Free speech in the workers' movement on the issue of Ireland is under a mounting attack.
In LIVERPOOL, a recent meeting of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was broken up by members of the National Front and the sectarian Ulster Defence Association Liverpool Trades Council made a prompt response, agreeing to support a public meeting on Ireland at which a representative of NICRA will be asked to speak.
In NOTTINGHAM, supporters of the Troops Out Movement have been continually harassed by police. Firstly, a peaceful crowd of 80-90 people meeting in the Old Market Square -a traditional meeting place similar to Speakers Corner - was dispersed by police on the grounds that it was likely to provoke violence. In another incident, members of the Provisional Sinn Fein handing out leaflets publicising a meeting at which Seamus McCluskey, organiser of an incident centre in Belfast, and Pat Hickey of Birmingham Trades Council were speaking, had their leaflets confiscated.
The Nottingham Troops Out Movement promptly launched a campaign to protest against police action. local Labour Councillor, wrote to the Council demanding that TOM be given permission to use the Old Market Square. After a campaign which got extensive coverage in the local media, the application for use of the square on 20 August was granted.
In YORKSHIRE, there were even stranger goings-on on 19 a TOM-British Withdrawal from the gates.
ved with York Trades Council. support the TOM Steve Evans, a speech.
Hern Ireland. Annex 75' show at Harrogate which attracted 120,000 people from all over West Yorkshire. As soon as the TOM- BWNIC supporters turned up they were immediately "detained" - not arrested - by police who were waiting with a van just inside The troops out campaigners are now raising the issues involHowever, the worst denial of the right to free speech on Ireland has come from within the labour movement. Brent Trades Council in London has banned a TOM meeting. In a letter to TOM, the letting secretary Ken Spence states that the TOM cannot use the Brent Trades and Labour Hall because *the policy of the Trades Council has been in the past not to In reply North West London TOM has pointed out: It is surely an established practice in the labour movement that letting rooms does not imply political agreement, but only the democratic right to put a particular point of view.....As it stands your refusal represents a denial of our right to free Informed sources tell us that such a ban would have had to have the prior approval of Jack Dromey - the architect of the expulsion of three delegates from the recent Greater London Association of Trades Councils' fact-finding tour to NorthThe North West London TOM is starting a vigornean in the local labour movement to gain widespread should finance a whole variety of desirable social reforms - though quite how these are to be imposed, let alone implemented, is left unexplained.
- red weekly 28 august 1975 Colin Spencer reviews There's Gold in Them Thar Pills by Alan Klass, a study of the drugs industry in Britain (Penguin Books, 75p) _ drugs/spain 3