JEREMY CORBYN is the most consistent opponent of miscarriages of justice, especially against Irish people, in the House of Commons That is why Gerry Hunter of the Birmingham Six and Judith Ward have both rushed to argue the case for his defence.
But the key issue here, as leremy himself would be the irs: to argue. is not to sing - sam ses as am individual -ria- e as a rebuttal to the s- =e comments of the press wais se.
An attack by the Tories on a Labour MP who invited Gerry Adams to the House of Commons is no surprise as they continue to exclude Sinn Fein from the talks in the landerhin six counties. The threat by Mo Mowlam, as shadow the Labour Party to withspokesperson on northern draw the whip unless the in- Ireland was eager to take the vitation was withdrawn opportunity to slam Corbyn needs to be seen both in the - while remaining silent context of the Labour's con- about the murderous actions sistent bipartisan stance on of the British police. Ireland and the increasingly As has been pointed out elsewhere if John Hulme authoritarian actions of the were a mambor of the la. bour Party he would be subject to these attacks: Corbyn sought to say nothing different from the much-feted SDLP leader.
It seems to have escaped explicit comment that only Corbyn has faced the wrath of the front bench when Tony Benn was also involved in this invitation and when other left MP's met with Sinn Fein after the Canary Wharf bombing to discuss a resumption of the ceasefire.
Could this be because there are those with the ear of the Labour leadership who covet Corbyn's majority in Islington North?
Susan Moore There are historical precedents for the current trajectory of the Sinn Fein leadership. In 1927 an Anti-Treaty IRA leader founded a new party - Fianna Fail.
He took the oath of allegiance to the British Crown in order to enter the Dail and 5 years later became Taoiseach (Prime Minister). It was not long before Eamon De Valera was jailing his former comrades in the republican movement.
The main obstacle to the Sinn Fein leadership's chances of success with this scheme is not its working class supporters but unionist intransigence. After Drumcree the slogans 'Not an inch' and 'No Surrender' are even more firmly entrenched.
And in the political vacuum in Britain leading up to the general election, the door to the talks will not be opened for Sinn Fein.
After May 1997 under a Labour or coalition government, Blair may be dependent on the unionists for support, and therefore less open to the offer of a
* Palestine aflame Socialist Outlook 109 • 7 October 1996. THE LATEST Israeli massacre of Palestinians could not have been predicted in its precise detail. But it has been obvious for some time that the faltering 'peace process' had reached a dead end. Roland Rance RECOGNISE PALESTINAN Zionism flexes its muscles