democratically determine their own government as they see fit. Militarily, this means a withdrawal of British armed forces; politically, it means a termination of sovereignty.
In supporting the principle of the reunification of Ireland, we are agreed that British withdrawal fulus Cullic The argument which revolves around the timescale for such a withdrawal essentially involves an implicit set of preconditions that must be met orden or us to orucccu The consequences of maintaining partition, an phenomenon. Partition maintained by anything other than undemocratic, methods. Such methods themselyes exacerbate the situation polarisation and requiring even more severe measures of repression to maintain what a Conservative spokesperson once referred to as an 'acceptable level of violence.
The longer the present situation continues, the greater the obstacles to a peaceful transition become. policy for peace must mark a radical break with the LALUS establishment concerns on the need to nallal Dartilivl.
in IO [EDI acidental be calliul authoritarian incitasle quo alu prolonged civil war.
expressed Sharing Executive) in ovalist expressed Conservative This accepHome Kule Btec une. The historian asmen as Dublin would TUNC cedes the arming of the Protestants.
government view that border Loyalist reaction -withdrawal. mismanaged Ireland for hundreds of years and created the problems faced today. It is Irland's sovereign right to determine government and through its democratic institutions to decide all questions of national and international policy, free from outside interference. As socialists, we would look upon the possibility of a united sopalaliul Ior an irisn government lo cicaic lational economic planning with opwithdrawal will be an Irish governloyalist politicians will resist a united Ireland. is is bv no means certain they Ine possession of arms by itself is not a suffilor arnea lesislance ol d oyalısı workers rouna an odlamadie demand of bringing down the Power 19/4 ana. Ine (which was unsuccessful in mobilising the same people to impose a return to majority rule). The degree to which perception of the obtainability of the goals of the action and the amount of Michael Harrel (author of Arming the Protestants) has shown that widespread Protestant opposition to Home Rule was determined by three factors; the private assurances given Unionists that Home conceded, equivocation of the government, and The strongest measure which can be taken against future reaction is to remove the argument that resistance by the Loyalists can be successful in eversing onusa poncy. u is perdaps telling to demember that those who live in most danger from the threat of the nationalists of the Six Counties, are those who most persistantly calling for British Whereas the Unionist regime had a material interest in the denial of civil liberties and democratic and religious rights to the minority in the six county state; the reverse is true for the government of a united Irland. The first steps in consolidation of legitimacy of the new regime would automatically be to avert the threat of reaction or civil war. Every party pushing for the reunification of Ireland has been at pains to point out that civil rights and liberties would be guaranteed for all.
The reactionary ideology loyalism has been sustained through the existence of the sectarian state. Whilst that state continues to exist, there is no question of 'consent to a united being forthcoming. That is why Ireland was partitioned as it was in the first place. What the government of a new rapidly have to achieve is the raising of the aspirations of the mass of Northern Protestants beyond that of the British Sovereignty Ireland. We note that termination of British jurisdiction over was achieved with legislation ot a mere one paragrapn It would be necessary to supplement such a measure with a further Rill which would abolsh all emergency Legislation, Plastic Bullets etc. and declare an amnesty for all political prisonels A number of outstanding finanof cial arrangements cleared should look claims for compensation for personal and economic damage made against the government.
Although payments to personnel employed by the state would cease on will Termu auon orursucuon, Dayıicıt should be made propriate agencies in Ireland. Existing social SeCu ILy/ OCusIUs paid for an interim period and appropriate authorities would have to be established on a decentralised basis to adminstrate this.
: hardship.
Government should remain open to negotiation with all political representatives of Ireland and draw up a treaty of friendship with a new government as soon as possible. Currents It should not be excluded that the immediate aneruau withdrawal would transformation of the political specEBUSU. differentiation in the Unionist camp tion/co-operation/resistance adopted by (although strictly speaking those in elected favour pariticipation operation would, by that point be exUnionists). It is also likely that the exhese isting parties in the 26 Counties whose parameters are defined by reference to the civil war might also undergo a transformation.
Ilave d Sulull political representation All such conjecture is speculation. The important thing for the Labour Party to that a future would not seek to interfere in such a process but would recognise a govern. ment which received legitimacy from a majority of the Irish people.
For such a radical policy to be sucpromote over Northern Hong Kong support The stantly would have to be and the Labour Party sympathetically upon direct to the apshould The aim should be The British and non-interterence British see a very rapid We could expect a very quick parlipa® •iTerenI CurenL.
EcoTONl Trade unions might case lor inelr own , state categorically Government involve promote con sciousness of media workers, journalists and consumers of their responsibility for fair reportage and to fight anti-Irish racism.
should immediately recognise the Irish in Britain as an ethnic minority and seek to oransallul Irish people in their own organisations for political and cultural purposes.
Not only do the Irish in potentially provide the firmest base of for radical policy Ireland, but they will organise a most effective transmission belt to convince the wider public of its attractiveness.
should monitor challenge discrimination against the Irish in all walks of life and encourage through financial support, where appropriate, Discussion ments o lace umou. couraged to promote the widest possible discussion of Labour's Irish policy in the constitutencies and unions. Full opportunities will be given for delega tions wishing to travel to Ireland and find out more and for Irish delegations to tour in Britain. Particularly important will be exchanges of trade disarmament groups and civil liberuse every opportunity to focus public attention on the debates in the House of Commons and impose a three-line Whip against all proposals which even implicitly recognise partition or direct "'The Labour party will campaign throughout the international labour movement to focus attention on the LADOUrS ment to withdrawal makes it obvious that such a policy would form a centrepoint of any manifesto. It is also vitally important that Labour starts with a pledge that all negotiations and threats which we might expect both the Unionists Read and distribute the Irland's submission to Committee on Ireland, BM Box 5355, London WCIN 3XX, 40p + 20p postage.