the the Unionist is a political ai to be taken, the political hi

"TiHE Crinilna J - this power

intendent who discretion with* ,t

Der

tl • B

tl

pc I rty

ay

0i i lie Criminal word for word

of Stormont's and the civil

Department of had the latter

in drawing it up. uniform who

marchers might nevertheless to powers the Cri-proposes to give North, for ex-

ffinister of Home ban or restrict a the law. This used oppressively tical enemies of

but its use taken, and seen the very top of

•archy. V-

justice Bill gives any guard super-

ban at his own the Minister of

Justice being in any way publicly involved. All he has to say is that the meeting or demonstration could "cause undue interference with other users of the highway."

All political parties but Fianna Fail have protested at the dan-gers of abuse contained in this Section. The police are exhorted to act without "discrimination" But who supposes they will ? Every-one knows that the main purpose is to clamp down on the surge of popular protest against Dublin Government policies which has made marches and demonstrations almost a weekly occurrence.

The Bill was introduced in the Dail during the French disturb-ances of last May, when students in Dublin took to the streets against the state visit of the King of the Belgians. Alarmism was deliberately spread. Fianna Fail had high hopes of winning the referendum. A general attack of democracy was planned. The aim was the institution of a land of green Fascism.

S V- V y i X months later the political ^ atmosphere is different. The Northern Civil Rights Movement has fought and defeated just such measures in the six counties. Yet Fianna Fail presses ahead. The Government expects even more

By

Anthony Coughlan

CIVIL LIBERTI IS IN BRITAIN

Stormont stumbles in chaos XTET Mr. Craig went on as if repudiated Craig. They wanted to

' there had been no change, live a t peace with their Catholic The attempt was made to prevent neighbours

Craig's policy was put into reverse. The Civil Rights Move-ment was asked nicely not be so militant. The proceedings in Derry were becoming a public enquiry into the behaviour of the R.U.C. at Derry on October 5th.

The riot cases were suspended for six months, though not aban-doned, and the process was passed oft as an act of clemency, though it was not an amnesty.

V V 4

ALL the official propaganda was busy admitting that the

minority had after all got griev-ances, which would be remedied in due course if they weren't in too much of a hurry, and gave up their right to demonstrate.

But the Civil Rights Movement declared that It was not going to have Its teeth drawn.

Across the border an enormous impression was made by the Nor-thern victory.

Civil rights are being fought for. In the Republic. The growing parallelism of the movement in

the people meeting in Derry. The people met. The Paisleyite mobs, armed with sticks and stone, occupied Armagh. But Paisley's was a pyrrhic victory. Even most German newspapers carried pic-tures of the thuggery. What would be the finish of it?

Ultimate responsibility for res-toring law and order would fall on the British army.

Could Britain afford, in her present international position, to have her army used to back up this notorious regime?

Captain O'Neill m a d e h i s speech. Section seven ty-flve of the Government of Ireland Act, which we were all told was defunct because of a mysterious "convention," was bandied about before the television camera.

Craig talked of defying Britain. 8o O'Neill sacked Craig.

V- V V TXT AS there a great outcry from

»* the outraged Protestants? On the contrary thousands of letters of support poured into O'Neiil's office. The Protestants the two parts of the partitioned

—from Page One

country was widely noted. V- >} J?

v p H E feeling began to grow that the process of fighting for the

human needs of the people will ultimately unify Ireland without bloodshed. For the Civil Rights Movement in the north is a fight against British Imperialism.

Craig and Paisley may try a come back. O'NaMt may play go-slow. Organisation, unity, perse-veration, work and struggle, plus the solidarity of the movement In Britain will win the day.

TpEW readers of the "Demo-crat" would deny the con-

tinuing threat to civil liberties in Britain. In this they differ from the majority public opinion which is quite satisfied wi th our standards of justice and our institutions.

This complacency or lack of knowledge is the foremost threat to civil liberty. But the bloody Silndays of the past make the October 27th demonstration a demonstration a pretty mild affair. The threat of fascism in the 1930s has no real equivalent today. At the same time governments de-mand more power over the indivi-dual citizen and usualty get it.

Civil liberty has never been an absolute ideal and those who sup-port it are always prepared to con-cede that the interests of the individual must be placed against the interests of the community as a whole. Unless there Is a real understanding of the Issues it Is difficult to measure whether the controls demanded by Government agencies should be opposed or not.

Some problems have always been with us. The police have more power than the ordinary citizen and sometimes abuse it. The law remains a middle-class affair and the Judiciary totally out of touch with ordinary working people. Where convictions are obtained punishments is meted out and rehabilitation ignored. New prisons have the same old devices for humiliating the Inmates.

Most people like security and when the status quo is threatened the manipulators of the media do not find it difficult to get popular support for repression as a substi-tute for reform. Demonstrators become militant and the reaction is to call for a ban on demonstra-tions.

Nlnety-flve per cent of strikes are unofficial. The call goes out for a ban on unofficial strikes and severe penal sanctions against

n rities. I t does mean that the courts and the legal profession are in a ram^ackle , obsolete state

•M ji TONY toMYTHE w h i c h justice unobtainable.

(Gen. Secr^ Council for I

their organise! make life morf sonalise the young people. | house leads against a non society and isl mobilise everf Eastbourne ar in doing so.

Many who racialism ha' Enoch Powell can one man for our gigant over? We racialism is ei emment is pr< cessions to it.| cians like Mr. to harness itj possible to ki bol the problei

The answer | give legal coloured mina vlnce governr that there is j ance around stand; and tli struggle at through educ tact and mutU bera of differ^

Civil liberty public opinio^ process and standards of j administrate should be coq til proved gu many defend' jail before does not indil ing of the pa

try, National livil Liberties)

A few hippies olourful and per-

sons of most s. Maty White-counter-attack

sistent permissive pparently able' to

bigot between Cheltenham Spa

the growth of tried to make

(hate symbol; But i held responsible I colonialist hang-jst face it, white |emic. The Gov-

I to make con-I Ambitious politi-Fowell are willing I Even if it were ' down the sym-

pould not vanish.

> racialism is first |otection to the T. second to con-

fit and opposition ?h racial toler-

them to make a I to carry on the nmunity level i. cultural con-

IW between mem-| communities.

II be protected by 1 the democratic

piaw. Although Pee are high the Kpalling. A man

innocent un-The fact that

spend months In ! brought to trial e deliberate flout-

Me by the autho-

Meetings at Lancaster and Cftventry rpHE newly-established Commit-

1 for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland that has been established In the University of Lancaster held its first public meeting on November 20th when about forty students heard Desmond Greaves (editor of the "Irish Democrat") lecture on "The Irish question and the British people "

Considerable support was pro-vided by the University Liberals, but members of the Socialist,

Communist and various fringe from South groups were also present in force. His arrivall

Lancaster seems to contain some encouragemeij talented young men of whom more who has will undoubtedly be heard. alone for ye

C O V E N T R Y The meetiu On November 27th Desmond size, but in

Greaves addressed a meeting famous poet,| called by the Coventry group of Belfast, and the Connolly Association. of the city's

Work of organising the Irish In dance-halls, this city has revived recently, The mcetj since the arrival In Coventry of public-house active member, Frank Conway Club.

been of great » Paddy Powell,

l"oldmg l h e f o r t

fc| not ia rge In -^ance were the

r- J°hn Hewitt of [Proprietor of one n luccessful Irish

held in a th" Shamrock

Bureaucracy is a necessary fea-ture of any form or organisation but bureaucrats do tend to get carried away by their own power. We are all familfar with this threat to freedom. The problem for the future Is that the unre-strained bureaucrat will have more technical facilities at his disposal to control and to pry into the lives of individuals than ever he had in the past.

We urgently need privacy legis-lation, to regulate the use of the cumputer, to licence private inves-tigators and to abolish private police forces.

The range of civil liberty con-cern is wide and a blanket safe-guard against its erosion Is diffi-cult to envisage. The Ombudsman changed nothing but then experi-ence may lead him to ask for ex-tension of his powers. Some M.P.s are sensitive to the rights of their constituents. Many are too idle or are hampered by the lack of reference and secretarial facilities.

Trade union leaders restrict their defence of members largely to wages and conditions. Human Rights Year has helped to focus attention on many problems but it hasn't produced any solutions. There is only one solution—mas-sive support for the organisations which exist to protect civil rights.

The list is not very long but includes the N.C.C.L., Child Poverty Action Group, Shelter and Amnesty. Given an income of £100,000 a year the N.C.C.L. could transform the civil rights picture In Britain. Right now It works on £8,000 a year, receives an average of 50 cases a week and finds it Impossible to deliver the miracles expected of It. In the New Year the N.C.C.L. will launch a Know Your Rights campaign.

Ignorance and complacency are the first problems to face. If the older generations do not want to know perhaps we shall make a greater Impact amongst young people. This will be our aim.

Individuals and groups who feel that their rights are threatened naturally get Impatient. This im-patience should be channelled Into an organised struggle for civil rights or It will be dissipated in futile opposit ion to everything in our society whether good or bad.

determined opposition when the disastrous consequences of the Free Trade Agreement with Bri-tain unfold themselves. It wants to be well prepared.

Nor is it just open-air public meetings are at risk under the Bill. A meeting in your private house can be banned as long as a mem-ber of the public was at it. All the Guards need do is to say it could cause "serious public dis-order". They are under no obli-gation to prove this.

Nor need the threat of disorder come from the organisers of the meeting. A meeting could be banned even if the threat came from some other group entirely, as was the case with the Paisleyites in Armagh and Derry. In the North Paisley and Craig played a cat-and-mouse game with the Civil Rights Movement. Paisley threatened counter - demonstra-tions and Craig then banned the Civil Rights meetings. The same kind of thing could be organised down here if the Criminal Justice Bill goes through the Dail. Yes, even in the sanctity of your home.

^ ^ ^

M R O'MORAIN, Minister of Justice, has found himself on

the defensive over this Bill. There is a procedure for appeal to the courts against a ban, he says. But how long may such an appeal take, and how expensive will it be? By the time the courts give a decision, even if it is favourable to the demonstrators, the original Issue may be stone dead.

The Bill also says the police must be informed of meetings and demonstrations 24 hours before they take place. Just as in the six counties, it is a criminal

offence not to inform them. This mles out any spontaneous meet-ing in public, such as, for example, a factory-gate meeting by trade unionists to discuss sudden redun-dancies.

