winning.
Bernadette was a leader of the mass upsurge in Derry against the British occupation. On the strength of this she was previously clected to the British House of Commons, where she зрокс ou Ecarcasis TOC LaC interests of the Irish people.
Now she wants to take the same message to the European Parliament. Not that she has any illusions about it.
'I's a talking shop" she says. 'But If I'm elected T will calking about Ireland' intends to make sure that the message is heard throughout the length and breadth Europe:
Her campaign is making sure that clected or not, the call for Britain to get out is broadcast loud and clear before the 7 June polland afterwards.
Her candidature was launched in Coalisland on 10 May. In this tiny lown, 250 people came from all over the counties to discuss mogramme and cumpaign.
BENT relatives
prisoners; activists in Relatives Action Committees Dangiven, Armagh and Derry: there were members of political parises, Frank Maguire from Fermanagh and members of the Irish Independence Party and militants from Peoples Democracy and the Socialist Party, of which Bernadette is a member.
First on the agenda was wbether to stand at all.
An Phoblacht/Republicen News, paper of the Provisional Sinn Fein, does't think so.
It argued against BernaBERNADETTE Devlin-McAliskey is standing as an Anti-Repression candidate in the elections for the European Parliament. She has a good chance of dette's candidacy, raying that 'sending politicians to the so-called parbament in Brus sels will not change the fact that unemployment, the sellout of our national resources, poor nousing and the many capitalist system will continue unabated.
Bernadette says in reply to the Provisional boycott position:
Boycotting the ciection will She merely be registered as apathy about Thatcher government of clecied it's important that there is a candidate saying loud and clear that Britain should get out.' At the campaign meeting. Mary Nellis, a member of the Derry Relatives Action Committee, said that the decision was a difficult one for her.
Referring to her three sons on the blanket in H Block, she the said: "I wish I could pet into H Block to discuss with them of about ir."
Republicans, they would be in was sure tavour of the boycott.
But the decision has 1o be MP made in the interests of all those sceking political status and for all the people of Ireland who sought freedom.
Irish Having agreed to scand, the mecting went on to discuss what policies and Bernadette should stand on.
Her Asti-Repression gramme iacludes demands for an cod to emergency legislation, political status for H Block Prisoners, the Just withdrawal of British and self-determination for thr Irish people as a whole.
Importantly. also adopted a wider poiley of opposition to the EECitself The objectives campaigo resistance. Public that. street meetings, and demonstrations will be held all over the six counties. The campaien aims to CSLICLIHLIEL where they exist and help to build them where they don't There is also ine matter of she will get more votes than the Social and Democratie Labour platform Parly.
These people will pro- claiming to nationalist population, Berna BELLE says. campaien will take away that im mediate false claim.
the meeting they are expecting.
of the gain a seat in the north. to build the Northern meetings, six counties.
Bernadette hopes thar oul:
be represent the mandate my spiril.?
every work.
example 35-hoar week.
We don't have their election machine — and we dont want itt — butit is possible for us to get near the 50,000 votes which If that happens then it i probable that Bernadette will is multi-seal constituency, Candidates are clected on proportional representation, It also gives n golden apportunity to project their campaigo throughout the And it's not just in the six | counties. As Bernadette points *I's been 60 sears since the Irish people voted in the sume election. Then Sinn Fein Ron 83 per cent of the vote in for independent of Britain. Thai's why the British partitioned our country. I want to rekindle dat