their way to some deal well short of an agreement by Britain to withdraw.
At the moment that is pure speculation. What is certain is that anything short of British withdrawal will lead neither to peace or self-determination.
It is here that the leaking in June of Labour's Kevin McNamara's joint sovereignty proposals, bitterly denounced by John Major, come in.
Deliberate leak
The 'Options for a Labour Government' document suggested "joint sovereignty' for a period of 20 years. It seems the year-old document was leaked with the deliberate intention of forcing Major to repudiate it.
While Major had his own reasons for not alienating the Unionists in the run up to the Maastricht vote, the ferocity of his attack suggests that he was being pushed into a harder line by the right as part of the ongoing battle in the Tory Party.
The Tory signal to John Hume was unmistakeable - joint sovereignty is off the agenda. This is what Major told Hume at their Downing Street meeting when THE KATE Magee Support Group organised a picket involving trades unionists, socialists and anti-impe-• rialists to support her during her trial at Sheffield Crown court on 26 and 27 October 1993.
Armagh woman Kate faces charges 'of failing to disclose information' under Section 186 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act following the shooting in April 1992 of British Army recruiting officer Sergeant Newman in Derby.
Kate's brother Joseph Magee is currently being held in Portlaoise prison in Ireland, and is fighting the British government's attempt to extradite him. He is being supported by the Irish Anti-Extradition Committee.
Kate underwent six days of questioning before being allowed to make a telephone call to her six-year old son and was subjected to numerous strip searches while being held at Durham prison.
75 days It took the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas sixteen days to locate her. She was freed on bail after 75 days in custody after two sureties of £10,000 were found. All charges except the PTA were dropped.
Ironically, while Kate was recently in Belfast to care for her seriously ill father, the RUC relaxed her bail signing on conditions to once a week. Derby police originally wanted her to sign three times a day and eventually relaxed this to once a day.
For more information contact PO Box 158 Derby DE1 9NB
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 51, October 30 1993, Page 12