This is supposed to facilitate the police in traffic control, but it is easy to see how zeal for smooth blows of traffic could be used to disguise politically discriminatory bans. Mr. O'Morain swears he would never do such a thing and that the police would always act fairly and impartially. Not many people believe him.

Section 28 of the Bill makes it

JOHN POWER R I P.

WHITHER F.F.? PHANNA FAIL used to be re-

garded as the party of democracy. To this day old re-publican supporters of civil war times, organisers of national games, Gaelic Leaguers, Irish-Irelanders of all types, still swear by it. It is Dev's party. To the generation now disap-pearing the magic remains.

But Fianna Fail is now the party of big business. A group of wealthy supporters organised the Fianna Fail fund-raising "Taca," and Fine Gael, tradi-tional money-bags party, is hav-ing to tout round for Labour support. Fear of Labour, fear of Republicanism is leading Fian-na Fail into the paths of creep-ing Fascism. Read this article with care.

illegal to hold any meeting or procession in conection with pro-ceedings being heard before a court, or "pending hearing", which might take months and months in certain cases-;" ' T h e meeting would not have to be In the same town or city as the court case. A meeting in Cork, for example, to discuss some Issue of trade union law being decided in a Dublin court would be illegal and

SENATOR CALLS IT BUTCHERY' T N an article in the "Irish Inde- Senator accuses Fianna Pail of

pendent". Senator Garrett Fitz- gerrymandering. This is done by gerald described the Fianna Fall the manner in which three, four plan to recast the constituencies and five-seat constituencies are as "butchery". Fitzgerald alleges, selected, clearly designed to favour "Despite all that was said by Government candidates. Fianna Fail speakers in the refer- For instance, in the West the endum about the desirability of -'emphasis Is on three-seat consti-preserving county boundaries, they tuencles to secure two-thirds repre-have in fact been ruthlessly dis- sentation by Fianna Fail when it regarded on a scale never previ- secures fewer than half the votes, ously thought of on this side of On the other hand the emphasis the border." on Dublin Is on four seats. This

Government proposals involve will allegedly enable F.F. to retain the transfer of no less than seven- two or three seats which it should teen pieces of nine counties and almost 100,000 Inhabitants. The

OXFORD HEARS GERRY FITT

/CRITICISING the O'Neill "re-^ forms" which are to replace Derry Corporation with a state-appointed commission, Mr. Gerry Fitt told cheering Oxford students that Instead of "one man one vote" they had got "no man no vote." The Civil Rights Campaign would not stop until Its objectives were won.

The meeting, in Ruskln College where the seats had to be taken out to provide standing-room, fol-lowed a march through the city in which students and members of Irish organisations participated.

Marching with Mr. Fitt were Messrs. Desmond Hensey, Charles Cunningham and D e s m o n d Greaves (Connolly Association) and Messrs. Pat Byrne, Jim Argue^j i Michael Melley and H. ODonn-chaddha (Campaign for Democ-racy in Ulster). On the platform

lose because of a projected decline in its Dublin vote of 15 to 20 per cent. -

Whatever about Fitzgerald's mathematical conclusion there is no doubt that contrary to their declared anxiety to effect the minimum change of county boun-daries the Government have actu-ally butchered them in numerous cases.

those who he'd it would be liable . to fine or imprisonment.

^ ^ #

INTERNMENT by the back door, as Mr. Con Lehane has called

it, is permitted under Section 45. This says that if a person's presence in a civilian prison is "detrimental to the good order and security of the prison", he may be transferred to military custody. In military custody he would, of course, be subject to all the regulations and orders of the internment camp.

Since when, it may be asked, are warders and policemen unable to keep order in their own prisons? Presumably what the Government has in mind is that when there might be a meeting or demonstra-tion outside a prison, as happened with the imprisoned E.S.B. work-ers last year, then the prisoners concerned might be whisked away to the Curragh or some other concentration camp.

There has, of course, been no public demand for this draconic provision either from the judiciary or, so far as we know, from the police or prison staff. It is a political measure. Perhaps the Government intends to drop the Offences Against the State Act. Direct internment in military prisons will be replaced by in-direct.

Double penalties may be im-posed on someone who advocates non-payment of rates or taxes under Section 53. In addition to fines or Imprisonment such a per-son may be disqualified for five years from receiving central or local government grants. Last year the farmers in the N.P.A. organised a campaign of with-holding rates for a period to high-light their demands for fairer food prices. If the Criminal Jus-tice, Bill is passed they would risk losing their agricultural and housing grants for doing ifov.

A t i t 4

"TiHAT there should be opposition to the Bill is not surprising,

considering these clauses, and there are other objectionable ones as well. It would be ironic If our civil liberties were restricted down here at a time when the people of the six counties were extending theirs. If Fianna Fail get away with their plans It would be a blow to the Northern Civil Rights Movement as well as to people in the twenty-six counties. Num-bers of Fianna Fail people them-selves are aware of this, and one T.D., Mr. David Andrews, said on television that several clauses of the Bill went against his conscience.

The Bill is due to get its second reading in the Dail some time in February. In the coming period it Is not only the six counties will find It necespry to have to fight for civil rights.

THE death took place on De-cember 9th at Southampton of

John (Johnny) Power. A native of Waterford, he was a well-known figure in the Republican move-ment there in the thirties, When the Republican Congress was formed in 1934 he became one of its first members. He and his two brothers, Willy and Paddy, were amongst the first to volunteer when Frank Ryan formed the Irish Section of the International Brigade for the fight against Franco fascism.

Johnny took part In most of the engagements of the Brigade, be-becoming a company political commissar, and one of the most well-known personalities amongst all the English-speaking volun-teers. His most well-known char-acteristic was his coolnesi under fire The writer remembers one occasion, on the Ebro front in July, 1938, when an attack took place against heavily fortified fascist positions, known as Hill 481.

The advance guard of the attacking Internationalists had succeeded in reaching almost the brow of the hill, when we were subjected to a murderous fire, at short range, of grenades, trench mortars, and heavy machine-guns. Darkness fell but the advance position was held despite a high rate of casualties. In the darkness the fascist fire became even heavier. A figure was seen to go from one to another of our small attacking groups. It came to me just as the fire reached a new crescendo, and I heard the fami-liar voice of Johnny Power saying: "Jayus, this Is almost as bad as Dublin's Moore Street on a Satur-day night!"

We oame home to Ireland to-gether at Christmas, 193S. In a little over eighteen months we met again, in the Curragh Internment Camp. Here he was an active member of the Connolly Study Group, and a constant contributor to the hand-produced illegal jour-nal, "An Splanc" (The Spark) which was the organ of the Group.

Released at Christmas, 1943, he returned once again to hit native Waterford to become an active member of the local Labour Party. He found It Impossible to secure any employment and, after a dif-ficult period of personal hardship, he was forced to emigrate to England.

The news of his death will sti-mulate sadness and many nostal-gic memories amongst thoee who knew him In Spain and the Cur-ragh Internment Camp. Te both the Irish national and the international struggle he made a considerable contribution.

M.O'R.

O'RIORDAN FOR LIVERPOOL?

Mr. John McClelland states tha t he has invited Mr. Michael O'Riordan to address the Liver-pool branch of the Connolly Asso-ciation on Tuesday, January 14th. Details are not yet to hand but readers are urged to watch for local announcements.

WHAT ABOUT THE RIGHT TO WORK? r F I M FLEMING, A.S.W. stew- They brought forward a totally

ard and t r ea su re r of the n e w o n e t o c o m e i n t o I o c o e o n

Turriff Ivy Bridge Lock-out Committee, sends interesting information about the pro-tracted dispute on that job.

The Job was started in March, 1966. For eighteen months It has been organised complete with works committee and stewards on every section.

October 14th. On that day the workers rejected the new scheme. On Thursday, October 17th, the management disbanded the works committee, and the same day issued 86 dismissal notices.

In September, 1968, the firm proposed a new bonus scheme which the men considered would

were Meesrs. Doyle of Ruskin Col-^ in some cases reduce their pay lege, and Mr. Michael Lee. Mem-bers of the Oxford group of the Connolly Association were present in force.

On October 22nd the Regional Disputes Commission found that the original bonus scheme should remain pending renegotiation. The Arm was directed to reinstate the discharged operatives.

The firm declined to accept this advice. The result was that the

by a half. On October 11th they unions declared an official lock-Informed the works committee out on November 4th. and on that all previously negotiated November 8th all othet operatives bonus agreements were at an end. withdrew their labour on official

strike. On Friday, November 15th a national commission found In favour of the operatives' reinstate-ment.

The men were still out when Tim Fleming's letter arrived. We hope they have since won victory.

But in case they have not done so vet, enquiries should be made to Mr. D. Hutchinson, 38 Fifth Cross Road. Twickenham, Mtd#e-sex (phone 01-713-8674), who will give the latest news.

The boys particularly want funds to help them keep on tlieir picket line.

A particularly deplorable aspect of the whole thing has been that men dismissed have been victim-ised by Labour Exchanges, who have refused to pay them benefit

8 THE IRISH DEMOCRAT January 1969

CIVIL GREEN FASCISM THREATENS REPUBLIC

AN INTERNATIONAL QUESTION-Pat Devine A S world capitalism finds it-

self challenged from all sides, it bares its teeth, and ignores all the rules in its fight to hold on to its ill-gotten wealth and privilege.

No longer .able to rule by the normal democratic procedures im-perialism, in its deep and final crisis, aims to crush civil liberties as Nazi Germany did in the early 1930s.

The 1939-45 second world war was to be the final decisive im-perialist blow, to smash democ-racy and firmly impose a dicta-torial fascist rule on the world, in which trade unions, co-opera-tives, the Press, radio and televi-sion, the right to organise, free speech and assembly and national independence, would be suppressed and all power vested in the capi-talist oligarchy.

The rivalries between capitalist countries, each of whom wanted a larger part of the*» world capi-talist cake, brought about a situation where the main imperial-ist powers—the U.S.A., Britain and Prance—were forced to join with the Soviet Union and the national independence movements in a Grand Alliance.

This alliance brought about a decisive defeat of fascism and a great victory for democracy. National independence gaiijed ip strength. Vast areas of colonial territory were formed into inde-pendent nations with an avowed anti-imperialist policy.

