The Revolutionary Marxist Group (Belfast branch) reports on the Local Elections in the North of Ireland, 30 May.
The local elections are a deceitful game played by the British with the lives of the Irish people. Now you have a say' the headlines have read in the newspaper advertisements, but the most cursory glance at the powers of the district bodies to be elected makes clear the lie of the statement.
All the British propagandists can manage is: they will provide a wide range of important local services - safety at your job; protecting the consumer; planning art festivals; control of air pollution; environmental health; sports facilities." Not exactly impressive, Other duties are a weak advisory role to suggest appointmeats to the local boards which will deal with the more important aspects of local governPerhaps for safety at work the British mean safety in the dole queues, perhaps for sports facilities they mean new grounds for the British Army to occupy, and perhaps to help healthier and to protect the consumer they will take the British Occupation Forces off our streets. For the truth is that to talk of local government power is to hide from reahty. The entire fabric of fife is dominated by the British military presence, the Imperialist Jack-boot. The vocabulary of local government, consumer protection, environment, etc.., is at present empty rhetoric. While the B.O.F. are here there can be no normal life and while Imperialism controls this country the people can have no power, The White Paper made it crystal clear in one of the most important single paragraphs in the proposals, that the British Government considers it as a right for it to legislate on all matters concerning the six countles• overriding the views of the people in the true British "democratic manner.
It must and will be made clear that such the right of the United Kingdom Parliament part of the United Kingdom, In relation to any matter whatever. (pur. 34)
But with the elections the British Government want to restore an illusion of democracy. The elections give the voter no choice - the deciCOLLABORATION is as easy as 1,2,3..
Fasteniny Male Dose Bila Election poster produced by Belfast RIMG. sions are taken at Westminster and Whitehall. To take part in the elections, to go forward as candidates or to vote, is to help the British foster this illusion - it must be opposed. The elections must be boycotted.
Yet some would argue otherwise. The Republican Clubs want to give the people a volce in local government and put forward their radical policies. The role of the local government bodies does not include such matters as housing, education and nationalisation. These will, presumably, be more the territory of the Assembly (though this is uncertain as the British Government will not be announcing the powers of the Assembly for some time yet). The Republican Clubs realise this and unequlvocally call for the. withdrawal of the British and the establishment of a 32 County Socialist Republic in their election manifesto, Nevertheless, it must be said that to take part in the clections is a dangerous tactic at the present time. Any policy which attempts to steer the people's attention towards the British 'solution" machinery rather than encouraging people to assume control of their own lives through the building of their own organs of power must be considered carefully. Inevitably such a policy helps Britain to restore the democratic illusion, belps them in their attempts to 'normalise' the situation, and to rebuild the Imperialist exploitation system. It Is essentially a defeatist policy - "we will build • Socialist Republic, but in the meantune ... take in the British game' they seem to be saying SD LP Other groups contesting the election have more obviously sinister alms. It is plain that the SDLP are not concerned with justice, but with the success of Imperialism's achores out of self interest - an easy life in the comfort of a privileged position in the imperialist system is their ambition. They will do everything they can to prevent the working class taking power. But they aren't stupid, and they pose as the working class's protectors and will criticise British Army brutality when it is necessary to keep face with the clectorate. SDLP candidates are now standing in areas which never before even saw SDLP men and they have issued a manifesto. It is an interesting piece of writing even if it does not include any problem, created by 800 years of oppression, and the methods used by the British ruling class to ensure its continued domination of Ireland, and the exploitation of ireland's resdurces and people. The British working class must support only those solutions which give the Irish people, as a whole, the right to solve Ireland's problems, and deny any further interference by British imperialism, The central demand must be for the immediate withdrawal of British troops, the politicai polsoners and detainees must be released, and all repressive legistation abolished. Unless the British working class uses its strength to win. these demands, the methods now being used in Ireland will be turned against them. The conference ulso passed the following resolution: *This conference, having discussed the current repression in Ireland, and its implications for Britain, warns the British labour movement, and the socialist and Irish organisations in Britain, of the grave dangers posed by tie current wave of repression. We call on all the above organisations to support the creation of united front committees to oppose the repression in Ireland and Britain, and especially to the Belfast Ten and the Coventry Six. Bob Purdie utter rubbish. We shall not run from the battle now, they say what men! what heroes! - norreject the first small advance of reforin when it presents itself... the new statutory bodies will have immense influence in the making and implementation of policy What drivel! The people who will be represented ty our new district councillors after May 30th must be allowed to exert their influence in the newly created corridors of power. What Either the SDIP does not have the slightest idea what these local elections are all about of they are intentionaily trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the anti-unionist people. In effect, they are proving probably the British Government's best propaganda agents against the nationalist population.
