So you were faced with this errorist lying there threatening!
- naked, bound hand as you feared he might oper You did the right thing!
FOR THE FIRST time Labour conference defied an NEC recommendation and adopted its own Irish policy. Strengthening opposition to plastic bullets and the PTA, the party is now committed to campaigning against non-jury Diplock courts.
Progressively, the wielders of the block votes are coming to see that whatever the problem is in Northern Ireland, it is not one of law and order.
Plastic bullets, needed to contain riots. The truth is they create riots; they lethal the nationalist population off the streets.
The PTA, they say is to prevent bombings in Britain. It has not prevented bombings. It has been used to maintain surveillance of Irish people and prevented their participation in legitmate political activity.
Strip searching is supposedly needed to prevent arms being smuggled to prisoners. The facts are different. Remand prisoners who are strip searched each week as they enter and leave prison for court appearances have no contact with outsiders. Those receiving visitors are supervised the whole time.
Strip searching is more important as routine sexual harassment. It is used to try to break morale and lower resistance.
Diplock courts, the RUC and the NEC say, are necessary because of the threat of jury intimidation. But jury intimidation was never widespread.
The problem for the authorities is what they call 'that of securing a conviction. convict on the uncorroborated evidence of a paid perjurer. A just legal system 'internment on remand' periods of up to 18 months before trial.
The party is building up a policy in bits and pieces. At a snail's pace, it is progressively opposing more aspects of the unreformable Northern stale.
The trade unions have still to be convinced of the fundamental solution withdrawal. But here too, progress is being made.
From a time when Ireland was undiscussable, this year's conference saw eight fringe meetings on Ireland — from the Fabians, leftward. It is from le 'fringe' that the impetus for change is comin Note the contrast reply this year, policy was posed as a means to defeat the 'men of violence'.
ly broke the bi-partisan mould.
This year, from the platform, he was promising a new NEC report which would 'take us further', rights, and saying not whether we should reunify, but how to do it.
Amusingly, invoke the thority of the Adams MP for his 'You can't have troops out now, we have to disarm the RUC and UDR first.' Slowly shifting.
One thing is certain, if we who have worked to advance discussion in the party now stand aside, it will be useless. Only around existing policy will it be maintained Only. by pushing republican, feminist and labou taking this campaigning appro dialogue into the unions, we can help shape this NEC report. The withdrawal position can be won.
since the 1920s, against strip searching the security forces say, are weapons to intimidate No jury would • detaining prisoners for that of British Between Alex Kitson's NE to that of two years ago. Then, Tainted with anti-Irish racism, it scarcethe leadership's stand on democratic basically that the problem was Martin Flannery MP was forced to 'legal expert' Gerry endorsement of the NEC line. ' he said, 'because but surely the terrain of the debate is What will be in this new NEC report?
openly campaigning dialogue with the movements in