granted on Thursday 7 February.
On the contrary, there is widespread specula tron that Gairy will use the occasion to declaro estate of emergency and round up all the main opposition leaders. He himself described the opposition's fears on this score as 'not without ence earlier this week, held just after he had rejected any possihility of talks hetween the two sides.
Opposition to Gairy's methods has gradually crystallised over the last nine months, so that the island is now gripped by its third general sEnike in this period. In 1972 he won a clear majority with sas of the votes in an election in which the main issuc was independence, but since then his failure to institute serious social and economic reforms has led to widespread support for the radical New Jewel Movement (NJM). At the same time, Gairy's increasingly arbitrary methods-he rules mainly through The use of a large secret police force made up of ex-criminals and gangsters have turned trade union leaders and wide sections of the business community against him In fact, it was an incident on 18 November -when Gairy's secret police savagely beat up three leaders of the NJM - which spurked off have gradually brought almest all business Life on the island to a standstill, reaching a crescendo on 21 January when members of the secret police opened fire on a protest demonstration, killing the father of one of the NIM lead ers and injuring several others. Since then the decision of Gairy's former supporters ut the Technical and Allied Workers Union to-take an active part in the opposition masement has some measure of justification' at a press confer produced a full-scale general strike.
Small as Grenada is the total popalation is less than 120.000- the iscues which the present situation raises are nevertheless extremely important, Not only do they bighlight the continuing role of imperialism in the area, hut they also illustrate the problems of working out a viable strategy in opposition to it.
Al present there are three camps in the die pute. The first consists of Gairy and his supporters, who have been backed to the hilt by the Tory Government-negotiations are proceeding to speed up more than 12m. worth of British aid to the regime, and there has also been talk of using the naval force now on exercises in the arca to intervene in the event of further serious disturhances, It is obvious that the key spokesmen for British imperialiam still regard Guiry us the most reliable protector of their interests But at the same time widespread suppori has also been given notably hy Lord Brockway and other prominent figures in the Labour boats which regularly cal plans for the area to the idea that indepcadence should be shelved for the moment. Thas reflects the very teal feat of certain imperialist interests that there will be no reture to sadlity and 'besiness as usual" wide Gairy tomains in power. The consequences of the present strikes are already becoming serious Int instance, it is estimated that 200 Ions of baranaca woek are rotting becatse there is no-one to load them onto the Geest Industries' Unfortunately il is this demand -for the shelving of independenor which has also been voiced hy much of the apposition movement i Grenada Itself not ekeluding even some leaders of the NJM. This expresses very well the confused nature of the coalition which has trown up in opposition to Gairy, ranging from the business community which secks British protection for its own position visa-vis Gairy. Through to those who believe that a delay of independence will give British fair play time to surt out the island's present problems.
Only a small minority of the opposition. representing a militant section of the N/M seems at present to be advocating a struggle for "independence without Gairy. While this expres ses it hasic anti imperialist consciousness, bowerer. it needs to be radically developed before it can provide any viahle alternative to imperialism's the Caribbean can this crippling weakness be overcome.
Of key importance here is the fact that a JOHN MARSTON Demonstration in London last Sunday reflected the same confusion on independence issue State the size of Grenada is simply not in a position lo challenge the might of impenalism on its own, even if it is formally 'Independent" Hence the most urgent need is clearly to work out political perspectives for combatting imperialism not just on one island but throughout the Carbbean wrea. The strength of imperi alison bes in the complete fragmentation of rhe aren; only if strupeles such as thut in Grenada are developed through integration into a wider strugele for a federation of Socialist States of Red Weekly 8 February 1974 Page 9
or eland father tove arite the the Morth. "An Phoblacht' challenged revolutionary Marxists to debate As the dust kicked up by the Sunningdale negotiations begins to settle, it is becoming of Ireland has been moved around the room.
The statements by the UVF calling for an end to sectarian killings, by the UDA calling for an end to the force-feeding of the Winchester prisoners, and the obviously reciprocal ending of military action against off-duty UDR members by the IRA emphasise the importance of the changes.
The statements by Boal and Paisley calling for the British to get out of Ireland might be A recent issue of the Provisional Sinn Fein newspaper criticisms which they have of the policies of the Republican North and the relationship of the upsurge of the Southern working class protestant reaction, Movement. "Red Weekly" welcomes this challenge and here BOB PURDIE discusses the new situation in the Fianno Fail which has not heen ante to accept the fal implications of Sunningdale But white the objective results of indestrial struggle in the South could undermine Sunning dale. conscious leudership isrequined if the national struggie and the working class struggle are to be infegrated sufficiently to guarantee such an outcome. At present the leadership of the industrial struggle does not, in the main. understand the implications of that striggle. They will lead it as if it were simply a question of getting higher wages.
The Republicans have supported the strupale against the National Wage Agreement but as an
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and the 'Committee of 22' organisations shows no signs of casing with independence due to be