CIVIL L I B E R T I E S Imperialism has been fighting

back on all sides, as can be seen from the following birds-eye pic-

1 ture of events in various countries. GREECE. This country gives

the clearest, simplest and gener-ally accepted picture of the ex-tremes of torture, murder, and political oppression all aimed at destroying all vestiges of civil liberties.

The rtgime of King Constantine and his mother Queen Fredericka, in the early 1960s, used every method of intrigue to thwart democratic advance In Greece by their attacks on and imprison-ment of Tony Ambatlelos, and imprisonment of his wife Betty at a later stage, the beating up, im-prisonment and murder of Dr. Lambrakis, the Greek opposition MP., which brought 250,000 people to his funeral in Athens and aroused world-wide protest.

Protesting at the news of the death in Jail of 76-year-old, ill and blind political prisoner Con-stantine YioltzJdes, Lord Russell said: "This Is barbarism I am at a loss to understand such in-humanity. No possible national interest is served by the imprison-ment of so sick a man.

"If the Greek Government were determined to make as many enemies as possible it would be-have in precisely this wicked man-ner. As you know, many other political prisoners are seriously ill. Their lives are also in danger.

"How many more deaths of these victims must the world en-dure? I urge you to arrange their immediate release.

"Mr. Yioltzides was one of the political prisoners for whom we were demonstrating during the Royal visit to London. You must now understand why such protests were necessary."

In the political turmoil arising from these oppressions the demo-cratic foroes in Greece were gathering strength in order to

make a united attack upon the government at the next election which they were certain to win if democratic electoral procedure were to apply.

The former Greek Minister Andreas Papandriose was im-prisoned on a charge of high trea-son.

The famour Greek composer Mikos Theodorakis was refused a trial on a charge of planning to overthrow the regime. It was a campaign to thwart the advance of democracy.

THE COLONELS T A K E OVER

On April 21st, faced with the almost certainty of a. victory for the progressive forces in the imminent election the establish-ment initiated a Colonels' coup d'Etat for the overthrow of the Government, the banning of free speech, civil liberties and democ-racy. Thousands of Greek Pro-gressives were arrested and im-prisoned in the island of Youra, and kept in virtual solitary con-finement; other equally diSgrace-ful Drison camps were crowded.

Since then a reign of terror has existed. But the people fight on

PORTUGAL Here is a classical example of

how the capitalist class sets out to deal with the danger of work-ing-class democratic power. With little variation the same thing happened in Spain.

The last King Manuel II left in 1910 to be followed by a Re-publican rtgime which was ousted by a military putsch which aimed at denying the progressive aspira-tions of the working-class.

Salazar joined the military junta as Finance Minister and became Prime Minister in 1932.

The trade unions and political parties—excepting the Fascist National Union and were sup-pressed. No free election has taken place in Portugal since 1926; thou-sands of Portuguese have been imprisoned, tortured and mur-dered.

Salazar's government supported and helped to prepare the attack by Franco on the Spanish-Repub-lican Government. We must

strengthen the fight for civil liberties and help the people of Portugal to win their freedom from fascism.

RHODESIA The facts are simple and un-

challenged. Over four million native Africans are held in near slavery by a white junta repre-senting fewer than a quarter of a million.

The jails or concentration camps are packed with Africans and their leaders. Their political par-ties are banned.

America even today, the Negro people are prevented from exer-cising their right to vote, to eat in public restaurants or travel on buses and trains without being subjected to apartheid.

The recent activities of the Chicago police under Chicago Mayoi Daley was a blatant ex-ample of the violation of elemen-tary civil rights, not only to the negro but to the white Democrats led by Senator McCarthy and numerous Democratic mayors, governors, senators and Congress-men.

Democracy is unknown. The A document, "Rights in Con-government loudly proclaim their flict", a 340-page report on the right to rule without the Africans, violent police suppression of de-These have no right to vote, or monstrations in Chicago during hold public meetings or engage in the Democratic convention, is an any political activity. eye-opener.

"An officer who has left the force since August said: 'We got the word to put the boot in, it's as simple as that.'

"The Press suffered; 63 news-papermen, one in five of those assigned to cover the streets, were attacked by the police. The pro-testers suffered; most did not in-tend to start violence but many expected it."

Mayor Daley proposed £830 a year pay rises for police and fire-men, making them, at £4,550 a year, the nation's highest paid.

I could continue this description but the facts are clear, and could apply to many more countries.

Ireland has long been in the vanguard of the fight for freedom. The Derry fighters for one-man-one-vote are maintaining that proud reputation.

'J^HE dniPQs Criminal

are worthy $ Unionists. Ii Unionists of t the very legj Northerners as closer together

Whole sections Justice Bill are

JOHN POWER R I P.

Kianna Fail 's , , c c Bill 1968

ills (,!' the Ulster aS if the new

i e South copy jlation of the they move ever

n policy.

of the Criminal word for word

identical with tb ise of Stormont's Public Order Aft and the civil

Depar tment of e had the latter pn drawing it up.

uniform who marchers might nevertheless to

Rhodesian judges are ignoring the right of appeal to the Privy Council. Prisoners are condemned and hanged without the right of decent trial.

The United Nations has over-whelmingly denounced the Ian Smith dictatorship and called for majority democratic elections and government, but the junta ignore the decision.

Democracy and one-man-one-vote in Rhodesia would at once eliminate the Smith planters' government and firmly establish democratic rights and an anti-apartheid government.

In spite of all the talk by the Prime Minister of the Labour Government about their desire to wipe out racialism, the Smith regime persists in its foulness.

T H E U.S.A. Civil defence and democratic

rights for the Vietnamese people have been violated ever since the brutal bombing, defoliation and napalnf burning conducted by American forces. The Vietnamese people fight back and are win-ning.

But American big business is not just killing or restricting the civil rights of the Vietnamese or Koreans, it is attacking democra-tic liberties at home, especially amongst the Negro people.

In some southern states of

Here are some points from that document:—

". . . the street battles between police and demonstrators at the Democratic convention here vir-tually brought Mississippi justice to the North.

"Representatives of the Secret Police, the U.S. Fifth Army, the U.S. Army I I I Corps, the National Guard and Chicago's police and fire departments were briefed by senior police officers on convention security.

"But they were not told that the National Guard was to be called out. And as the convention opened 6,000 soldiers, crack troops, were airlifted in 'flying boxcars' to Chicago, equipped with full field gear including rifles, flame-throwers and bazookas.

"The Police Chief, already pub-licly attacked in liOril for not shooting rioters and looters, had been dressed down and virtually told to be tough.

"Civil Rights demonstrators visiting the convention to lobby their representatives, Negro free-dom fighters and thousands of youth demanding improved edu-cational rights were continuously molested.

"Police slashed car tyres, hit priests and doctors, clubed by-standers, car-drivers, lawyers, people getting off buses and punched girls.

Stormont stumbles in chaos Mr. Craig went on as If repudiated Craig. They wanted to

there had been no change, live at peace with their Catholic The attempt was made to prevent neighbours. the people meeting in Derry. The Craig's policy was put into people met. The Paisleyite mobs, reverse. The Civil Rights Move-armed with sticks and stone, ment was asked nicely not be so occupied Armagh. But Paisley's militant. The proceedings in Derry was a pyrrhic victory. Even most were becoming a public enquiry German newspapers carried pic- into the behaviour of the R.U.C. tures of the thuggery. What at Derry on October 5th. would be the finish of it? The riot cases were suspended

Ultimate responsibility for re.v f„or months though not abai> toring law and order would fall d o n e d ; " n d t h e P ^ e s s was on the British army passed off as an act of clemency,

present International position, to have her army used to back up this notortons regime?

Could Britain afford, in her t h o u g h w a s . n o t a n amnesty. V- 1 V

A LL the official propaganda was busy admitting tha t the

Captain O'Neill m a d e h i s minority had after all got griev-speech. Section seventy-five of ances, which would be remedied the Government of Ireland Act, m due course if they weren't to which we were all told was too much of a hurry, and gave defunct because of a mysterious Up their right to demonstrate.

—from Page One

country was widely noted. V- V V

•rI"<HE feeling began to grow that -*- the process of fighting for the

human needs of the people will ultimately unify Ireland without bloodshed. For the Civil Rights Movement in the north is a fight against British Imperialism.

Craig and Paisley may try • come beck. O'Neill may play go-slow. Organisation, unity, perse-veranoe, work and struggle, plus the solidarity of the movement In Britain will win the day.

servants of u1( Justice must ha Act before them

The thugs batoned the Der have been gia, have some of tli powers the Cri-minal Justice Bi i proposes to give Guards. In th: North, for ex-ample, it is the Minister of Home Affairs who can ban or restrict a meeting under the law. This power has been used oppressively against the pol tical enemies of

rty, but its use taken, and seen the very top of archy.

the Unionist Pi is a political ac to be taken, at the political hie

$ , r PHE Criminal

this power tx intendent who ir ay ban at his own

Justice being in any way publicly involved. All he has to say is that the meeting or demonstration could "cause undue interference with other users of the highway."

All political parties but Fianna Fail have protested at the dan-gers of abuse contained in this Section. The police are exhorted to act without "discrimination" But who supposes they will? Every-one knows that the main purpose is to clamp down on the surge of popular protest against Dublin Government policies which has made marches and demonstrations almost a weekly occurrence.

The Bill was Introduced in the Dail during the French disturb-ances of last May, when students in Dublin took to the streets against the state visit of the King of the Belgians. Alarmism was deliberately spread. Fianna Fail had high hopes of winning the referendum. A general attack of democracy was planned. The aim was the institution of a land of green Fascism.

^ V V U I X months later the political ^ atmosphere is different. The

CIVIL LIBERTIES IN BRITAIN Tj^EW readers of the "Demo-

crat" would deny the con-tinuing threat to civil liberties in Britain. In this they differ from the majority public opinion which is quite satisfied with our standards of justice and our institutions.

This complacency or lack of knowledge is the foremost threat to civil liberty. But the bloody Stindays of the past make the October 27th demonstration a demonstration a pretty mild affair. The threat of fascism in the 1930s has no real equivalent today. At the same time governments de-mand more power over the indivi-dual citizen and usuaHy get it.

TONY Ity SMYTHE

rities. It does mean that the courts and the legal profession are in a ramshackle, obsolete state which makes justice unobtainable.

