situation in that country.
the labour movement.
5355, London WC1N 3XX.
THE 1981 NEC statement to party conference showed many advances from previous policy. It indicated Ireland was to be a signifisubmission, on why Britain must withdraw from couraging the success ve governments the discrimination tion of the British Isles'.
Diplock no jury strongest isurgence prison reform throughout the criminal activity.
five diwol. ycals prisoners' 'special is now more supported.
ed Its commitment to ed its committment storage of rubber courts.
since its pressure. tion cant part of Labour's programme and recognised Labour's goal as enreunification of It documented the systematic use of emergency legislation as an abuse of civil liberties and implied a criticism of which had out, renewed such legislation: in that sense it threetold: broke with bi-partisanship. It described sectarianism direct rule. which is inherent in the Six County state created through partition and ruled out various unviable options such as an 'Independent Ulster' or 'Confederathe The prominence of the issue of H-block prisoners, political status and the ual harassment of women prisoners by means of strip searching, and for the abolition of the 'Diplock' The Labour Committee on Ireland foundation campaigned defence of civil liberties and welcomes these positive gains. We hope the Working Party will make detailed proposals on how the whole Party might explain the issues to a wider audience and step up campaigns against the government retuses to concede to public Weakness The essential weakness of the 1981 •lament wace needs to be resoived 1986 is in its presentation of the central theme of Labour's policy which has become known as 'unitv bv consent The statement argues for the reunificaLa democratic political settlement. It recognises that Unionists cannot be allowed to stand in the way of political progress. But it also endorses the 1973 Northern Ireland Constitution Act, which gives those same parties the absolute right of veto over changes in Constitutional proviThis Unionist Incol patable with a policy for reunification.
Once the more fanciful options like an independent Ulster have been ruled policy options • to maintain partition and direct rule. • to attempt to modify partition and • to adopt a withdrawal policy.
Labour's policy up to 1981 plumped for the first option. We will show the disastrous consequences of this policy for people OI both the North South of Ireland and Britain. the social, economic and political life of Ireland have been well documented We should record at this point that these disadvantages have not diminished with the imposition of direct rule -to the contrary, they have become more profound.
Since 1969, policy in the Six Counties of Northern Ireland has cost more than 2,300 lives serious injuries. must be added the misery and grief of friends and relatives, the deterioration of the quality of life of all citizens and the special distress of the nationalist communities living military occupation. in the Six Counties has spilt over into the 26 Counties and Britain.
Attempting to solve the problems in Northern policing has led to the growth of a massive military apparatus. In addition to the units of the British army and the Ulster Defence Regiment; nore consists of one officer per 204 now consists of one officer per population, compared to one per 450 in England and Wales or one the east coast of the United States.
Secret service agencies operate in the failure of British To this under foreign Political violence through increased the police per 510 on capita prison Council for Civil has no-jury Diplock fields ot routines employment. tent of discrimination against irish people resident in Britain. Aside from the discrimanatory application of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, reports indicate significant discrimination in the nousing cuucatiol censorship subsequent doctoring of the 1985 BBC 'Real Lives documentary also highlighed political control of media coverage of Northern Ireland. The political protest strike of NUJ members recalls similar industrial action taken fifteen years ago by ACTT members when political pressure from the Independent Broadcasting Authority was used to censor • television comment on allegations of British torture.
Liz Curtis in her book Ireland, the War explains documents how political pressure is brought to bear at all levels of the media to reinforce the government's interpretation of events.
'In the 26 Counties, similar censorship has been institutionalised through of the Broadcasting Act which prohibits members of a legal political party (Sinn Fein) from making For appearing on the RTE radio and television network.
Slanted or biased news coverage; the stereotyped 'Irish character' and anti'humour denigrates the democratic and national aspirations of Irish people and has an adverse effect upon the Irish in Britain. Irish people have expressed insecurity about stating political views, unwilling to become on the one hand an object of on the other a 'terrorist' report of the New Ireland Forum identified 'alienation' as a key North. The reason is half million nationalists in the North find themselves not as part of a majority in the Irish nation, but as the minority in a state imposed upon them by force and characterised by the maSince the Six County state was established to frustrate their political
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THE LABOUR Party NEC is taking submissions on Labour's policy on Ireland. The most important of these is by the Labour Committee on Ireland. This argues the case for total British withdrawal from Ireland - and outlines in detail why no other solution will solve the We are printing here the entire first section of that
Ireland. We ask our readers to buy copies of this submission and give it the widest possible circulation in Copies of the Labour Committee on Ireland Submission to Labour Party NEC working Group are available price 40p plus 20p postage from LCI, BM Box Labour's choice