We Always Hope There Is Labour Movement'

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'Growing pressure from the rank and file': the Labour Committee on Ireland lobbieś Labour's NEC GRELAND & What is your assessment of the current stage of negotiations with the British government over the prisoners five demands, and what do you think is the way forward now? Unfortunately, at this stage, just after the death of Joe MacDonnell, it appears that there hasn't been any change really. The efforts of the Irish Commission for Peace and Justice have not come to anything.

The British Government still refuses to make any moves towards ending the hunger strike on a sensible basis.

Is that because the ernment are saying KEVIN O'DONOGHUE of Belfast Provisional Sinn Fein told IAN SWINDALE how Irish Republicans see the fight for political status.

Govthat Labour's Merlyn they will only make concessions if the hunger strike stops, while the hunger strikers are refusing to call off their action until the Government concedes the five demands?

Yes. The hunger strikers did reach what they thought was a principled agreement just before Christmas. They were urged by John Hume and other people to come off the hunger strike then "so that the British Government could make moves in a depressurised situation"

But the sad experience is that if the prisoners come off the hunger Rees and Roy Mason (left! strike the Governmet takes it as a sign of wed ness, and uses it 1 renege on the agreemer Once the momentum he dropped, it is very hard! start it again.

So what can the Repuk can movement do to bred the deadlock?

The Republican mow ment can't do anything! break the deadlock. I between the British Ga ernment and the priso ers, and always has beer The role of the Repul lican movement is to on anise the . demonste tions, and to highlight! case of the prisone abroad and elsewhere put pressure on the Be