Bureaucracy is a necessary fea-ture of any form or organisation but bureaucrats do tend to get carried away by their own power. We are all familfar with this threat to freedom. The problem for the future is that the unre-

sonalise the frustrations of most strained bureaucrat will have more young people. Mrs. Mary White- t e c h n j c a l & t ^ ^ ^

to control and to pry into the lives of individuals than ever he had in the past.

(Gen. Secrelary, National Council for Civil Liberties)

their organisers A few hippies make life more :olourful and per-

house leads the counter-attack against a non-existent permissive

pparently able to bigot between

society and is i mobilise every Eastbourne and in doing so.

Civil liberty has never been an absolute ideal and those who sup-port it are always prepared to con- Enoch Powell a cede that the interests of the individual must be placed against the interests of the community as a whole. Unless there is a real understanding of the Issues it is difficult to measure whether the controls demanded by Government agencies should be opposed or not.

Cheltenham Spa

Many who feir the growth of racialism have tried to make

hate symbol; But can one man bfe held responsible for our gigantic colonialist hang-over? We must face it, white racialism is endemic. The Gov-ernment is prep wed to make con-cessions to it. Ambitious politi-

Some problems have always been with us. The police have more power than the ordinary citizen and sometimes abuse it. The law remains a middle-class affair and the judiciary totally out of touch with ordinary working people. Where convictions are obtained punishments is meted out and rehabilitation ignored. New prisons

humiliating the inmates. Most people like security and

when the status quo is threatened the manipulators of the media do not find it difficult to get popular support for repression as a substi-tute for reform Demonstrators become militant and the reaction is to call for a ban on demonstra-tions.

Ninety-five perf cent of strikes

We urgently need privacy legis-lation, to regulate the use of the cumputer, to licence private inves-tigators and to abolish private police forces.

The range of civil liberty con-cern is wide and a blanket safe-guard against its erosion is diffi-cult to envisage. The Ombudsman

cians like Mr. Powell are willing changed nothing but then experi-to harness it. Even if it were ence may lead him to ask for ex-possible to k n o | k d o w n _ t h e j y m - tension of his powers. Some M P s

are sensitive to the rights of their The answer tf> racialism is first constituents. Many are too idle

give legal piotection to the or are hampered by the lack of coloured minori.y; second to con- reference and secretarial facilities, vince government and opposition that there is dough racial toler- T r a d e u n l o n leaders restrict ance around fo' them to make a t h e l r defence of members largely stand- and thiii to carry on the to w a g e s a n d conditions. Human struggle at (community level R « h t s Year has helped to focus

have the same old devices for l h r o u g h education, cultural con- a t t e n t i o n on many problems but tact and mutua: aid between mem- H hasn't produced any solutions, bers of differen communities. T h e r e l s onI>' o n e solution—mas-

sive support for the organisations Civil liberty c in be protected by which exist to protect civil rights,

public opinion, by the democratic process and by :he law. Although The 1 , s t is not very long but standards of jistice are high the includes the N.C.C.L.. Child administration : > appalling. A man Poverty Action Group, Shelter and should be consileied innocent un- Amnesty. Given an income of til proved guill I The fact that £100,000 a year the N.C.C.L. could many defendan s spend months in transform the civil rights picture

are unofficial The call goes out jail before bein; brought to trial in Britain. Right now it works for a ban on unofficial strikes and does not indica* deliberate flout- on £8,000 a year, receives an severe penal sanctions against ing of the prin :iple by the autho-

"conventlon," was bandied about before the television camera.

But the Civil Rights Movement deolared that it was not going to

Craig talked of defying Britain, have Its teeth drawn. 8o O'Neill sacked Craig.

V- V- * Across the border an enormous

impression was made by the Nor-w AS there a great outcry from thern victory, the outraged Protestants? Civil rights are being fought

On the contrary thousands of for in the Republic. The growing letters of support poured into parallelism of the movement in O'Neill's office. The Protestants the two parts of the partitioned

Meetings at Lancaster and Coventry r PHE newly-established Commit-A for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland that has been established In the University of Lancaster held Its first public meeting on November 20th when about forty students heard Desmond Greaves (editor of the "Irish Democrat") lecture on "The Irish question and the British people "

Considerable support was pro-vided by the University Liberals, but members of the Socialist,

Communist and various fringe groups were also present in force.

Lancaster seems to contain some talented young men of whom more will undoubtedly be heard.

COVENTRY On November 27th Desmond

Greaves addressed a meeting called by the Coventry group of the Connolly Association.

Work of organising the Irish in this city has revived recently, since the arrival In Coventry of active member, Frank Conway

from South Lotdun. His arrival ja* been of great

encouragement | to Paddy Powell, who has beenl holding the fort alone for yenr.j

The meeting kas not large in size, but in •it|f'ncjjln(.e w e r e t h e famous poet. Mr. John Hewitt of Belfast, and thf proprietor of one of the city's moM successful Irish dance-halls.

The m e e t i n g w !Ui held In . a public-house near t h e s h a m r o c k Club.

average of 50 cases a week and finds it impossible to deliver the miracles expected of It. In the New Year the N.C.C.L. will launch a Know Your Rights campaign.

Ignorance and complacency are the first problems to face. If the older generations do not want to know perhaps we shall make a greater impact amonfcst young people. This will be our aim.

Individuals and groups who feel that their rights are threatened naturally get Impatient. This im-patience should be channelled Into an organised struggle for civil rights or it will be dissipated in futile opposition to everything in our society whether good or bad.

By

Anthony Coughlan

Northern Civil Rights Movement Justice Bill gives has fought and defeated just such any guard super- measures in the six counties. Yet

Fianna Fail presses ahead. The discretion without the Minister of Government expects even more

determined opposition when the disastrous consequences of the Free Trade Agreement with Bri-tain unfold themselves. It wants to be well prepared.

Nor is it just open-air public meetings are at risk under the Bill. A meeting in your private house can be banned as long as a mem-ber of the public was at it. All the Guards need do is to say it could cause "serious public dis-order". They are under no obli-gation to prove this.

Nor need the threat of disorder come from the organisers of the meeting. A meeting could be banned even if the threat came from some other group entirely, as was the case with the Paisleyites in Armagh and Derry. In the North Paisley and Craig played a cat-and-mouse game with the Civil Rights Movement. Paisley threatened counter - demonstra-tions and Craig then banned the Civil Rights meetings. The same kind of thing could be organised down here if the Criminal Justice Bill goes through the Dail. Yes, even in the sanctity of your home.

V V- V

TI/TR. O'MORAIN, Minister of -L'J- Justice, has found himself on the defensive over this Bill. There is a procedure for appeal to the courts against a ban, he says. But how long may such an appeal take, and how expensive will it be? By the time the courts give a decision, even if it is favourable to the demonstrators, the original issue may be stone dead.

The Bill also says the police must be informed of meetings and demonstrations 24 hours before they take place. Just as in the six counties, it Ls a criminal

offence not to inform them. This rules out any spontaneous meet-ing in public, such as, for example, a factory-gate meeting by trade unionists to discuss .sudden redun-dancies.

This is supposed to facilitate the police in traffic control, but it is easy to see how zeal for smooth blows of traffic could be used to disguise politically discriminatory presence in bans. Mr. O'Morain swears he "detrimental

those who he'd it would be liable I to fine or imprisonment.

V i} J?

I NTERNMENT by the back door, as Mr. Con Lehane has called

it, is permitted under Section 45. Tills says that if a person's

a civilian prison is to the good order

and security of the prison", he may be transferred to military custody. In military custody he would, of course, be subject to all the regulations and orders of the internment camp.

Since when, it may be asked, are warders and policemen unable to keep order in their own prisons? Presumably what the Government has in mind is that when there might be a meeting or demonstra-tion outside a prison, as happened with the imprisoned E.S.B. work-ers last year, then the prisoners concerned might be whisked away to the Curragh or some other concentration camp.

There has, of course, been no public demand for this draconic provision either from the judiciary or, so far as we know, from the police or prison staff. It is a political measure. Perhaps the Government intends to drop the Offences Against the State Act. Direct internment in military prisons will be replaced by in-direct.

— — — — — 1 D o u b l e penalties may be im-posed on someone who advocates non-payment of rates or taxes

illegal to hold any meeting or under Section 53. In addition to procession in conection with pro- flnes or imprisonment such a per-ceedings being heard before a son may be disqualified for five

would never do such a thing and that the police would always act fairly and impartially. Not many people believe him.

Section 28 of the Bill makes it

WHITHER F.F.? •piANNA FAIL used to be re-

garded as the party of democracy. To this day old re-publican supporters of civil war times, organisers of national games, Gaelic Leaguers, Irish-Irelanders of all types, still swear by it. It is Dev's party. To the generation now disap-pearing the magic remains.

But Fianna Fail is now the party of big business. A group of wealthy supporters organised the Fianna Fail fund-raising "Taca," and Fine Gael, tradi-tional money-bags party, is hav-ing to tout round for Labour support. Fear of Labour, fear of Republicanism is leading Fian-na Fail into the paths of creep-ing Fascism. Read this article with care.

court, or "pending hearing", which might take months and months in certain cases." The meeting would not have to be in the same town or city as the court case. A meeting in Cork, for example, to discuss some issue of trade union law being decided in a Dublin court would be illegal and

SENATOR CALLS IT BUTCHERY' T N an article in the "Irish Inde-

pendent", Senator Garrett Fitz-gerald described the Fianna Fail plan to recast the constituencies as "butchery". Fitzgerald alleges, "Despite all that was said by Fianna Fail speakers in the refer-

Senator accuses Fianna Fail of gerrymandering. This is done by the manner in which three, four and five-seat constituencies are selected, clearly designed to favour Government candidates.

For instance, in the West the endum about the desirability of ''emphasis is on three-seat consti-preserving county boundaries, they have in fact been ruthlessly dis-regarded on a scale never previ-ously thought of on this side of the border."

Government proposals involve the transfer of no less than seven-teen pieces of nine counties and almost 100,000 inhabitants. The

OXFORD HEARS GERRY FITT

| 1RITICISING the O'Neill "re-^ forms" which are to replace Derry Corporation with a state-appointed commission, Mr. Gerry Fitt told cheering Oxford students tha t instead of "one man one vote" they had got "no man no vote." The Civil Rights Campaign would not stop until its objectives were won.

The meeting, in Ruskin College where the seats had to be taken out to provide standing-room, fol-lowed a march through the city in which students and members of Irish organisations participated.

