ulation. They have put hundreds of young workers into concentration camps, and when the women took over from them, they interned them Too. The troops have turned a blind cyc to-if not actively participating in the assassination squads of the Loyalists The catholics could well do without this type of "protection".
is in office, we should force it to use the troops against the Loyalists.
the Irish nationalist population or ed out how Labour policy in Ireland is much better (that is more reactionary, more sectarian) than that of the Turies, Labour Government simply tries to refor capitalism it is forced to oper ate in the interests of imperialism supporters of the imperialist pres imperialist link. Hence it would be suicide for British troops to move against them general strike, when the army refused point-blank to move against the Loyalists. And since the Loyalists took the initiative against the ernmeht has been to the forefron in accommodating Loyalist wishes.
Merlyn Rees, the Minister for Ireland, has cemented the growing sell confidence of the Loyalists by accepting their demand to extend the special reserves. All the Loyalist groups are now openly recruiting to this body, giving the Loyalists again.
ent protests against internment has been the same-to increase the repThey have arrested, tortured, shot down and heaten up the catholic popgot out immediately.
But that was because of Tory policy. Now that the Labour Government Enoch Powell, no friend of either the working class in Britain, has point- of two things hus happened. Either This is no accident. Because the The Loyalists are the most fanatical ence. Their privileges depend on this force behind them.
This was shown in the Loyalist Sunningdale policy, the Labour Govof the Loyalists.
their own sectarian police force once allies.
The response of Rees to the recression. The troops must be got out before they can do any more damage, Their presence can only increase the confidence of the pro testants and encourage them to hit the catholics. The troops must be But the troops can't just pack up their hags and leave tomorrow. This kers. would cause the most immense disruption. Even Rory O'Brady, leader of the Provisional Sinn Fein, has called for a phased withdrawal.
What we should fight for is the Labour Government to give a statement of intent, to name the date.
The troops will leave only if one by Brian pectives from the Republican move ment, but they won't lie down and allow a return to the situation before 1969 without a fight. And so there is a growing possibility of an armed clash between the two communities. Every day that the British army emaitis in Ireland the stronger the Loy alists will get and therefore the more likely the possibility of civil war be comes. The stronger the Loyalists get the more bloody the civil war wil be. So the sooner the troops go the less the possibility of a bloodbath.
But it's not just the troops und the Loyalists who are stirring up violence. What about the IRA? All they do is deepen the divisions between catholic and protestant wor We are critical of the IRA. Many of their actions are a substitute for the actions of the catholic masses. Their armed actions have oniy oc casionally fitted into an overall strategy of mobilising the catbolic masses in the light to determine But one thing we have to be absolutely clear about is that armed self-defence plays a vital role in any revolutionary strategy for Ireland, The reason for this can be very casily seen, and it is important even from the point of view of forg