thern Ireland' in the lifetime of one parliament.
Both resolutions were defeated. Nonetheless this year's party conference did 'mark something breakthrough on the Irish question.
The week started with the new shadow secretary oi state for Northern Ireland, Kevin McNamara, claiming that 'bi-partisanship' with the Tories had ended with the vote of the 1981 party for a policy of Irish unity 'by consent'. He said: "The logic of our commitment to irish reunitica. tion and our recognition that the people of the north of Ireland, whatever their traditions, are Irish first and foremost, that they should run their lives not us.' He attacked the Tory suvallell obbying in the US against TO T fruitless wate bracines Por it to only way it to defeat them would be to make them irrelevant by introduc ing strong effective policies with teeth to eliminate job discrimination?
McNamara went out of his way to contrast Labour's commitments on specitic civil liberties such as opposing renewal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act to the increasing rellance or suc cessive government: LABOUR PARTY conference debated two composifes on Northern Ireland. The first asked the NEC to prepare a report on employment discrimination in Northern Ireland. The second proposed a policy to achieve Irish self-determination by negotiation with all interested parties and British withdrawal from Nortion on employment the NEC was duly defeated. what was remarkable was that were cas against steam loI • to enc built up resolution major unions, the TGWU, their British movement.
This has been brought into the light c: should be Dada = Jae ASIC C ferences with BITI winning the year's Late withdrawal was zsed I a higher level than bejose I the party, bý the Tottenhamm delegate's explanation of a practical plan IC carry through British withdrawal in the lifetime of one parliament.
Finally, the spectacular success the Irish socia and rally organised by the Committee on Ireland and the Labour Par ty Irish Sections, with 1800 people attending, Wak landmark showing that al long last the fight for self determination for Ireland is , being recognised as an in: dispensable part of the agenda of the Labour lett.
In the coming year the aim will be to win a clear majority for action against such consequences of partition employment discrimination and at the sam . to bulld up and con solidate a clear minority committed to the longe term fight to commit 'British withdrawal in the lifetime of one parliament'.