Marching with Mr. Fitt were Messrs. Desmond Hensey, Charles Cunningham and D e s m o n d Greaves (Connolly Association) and Messrs. Pat Byrne. Jim Argue, Michael Melley and H. ODonn-chaddha (Campaign for Democ-racy in Ulster). On the platform

lege, and Mr. Michael Lee. Mem-bfers of the Oxford group of the Connolly Association were present in force.

tuencies to secure two-thirds repre-sentation by Fianna Fail when it secures fewer than half the votes. On the other hand the emphasis on Dublin is on four seats. This will allegedly enable F.F. to retain two or three seats which it should lose because of a projected decline in its Dublin vote of 15 to 20 per cent.

Whatever about Fitzgerald's mathematical conclusion there is no doubt that contrary to their declared anxiety to effect the minimum change of county boun-daries the Government have actu-ally butchered them in numerous cases.

years from receiving central or local government grants. Last year the farmers in the N.F.A. organised a campaign of with-holding rates for a period to high-light their demands for fairer food prices. If the Criminal Jus-tice Bill is passed they would risk losing their agricultural and housing grants for doing so.

ir 6 f t

""FHAT there should be opposition to the Bill is not surprising,

considering these clauses, and there are other objectionable ones as well. It would be ironic if our civil liberties were restricted down here at a time when the people of the six counties were extending theirs. If Fianna Fall get away with their plans it would be a blow to the Northern Civil Rights Movement as well as to people in the twenty-six counties. Num-bers of Fianna Fail people them-selves are aware of this, and one T.D., Mr. David Andrews, said on television that several clauses of the Bill went against his conscience.

The Bill is due to get its second reading in the Dail some time in February. In the coming period it is not only the six counties will find it necessary to have to fight for civil rights.

THE death took place on De-cember 9th at Southampton of

John (Johnny) Power. A native of Waterford, he was a well-known figure in the Republican move-ment there in the thirties. When the Republican Congress was formed in 1934 he became one of its first members. He and his two brothers, Willy and Paddy, were amongst the first to volunteer when Frank Ryan formed the Irish Section of the International Brigade for the fight against Franco fascism.

Johnny took part in most of the engagements of the Brigade, be-becoming a company political commissar, and one of the most well-known personalities amongst all the English-speaking volun-teers. His most well-known char-acteristic was his coolness under fire The writer remembers one occasion, on the Ebro front in July, 1938, when an attack took place against heavily fortified fascist positions, known as Hill 481.

The advance guard of the attacking Internationalists had succeeded in reaching almost the brow of the hill, when we were subjected to a murderous fire, at short range, of grenades, trench mortars, and heavy machine-guns. Darkness fell but the advance position was held despite a high rate of casualties. In the darkness the fascist fire became even heavier. A figure was seen to go from one to another of our small attacking groups. It came to me just as the fire reached a new crescendo, and I heard the fami-liar voice of Johnny Power saying: "Jayus, this is almost as bad as Dublin's Moore Street on a Satur-day night!"

We oame home to Ireland to-gether at Christmas, 1938. In a little over eighteen months we met again, in the Curragh Internment Camp. Here he was an active member of the Connolly Study Group, and a constant contributor to the hand-produced illegal Jour-nal, "An Splanc" (The Spark) which was the organ of ttie Group.

Released at Christmas, 1943, he returned once again to his native Waterford to become an active member of the local Labour Party. He found it impossible to secure any employment and, after a dif-ficult period of personal hardship, he was forced to emigrate to England.

The news of his death will sti-mulate sadness and many nostal-gic memories amongst those who knew him in Spain and the Cur-ragh Internment Camp. To both the Irish national movement and the International anti-fascist struggle he made a considerable contribution.

M.O'R.

ORIORDAN FOR LIVERPOOL?

Mr. John McClelland states that he has invited Mr. Michael O'Riordan to address the Liver-pool bi anch of the Connolly Asso-ciation on Tuesday, January 14th. Details are not yet to hand but readers are urged to watch for local announcements.

WHAT ABOUT THE RIGHT TO WORK? rriM FLEMING, A.S.W. s tew- They brought forward a totally J- i. _r a . new one to come into force on ard and treasurer of the

Turriff Ivy Bridge Lock-out Committee, sends interesting information about the pro-tracted dispute on that job.

The job was started in March, 1"966. For eighteen months it has been organised complete with works committee and stewards on every section.

October 14th. On that day the workers rejected the new scheme. On Thursday, October 17th, the

strike. On Friday, November 15th a national commission found in favour of the operatives' reinstate-ment.

The men were still out when management disbanded the works Tim Fleming's letter arrived. We committee, and the same issued 86 dismissal notices.

day

were Messrs. Doyle of Ruskin Col-, in some cases reduce their pay

On October 22nd the Regional Disputes Commission found that the original bonus scheme should remain pending renegotiation. The firm was directed to reinstate the discharged operatives.

The firm declined to accept this advice. The result was that the

by a half. On October 11th they unions declared an official lock-informed the works committee out on November 4th, and on that all previously negotiated November 8th all other operatives bonus agreements were at an end withdrew their labour on official

In September. 1968, the firm proposed a new bonus scheme which the men considered would

hope they have since won victory. But in case they have not done

so vet, enquiries should be made to Mr. D. Hutchinson, 38 Fifth Cross Road, Twickenham Mid*e-sex (phone 01-743-8674). who will give the latest news.

The boys particularly want funds to help them keep on their picket line.

A particularly deplorable aspect of the whole thing has been that men dismissed have been victim-ised by labour Exchanges, who have refused to pay them benefit.

6 THE IRISH DEMOCP* January 1969

f l M . ' l g J T I l i J U c J j , , A song of Cumonn na mBAN

(Air: The Men of the West)

WHEN you honour in song and in story

The fighters who shouldered a gun, And recked not that Death's Mow

should reach them, It so Ireland's freedom was won, Forget not the women of Ireland Who stood without terror or dread Beside those who battled so bravely Mid shellfire and deluge of lead.

Chorus: Then here's to the women of

Ireland Who marched without fear in

the van; Old Ireland is proud of her

daughte rs -Hurrah for brave Cumann na

mBan!

Our tricolour flew on the breezes, Proclaiming o'er DuMin's old town That the men of the nation

awakened,

Would die ere 'twas ever hauled down.

And into our ranks came the heroines,

Like the women of Limerick of old, And their smiles made the weakest

a here— Write their fame, boys, in letters

of gold.

Though our fight in the old G.P.O., beys,

Came to grief as its flames touched the sky,

We lit there a fire that will blaze, beys,

Till the power of the Saxon shall die.

And we'll cherish forever the story, While the pages of hist'ry we scan, Of those valiant daughters of

E r i n -Hurrah, boys, for Cumann na

mBan!

EILEEN O'GRADY |k |OW Eileen O'Grady's a real Irish lady,

I'm longing to call her my own, I'll not be contented till she has consented

To be Mistress Barney Makme. I met this fair treasure while walking for pleasure,

She looked up at tne, then she cried Without any warning, "The top of the morning"—

And then up to her I replied: .

CHORUS

Come, come, beautiful Eileen, come for a drive with me, Over the mountain and down by the fountain, Over the high road and down by the low road, Make up your mind, don't be unkind, and we'll drive to Castlebar. To the road I'm no stranger, for you there's no danger, So up like a bird on my old jaunting car.

Now Eileen said: "No sir, with you I won't go, sir, Don't think it ungrateful of me:

I'd rather go walking than have people talking, You know what the story would be."

"Jgow, Eileen, my jewel, don't treat me so cruel, To treat me this way is a shame,

Give over your blarney and say I'm your Barney, And don't keep me waiting in vain."

THE HILLS OF CLARE ^ y H E R E . wild and free, the little winds are sighing,

And foam-flecked billows rush to meet the blue, Where wisps of cloud in azure deeps are flying,

And stars peep out when night comes on anew, Where limpid-clear the lakes, so pure and tender,

Spread out their arms to greet the sunshafts fair, T i s there m-y thoughts abide and homage render

To changeless bliss upon the Hills of Clare.

Hills old with years, yet fresh with vernal glory That brightens earth and ocean, air and sod,

Hills that enshrine both canticle and story, And lift sweet eyes to glimpse the throne of God.

How oft when youth was mine and hopes were golden, t trod the rugged heath your summits wear,

And found thereon the peace both new and olden That g^ds with loveliness the HNIs of Clare.

0 Hills that mmtotied a youth to manhood travel— Who looked wkh eyes untroubled, thro' the years—

Who quietty stood and saw time's hand swift ravel A tangled web of exile and of tears.

A youth no more, I wander o'er the billow, Like pilgrim-soul a-roving here and there,

Yet aU the time the bliss I longed to pillow Shone, glad, pellucid, on the Hills of Clare.

AcrosJKhe years, like lamp of mercy streaming, Today your grandeur oails and I can see

That exUe-patht, though with rose-petals gleaming, WMt ne'er bring.peace or happiness to me,

And w I turn to where the sun descending Showers molten radiance, like a blessing rare,

And f ond ly vow the roadway I am wending Wilt yet lead home unto the Hills of Clare.

T. GAVIN.

OLD IRELAND FREE ONCE MORE J^AST night I had a happy dream, though restless where I be:

I thought again brave Irishmen had set old Ireland free. And how excited I became when I heard the cannon's roar— 0 gradh mo chroidhe, I long to see Old Ireland free once more.

It's true we had brave Irishmen as everyone must own, O'Neill, O'Donnell, Sarsfield true, Lord Edward and Wolfe Tone, And also Robert Emmet who tlll death did not give o'er— 0 gradh mo chroidhe, I long to see Old Ireland free once more.

Now we can't forget the former years, they're kept in memory still* Of the Wexford men of '98 who fought on Vinegar Hill, With Father Murphy by their side and the green flag waving o'er— 0 gradh mo chroidhe, I long to see Old Ireland free once more.

Allen, O'Brien and Larkin died, their country to set free, And some day yet brave Irishmen will make the Saxon flee; Both day and night they'll always fight, until death they'll ne'er give o'er 0 gradh mo chroidhe, I long to see Old Ireland free once more.

PATRICK SHEEHAN The Glen of Aberlow

(The hero of this song really lived —when he was arrested for begging the great Fenian writer Charles J. Kickham, was moved to write this

song about him.)

MY name is Patrick Sheehan, My years are thirty-four;

Tipperary is my native place Not from Galtymore;

I came of honest parents But now they're lying low,

And many a pleasant day I spent In the Glen of Aherlow.

