discord
THE FACADE of harmonious relations belween the British and Trish governments, as presented by the Anglo-Irish accord, is cracking open yet again.
The current rift has been caused by the bringing to court of the first test-case of the. newly-agreed extraditan Lreaty between the two states.
It has caken six long months of hicated argument between the attorney generals of Britain and the twenty-six counties for an agreement to be reached on the issue of extradition. Now, the shambles over Britain's attempt to extradite Patrick MeVeigh has brought further embarrassment to the proponents of the viability of the
Britain has accused Dublin of backing down on demanding stipulations beyond the requirements of Trish legislation. This has provoked anger in Dublin, and such disagreements between the attorney-generals 1988
UPFRONT
compliance - present calls for which are not only premature but also threaten, unnecessarily, the unity of the
To this end we need a set of demands which flow from the situation and which can unite are bound to lead tn challenges in the courts, thus severely hampering the extradition of Irish republicans wanted by the British government.
Thus, in turn, the relationship between the Thatcher government and Dublin which has been constructed through the accord has been subjected to further pressures.
Recently the British government has resorted to heightened levels of state violence against the nationalist community, after the failure of the accord to quell nationalism
The Gibraltar shootings provoked indignant, defensive Statements from the Irish government; yet their failure to break from collaborating with Thatcher's projects in Ireland illustrates how well T'hatcher has succeeded in making the Trish bourgenisie carry out her dirty work for her.
In fact, although it is clear local aurhorities, trade unions and the lesbian and gay movement to hold local authorities to the ALA position and prepare for the next stage of the struggle. These should be: • campaign for repeal of section 28; • defend any person victimised as a result of section 28;
call on local authorities to make public statements reaffirming, strengthening and developing lesbian and gay equality work • defend policies on lesbian and gay quality in the courts
We must be able to back mobilisations, particularly of the labour movement, lo defend authorities that take a principled stand and arc threatened with the legislation. To achieve this we must be clear about the basis of the united front for this next period in the struggle• TOM LOUCAS that the accord has utterly failed to acheve its stated objectives since it was agreed over two years ago, the one way in which we could say it has succeeded is that it has brought the constitutional nationalists of the twenty-six counties out of the shadows and into the forefrunt as the cutting-edge against republicanism, acting in conjunction with the British
The British government has demonstrated, through the Gibraltar murders that it has a "shoot-to-kill' policy. The Dublin government continues, however to exercise its solidarity with the accord.
So the logic of the accord becomes increasingly more evident, and the Tories": solutions for stabilisation in Ireland come down to Gibraltar and the same old story: British state violence against the Irish people • KARINA HOLLYOAK