Step up fight OK Ireland

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A RATHER dispirited annual general meeting of the Labour Committee on Ireland (LCI), which campaigns in the labour movement for British withdrawal, was held in London last Saturday (April 23).

Although the LCI could point to a number of individual achievements since its last conference, at the same time it has suffered a drastic slump in membership, its broadsheet "Labour and Ireland"' has appeared only irregularly, and there has been a serious lack of any central leadership to co-ordinate and build a national campaign.

There was much beating-ofbreasts about past failings, but little concrete discussion about what needs to be done to remedy the LCI's prolonged malaise.

The unly occasions upon which life threatened to invade the proceedings. were in relation to work in the trade unions and the production of "Labour and Ireland". « But even then, debate was muted: everyone agreed on the need for more and better union work and issues of "Labour and Ireland"; there were merely marginal differences of opinion on how to achieve such goals.

Attempts by supporters . of "Socialist Action", , to inject their own brand of zany politics into the ICI were however defeated.

Motions were passed committing the LCI to launch a recruitment campaign; build caucuses in the unions and make interventions into union national conferences; and increase the size and frequency of "Labour and Ireland". Unfortunately, as the previous record shows, the passing of a motion does not necessarily mean its implementation.

Although the conference can hardly be said to have fired anyone with enthusiasm for work over the year ahead, provided a serious effort is made on a firm political basis the LCI can pull itself out of its present rut.

In particular what is needed is: -a functioning national leadership capable of initiating countrywide campaigns; -regular production of "Labour and Ireland" to raise the profile of the LCI and help build support for its politics; -a much more serious turn to trade union work and more systematic youth work; -an emphasis on the basic political arguments which have-to be confronted if a real labour movement Irish solidarity campaign is to be built, rather than chasing after the get-rich-quick scenarios in "Socialist Action"

Labour Committee on Ire- . land, BM Box 5355, London WGIN 3XX.

This year the annual fete organised by the French Trotskyist group Lutte Ouvriere is a joint event with the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire.

The fete - at Presles. near Paris 00 May 21-22-23 - 5a seekend of iso of politios.

with rerolutionary groups from many countries represented.

A contingent of SO supporters is going over. If you want to go, contact Ellen Taylor;

532 Abbeydale Rd, Sheffield 7 (0742 589307) secre BANDYING around the warning that the USA could face a proliferation of Cuban style regimes in Central America, President Reagan is attempting to press-gang Congressmen and women into voting massively increased military aid to El Salvador.

But so serious is the danger that he may lose the vote for the funds he is seeking, that Reagan has chosen the unusual step of addressing a joint session of the two chambers of Congress.

White House aides and Pentagon propagandists have been engaged in a non-stop campaign of The fact that despite the present high level of military aid the Salvadoran junta iş acknowledged to be losing the war against the FMLN - and that the logic of Reagan's position must be to fol-. low up aid, arms, and 'advisers' with US combat troops if this 'front line' position stands on the verge of defeat - plainly alarms a substantial body of Congressmen.

Yet though there is considerable controversy over the CIA operations against Nicaragua, nobody appears to be pointing to the possibility that Reagan's campaign of military harassment and economic sabotage against Nicaragua might actually bring about the very development that he fears - and drive the Sandinistas firmly into the embrace of the Stalinists of Havana and Moscow.

It was in fact under such pressures in the early 1960s that Fidel Castro's July 26 Movement, which initially disavowed any socialist aims, was driven for its self-defence to mobilise an increasingly radical mass movement, and to seek economic support and a military alliance with the Soviet bureaucracy.

The chief factor limiting such a development in Nicaragua at the present time - given the sinister military threats to the country through CIA-sponsored activities based in Honduras and Costa Rica - is the obvious reluctance of the Soviet bureaucracy to become directly embroiled in the Central American struggle. town of Fatsa.

While Reagan paints the conflicts in the region as examples of the East/West struggle for power, and the CIA struggles to produce 'evidence' of Soviet arms and aid to the FMLN in Salvador, the Moscow leadership has stayed well back from the events, and even Castro's involvement has been restricted.

It seems likely that Reagan will get at least the lion's share of the cash he is seeking from Congress to wage his wars in Central 263 of them. America: it is seems much less likely that the guerilla forces in El Salvador will receive the kind of arms and aid they need from the Cuban and Soviet leaders to carry LABOUR councils in Hackney, Islington and Haringe y (North London) are this wee k discussing proposals to show solidarity with the people and fo rmer local administration of the 3 Turkish They are expected 1 to support moves to organise a del egation of mayors and local counc illors from cities across Europe to • visit the mass trial currently und ler way of 759 citizens of Fatsa.

The trial began on ja inuary 12, and is likely to last u Tip to two years. The people of Fatsa are charged with turning th neir municipal administration int o a 'commune' and the pros ¡ecutor is demanding death sent ences for They were arrested l in July 1980. in an army swor op on the town just two months l refore the military coup. Fatsa had been under a left-wing admi inistration