My father died, I closed his eyes Outside our cabin door;

The landlord and the sheriff, too Were there the day before.

And then my loving mother And sisters three also

Were forced to go with broken hearts

From the Glen of Aherlow.

For three long months in search of work

I wandered far and near I went then to the poorhouse

For to see my mother dear; The news I heard near broke my

heart But stHl in all my woe

I blessed the friends who made their graves

In the Glen of Aherlow.

Bereft of home and kith and kin With plenty all aroundf

I starved within my cabin And slept upon the ground;

But cruel as my lot was I ne'er did hardship know

Till I joined the English Army Far away from Aherlow.

"Rouse up there," says the corporal, "You lazy Hirish 'ound;

Why don't you hear, you sleepy dog, The call 'To arms' sound?"

Alas, I had been dreaming Of days long, long ago,

I woke before Sebastopol And not in Aherlow,

I groped to find my muske t -How dark I thought the night—

0 Blessed God, it was not dark, It was the broad daylight I

And when I found that I was blind My tears began to flow;

1 longed for e'en a pauper's grave In the Glen of Aherlow.

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mine is a mournful tale,

A poor blind prisoner here I am In Dublin's dreary jail;

Struck blind within the trenches Where I never feared the foe;

And now I'll never see again My own sweet Aherlow.

A poor neglected mendicant l wandered through the street,

My nine months' pension now being out

I beg from all I meet; As I joined my country's tyrants

My face f II never show Among, the kind old. neighbours

In the Glen of Aherlow.

Then Irish youths—dear country-men—

Take heed of what I say, For if you Join the English ranks,

You'll surety rue the day; And whenever you are tempted

A soldiering to go Remember poor blind Sheehan

From the Glen of Aherlow.

Did anyone know these?

words of "Bal lyseedy Cross" have been reques ted

by several readers : can anyone oblige ?

A South London reader is also anx ious to procure a copy of a song-book called "Around the Boree Log", compiled by an Ir ish priest in Austra l ia , Rev. Fr . O'Brien. If a n y reader can h e l p him please rep ly t o Songs Editor , c/o "Ir ish Democra t" , 283 Grays Inn Road, London, W.C.I.

LIVERPOOL MEETING JANUARY 7th - 8 p.m.

At FREE CHURCH CENTRE 33 TARLETON STREEET , CHURCH S T R E E T

Partition, who is responsible ? Lecturer:

BRIAN STOWELL

Taimse im Chodladh Trathoinin deanach i gcein cois leasa dhom,

Taimse im chodladh's na duistear me; 'Sea dhearoas lem thaobh an speirbhean mhctisiuil,

Taimse im chodladh's na duistear me; Ba btawhallach pearlach dreimreach barraohas, A carnfholt craobhach ag teacht lei ar MtMlleerHh, Is i ag caitheamh na saighead trim thaotoh do chealg me

Tfcimse im chodladh's na duistear me ;

Is me fehuaehaillin og a togadh go ceannasach, Taimse im chodladh's na duistear me;

Do en tread h lefoirneart anonn thar farraige Taimse im chodladh's na duittear ma;

Go bhfeicead an la go mbeidh ar ar Shasanaiglr, Ugbaim ar a ndrom's iad ag treaMiadh's ag branar duinn Gan mis© bheith ann muna dteannam an maide leo

Taimse im chodladh's na duistear me;

MANCHESTER SOCIAL IRISH MUSIC AND DANCING

FRIOAY, JANUARY 17th at 7.30 p.m.

CROWN AND ANCHOR HILTON STREET (NEWTON ST.)

Music by Desmond Donnelly Step Dancing, Angela Maguire

D o n a t i o n T i c k e t : 2/6

MANCHESTER CONNOLLY ASSOCIATION

January 1969 TH5 IRISH DEMOCRAT : »t 7

BOOKS edited by

GERARD CURRAN

Pessimism with compassion

"The Love Object", by Edna O'Brien, (Jonathan Gape, 21/-).

i rPHIS is a book of short stories about eight women who seek,

try to explore and are finally dis-appointed in their love objects. The stories are full of sadness and a terrible sense of isolation and yet are sometimes funny.

The title story concerns a woman separated from her husband and children who .has an affair with a "happily married" man. She de-scribes their relationship which is the only reality- for the author.

Subtle intertwining of fantasy and fact is skilfully portrayed here in the fantasy death of the lover's wife and children. Because of her intense involvement the affair comes to an abrupt end, she is cast into despair and comes to terms with it in her own way.

Next we meet a charwoman who finds what she thinks is the antidote to her dreary life—a secondhand three-piece suite for the magnificent sum of £9 which takes some col-lecting. This suite will provide a focal point in her drawing-room so that when she brings her lover to visit her home he will see that she is a house-proud woman—so unlike his own wife. This wonderful after-noon when her husband goes on his annual outing will culminate by her and her lover sitting on her wonderful settee and she hopes it will make up for all the dreary Sat-urdays spent walking in the cold. The suite eventually arrives looking shabbier than she could have im-agined and so they spend that spe-cial Saturday like any other walk-ing in the cold trapped by their makeshift homes and partners.

i ^ E E "Rug" is set on a farm in the West of Ireland, an ac-

cepting Irish mother, the wife of a feckless farmer for once is given some money and buys some new linoleum—which has that wonder-ful smell—for her sitting room. She is very houseproud and her happi-ness is complete when a lovely black sheepskin rug arrives by post but not a word with it. Who could be so Kood as to. giyp her what she wanted — alas her happiness is shattered when a namesake of her husband comes to collect the rug— the postman had made a mistake. We weep with.her not only for the loss of the rug but also for the loss of that mysterious person who had done her a kindness.

"Cords" is the story of the loss of contact between a girl now in Lon-don and her mother in Ireland— the Irish country mother ts again well portrayed here.

Finally in "Paradise," which might be a selfrportrait of the writer, who becomes increasingly isolated among a sophisticated pleasure-seeking set on an exotic cruise—attempts to come to terms with them and. .her inability to do so are fatalistically accepted.

Miss O"Brian's approach to writ-ing is «o fresh that whan she writes of something the reader has also -experienced it hurts deeply Her characterisations are very skil-fully built up.

These stories give a hint that the writer is passing into a new stage, that of compassion, objectivity and calm reflection, i Her works reiect youthful enthusiasm, dteilltwion-ment with men and marriage, home life and Ireland; flirtation with cosmopolitanism, preoccupa-tion with novelty and neurosis and finally sympathy (or the emotion-ally deprived and a calmer and more reflective look at Irish life.

BRrilfD CARROLL.

mw% mum m SMTGM "Man's Place in Nature: An

introduction to Teilhard de Chardin", by Norbert Max Wildiers, D,D. (Fontana Books, paperback, 7/6).

J 'N the Middle Ages man could view the Universe with cer-

t i tude as to his role wi thin it. The earth s i tua ted at its cen t re was created by God for his use and benefit but only, however , as a means of seeking his e ter -nal salvation.

It was simply a place of sojourn-ment, "a vale of tears" through which he had to traverse before entering in death to eternal happi-ness or damnation depending on how he had fulfilled God's purpose in resisting the snares of the world. Although he might tower above the rest of creation, being made in the "image and likeness" of his creator, he was still subject to the imper-fection of his fallen nature owing to the original sin of Adam and Eve.

His redemption was attainable only by sanctifying grace accruing through mortification and .penance. Only the preparation for eternal life in itself could have any mean-ing for him. This outlook was reinforced by the legacy of St. Augustine's philosophy with its Platonic overtones denying the substantiality of material things.

O T . THOMAS AQUINAS did much to alter this approach and built

a new philosophy and theology upon the realism of Aristotle which reinstated the importance of the material world and envisaged a more intimate relationship between mind and matter, body • and soul.

Still, the earth for mediaeval man remained fixed at the centre of the cosmos where everything had its place and purpose and time had little physical significance, repre-senting a sequence in which little change took place beyond Wie cycles of the seasons, and the coming to birth of plants and animals, man and society, their maturation then death and decay.

This apparently stable order was, however, subject to internal stresses and could not set bounds to the mercantilist spirit, making for ex-ploration, change and commercial gain.

The discoveries of Copernicus and Galileo shattered the mediaeval view by demonstrating the insigni-cance of the world within the cos-mos and consequently of man therein. It nevertheless acted as a, stimulus to the rising bourgeoisie by undermining the all-embracing Papal authority.

Protestantism and particularly Calvinism with its ethic of eternal salvation through personal salva-tion on earth and its' extolling of the "abstinent man", the capitalist entrepreneur did the rest-and the medeeval "just price" doctrine was swept into the limbo of reactionary and forgotten things until, accord-ing to R. H. Tawney ("Religion and the Rise of Capitalism"), It was later restored in scientific form in the theory of surplus value by the "last of the schoolmen", Karl Marx.

THE English Revolution (1642-1832) and the French Revolu-

tion of 1789 finally swept away the last vestiges of the mediteval order represented by the politico-economic system of feudalism and the divine right of kings and the Industrial Revolution of which these political revolutions were the reflection, changed the whole order of human relationships.

Thereafter capitalism continued ' its unbridled r.oce of industrialisa-tion through profit or, according to Marx's description in 1848, "It has resolved personal worth into ex-change value and in place of the numberless indefeasible chartered freeioms has set up the single u^onsclonable freedom — free Wade."

Capitalism, now at the end of its tether, having since Marx's time tried unsuccessfully to preserve its sway against the rise of socialism by the fascist monopolistic protec-tionism, nurtures the romantic Illusion, in the E E C . concept, of

Reviewed by

DERRY KELLEHER Acting Secretary Kane-Bernal Society

rejuvenating itself by reversion to the Manchester school free-trade philosophy of its heyday.

As Connolly pointed out in "Labour, Nationality and Religion", the Catholic Church was singu-larly impotent in the face of the advance of capitalism. "Now the Church curses the Protestant Re-formation—the child, and blesses capitalism—its parent" so "that robber class conceived in sin and begotten in iniquity, asks the Church to defend it, and from the Vatican downward the clergy respond to the call."

Nevertheless, Connolly pointed out that the time would come, with the -victory of Socialism throughout the world, when the Church, fol-lowing the policy of not putting all her eggs in one basket, would reverse this stand and use the de-nunciation of private property by the early fathers of the Church in support of collective ownership of the means of production, distri-bution and exchange.

