Last Saturday, as part of its build-up to the forthcoming Labour Movement Delegation to Ireland, the Troops Out Movement sponsored an 'Open Forum' which attracted more than 100 people despite unhelpfully hot weather.
There were two major themes to ially colonial nature of the Irish situation, and the second emphasised the need to overcome the continual attempts by the Labour leadership to stifle any debate on its Irish policies.
That these policies are utterly reactionarv was shown in the morn. ing session when a number of speakers compared the Irish war to other recent colonial wars. Tony Cliff of the International Socialism group, speaking on the experience of Palestine, remarked on the similarities between the 'chosen people' discriminatory system of Zionism, and the similar ideology and practice of North of Ireland Loyalism.
When Tariq Ali of the IMG spoke he extended the comparisons to India and Algeria. He told how the policy of divide-and-rule which British imperialism has operated for so long in Ireland was operated with equally bloody results in the Indian sub-continent - the only difference being that it was Moslems and Hindus rather than Protestants and Catholics who were being deliberately divided.
MILITARISM On the Algerian war of independ ence, All remarked how the trend towards militarism in this country -which has been evident in the outspoken comments of generals and colonels since the Irish war entered its latest phase - is similar to the rise of militarism in France during the Algerian war. On the other hand, a speaker from the Angolan Solidarity Committee noted how it was the successful liberation campaigns in Portugal's African colonies which were a major contributory the forum. The first stressed the essent- factor to the fall of fascism in Portugal itself.
PREJUDICE With such experiences to learn from, it is not surprising that the poncy or te leadersmp or te Lad our Party in this country is to resist any questioning of its Irish policy; to stifle any debate within the labour movement on the Labour Government's conduct of the Irish war. Ken Livingstone (a Lambeth councillor) and Tony Kelly of Newham Labour Party, both speaking in a personal capacity, outlined the continual frustrations they have faced in trying to raise the Irish Issue me tae Labour rarty.
It is to try to cut through this web of prejudice and silence that the Troops Out Movement have arranged the forthcoming visit to Ireland, when delegates from labour movement bodies will be able to judge Government's policies, the effects British rule has hadron Ireland, and the role of the troops. Already nearly fifty delegates have applied to go on the delegation; the aim must now be to extend that number and to ensure that the delegation itself is both open and wide-ranging enough to have the necessary impact on labour movement opinion in this country.
Geoff Bell Left and above: Republican prisoners after being beaten up