they will have been forced to icave because of the fight against them in Ireland and (hopefully) Britain, or eise they will have left a trusted The original intention of British imperialism was to transfer the watchdog role to the Southern Irish ruling class. To do this they had to make changes in the North But it was these changes which first brought the upsurge from the nationalist minonty. And then came the backlash This has led the British ruling class to fall back on its old allythe Loyalists, During the time between now and any date for withdrawal British imperialism will be doing everything in its power to strengthen the hand of its trusted This has been the story since the Loyalist strike in May. The longer British imperialism remains the strong000% of us. ing unity between catholic and pro testant workers. I have already explained how the Loyalists see the immediate way of answering their problems through attacks on the catholics if the catholics don't pass ively accept their inferior position.
Once the catholics are so well defended that this is no longer an option for the protestants, then the unity of the protestants across Class lines and against the catholics falls down. The protestants begin to look for new ways of solving their problems. This is not just theory. We actually began to see just such a move devcioping amongst the protestants until the collapse of Sunningdale.
The Provisionals have done more, in this respect, for working class unity than all the pious attempts of the previous 20 years or more to build unity on questions like wages.
This is the crucial lesson of the last years. The stronger the self-defence of the catholics, the weaker the Loyalists and the quioker British troops are removed, the more optimistic we can be about the future of the situation in Northern Ireland. All these tasks boil down in this country to developing a movement for the immediate withdrawal of troops. This is the task for all Red Weekly 24 October 1974 Page 7
sy, SOLIDARITY WITH THE IRA the fate of the catholic population in the North of Ireland. But its actual policy of concessions to the loyalists only helps the latter towards crushing the catholic population, A few facts and figures will help to illustrate the extent of these concessions, Just before it was wound up, the Community Relations Commission reported that only i0 to 15 per cent of the security forces were active in the loyalist areas. Yet more arms and ammunition have been located in these areas than in Republican ARCAN SECURITY FORCES Even more indicative is the way the security forces are being flooded by the Loyalist ultras, with control being devolved to local level, The ceiling figure for the RUC Reserve, for instance, used to be 3000and the actual figure was almost 500 short of this. Now Rees declares that this reserve is to be expanded to 7000. Where will they come from They will be precisely these non-committed protestants", us Rees likes to describe the mass reactionary base of British imperalism in Ireland, The nationalist population already knows the potential of murderers dressed up in Ulster Defence Regiment uniforms, An expansion of the UDK and KUC Reserve will give this official covering and further prepare the way for pogroms.
The tendency of evonts is thus towards a massive explosion and confrontation, in this situation the role of the IRA will be absolutely key. Labour claims to be concerned about ority with the IRA. If British workers allow the imperialists to smash the catholic workers in the North it will he at the uxpense of their own struggle. The defeat of imperialism any: where, but especially in Ireland, will be a major step forward not just for the Irish workers, but also for their brothers and sisters in Britain and indeed the whole of Europe.
In fighting for working class solIdarity with the IRA we are fighting for an understanding on the part of British workers that the struggle against imperialism in the Irish sifuntion inevitably means the use of arms. The army of the British ruling class has no right to be in Ireland, and we have to give unconditional supe port to the Republicans in lighting that army The struggle against the army is in the most direct interest of the British workers. times in Red Weekir with the prep arations that are being made for the use of troops against the workers in Britain. the IRA can materially hamper and cut across the laboratory expenments in repression that the army is carrying out in Ireland.
If we recognise the importance of the IRA's struggle for the whole working class in Ireland and Britain, we also have to sce that the Irish may wish to LATCHESE WARHT. have serious tactical differences on that question, but if bombings occur in Britain the responsibility is that of the imperialists who caused the conflict, and not of those who are respondThese young people were recruited ow of unemployment, and with the aim of turning them into brutalised killers of Irish worken. The hucks amd hypocrites of the Press show no concern for the bundreds of young Irish men and women interned, tor tured and killed by the army.
class must understand that arined tial when part of an overall strategs to mobilise mass forces. Red WeekLy does not think that the recent bombings in Britain are part of such a strategy, whoever is actually resp onsihle. difference.
issue, and do not stand in solidarity We have dealt many form that struggle lakes then they are allowing themselves to be split The actions of ing attacks that will be directed against their own ranks. That is why we defend the IRA and call on all ing.
oeuvres of the imperialists back ag ainst them. It is absolutely necessWe may ary that the present campaign in the British labour movessent for tire immediate withdrawal of the troops is waged in the context of the need for solidarity with the IRA. the best way to bit the British ruling class hard and in the process to aid into the British army under the shadMilitants in the British working actions against imperialism are essenBut this is merely a tactica WEAKENED If British workers allow themselves to be duped by the ruling class on this with the struggle of the Irish workers against British imperiahsm-whatever and weakened in the ince of the comtrade unionists to defend Judith Ward. on trial in Wakefield for the M62 bombBritish workers must rurn the manThis is Republican sympathisers on the march in London last Sunday