THE COALITION government led by Garret FitzGerald broke up this week after the minority Labour Party refused to support the budget proposals of the chief government party, Fine Gael. An election is most likely for 19 February. The election will solve nothing of the country's deep-seated problems which are the product of its domination by British and US imperialism.
More than 30 per cent of the 3.54 million who live in the 26 Counties are under 25 and schoolleavers job prospects are bleak. The unemployment rate stands at nearly a quarter of a million or about 18 per cent.
Such statistics explain why emigration is so high. According to official figures, 31,000 people emigrated in the year up to April 1986 — though as economy which suffers the same problems as other semi-colonial countries dominated by imperialism In absolute terms, the 26 Counties numbers 27 in the league table of debtor countries, countries have a higher per capita debt.
The cost of servicing the debt is enormous. In 1985, £1.7 billion was charged to taxation for the purposes of debt servicing, amounting to over 30 per cent of total tax and to 12.8 per cent of gross deficit is huge and getting worse every year - £l.5 The FitzGerald government had promised to solve the deficit but has presided over a continued Haughey of Fianna Fail is entirely opportunist. In percentage terms, the crisis is equivalent to when he was last prime minister in 1982, Two conditions are indispensable for tackling the economic crisis. First, other debtor countries to abrogate their debts — a policy advocated for all semi-colonial countries by the ending of partition and the Without real national independence the conquest of Ireland's resources and economy by the Irish people is impossible. And the establishment of a genuinely independent Irish republic means the complete withdrawal of Britain from the north Neither of the two major parties in Dublin's parliament, Leinster House, favour such a policy. It was the FitzGerald government that signed the so-called Anglo-Irish Fianna Fail has announced in advance that it does not intend to make Hillsborough an election issue. neutrality during the Leinster House debate last month on the European Single Act. The passing of this act removes the right of veto from member countries of the EEC, ment even closer to the imperialist powers and to described the Act as the 'final death blow to the limited political and economic sovereignty of the Indeed the only party which defends a genuinely anti-imperialist policy is Sinn Fein. This will be the first election in which Sinn Fein will be con testing Leinster House seats after having ended their abstentionist policy as regards taking seats in When Sinn Fein adopted the new policy at their conference, their Adams said that it would be the election after next that the new policy would be really put to the test, and that electoral gains were unlikely this time But major parties in Leinster House are taking no chances. Haughey called for unity against Sinn Fein. He tried in vain to stop Sinn Fein registering as a political party in time for the election Despite this the government intends to prevent Sinn Fein access to radio and TV under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act. But the pressure to grant Sinn Fein this elementary democratic right is mounting and Fianna Fail has been forced to agree to Sinn Fein having broadcasting access.
Socialist Action 23 Jan 1987 labour movement is at the centre of socialist debate in Britain today. Most