Some points need to be made on Geoff Bell's article 'Southern Government Politics on Trial' (Red Weekly, 28 October).
1. While events over the last few weeks Have Cieanv How HenL on Lue vuIicEd bility of the coalition Government, it can hardly be suggested that its stability has been weakened bv these events. That the coalition has suffered a setback, sidering nature recently inflicted on the Southern working class, is not interpret that setback as a 'political crisis Southern Government to isolate off the UnOCHIY Six Counties' inaccurate and misleading evaluation.
The balance sheet of the coalition's efforts to criminalise and isolate the Republican movement from the masses in the South is a positive one; and ir spite of the build-up of the state apparatus, laboration with Britain, ened its position since 19rs to tne extent of winning several seats from Fianna Fail in rural areds At the time of writing there has as yet Wil- been no open challenge to the Government on the national question, either from within the labour movement of trom is much the massive rural Republican base in the south. It is for this reason that it is far too early to predict movement current closed doors of the Irish Parliament.
ne President s resionation signed the go-ahead for the Bill -SiiToaH! provide the stimulus for a fight-back from SOIEY the workers movement and the rura masses, expressing the subdued ferment on repressve secisianon 2.
on pro-con of the legislation vent on period surprising; OUT failure of is, to say the least, an and would have reoressive and unprecedented col it has strength political force minority.
weeks wnetne Or nOL crisis will extend beyond the after he we need Te propaganda to well border CIOSS there is as yet no indication that such a crisis will emerge, if it does it is likely to express itself in a return of Fianna Fail to Government in 1978 or possibly earlier The article failed to diferentiate between parties whose votes are based ano anti- neouo icanism ant failed to note the repercussions which a swing in government of that nature could imperialism Ine -CORIn( While pointing out Fianna Fail's tota inability to carry out its so-called Repub lican policies, the article, failed to note Jack Lynch's "fence-sitting 17909- Was a CiTesi TesuiL Or-oreSSUr from the party's Republican base; that Fianna Fail would be in a far less TavouraDe SosIHon to ConUHUe uHe Cur rent attack on the Republican movement considerable difficult buying off their votes on the question o tête-a-têtes with the British Army To have a Fianna Fail government would seriously hamper Britain's project of destroying Republicanism as a serious in the short term, and could provide an opening for a change in the balance of forces in favour of the Finally, if the events of the last few anything ments in the soun on Ine strucce ort minority in the North is crucial, and that extend our agitation and encomoass standing of this. Most importantly, these events point to the fact that active resis tance to ine dantenine security networ and repressive legislation in Ireland and Britain can play a major role in sharpen