tion. We reserve the right to cut letters of more than 400 words. I read with amazement and anger reports of the recent interview given by the British Prime Minister James Callaghan in which he complained that the Soviet Union had still not implemented some of the agreements reached at the Helsinki conference one year ago. In particular, he made mention of the Soviet Government's failure to allow greater freedom of movement.
This hypocritical rhetoric from a so-called Socialist is similar in nature to opinions he voiced almost one year ago at the Labour Party's annual conference. On that occasion he expressed his "disgust" and 'abhorrence' at the executions of five spanish revolutionaries by the fascist Franco regime; and he condemned the efforts of the Franco dictatorship to stifle political freedom, the treatment metted out to political prisoners imprisonment without trial etc. etc. "The use of state violence, he said, was alien to all the labour movement stood for.' Alf Jennings' article in Red Weekly of 29 Julv is misleading both on progressive education generally and William Tyndale in DartiCuar Although revolutionaries should welcome aspects of progressive education we must also be critical. Progressive education encompasses many different courses and introduced as 'the result of a struggle by pupils and teachers' but by the bourgeoisie. For example the Nuffield science course Coming from a Prime Minister whose army still occupies by force a part of Ireland and who is directly responsible for some of the most draconian legislation on political and social freedom seen since Hitler's Germany, this is indeed hypocrisy of the highest magnitude.
Here in the occupied six counties of north east Ireland, British forces have been given the green light to use every and any method available to them, whether legal or illegal, to oppress and defeat the struggle by the Provisional Irish Republican Army for the national liberation of our country and the establishment Democratic Socialist Republic. Over the past few years the catalogue of murder and torture by the British Army and its Quisling supporters has increased by leaps and bounds. They have been responsible for some of the most barbaric acts ever witnessed. FACT: Thousands interned without charge or trial and brutally beaten was initially financed by big business and the state. The schools council courses such as the humanities project and the language across the curriculum work were also introduced by the state.
Although such courses do move away from rote learning and towards enquiry based learning they are not a break from the state and its interests. Liberal courses can be advocated by the state if it finances and theretore contros me courses and examination system. Teachers and pupils are given neither real control nor a real choice geared towards aminations and hence the labour market, over which they have no control.
Further, Jennings falls into the same trap as the bourgeois press. seeing Tyndale as the epitome of progressive education because the teachers gave the children choice of activities in an unstructured way. Unfortunately the teachers also decided not to keep records of the children's work. Even progressive methods we endorse, such as mixed ability teaching. choice of activities. content relevant to the needs and interests while imprisoned.
FACT: Thousands beaten and tortured because of their opposition to British Imperialist domination. FACT: Thousands given mock trials for their opposition to British rule in FACT: Hundreds murdered; 14 on Bloody Sunday; 6 in the New Lodge in one night in 1973; Harry Thornton; Leo Norney; Peter Cleary etc, etc. Many others killed and injured by the British Army's counter-revolutionary forces the Military Reaction Force At the end of last month Tony Benn held a surgery in his constituency. in light of the imminen belect commies abortion the Bristol stanch or the Nationa Abortion Campaign decided to go and ask him a few pointed questions. Red Weekly readers might like to know nis answers Benn began by stating his personal position that 'every woman should have the rignt-to an abortion on conscientious grounds.
On being asked what he meant 'conscientious' it eventually turned out that he did support A Woman's Right Choose' full stop. But in explaining his 'conscientious' bit we got on to MP'S being responsible to their constituency parties Benn said it was important that MPs should have a free vote because 'we have a great problem with moraly people When it was pointed out that abortion on demand/ a woman's right to LUCEM DUP 101100 AE-1008 sI as0ous there a contradiction between this and allowing MPs a free vote, Benn denied tnere was a contradiction by again fererring to the problem of people and their 'moral beliefs.
From this we proceeded to the recent cuts announcements. Two or three times went through step by / step the causal links between the E70 million cuts in the NHS with hospitals closing down bullding being cut back and equipment remaining unused and its contradiction with a wo ight (MRF) and the Special Air Services (SAS)
FACT: Two Irishmen forced to go on hunger strike for their basic rights and callously allowed to die.
The list of facts, of atrocities, murders, destruction is endless, and yet the British Prime Minister had the audacity to criticise and condemn the Soviet Union and others, such as the Revolutionary Government of the people of Angola.
When next you read or hear of verbal attacks by British politicians, be 'What, me take a position?' man's right to choose - which implicitly means fully adequate facilities in the NHS his response to mnese areuments was. a) to refuse to comment unless I could prove with figures a direct causal link Derween me curs and a woman s aolity get an abortion; b) to say that he thought that the latest CUTS WOUIe services and provision Finally, on being somewhat forcibly The agreed that aclities does antect women s rents bu he brushed this off by diverting on to the subject of contraception - PICYCHIC better man cure ano wouion mar ot Party or right-wing fascists such as Margaret Thatcher, think of Ireland which for 800 long years has struggled against British imperialistic domiHauon British politicians have no right to condemn or criticise other nations, for few if any have such a record as hers for oppression and exploitation of апотпег 120011 R.G.McAULEY P.O.W. P.R.O. Re publican Prisoners of War, Cage 12, Long Kesh. limitations on contraception (access/ fail ure/ unable to use etc.) and tried to drag nim back onto abortiol Whereupon he said it was all a matter o priorities'. If WE were to put 270 million back into the NHS how would we decide which specutic areas woula receive ine money? Though he did agree that proper public provision of health care is a priority Poor Tony - CUTE which way he had voted on the last Select Committee report but thought he had voted against me dames wnne bul didn't seem very aware at all of what was happening on the abortion front. But he did seem anxious tor us to beneve bou thide f supported us —and for us to go. SARAH ROELOFS, Bristol.
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