Sinn Fein and EEC

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Sinn Fein decided at its November Ard Fheis to take any seats it might win in next June's European Parliament In the following (slightly shortened) article from the Republican paper An Phoblacht (January 26) Damien O'Rourke presents Sinn Fein's view of what it will be doing in the June election.

SINN FEIN will be fielding candidates in all five Irish constituencies at the forthcoming EEC elections. Sinn Fein will contest the election on an all-Ireland basis to maximise its anti-BEC message.

Candidates have been chosen in several constituencies and the names will go before next month's ardchomhairle meeting for ratification. Further names are expected to have been put forward bythen.

In the North, Danny Morrison, Sinn Fein's elected representative in Mid-Ulster, was unanimously chosen to continue the dramatic electoral progress of Sinn Fein, which last October won over 40% of the nationalist vote.

In the Connaught/Ulster constituency, two candidates have been chosen: Eddie Fullerton of Donegal and Caoimhghin O Caolain / of Monaghan.

In Dublin, last weekend's convention chose John Noonan as the Sinn Fein candidate, a former Northsider he now lives in Tallaght where he has been involved in building a strong Sinn Fein base.

In Munster, the election convention is to reconvene shortly when it is hoped that Richard Behal, who was chosen last weekend as candidate, will confirm that he is in a position to go forward.

The Sinn Fein decision to contest in all five constituencies follows resolutions at last November's Ard Fheis which decided to contest the EEC elecof opposition to the EEC"

The Ard Fheis also decided that any successful EEC candidates would attend the EEC assembly "under the guidance of the ardchomhairle" and "with the declared intention of working for the disbandment of the EEC as a European capitalist power-bloc"

Speaking about Sinn Fein's anti-EEC policies, which it will be putting forward at the elec-.

tions, the party's president, Gerry Adams MP, said:

'The EEC was formed as imperialism changed. Following the Second World War, in order to preserve their interests, the colonial Western European powers set about forming a political and economic unit.

"Ireland, as ever, went in on the coat-tails of Britain.

'The EEC, we believe, denies Irish national sovereignty, and recognises partition and institutionalises it. It ignores our unique cultural identity and spurns our national language.

"It takes away all of the tools of economic development. The monetary system has a crippling effect on smaller states and the free trade agreement works to the advantage of the big states.

"In agriculture, big farmers have benefited while the small farmers have suffered immeasurably. Irish fishing rights have been opened up to everyone, with resulting massive exploitation and violation of our fishing stock by continental nations.

«The EEC has destroyed local industry, increased unemployment, depleted our fishing stock and seriously damaged our farming community.

'Sinn Fein opposed joining the EEC and pointed out all of these dangers. "Our present electoral platform will be one of withdrawal from the EEC, anti-imperialist and anti-EEC and will therefore be diametrically opposed to all the other political parties who support membership."

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