Printed by Tridant Press, Edenbridge. Published by Idolrare Ltd, PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU. Copyright © 1995 Republicans are left in the cold by Labour and Tories: Sinn Fein leader Martin McGuinness LABOUR'S leadership now thinks that the Protestant veto on Irish unity is 'common sense. Tony Blair says we have to "trust the Tory plan for the occupied six counties in Northern Ireland.
His vision of 'new Labour' has no room for the needs of the oppressed nationalist minority. The party that sent in the troops in 1969 is quite happy to do deals which appease the most extreme elements by promising to preserve the Loyalist ascendancy.
Labour's move even fürther to the right followed a stormy week in which Ulster Unionists threatened to bring down Major's government, and Labour's northern Ireland spokesperson Mo Mowlem addressed an UIster Unionist gathering in Derry.
Now that Labour's policy for Ireland is identical to that of the Tories. the Unionists are cynically using their flirtation with Labour to put more pressure on their preferred parliamentary partner - the Tory Party. SINCE 1970, 300 people have been killed by Crown forces in the six counties of Ireland. Only two soldiers have been found guilty of murder for those killings.
In 1990 Karen Reilly and Martin Peake were shot dead by the 3rd Parachure regiment. Private Lee Clegg was sentenced to life imprisonment. Quite right.
How did 3 Para respond? Did they apologise to the families of Karen Reilly and Martin Peake? Quite the opposite. According to John Ware, Panorama journalist:
"3 Para constructed a large mock-up of the Astra peppered with bullet holes and displayed it in the canteen. In the front was a papier mache head with red paint depicting the shot that killed Martin Peake... the caption read 'Vauxhall Astra. Build by Robots. Driven by Joyriders. Stopped by A company.'"
The Parachute Regiment's murderous record in the six counties is legendary. They were responsible for the murder of fourteen civil rights marchers on Bloody Sunday in 1972. As with Karen Reilly, many of the Bloody Sunday demonstrators were shot in the back. No-one has yet been brought to trial. Major and the Tories back murdering squaddies down the line We should be clear about the issue involved: for once justice has been done. Neither the British government nor the tabloid press are able to stomach that. For them Irish lives do not count.
The British labour movement should oppose the call for Clegg to be released.
If Labour's leadership - after years of indifference to such blatant Oppose outrages as the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four - now wants to ride another Tory bandwagon and begin challenging abuses of justice, there is no shortage of victims of British imperialist frame-ups.
Following Blair's recent TV appearance appealing for us to trust Major's plans for Ireland, and Mowlem's guest appearance for the Loyalists, this will require a major campaign throughout the party and trades unions.
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