Raising Ireland in the Labour Party

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OVER 100 activists took AIDD tAn antirriate trunk part in the third Annual General Meeting of the Labour Committee on Ireland in Birmingham last week.

Following the massive upsurge of opposition to Labour's bipartisan policy in the last year, the meeting was faced with a number of important decisions about a new phase of the campaign.

The last Labour Party conference adopted a policy of a united Ireland 'by consent' in the indefinite future, while rejecting calls for withdrawal and for an end to partition. Much of the discussion at the AGM focused on whether this decision was a real break with bipartisanship or not.

One group of comrades felt that the decision of the Brighton conference represented a major step forward which required the LCI to adjust its activities towards providing information on the situation in Ireland and working out detailed strategy for withdrawal for the Labour Party to adopt.

Other comrades, including the Socialist Organiser supporters present, argued that the LCI should still focus on campaigning to commit Labour to the principles of immediate and unconditional withdrawal. an end to Partition, and repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Last year's Labour Committee on Ireland: Box BM 5355, London WC1.* conference decision. was not a fundamental break with bipartisanship, and we still need a high-profile LCI.

This difference was reflected in several discussions about the press of the LCI, its activities, and the basis on which it should campaign. The second approach, for a campaigning LCI, generally had the majority.

The AGM also reaffirmed the platform of the LCI decided at its first conference, including immediate withdrawal from Ireland.

At Brighton the trade union block vote was decisive in defeating radical motions on Ireland. I was generally agreed that the LCI needed to take up more energetic work in the energetic There was some discussion as to how to do this, given that the LCI is open only to Labour Party members. This restriction is necessary for the work in the Labour Party, but restrictive for the work in Socialist Organiser supporters therefore proposed the creation of a parallel 'Trade Union Committee on Ireland', independent of the LCI but closely linked to it.

This proposal was defeated. It was agreed to welcome non Labour Party members to work with the LCI in the unions, and a range of activities was mapped out, but it is not clear that the mechanisms which now exist are sufficient to allow many non Labour Party trade unionists to become involved.

Anniversary

The decisions of the AGM, however, form a firm basis for campaigning in the year ahead. All LCI members and branches should start now to organise the campaigns the AGM agreed.

After the labour movement conference on February 27, the next major event will be the demonstration jointly organised by the LCI for the anniversary of Bobby Sands' death in May.