John Hume has described the party's representation in the elections as the biggest antiUniomist challenge in the history of Northern Ireland. If it had been left to them, the SDIP say, internment would have ended long ago, the Provisionals have caised internment's continuation. So, according to the SDLP those who defend themselves against repression are to be blamed for that repression!
BLEATING The manifesto claims the SDLP was responsible for bringing improved conditions for internees and political prisoners," proportional representation (PR), and fairer bousing allocation. The way the SDLP distorts the truth is impressive. It has not been their pathetic parliamentary bleating, but the people through their concer ted pressure that forced the British Government to grant what pitiful reforms they bave so far given. And it is the people who can go on to force Britain to relinquish control altogetber. The SDLP has not been needed over the past three years, it has been irrelevant. They have merely hung on behind the people's strugale, squecking in echo of the demands of the people, fearful lest they be forgotten about. We did not need them then and we don't need them now.
If the SDLP led the anti-unionist people then internment would have been ended but it would be because of a surrender to the British. surrender to British Army violence, surrender to Imperialist injustice and exploitation. The SDLP's role as filth columnists for Imperialism could hardly be clearer.
The only aim mentioned in the SDLP manifesto is contained in one sentence - "by a good showing at these and the assembly clee tions, we shall continue our fight to free all the internees and convicted political prisoners and to bave internment and all repressive laws scrapped. Just how they propose to do all this they do not explain, but of course it is obvious that if the people capitulate and accept Britain's rule witbout question then Britain would bave no need of repressive legislation Their presence in loe al government or in the Assembly will do nothing for the internees or Tor the people. Their prouises are but trauds. They pretend the British will give justice but the ordinary people know the justice of the British - Special Powers, Internment, Bloody Sunday, the Paras, Diplock:
MODERATES In many ways the local government elections will be a test-run for the Assembly elections a month later. First PR can be tested - it can be seen how much it helps the "moderates." The outcome of the May elections will glve Britain a chance to plan with confidence what powers can be given to the assembly as they will then know roughly who will be in it. The May 30 clections have just about as little importance for the people of the Six Counties as that -Britain getting ready for the Assembly clections. The Little illusion to prepare for the hig confidence trick.
And it will be a test for the enlightened' unionists - the Alliance Party in particular. It will be their first election and their propaganda machine has been working overtime. The Irish Timer (May 8) described the poliaies of the Republican Clubs and of Alliance as 'not differing widely. But while the Republicaa Clubs are using the elections as a (possibly mistaken) part in their strategy towards the Socialist Republic, Alliance believe, as presumably the SDLP do too, that justice can be achieved under a British six county framework. But they are wrong. Lack of jobs, housing and amenities is not the root of the problem - but a syriptom of Iroperialist domination, While we ure ruled and controlled by the British there will be no justice, and the last three years have shown this graphically Only a continued resistance campaign will force reform and eventual withdrawal by the defend the victims of repression - in particular, British, Oly then will it be possible to have a just society in Ireland - when the people take control in a Socialist Republic.
Red Weekly 25 May 1973 Page 3
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