NUPE school on Ireland

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Writeback S.0, letters, up to a MO DECIDES?

THE weekend school on Northern Ireland, organised by the East Midlands Division of NUPE on 3-4 April was an important step in the struggle to raise the question of Britain's continued presence in the six counties, inside the trade union movement.

NUPE, whose Northern Ireland membership is split 50/50 Catholic and Protestant, has as yet no policy on Northern Ireland, Dear S.o, LEAVING the Falkland Islanders to decide to which they belong would be equivalent to accepting the pseudo-democratic call of the Tory and Labour Establishments to leave the people of Ulster to decide on Partition.

Just as Partition, and earlier with the plantations, the population of the six counties was predetermined and hand-picked to ensure that there was always a majority for partition; so when the Argentine Governor and population of the Malvinas were expelled and our own countrymen planted there, this was to ensure British possession of a British colony. And though elections were not a matter of concern for ordinary Britons in those days, it was inevitable that the heritage of this - like the heritage of the Ulster Plantations -would at elections provide a majority for unity with Though there are no ruled 'natives, the Falkland Islanders are nevertheless in the position of a colonial The plantation was made for the same reasons as planMOST readers of this paper will look forward with relish, or at least relief, to the end of their more routine labour movement meetings, and the opportunity of having a pint oI two before closing time.

There are even comrades who keep Friday nights religiously free for more serinis imbibing, and hell, high PLAN LAD water or SO meeting will not keep them from their tipple. Even those who are most critical of the drugs industrv and drug-obsessed medical profession for pushing Debendox, or Depo-Provera or Valium are likely to have a drink at the end of an evening discussing such probalthough this could change at this year's conference.

The week-end school, which was led by the two full time officials for Northern Ireland was aimed primarily at breaking the silence which surrounds the whole issue.

No answers were provided by the two officials, who wanted just to provide the school with as many facts as possible and for those attending the school to draw out their own uLaW VUL LICU We invite readers We invite readers to send us their to send us their letters, up to a usual maximum usual maximum length of 400 words. Send to Socialist Organiser, c/o 28. Middle Lane. London N8. tations in colonies and in Ireland. This time they wanted a trading and naval post - a policy that has leit the same aftermath of complications. * The fact is that in an archipelago, nearly the size of Wales, there is a population roughly equivalent to that of a very small market town or large village. Despite the enormous size of Latin America there is throughout it considerable land hunger and pressure for cultivable land - no doubt caused by too many very large land owners, (which latter are diverting their own people's attention from their i own greed by pointing to the Malvinas) - and insisting on the Falkland Islanders' right to choose means insisting on "their rights" as a relatively privileged grouping.

That said, I don't claim to have the real answer, but it seems certain that the Falkland Islanders ought to share their land with others, whether Argentines OI people from far more overcrowded countries is a different matter.

Fraternally, LAURENS OTTER Alcohol consumption in Britain is increasing dramatically. Hospital admissions for problems related to alcohol have doubled in the past 10 years. Deaths from cirrhosis of the liver have similarly increased. The number of people with a drink problem has been estimated at around half a million in the mid-1970s.

For some reason, women appear to be particularly susceptible. As little as 1½ pints of beer or its equival- • Г 164 ent (½ bottle of wine, 2½ measures of spirits) daily exposes some women to the risk of liver damage, though conclusions.

The school did not duck any issues, for example, the relationship of the Provisional IRA to the Catholic community, or the question of women's rights and gay rights in both communities and both political leaderships.

Nor is the whole question solved by simply calling for unification with the south: what about the 1 Please find attached an appeal circulated by this Leeds 6th Branch of OUT Union (AUEW).

This campaign has the full support of the branches within the Leeds area, the Leeds District Committee, the shop stewards and (we believe the overwhelming majority of our members.

Yours fraternllay, A. JACKSON • The leaders of the AUEW (engineering section) has arbitrarily taken a decision to end the payment of certain benefits to its members. It has done this without prior consultation and without submitting the matter to the vote of its members, even though the Rules governing this particular matter, specifically required the agreement of at least 40% of the membership.

Having done that, it denied the right of members to challenge the decision in the Union's Final Appeal Court and has thereby created a situation in which members must accept the unconstitutional action or take the matter to the High Court, with all that this entails.

Ernie Jacques has decided that the obvious financial pressures cannot be allowed determine the degree of democracy within the union. He has therefore reluctantly decided to challenge the leadership tions for him and his family considerable, and therefore ask you to dig into your pockets to help support democracy.

Please help, please give women. However, the gap is closing, even though women alcoholics are likely to be diagnosed at a later stage than men.

Perhaps it is unsurprising that those who drink most are people who are separated from normal social relationships fe.g. construrtion VUILOLLULLIUIL workers away from their homes), those with alcohol available at work (brewery and distillery workers) and those with exnence aronunte FAININ 77 and social pressures towards drinking (not too many SO supporters here.

Behind these statistics lie the effects of alcohol on the body. Liver damage is only one aspect (and, contrary to nonular saliaf rpinand depends solely on the amount of alcohol consumed. Beer is iust as damarine as wine or spirits).

in addition, alcohol is related to cancer of the million Protestants, the 100.000 hedguns and ooo legally held guns the fact that there are Catholic ghettoes which cannot be defended by those communities.

Finally came the two peints that are of most significance to the supporters of British withdrawal. There was opposition to the glorification of the armed struggle amongst some sections of the British left; noone takes generously. The costs are likely to be very high. Please send donations to : Bro. Jack Benson, (Leeds 14th Branch Secretary, AUEW), 14 Neville Parade, Leeds, LS9 OLD.

The appeal committee up arms until it option.

Secondly that the British left while arguing for self determination for the Irish people as a whole, should not hide behind that slogan, failing to take into account how that transformation can take place, with as little bloodshed as possible.

CHARLIE SARELL NUPE Leic. Hospitals and fund trustees represent all the 34 AUEW branches within the Leeds District. Cheques and postal orders should be crossed and made payable to the "Ernie Jacques Appeal Fund" Cooperative Bank Ltd.

Is this. the official position of the supporters of Militant, not to work with any other tendencies in joint campaigns? This seems to me a very sectarian viewpoint. The only way to defend the gains of the Labour left and the right of Marxists to be in the Labour Party is surely for the left to unite and fight together? If we stand divided then we will surely fall divided also. We must show our strength and unite together to defend the gains of the left.

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I would be grateful if you would print this letter in your paper and also a reply to the points raised above.

In Sisterhood Kate Williams (Secretary, Wolverhampton SW LPYS and West Midlands Regional Youth Committee member)

*This letter has been sent to Militant. list. Alcohol affects bone marrow, the pancreas, and a host of other organs.

There can be little doubt that if alcohol had been discovered by a pharmaceutical company today, it would have been considered too dangerous to merit its use, even under prescription.

Interestingly, addiction to alcohol may depend on similar brain mechanicme a addiction to heroin and morphine. One druz. naloxone, which prevents the action of opiates on nerve cells, can be used to reverse coma induced alcohol.

Few of us are at the stage of requiring treatment. bat TAMAmhaT. r.a..-.. recession can lead 20 increase in alcobolis. dEthe hratate "-a "na Turia-" LIL VILES LE 12E1 paymasters S00r2: British Medical MIPTT EXAI NEUTE D..Il.a:_ 180-