Ireland: Time for solidarity room fot manoeuvre. USSR will be very difficult to The nationalists in the Soviet republics will have to confront the same problems as those faced by the new govemments in cast- em and central Europe They have discovered that, although what happens next? The first portant section of the LCT answer than the second. An im- much easier question is public statements of the Lahour For the small Baltic republics basic matters as strongthening existing branches and selling up the or together) is to say the least a There is talk about a Baltic federation with the Scandinavian countries, Poland and Germany, pendent stales (either separately new ones: or anticining questionable concept. The movement for British withdrawal from Ireland is in a weaker state now than it has The Congress was elected by an clectorate of 700,000 - only those who could prove that they were descended from citizens of Ethnic Estonians make up only 64.7 per cent of the republic's the pre-Soviet Estonian republic.
strengthen our links with the the Labour Party, demonstrating Many rightly feel that their voices have been excluded in a most sectarian manner. We must begin to organise in informal calcuses Just as our opponents ticipate as Labour Party mem- bers in coming mobilitations When possible we must take part in official ECT activities - if there are wy. We must also withdrawal movement outside that the LC itself is not synonymous with sectariani have done so that we can pur- around Ireland. or (rather left-wing within the LCI and decided that Time to Go was a secrel weapon which would destroy British imperialism by echulous mass movement They felt that a precondition was the support of MPs like Clnire Short, who could eventunlly hring pres sure to bear on the front bench. To move in this direction they had to smash up and exclude the eroct a Berlin Wall between themselves and the traditional The joke in that they have creation ali withdrawal movement. Joke the and accountable body, and that the LCI itself ferent strunds In the withdrawal The option choien by the AGM was for the Ll to become Time to Go in the Labour Party: Party front bench, a joh which tant is we approach the next Moreover, we tried to per- should use its influence within Time to Go to make it a more should become a force actively trying to draw together the dif- will become increasingly impor- the leadership and democratic magnificent self. The rest of the even appear to be able to hold a joint initiatives. To cup it all, the percent of those present from its poned at the LCI AGM is in- ouly within that organisation but conference to discuss some basic: tee on Ireland's (LI's) AGM voted to exclude the views of 40 stroctive because it tells us about the tensions and dynamics not Time to Go is a debt-ridden shadow of its former, not very withdrwal movement does not An examination of what hap majority at the Labour Commit newly-elected leadership- been for several years.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 23, April 1990 The groups and individuals who discovered that they worked that all their efforts will have been wasted If we don't begin a serious discussion on how our While the Bimingham Six renuin in jau, and while Britain remains in Ireland, we have a Liam MacUaid so well together in Year of Ar- tion committees and Time to Go groups in 1988:9 must realise meagre forces can work together. and undemocratic behaviour heavy responsibility ing an organisation that wasn't Socialist Workers Party and Communis Parties now play no real part in Time to Go, and the campaign will find it hard even to re-establish last year's level of activity. The fact that just over 30 people lumed up in Students The first lesson from the AGM is that democratie left for- ces will have to be much more chosen to get rid of half of the LCT - Foot-soldiers, so weaken- very strong in the first place. The say Time to Go bears this out. were elected to tie National Council and it is worth recording tional Council members didn't Most offensive of all, the not to censure the leadership for its decision not to support this years Bloody Sunday march, an described as ta Republican So what went wrong? And one person flipantly Only representatives of this view that a number of prominent Na- AGM voted by a slim majority continue to support Time to Go, facing the LCT at the meeting. Took along with many others, ar- gued that while the ECT should wasn't the run away success that We also argued that for too long the LCI had neglected such in the wider withdrawal move- There were only two choices Socialiat Out- it should also realise that it some people try to pretend. Two choices Supporters of Page 4 ment.
ment, issued calls for the formation of gunise the youth", an indication of the Then, in the first week of March, independent homeland', was hit by a wave of strikes. including public workers and black police. The white-run any ran amock killing 38, wounding over 50 people. smashing marches with tear gas and cutting off water and electricity supplies. The ANC's internal village and street committees to or been joined on marches by black prilice. alliance, the Mars Democratic Move-