The encyclicals of Pope John and Pope Paul show a significant trend in this direction. What Connolly did not foresee was an emergence of a Catholic cosmology which would serve to reinforce and sub-stantiate much of the dialectical materialist philosophy of Marx and Engels by pointing the way to man's higher evolutionary advance-ment or personalisation through socialisation.

This book is an excellent outline of the thought of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the Jesuit paleontolo-gist who rediscovered the Marxist laws governing man's social and psychical development. Readers of the "Irish Democrat" should have some awareness of this philosophy (c.f., earlier reviews of Teilhard's thought in February, 1968 and Easter 1967 issues), but it is here pertinent in the light of Norbert Max Wildier's analysis to point out that Teilhard must not be regarded as merely rediscovering the- laws of Marx and .Engels but, in a sense, of considerably developing them.

Indeed, Teilhard's "canvas" gives a far more panoramic view stretch-ing from the' beginning to the end of the human saga, from the diver-gence of species, and indeed of man, in the first phase of evolu-tion (which phase ended with the culmination of individualism in, the 19th century in the laissez-faire economic system), to the beginning of the convergence of the human species in the. 20th century, a pro-cess which will culminate in a "centre of concentricity" the Omega point at the end of the human adventure.

Teilhard equates the Omega point with mankind's fulfilment in Christ and it is with such religious over-tones that orthodox Marxists and,

for that matter, orthodox theolo-gians. find grounds for disagree-ment.

X l f H I L S T such matters may be subject to dispute the imme-

diate positive aspects of Teilhard's thought commands our attention: In Wildier's words he recognised that "the world presents itself not only as a system in motion . . . but as a system of becoming and growth."

Thus Teilhard repeated both the Marxist thesis of the inseparability of matter and motion and the Hegelian ontological principle. Again, as Wildiers points out, he also stressed the inseparability of man from his environment: "Man and the world then cannot be viewed in isolation from each other" . . . "In man and in him alone (so far as we know) the world be-comes conscious of itself."

This, moreover, is the result of evolution "an ascent to conscious-ness and freedom supported by an even greater complexity of the ner-vous system and the brain." This phenomenological approach is a far cry from the philosophy of Plato or of Aquinas or indeed from any philosophy (such as Sartre's existentialism) which regards man merely as a spectator in the uni-verse.

Although now released by ' the Vatican for consumption by the faithful it has yet to commend itself to the philosophers within the church. It is, however, grati-fying to learn that Pope Paul has described Teilhard as "an indispen-sable man for our times."

The resemblance to the Marxist philosophy, particularly the law of transformation of quantity into quality, is clear in the following from "The Phenomenon of Man" quoted by Wildiers:—

"In every domain, when any-thing exceeds a certain measure-ment, it suddenly changes "its aspect, condition or nature. The curve doubles back, the surface eon-tracts to a point, the solid disinte-grates, the liquid boils, the germ cell divides, intuition suddenly bursts on piled-up facts—Critical points have been reached, rungs on the ladder, involving a change of state—jumps of all sorts in the course of development.

"Henceforth this is the only way in which science can speak of a 'first instant' but it is noMBthrtess a true way," and this law of discontinuity In contlmtity is addressed to explain the beginning of life and subsequently of man and the difficulty indeed impossibility of assigning a point in time to the emergence either of life or of mind.

11/TLDIERS gives a lucid account ** of Teilhard's description of

the development of cosmic evolu-

tion. starting with the geosphere (or sphere of matter ' , the emeif*'-ence of the biosphere (or sphere of life) and its culmination in ths noosphere (or sphere of mind) the history of the world being sum-marised under the headings cck>-mogenesis. biogenesis and noo-genesis.

The first phase of cosmogenesis. biogenesis and even noogenesis. involves divergence with the development of an almost infinite diversity of living things and the separation of primitive man into numerous races dispersed through-out the earth. But today, far from resulting in the fragmentation of the human species the process of planetisation, or extension of the noosphere, is leading to growing reunification of mankind.

In the context of Teilhard's thought the view of the human race held by the Powells, the Smiths, the Paisleys and tjv*. Vorsters like that of Hitler is a philosophy of decadence and despair. At this phase of human history socialisation becomes pro-gressively d o m i n a n t "whereas Nietzsche predicted the arrival-of the superman, Tielhard looked for-ward more to a super-mankind: and whereas Nietzsche extolled stubborn pride and egoism -as supreme values, Teilhard's was a message of universal solidarity and love."

It is not possible here to do justice to Teilhard's thought >«r indeed to Wildiers' book which seeks to expound it. This being said a word of criticism is not remiss in both cases. Although Teilhand discovered, .with deep and profound insight, the laws of bio-social development a weakness of bis work is that he did not attempt rigorously enough to apply them to the present phase of human development which marks for him the beginning of the process of convergence, of socialisation and of Christogenesis.

In this way he might have dis-covered Marx and Engels rather than allowing his preconceptions on these philosophers to inhibit him from studying them in depth. The Marxian-Teilhardian dialogue now progressing both east and west of Churchill's "Iron Curtain" will it is hoped serve to bring about some unification in the two philosophies and it is to Teilhard's credit that he foresaw the tasks of humanity1" being tackled in unity by both Christians and non-believers or as Connolly put it:—

"The day has passed for patch-ing up the capitalist system; it must go. And in the work of abolishing it the Catholic and the Protestant, the Catholic and the Jew, the Catholic and the. Free Thinker, .the Catholic and the Buddhist, -the Catholic and the Mahometan will co-operate together, knowing n» rivalry but the rivalry of en-deavour towards an end beneficial to all. For, as we have said else-where, Socialism is neither Protest-ant nor Catholic, Christian nor Wee Thinker, Buddhist, Mahometan nor Jew, it is only HUMAN."

A bewildering bnfficvnt era !ftarilanwm and Revolution,"l>y

Christopher Hill (Panther History, 10/6).

•rIMKING basically the same view of historical change as Karl

Marx or James Gonnolly, Mr. Hill ma tes ideological movements to the economic motives in which they originated. I t was to finance the war against Hugh O'Neill that Queen Elizabeth sold the church estates appropriated by her father, thus conferring power on a new class of capitalists who would de-throne and execute her success of 50 years later.

The now magnates developed a new religion, puriianism, which was in essence a bulwark against in-trusion by a monarch, on grounds of divine right. Into the preroga-tives of land ownership. The moral and theological content of puritan-Ism soon disappeared—not without trace, of course—but the social and economic changes remained.

This book consists of 14 essays on

the mast significant men and <ideas of a.bewildering, brilliant era. The age of Milton, Hobbes and Crom-well heralded the modern world, of banks, cheque-books, the Stock Exchange, the periodical Press, clubs, coffins, microscopes, short-hand, actraraes and umbrella*. More portentously, the notion of. human rights emerges in the policies of Levellers, Diggers and Ranters, to be forcibly suppressed. It is true, by their former partners in revolu-tion, the Presbyterian capttaltets. but to act as a leavening in;the'fol-lowing century, preparing men's minds for the American and French Resolutions.

When the term "Socialism" be-came current in the 1820's it harked back to an Ideal that had inspired Walwyn to say In i(H9. "The eaw>e of the Irish natives in seekta* their Just freedoms, immunities and liber-ties Is the very same with our entree here in endeavouring our own res-cue and freedom from the power of oppressors." James Harrington

stated in his "Oceana" (1666* -that religious toleration was essential 4* civil lfterty—a lesson that the gov-ernment of Northern Ireland may be tardily learning.

When the same writer advooated free education to the age of 15, family allowances against taxation and the- payment of 1LP.S, it i&Jtot surprising that landed capitalism turned violently on its radical coun-sellor.

In tracing the struggle of the common people for emancipation, first from ^ o d a l vassalage and later from the encroachments of enclosing landlords and speculators, Mr. Hill exhibits a rare iaalgbt into the literature of the period, not only in his analysis of political warts like Hobbes' "Leviathan," but aiso in discerning the social slgnfflirwe of the poetry of Andrew MarKMl, the tension underlying the "Meta-physical" conceits, and the chang-ing outlook which Is reflected in the earliest English novels.

s rdmros 'TRPwcY.

8 THE IRISH DEMOCRAT January 1969

London poster

parades irilHERE are usually hundreds of

people on the streets of Lon-don, but in the weeks before Christ-mas this is especially so. The Con-nolly Association decided therefore to make use of this fact to publicise the struggle for democratic rights In the six counties of Northern Ire-land.

On Saturday, December 7th, members of the Association held a poster parade along Oxford Street at noon, when thousands were going about their Christmas shopping. A leaflet was also distributed. The parade was reported in some papers and was shown on T.V. that eve-ning.

The following Saturday a poster parade was held in Camden Town and Kentish Town. This time some of the posters had to be changed. Those calling for the sacking of Craig required alteration This parade concluded with a meeting in Kentish Town. Members of the Campaign for Democracy in Ulster took part in both parades.

Thus 1968 ended with the Asso-ciation fulfilling the task it has set itself, namely bringing the facts about the abuses in the six counties to the British people.

fiutseow IRISH TEU. WILSON &

O' |N Sunday, December 1st, Home Secretary Jim Callaghan was

: with a picket of Irish Civil HjfM'* demonstrators when he ar-rival St Batherrten (Gbufww) for a Labour Party rally. *

Moat of those pickettinf were mem-of the Glasgow Branch of the

the meeting Mr. Donald Mc-Lean asked the Home Secretary:

"Why when his Government had cat so many social services, school n u l l , milk, prescription charges, etc. they went on spending £170 railWon a year on the Fascist Gov-ernment of Northern Ireland." Mr. Callaghan replied:

"The people of Northern Ireland want to belong to the British Isles. Thoy mnst, however, aeeept the re-sponsibilities which go with that membership, and one of the most important of these is the principle

' of 'One man. one vote.'" i Secretary explained that

tho Prime Minister had told Captain 0>Nal& that the honsing system must

aoeoMame with the i cssnpany vote most

lia rtiHihil, and last week Captain some change*,

i agreed to meet Mr. Mc-afterwards to discuss the toes*

•" .• k. • .-t-xt". ' ' t, •

number of and and

. Mr. fs meeting in Glasgow

^ attention to the Inade-Captain O'NeUl's projected

itment that by a specially

itrattan of who held a

down and shonted

letter prepared by the Civil BMsmittce was handed in and on page three.

