But this does not just mean that yet more working class kids from Britain will learn how to hate the Irish and be a thug. There is also the danger that the deaths of sons and brothers will become another big weapon in persuading English workers to blame the Irish for the crimes of British imperialism.
Red Weekly recently talked to a woman from an Irish family in Winsford in Cheshire. Winsford is an overspill town for both Manchester and Liverpool. Unemployment is high. Army recruitment is energetic:
"They're on the main street just as you get to the pedestrian precinct, the main shopping centre....... they even have a tank with them ....... were are young kids of six or seven or eight playing with the guns...... why come nere wen there s so many trisn immigrants? And why hasn't someone retanarcar. And why doesn't someone more than 1.2 million unemployed in Britain. Significantly one of the biggest increases has been amongst school leavers. Some of these youngsters will undoubtedly be enticed into the army. As things stand, that means they will go to Northern Ireland at some point in their military career.
Red Weekly was told that the army is not very successful in Winsford. And it's true that there are still comparatively few people keen to get mixed up in a shooting match. Over the last few years army recruitment has declined. But not for lack of trying.
The TV adverts and street displays still do a good job in putting over that soldiers are OK people doing an OK job.
Army recruiting drives still help to divide Irish from English in British towns.
Mistaken The labour movement in Britain has traditionally separated off 'trade union' questions from "political' questions.
Unemployment is a trade union question, but Ireland is politics. In reality that port or view is badly mistaken Ine brusn capitalist class will use against the Irish people. Even more ment we must be alert to all the dangers that layofts present. Not least is the polfurther splits in the working class over Ireland, and the whipping up of antiLetter:
cial support for IRS prisoners from the Derry area, which was published in your issue of 18 December.
a former member of the IRSP, and it gave the false impression that the IRSP have left the families of these prisoners without financial support. This is untrue, as we have spent in the region of E100 per week financing a prisoners fund and also to pay travelling expenses tor the rammies weekly visits to Long Kesh.
IRSP members are taking personal respon democratic rights important, in the fight against unemployitical danger that in their wake will come The IRSP and Political Prisoners I wish to refer to an appeal for finanThis appeal was from B. McAliskey, Oners Tuna. reside in Derry.
As regaras the report that the resignec onsibility for the financial situation of the Irish hysteria to justify yet more attacks Why doesn't someone put our point of view? we were asked. And it is clea not only that the oppressed people of Ireland need the support of the British labour movement, but that the British workers will themselves suffer if they representatives of these former members failed to attend a meeting of the parents of the prisoners and the remaining IRSP members, which was called by these people to resolve the question of a prisThis fund is being organised from our head office (1a Essex Gate, Parliament Street, Dublin 8), and also from 20 Lislane Drive, Creggan, Derry City. To date we have not received any financial conInputions trom the tormer members who For confirmation of the above points you may if you wish write to the IRSP prisoners, c/o Cage 6, Maze Prison, do not respond to this need.
Above all, the dole must cease to be a recruiting sergeant. This means that in simple self interest the British labour movement must start demanding: Troops Out of Ireland - Now!
MARTIN O'LEARY ernatively we can supply you with the addresses of the families concerned in This case In conclusion we wish to state that we recognise that you printed the appea with the well-being of the prisoners in by B. McAliskey we request that you print this letter.
MICK PLUNKETT (General Secretary, IRSP).
We publish the above letter in the same spirit as we published the appeal by Bernadette McAliskey in our last issue; clearly we have insufficient information to take a position on these apparently conflicting statements. Naturally we support all efforts to aid the Irish
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mind, and to ensure that the wrong con- clusions are not drawn from the appeal