THE Stalker affair made it clear that the British government cannot tolerate even a tiny part of the truth about its actions in Ireland. That's why Stalker was framed, why the Birmingham Six remain in prison, why RUC murderers and their protectors are immune from prosecution and so on. The government is trying to keep the lid on a veritable panAIDEN McAnespie WAS murdered by British soldier as he walked to a game of gaelic football on Sunday 21 February. The army said it was an accident. But McAnespie's family the local priest reported that Aiden had specifically been threatened with death by the army and had been regularly insulted harassed over a period of five years.
McAnespie's family can be sure that the support they have been pro. mised Charles tive as that government's support for other Irish victims of British injustice.
The British government has heaped more injustice was announced that RUC officers whe had taken part cover up of the murder of six victims of the RUC's shoot-to-kill policy in 1982 would not be prosecuted the Sampson/Stalker report would not even be published. Dublin was given no warning of this announcement even though it in yolved KUC incursions into the 26 counties.
Three days later, on 26 January, the appeal court in London rejected the overwhelming evidence of police frame-up of the Birmingham Six and sent them back to the prisons where they have spent the last 14 years.
15 February, the government announced that the Prevention of ter made dreds of thousands of Irish people have been harassed wader tuts taw.
On 17 February, the the Dublin dications that extradition and cross border security co-operation might be jeopardised withdrawn by Haughey In case the rhetoric went anyone's head, Tomas MacGiolla: the leader of the Workers' spelt out the basic line, warning:
temptation of a ritual knee terk anti-British reaction... We should also remember that those wao nave beer responsible for the overwhelming majority of Northern Ireland has been the Provisional IRA!
Unfortunately the only kriee jerk reaction in Dublin was prostration beforé the British government Even Seamus Mallon, deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDLP), had to differ.
explained Tribune that the killings investigated bv Stalker were bu no means exceptional dora's box of murders, frame-ups and lies reaching to the highest levels of government.
But what is even more remarkable is how, faced with each fresh insult and humiliation, government has meekly capitulated. REDMOND O'NEILL looks at Irish Agreement, the PTA and to extradition. Yet his government has accepted all of them The humiliation of the past four is just the logical esult of this cours laving treated Dubli with the utmost contempt Thatcher will just coming back for more. And if Haughey's party reaches a point where it can go no lurther, then Thatcher will quite happy SCI Haughey replaced by the other major parties in the south all of whom regard even 'Haughey's Irish capitalist class has never been economically indepen dent of Britain which still today, takes nearly half of southern Ireland's and has a major stake in the Irish domestic economy The horrible 800 history of Britain's role in means, however, that simple support British repression and never has been, a polic capable of maintaining popular support in Ireland of nationalism. It would be quite irresponsible of us to abandon the cause of Irish nationalism, the ideal of a united Ireland and to hand it over as the exclusive property of those prepared t ursue it by violent mean Thus the 'nationalism' of Fianna Fail, and of every Dublin has had the function simply of preventing the emergence of any force genuinely com mitted to carrying the strug Through to the very eod. freedom Such a force has arisen in the current struggle in the Instead they have helped ex pose the anti-national character of the Haughes government.
This is further shown by its economic policy. This involves a programme of the most drastic cuts in social stadius for so liairs, years whilst cent of export earnings leave the country each year s, dividends and royalt royalties Finally, and in some respects, most repugnantly