The struggles which have followed the arrest of Bernadette Devlin highlight the completely unstable social situation in Northern Ireland. As we have stated many times before, the basic cause of this instability is the exploitation of Ireland by British imperialism—the direct military occupation of the North and the neo-colonialist domination of the Republic. The victory of the Tories in the British General Election and the split in Fianna Fail in the south have contributed to the sharpening of the situation. Civil war is on the order of the day; the present stage of the struggle has transcended the question of civil rights. The question now posed, which was obscured by the origins of the conflict last summer, is the continued existence of the Northern Irish state. This struggle can only be ended by the abolition of the border, setting the stage for a struggle by the entire Irish working class for the final liberation of Ireland, the Workers Republic, or by the infliction of a catastrophic defeat on the nationally conscious workers of Northern Ireland. A defeat which would make the repression they have suffered up to now seem mild in comparison.
Stormont's response to justified protests at Bernadette Devlin's arrest has been the mailed fist. Their own bigotry, combined with a fear of Paisleyism has led them to abandon any pretence of a reformist solution. The British Government, while making an appearance of working for a compromise, backs this policy of force, as their dispatch of 3,000 more troops makes clear. The role of these troops is clear; "Shoot on sight" is fascist language. Those who were confused about this question must now realise the disastrous mistake they made. The fact that Belfast and Derry exploded in their fiercest violence yet, despite the 8,000 British occupation troops, despite the Whitehall-imposed "reforms" of last year, and despite the fact that the provocation of the 12th of July Orange parades is still to come, shows the complete inability of British imperialism to find even a short-term solution to the Irish question. On the contrary, worsening economic conditions and British entry into the Common Market will exacerbate the crisis. The only perspective is of continuous struggle—political, economic and social.
In this situation every political tendency in Britain will be forced to take a stand. For the left, Ireland will be an acid test. So far the response has been pitiful: political confusion has vied with organisational ineptitude. Now is the time to make amends for the traditional backwardness on Ireland of the British Left. The arrest of Bernadette Devlin, and the heightened interest because of the riots and violence, make it necessary to move immediately and decisively. The success of the Vietnam solidarity movement showed that it is possible to build a mass anti-imperialist movement on a principled basis in this country. It should be even more possible on the Irish question. Ireland is nearer, Ireland directly concerns British imperialism, and there are one and a half million Irish people living here.
The International Marxist Group points out the imperative need for unity in solidarity with the Irish people's struggle for self-determination. It is vital to build at every level a united front between all who support that struggle, left groups, the labour movement, and Irish exiles, particularly republicans. This united front should organise mass activity, and give practical help—political and organisational—to those organisations struggling for Irish self-determination. It should support in every way possible the right of the oppressed Catholic minority in the North to defend itself by all means necessary against violence from the Orange extremists, the police, and British troops. It must fight the widespread chauvinism in the British labour movement which has its roots in centuries of ideological "justification" of the exploitation of the Irish people. We must act quickly. Every day the authorities are allowed to implement their "shoot on sight" policy damages the prospects of unity between the Irish and British workers against their common foes.
For a united front on the basis of:
SELF-DETERMINATION FOR IRELAND!
WITHDRAW ALL BRITISH TROOPS NOW!
RELEASE BERNADETTE DEVLIN, AND ALL IRISH POLITICAL PRISONERS!