voted by came from Brian Gibbons, and supporters of the Workers Party in Ireland • final vote. position reversed at the LCC AGM.
but we entirely agree with its central proposal develop on this on the left.
THERE are no short easy solutions to the so-called 'Irish Question'.
For centuries The British presence has circcuy affected politics and the issue has fusion and bitter mistrust the bloody dissension of the Neil issue as of the greatest moral challenges facing an 20ministration.
Successive British policies since 1969 - from power sharing direct rule and now the Anglo Irish Agreement have all been short term and pragmatic. Far from providing a long term solution a have been bocaces to such a solution Meanwhile Labour Partı polthe goal or on minted whilst committed contains no strategy for achieving it and in practice will allow the unionist veto to prevail. However, radical policy change must be engaged to unfreeze the present destructive deadlock and to unlock a new dynamic.
Any serious historical assessment colonial imperial conclude that the imposition of partition 4110l democratic. Throughout the world Britain's colonial policy of divide and rule was wel known and faced with repeated rebellions, British policy was to promote and foster sectarian and religious division.
At the end of World War I, faced determined national Independence movemeni and in the last all Ireland General of 1918 over 75 per cent of the people voted for a freee an end to British sovereignty. Bntain reacted by imposing partitio by retaining six counties the North East tition by retaining six counties in the North East be favourable to Britain's interests. THE LABOUR Coordinating Committee (LCC) consultative conference on Ireland on 24 January tavour of kritish withdrawal from Ireland within the first parliamentary term of the next Labour government. The paper proposing this was moved by Peter Hain and supported by Ken Livingstone and Labour Committee on Ireland student officer Conor Foley. Opposition Gary Kent of the ILP, all of whom accepted the Unionist veto. The position will go to the next year's LCC conference for This vote is extremely important. It opens up the way to both Labour's main pressure groups — the LCC and Labour Left Liaison — adopting a position in favour of British withdrawal from Ireland. Opponents of the position for withdrawal are expaper. We would not agree with every aspect of it.
that Labour must withdraw from Ireland during the lifetime of one parliament. If that can be agreed as the central demand then united work can rapidly Thus not only was the most fundamental democratic right of all -the right of Irish people as a whole to determine their Ilagrally denied but also an artificial, unworkable, Settarian, discriminatory, undemocratic statelet created that remains the cause of dissension today.
It is necessary to aismantle the injustice of partition, to tace un to the tion that Britain's presence is the root cause of the to stand up sectarian legacy that earlier British administrations fostered, to remove the reactionary Unionist veto over the negotiation Irish so that the Irish people as a whole can determine their destiny.
British withdrawal holds the key to this. Until occurs, the loyalists in the North will continue to play the unionist card and ICTUSC LU tace up lo tne reality that they have to co-exist peacetully equitably with the rest of the Irish people; similarly, the minority in the North will continue to respond in reactive at time violent manner.
Policy objective There will be a committment to British withdrawal Ireland within the life-time of the next government, the dissolution or the Union and its replacement by a freely negotiated structure for the whole of Ireland in which the rights of each section of the community will be guaranteed.
Strategy A demand for immediate British withdrawal is simply not practical as it would leave vacuum which violence dissension would _conunue amstend the Government should declare intention withdraw within its term of office and immediately convene a constitutional conference to agreee transtructures. the and withdrawal will be accompanied by the endeavour sechne Unionist involvement as to that is to the constitutional, economic and tinancial ar. rangements that would replace the Union, and the sequence and timetable of steps 1n the dissolution process.
Constitutional COl ference: It is proposed that Constitutional Conestablished Terence elected representatives trom par ties North and South with determine the structures of a new Ireland and to enter into negotiations with Britain over ine transitiona arrangements or transfer of sovereignty.
The conterence will he empowered to make malority decisions. It will be free to agree a new Ireland structure, whether federal unitary or whatever. The only framework that the Government will set out are that civil Te MOs pended should be guaranteed and that rights to dua citizen ship, whether British or Irish, will remain open for the people living throughout Further that, at the outset of the process of the constituCula conterence LaKS the government will enter liv an agree ment with the government of the Republic of Ireland, lnal in the event of failure of majority to agree within the Constitutional that Ine Labour Government will irrevocably dissolve transfer sovereignty to a unitary state of the Republic and elected representatives in the North within the tive year lifetime of a Labour Parliament Economic support: the reconstruction fund: Given the historical role of the British presence the effect of the 'troubles' the Northern economy, I must be rignu that the Labour GovernRelatives of Bloody Sunday victims on the commemoration march Peter Hain ment accepts the responsibility of providing immediate and indeed ongo reconnection alone an lines of a socialist 'Marshal Aid' plar for Northern Ireland. . Thus not only would the government provide economic investment now but also enter with the newly agreed constitutional entity to provide economic subventions for an agreed period into the future to guarantee the underpinning of the northern economy and its integration into an all Te a coner Further, Britain would join with the other countries organise, with no strings attached, long term package of economic aid.
relating and investing in and revitalising the nor. thern the undertakes via the Fair Employment Agency, implement the MacBride principles to assist in the process ending discriminatory employment practices.
Call for end
hostilities: In the light of the Labour Government's accaratul of dissolve the establish the Constitutional Conference and the steps outlined above to ensure civil liberties support, the Government would call for a cessation of all offensive military ac tivity .by. , all parties organisations to allow the process of dialogue discussion to take place in the best possible atmosphere to achieve a successful negotiated solution.
Policy statement: The LCC should campaign for policy statement along lnese nnes to be adopiec by the Party. Only by embarking radical policy initiative with COVICLOI determination can Labour permit the Irish people as a whole to determine their own path to peac reconciliation and finally bring to an end emnity between Britain and Ireland. In the event t of agreement new Ireland structures within the constitutional conference then the union will be dissolved sovereignty transferred to the agreed structures again within the five year litetime Parliament.
Creating the right con ditions: degrading strip searching the abolition of the non jury Diplock Courts, the use of •supergrasses reter to appeal courts oi tribunals of convictions that give rise for concern colicingthe prison policy: government will ensure the withdrawal of troops barracks and institute an immediate review to determine the operational use of arms only for defensive purposes or protection of threatened communites This review to b to the existing police force services as well. The UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment) will be immediately stood down and abolished with appropriate compensation agreed The government will announce establishmen. commission to draw up arrangements to provide for Northern Ireland police force with a central co-ordinating body that will be acmocialically de countable to local munities.
On prison policy, following the suspension and later repeal of various repressive Acts there should be a review of convictions under these Acts undertaken immediately and an undertaking offered that a general amnesty for prisoners convicted under scheduled offences calegories de Insutuled a part of the constitutiona process British disengage-
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pected to carry out an all out campaign to get the We are printing here in full PETER HAINS's