The Southern Irish Government hus a consistent policy towards the conflict in the six-Counties.
Obediently it grants every concession demanded by British imperialism. Ruthlessly it tries to suppress every voice of protest in the south.
With a stubbornness that it has never shown to the British it has adamantly refused to concede the demands of the 16 TRA prisoners who have been on bunger strike in the Portlacise Prison since 3 January.
IN POCKET The Minister of Justice, speaking of the hunger strike had the gall to say: The hasic issue is who runs the country-the Government or the Provisional IRA. In fact the Southern Irish Government is-as the Minister well knows-firmly in the pocket of British imperialism.
As the British are preparing to crack down even harder in the North the Southern Government knows that it dare not make any conces sions in the South. To do so would make Merlyn Rees' job of getting tougher and more vicious that This is why during the cease-fire they arrested two of the most militant members of the IRA Anny Counci and why they are dining in their beels over Portlagise At the same time the anny has announced the ending of its fake "low-profile' stance and is preparing more repression. The astounding proposal to build a "Berlin" Wall around Belfast is being given sericus thought in top military and political As usual the reactionary government in the South does not want to embarrass its British allies in the North-hence its stance on "law am Fortunately, the Southern Government is not getting ail its own way. The actions of the hunger strikers is setting in motion the biggest protes movement seen in the South for a long time.
Sixteen leading trade unionists and two prominent members of the Labour Party have started a petition calling for the strikers recognition as political prisoners. In their state ment they debunk the arguments of Conor Cruise 'Brien, the leader of the Irish Labour Party and a prominent member of the Govern ment, who claimed that the IRA Den had been "convicted of crimes They explain that these men bave been convicted by non-jury trial in the Special Criminal Courts The General Secretary of the frish Trassport & General Workers Union has called for the setting up of a special inquiry, In Dublia, the No. 2 branch of the National Engineering and Electrical Trade Union has passed a unanimous resolution for the granting of full political status to the prisoners.
Despite the massive propaganda campaign to put the blame for the breakdown of the cease-fire on the #KA, despite the Peace marches mobilised by reactionaries to try and isolate the IRA there is u rowing sympathy in the workers movement in the South for the national struggle The Provisionals have not been able to take advantage of this new morement inside the working class in the South, Their response bas been simply to make the moralising accusation that the Soutbern Irish Government is blocking the moves "towards a just and lasting peace.
But that avoids the main issue, which is rooted in the complicity of Southern Irish capitalism with British imperialisas. This erects a bridge head straight to the Loyalists, who are the base on which imperia list rule rests in Northern Ircland. To fight British imperialismi in Lne Six Counties means to fight its allies in the South The Southern Government is not neutral in the conflict. When the chips are down it supports its British capitalist allics against its own working class. The task for the republican movement is to direct support for che national struggle towards the removal of the capitalist government in the South