WANTED by Connolly Association. Joan of film of October 6th Civil Rigbhs demonstration in Derry Olty, fWill be returned with postage tntacM also good strong inside door, «ft. Win. by 3ft. lOin.

Printed by Ripley Printers Ltd. (T.XJ.), Nottingham Rd.. Ripley. Derby*-. and published by Con-MHy Publications Ltd., at 383 Orays Inn Road. London. W.ai.

BIG IRISH DEMONSTRATION IN BIRMINGHAM NO HALF LOAF!' - Austin Currie Sa tu rday , December 7ih,

900 m e n a n d w o m e n marched t h rough the s t ree ts of B i rmingham in support of t h e civil r ights s t ruggle in the six counties.

The march and the meeting in the Irish Development Centre were organised by the Birmingham branch of the Campaign for Social Justice in Northern Ireland. Pre-sent were members of the cam-paign, Clann na hEireann, Con-nolly Association, County Associa-tions and various organisations of the British labour movement.

The meeting was notable for the enthusiasm of the audience, which was demonstrated in an extremely fine collection. I t was chaired by Mr. Brian Mathers, a Belfast man and an official of the Transport and General Workers' Union.

irpHE first speaker was Rev. J - Howell, Vicar of Sparkbrook,

who said that as a Christian he was concerned with human rights. He was f o l l o w e d by Father Maguire, parish priest of St. Catherine's, who said that he was glad to see so much enthusiasm for the struggle for civil rights. Mr. John Ryan, Labour M.P. for Ux-bridge, and one of the British M.Ps present at the first Derry march in October, spoke of the concern felt by Labour M.Ps. He said that the

Irish do not stand alone. The M.Ps will continue to support them.

Mr. Bob Cooney representing the Communist Party said that it was appropriate that solidarity for the civil rights struggle in the six counties should be expressed in Birmingham. The Birmingham rail-waymen had supported the Irish workers in their heroic struggles in Dublin in 1913. The campaign was having an effect and should be kept up.

Mr. Wallace Law, a member of the Liberal Party said that he had first spoken on this issue ten years ago, but there had been no improvements since then.

MR. SEAN REDMOND, General Secretary of the Connolly

Association spoke of the role of the Irish in Britain. While not wishing to detract from the work of those in the six counties, including the opposition M.Ps in Stormont, the Irish in Britain were in a key position because of Britain's over-all responsibility for the six coun-ties. We had the task of putting pressure on the British Govern-ment so tha t they in turn could exert pressure on Stormont. He gave a report of the campaign that was growing in Britain. There was a new spirit among the Irish and

Prime Minister has replied personally to Liverpool C.A.

m H E Prime Minister, Mr. Harold -*- Wilson, replied personally to

to Mr. John McClelland, Secretary of the Liverpool Branch of the Connolly Association, when he re-ceived a letter signed by a number of local Members of Parliament, councillors and trade union leaders.

The reply ran as follows:

Dear Mr. McClelland, — Many thanks for your reoent letter in-forming me of the views of the Liverpool Branch of th« Connolly Association about reoont events in Northern Ireland.

I am, of course, welt aware of tha widespread concern and anxiety about tha situation in Northern Ireland.

As you know, tha Home Secre-tary and myself mot Captain Tsrenoo O'Natti on November 4th. Our discussions oovarad all tha many factors underlying tha raoant disturbances In London-derry as well as other relevant

even to make sure of the reforms so far promised.

Liverpool Connolly Association is now organising a petition in Mr. Wilson's own constituency of Huy-ton. This will press the point that citizens of the six counties should have civil rights parity with Bri-tain.

The branch organised a meeting for the reception of the General Secretary, Mr. Sean Redmond, on December 16th- Mr. McClelland recently addressed the Merseyside branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. They passed a resolution condemning police brutality in Derry and the failure of the authorities to control the Paisleyite mobs in Armagh.

The C.N.D. promised future sup-port.

I am sure you will agree that my replies to reoant questions in the House of Commons on this issue olaarly show the Govern-ment's concern.

Yours sincerely,

(signed) HAROLD WILSON. v.

i t o h e Liverpool branch is, of J - course, highly gratified by Mr.

Wilson's personal reply, and with the clear evidence of concern tha t it shows.

At the same time it is felt tha t the pressure must be kept up not only to secure the full application of the Civil Rights programme, but

Old I.R.A. in Liverpool

inr»HE Liverpool Old I.R.A. organ-' ised a Manchester Martyrs

Commemoration on November 24th, 1968, when Mrs. Tom Clarke, now resident at Huyton, placed a wreath on the 1867 memorial.

After the ceremony which took place In Ford Cemetery, Mass was celebrated in the Convent Church of the Holy Family by Rev. Pr. Coffey.

The evening event was a highly successful dance held in the Irish Centre, Mount Pleasant.

TELEGRAPH WORKERS'

RESOLUTION Q N Thursday, November 28th

the 2,000 strong Overseas' Telegraphs B r a n c h of the Union of Post Office Workers passed a resolution condemning police brutality and discrimina-tion in Northern Ireland.

The resolution has been sent to the uniori's head office for transmisson to the British and Northern Ireland govern-ments.

N.U.R. Executive resolution

m H E N.U.R. Executive Council yesterday passed a resolution

unanimously instructing the Gen-eral Secretary, Mr. Sid Greene, to make known to the Prime Minister, the Union's concern over events in Northern Ireland, and supporting the demand for a full and exhaus-tive enquiry into the reasons for the discontent.

r. Resolution* (had been sent to the

E.C. from West Ealing No. 2, Earls Court, Finsbyry Park, Covent Gar-den and Holborn branches of the union.

£t new sense of unity and this must be maintained.

The final speaker was Mr. Austin Currie, the Nationalist M.P. at Stormont, who said that the people of the six counties would not be stopped. This time we will over-come. The Northern Ireland Civil Rights movement was modelled on the negro civil rights struggle in the United States. He said that some people had suggested that the civil rights leaders might be pre-pared to accept some measures of reform, but half-a-loaf would not satisfy a hungry m a n and the people of the six counties were ravenous. They would not call off the cam-paign, until they had complete victory. They were seeking one man one vote, and each vote of equal value, the abolition of gerry-mandering, the allocation of jobs and houses fairly, the abolition of the Special Powers Acts and employment for all.

T T E spoke of the pious appeals *-*-of the Stormont Government

for law and order, but what they did not say was tha t four of the five men arrested in Armagh for carrying firearms were members of the B. Specials. The man who let off a gun in Dungannon the previous week was also a B. Special.

The Civil Rights struggle was not sectarian. If ever it became Protes-tant versus Catholic it would be the end of it. A non-sectarian cam-paign is what the Unionists fear. He finished by expressing his delight at the growth of the solid-arity movement in Britain.

At the conclusion of the meetirfj a resolution was passed which was sent in the rorm of a tele-gram to Mr. Wilson. I t read:

"This meeting condemns recant polloe brutality In Northern Ireland and calls on tha British Govern-ment to hold an enquiry, and also that the 1920 Government of Ire-land Act should be amended to guarantee equal rights to all the people of Northern Ireland."

REGENT STREET STUDENTS WANT

REAL REFORM , r THE Socialist Society of Regent

Street Polytechnical School (London), recently organised a meeting on the question of civil rights in the six counties. The meeting was addressed by Sean Redmond, General Secretary of the Connolly Association, and Desmond Logan, one "of the Students, took the chair.

Two resolutions were passed. The first expressed the support of the Society for the civil rights struggle in the six counties, and in view of the limited character of the Nor-thern Ireland Government's pro-posed reforms, called on the British Government to ensure that full civil liberties should prevail In Northern Ireland without delay.

The second resolution pledged the society to support the activities of the Connolly Association in its work in Britain.

BRITAIN TO ANSWER

The International Court at The Hague, following complaints that citizens of Northern Ireland are being denied rights guaranteed un-der a convention tha t the British Government tyiis signed, has given Britain two /nonths to answer the allegations. /

The fact / that Britain has been challenged.'blows sky-high the old absurd pretence that Britain la not responsible for the misgovernment of the six counties.

Manchester Connolly

Association irl^HE Manchester branch of the

Connolly Association is now-holding meetings on the third Wed-nesday of each month at "The Crown & Anchor," Hilton Street, off Newton Street. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, January 15th, at 8 p.m.

The branch, which suffered in re-cent times through the loss of many of its leading members (who are carrying on the good work in other places) is now becoming active again under the direction of a Bel-fast man, Joe McCrudden.

"Irish Democrat" readers are in-vited to attend the branch meet-ings.

PRESTON Y .C . RESOLUTION

A RESOLUTION has been passed by Preston Trades and Labour

Council on the issue of democracy in the six counties.

The resolution was proposed by Mr. Sean Lawless on behalf of Pres-ton Young Socialists. It read: "This Trades and Labour Council is concerned about the undemo-cratic form of Government in Northern Ireland and urges the British Government to intervene and charge the constitution of that area. This Council fully supports the civil rights movement In Nor-thern Ireland."

Not one vote was cast against the resolution^

RAILWAYMEN'S RESOLUTION

A RESOLUTION calling for an investigation into the whole

system of government in Northern Ireland, which was passed by Fins-bury Park (London) branch of the National Union of Railwaymen, has now received the support of the Islington and Edmonton Constitu-ency Labour Parties. The resolu-tion has been sent by the N.U.R. branch to all affiliated organisa-tions.

'Action Ulster" in Manchester

University iri^HE Liberal Society in Manches-

ter University and Colleges has launched a new campaign entitled "Action Ulster."

One of its first activities was to send a resolution to the British Government expressing concern at recent events in the six counties, and calling on the British Govern-ment to exert all possible pressures on the Belfast Government.

The man in cHarge of the cam-paign is Mr. Philip Ashley-Smith He met Sean Redmond of the Con-nolly Association during the latter's recent visit to Manchester, and told him that the "Ulster Action" cam-paign will take up most of the time of the Liberal Society during the coming academic year. A big cam-paign is being planned, including a parade in late February or early March.

THE IRISH DEMOCRAT Monthly 1/- Postal rahMrlptlon 16/- a year

•

Editorial: C. Desmond Greaves, S. Redmond, G. Curran. Administration: A. Curran, P. Mulligan, J. Kelly,

C. Cunningham, P. O'Sullivan, D. Deighan. All correspondence to XSS GRATIS INN KOAD, LONDON, W.C.I.