The vote, against the NEC's recommendation, that the women's ministry should have cabinet status was another victory for women, and for Jo Richardson personally. large proportion of them transfer this decision makas women's conference did judged on the basis of this ward or backwards? The LWAC has been raising for seven years, it is up to demands of L WAS out ot (tight Obviously there are no promises as to what will be sections that began . to be whole, is the first step in a and the weight of the number of women they calls for British withdrawal from tain partition and greater violence.
Degrading outside interference. as an urgent priority. councilor and ex-IRA prisoner of war, rorism failed miserably. attended on the fringe.
AT LABOUR Conference in Blackpool the National Union of Mineworkers became the first British trade union since the '20s to back The Irish composite which received 402,000 votes argued that the Anglo-Irish Accord led to more British troops being sent to mainstrip searching of Irish women prisoners continues, as do no jury Diplock courts, plastic bullets deaths, harassment of Irish people under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and secJarian discrimination — all contrary to Labour Party's declared aims. The resolution argued that Labour's commitment to a united Ireland does not entail disenfranshisement of any section of the Irish people and unlike the Accord, could create the opportunity for all Irish people to participate in determining their country's future, free from "The Accord', said the resolution "is another attempt to impose an internal settlement in the Six Counties... the fundamental problem in Ireland is institutionalised through partition.
called upon the next Labour government to terminate British sovereignty and withdraw militarily Despite the Labour leadership's support for freedom fighters of the ANC fighting the apartheid regime in South Africa and the Sandinista rorists, Neil Kinnock's support for democrac does not extend to Ireland. The leaders' key-note speech did not refer, even in passing, to what Labour intends to do about one of the greatest moral and political issues in British politics Neil Kinnock had already angered Irish campaigners by publicly attacking the Labour Committee on Ireland's decision to invite Sinn Feir Carrol to participate in a debate chaired by Ken Livingstone about the meaning of the Anglo Irish Accord with Labour's junior Northern freland spokesperson, Stuart Bell, Bernadette McAliskey, Short MP and SDLP deputy, Seamus Despite front page articles in the major daily newspapers and editorials urging a ban on the LCI's meeting, it was one of the most succesful of coverage and between 350 and 400 delegates, eager to hear what Sinn Fein had to say. Stuart Bell's attempt to turn the meeting into an attack upon ter.
Since Labour Conference is now clearly a focus for the whole labour movement's discussion on Ireland, it is pleasing to note that despite vigorous organisation by the Workers' Party, and unionists (who want to see the British Labour Party organise in the North), it is the Labour Committee on Ireland who are forcing the issue onto the agenda of the entire left wing of the party. The three events associated with the LCI were easily the best The understanding that Britain must get out of Ireland is slow in coming to the labour movement in this country. The withdrawal movement is still an extremely small minority. Support for Labour complacency, the Accord and 'unity by consent' Which tries to ignore the unionist veto often seems overwhelming with six million trade union votes against. But the withdrawal movement is an impolicies on opposition to the PTA, plastic bullets, strip searches and Diplock courts have been affirmed from the platform as an intention of the next government. It is the first time that a major bipartisan policies and endorsed a call for troops The response to the October Tour of Sinn Fein guests by some of England's largest urban councils and growing interest in Ireland expressed by trade unionists suggest that this organised minority is