ANY IDEA that the Anglo-Irish Accord was either about steps to a united Ireland, or even 'democratisation' of the six county statelet, should have been firmly crushed by the events since the Accords signing on 15 November.
First came the Tom King, Secretary of State for. Northern Ireland, notorious statement that: in Northern Ireland now we have agreement in which the Ireland has in fact accepted that, for all practical purposes and into perpetuity, there will never be a united Ireland.' Then there was the sending of 550 extra British troops to the North at the end of the year.
Accompanying this was the outcome of the Harry Kirkpatrick supergrass trial - which involved frame-ups SO SDLP's John Hume and Southern Irish Foreign Secretary Peter Barry were led to protest. Those trials led to new hunger prison by those framed-up by Kirkpatrick.
The events of 1985 were then ended on 28 December by a wave of arrests of Sinn Fein election workers and councillors - this being an obvious attempt to disrupt Sinn Fein's campaign for the forthcoming by-elections.
These arrests led to further frame-ups - the most blatant being that against Owen Carron former managh and South Tyrone.
The charge against Carron is possessing a and ammunition. and the police harassment against him, charge is a blatant frame-up.
Martin McGuiness, Sinn Fein's direction of elections, who was police raids, Belfast on 7 January that the police harassment was simply designed to prevent Sinn Fein campaigning for the elections - and therefore to attempt to prevent it showing what support it had among the nationalist population in the North.
Twenty-six County FitzGerald admitted that agreement's purpose is to withdraw from them (Sinn Fein) in Northern Ireland whatever vestige of support there may be for them amongst the minority community.
As the Accord does nt even give any meaningful limited concessions to population the sole means of 'isolation' which is available for attempting to separate Sinn Fein from their supporters is increased repression:
the Accords are going to mean in practice.
• In Strabane, mother of three Margaret Boyle, a Sinn Fein activists, was taken from her house leaving her young children crying and alone there.
• Dungannon Sinn Fein councillor Cassidy was charged with possession of an plosive substance flare which Cassidy had acquired as a souvenir several years previously!
• Hugh Brady, another was arrested November. Brady was detained for two days for * movements during questioning before he when it was discovered that he had been held in detention during the period in question!
The reality of the Anglo-Irish Accord is clear. It is a charter for increased repression in the North and for cementing British rule in the six counties.
Labour MPs who voted against the Accord when it was discussed in parliament did exactly the right thing.
should follow their example.
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signed an prime minister blatant that even the strikes in Long Kesh Sinn Fein candidate in FerGiven his prominence even a also arrested during the was quite right when he said in prime minister Garret the (Anglo-Irish) the nationalist The details of that repression show just what •Seamus This was a harmless UDR Sinn Fein councillor, and ordered to account for his two day period speedily released wau The 13 members of the Campaign group of The rest of the labour movement DO Rox 50. London NI THE PUBLIC roW between Michael Heseltine and Leon Brittan, Secretary for Trade and Industry, is one of the most spectacular inner-cabinet battles of FREEMAN asks what lies behind it.
On 14 January Westland Helicopter's shareholders will declae werner lo sell out to American or European capitalists. The fury of the dispute, lined up around il, clearly show that it involves some of the most decisive issues confronting British capital.
Heseltine has launched total war. The entire staff departement, together with their vassals in the Foreign Office, are lined up for all the world like a mediaeval baron's He has mobilised retinue. some of the most senior industrial figures in Britain including the heads British Aerospace GEC.
His European consorMost significant are the lorensee used and ge! Westland into it.
says il will lake away million worth of defence orders for six King helicopters unless Westland accepts the European Westland has Sulullull.
been told it will be frozen oul of European markets and denied all forms technological cooperation in European projects. The French company Aerospaciale, which threatened withdraw WOlK already contracied to Westland.
Row What lies row? The affair is the product of a great sea-change in world politics — Ine reemergence of open inter-imperialist competition. Il highlights the choice confronting British capital WaCH unactics the 'realignment? now going on in British politics: the Defence Secretary postwar years. ALAN choice between European and US imperialism.
Heselline has grasped three things. Fire USA with the which has kept Britain in its place as a world power by itself for British capital Second. there Is now a price to be paid by British capital for staying outside the unification capitalist rusts lynchpin is the EEC.
USA Third, in cerlain fields this process of unification now has sufficient political weight, and sufficien! objeclive basis behind il, 1o offer a genuine alternative for British capital.
Of aciors, are the (now officially • a dead religion) ran up a govern. mell deficit of around $150 billion - bigger than Spain's annual product — and financed it by borrowfrom the rest of the 1ng This policy was not a foible of Reagan's. Slowly but inexorably, the US has OS weight within the world imperialist system The US began the fifties with huge technological could produce everything from corn to cars cheaper than anyone else in 1 Cos squen e, ee true. In Consoucile. US is being flooded with imports which it pays by borrowing. Last year the US imported nearly $180 billion more than it exported. Even its agricultural surplus fell from $1.6 billion 1o $369 million, willie Europe's share of food markets doubled Last year, for the first time since 1914, the USA became a net debior nation.
However the USA. is already bilateralism is king. The A mercans w dovul a. much concern about Gall as aboul their first blue jeans.
secure such bilateral deals, and lo entrading partners SuIC cannot secure COllI petitive advantage of muscle it can muster.
last ycal designated $2 billion dollars to subsidise US Liall exports alone, which the Herald Tribun described as weapon against European exporlers. rather than maleconomy in USA.
No less : than 300 protectionist bills have now been introduced into the Con and a phenomena anti-Japanese campaign Is under way to force volunlary restraint on Japanese capital. selling Star Wars specified it should mean 'a great number of very small very specific CUlE tracts': that IS, the USA with EuroWants cal pean capitalists • not all al once. The European states want 1o unified, protec tionist DIOC CLO their US 'allies' trampling them by such divide and rule tactics Equally, they want. 1o begin up the clout which wil millary allow them to challenge the USA seriously for th allegiance. of third-world neo-colonial regimes.
This is why ine most central projects for Eurounification Dcall military. member states have reviv. ed a moribund body called the 'Western Union' which exists 10 coordinate heir military up.
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