A NEW 'Smash H-blocks' campaign has been launched in the north of This follows conference held in i ne conference was a turning point in the campaign to win political Republican many of whom are housed in the. 'H-blocks' at Long Kesh prison, near Henceforward participation in the H-block campaign will dependent on support Provisionals' armed struggle, any other tactical position held by organisations or individuals.
The call at the conference was for unity around the sole issue of political Single Issue The Provisional Movement has supported emphasis 'single campaign'. The latest edițion of its newspaper, An Phoblacht/Republican News, explains:
Have organisational or political differences in the past, these must now lie in the past. In the coming weeks and months tactical differences must be sunk and purely positive and attitude struck...
'Despite the fact Republicans the H-block struggle is a part of the war-effort and is a heroic continuation of Ine struggle to free this foreign domination, people that Republicans unite on this issue, support the military actions of the Irish Republican Army...
'Conditions placed Republican Movement in the past for political status campaigners to also support the armed struggle no longer apply.' a 600-strong be for the Republican the issue been the outgoing that for centuries-long country from there are many fully who will not Workers Group, People. by the prisoners. Said the prisoners: Kieran Nugent reading a message from the prisoners on the bi Peace call for unity came in a smuggled-out letter from the H-block 'Our unity is our strength. They have taken everything else from us.
all their torture, degradation and deprivations it is our unity and the righteousness of our given us the *This is our message to you today.
It's a strength that can lie in our unity, a power which can throw open, bring down and smash the H-blocks and we appeal to you to come together, to voices and your This was taken enthusiastically by conference. Even Ciaran McKeown of the Peace People said that he hoped "past recriminations can be set aside.
His view was that 'the propaganda of the British government which says the prisoners are criminals is a lie. McKeown ended his speech with the words: 'Westand ready to help'.
Among motions passed was one proposed the revolutionary socialist organisation Peoples Democracy. It called for a lobby on the issue of the prisoners at the forthcoming conference of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. A PD proposal for a march on New Year's Day was also up accepted. the Two members of PD were among the 17 elected on to the new 'Smash H-block' committee. Among others elected were two members of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and four members of the Provisional Fein.
Although the new committee will be the main bullcing mass prisoners, the Committee will continue to exist. In the past it is the RACs which have done most to publicise the cause of the prisoners, and the unity and non-sectarianism some of these RACs experienced on a local level can now previous step forward. COMINGE By Penny Duggan FORTY thousand on the streets on 28 October was twice the size of any pro-abortion demonstraton. It shows that the TUC action in calling the protest represented a real Not many of the unions went all out to build the demonstration. There were some notable exceptions, such as the National and Local Government Officers Association, which produce and circulated its own leaflet.
But white-collar unions have been prominent in their support for the abortion campaign since 1975.
More significant was the large the General and Municipal Workers' Union and from industrial unions like the Transport General Workers and the Engineers, both of which have a large number of women members
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What now on abortion