} ( 1 iy a illions of voices raise daily the universal cry to U.S. imperialism, ‘“‘Get Out of Vietnam,” ‘“Yankee Go Home’’, etc. It is a cry from all decent humanity, protesting an inhuman war of genocide and despoilation. That cry is still largely unheeded by the military-industrial and financial complex of U.S. imperialism. That is in keeping with the nature of the beast. It’s arbitrary division of Vietnam serves as its basic pretext for it’s crucifixion of Vietnam and other areas of Indochina. Division is an old and well-worn strategem of imperialism — all imperialism — ‘‘Divide and Rule’’. This division may be effected upon “‘religious’’, political, racist or other grounds. It makes little difference to imperialism. The excuse which serves best for its “‘divide and rule’ strategem, is the one upon which it predicates its ruthless aggression, and to which it’s lying and misleading propaganda is geared. Take the case of Ireland today. It is generally presented as a “religious” feud between Catholic and Protestant factions, with a ‘benevolent’ British imperialism intervening with massed troops and constabulary to “‘restore law and order’, etc. etc. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Some three and a half centuries ago, British imperialism, then in it’s “‘teenage’’ heyday, set out to “‘liberate’”’ Ireland; the Irish peasant from his ancesteral lands,by the imposition of heavy ground-rent and taxes, payable to English landlords, the prompt payment of which determined: the tenure of the Irish peasant, with mass evictions the only alternative. This English landlordism was accompanied by attempts to “liberate” the Irish peasantry from his mode of worship. He must abandon ‘“‘Popery’’ and embrace the Calvanistic inquisitorial canons of Protestantism. British imperialism sequestered his lands with the ‘“‘Foreclosure Acts”’ of a British parliament, and denied his ‘‘freedom of worship’’, by specifying the ‘‘God’’ he must give allegiance to. Later, in our time, the same British imperialism “‘invented’’ another divisive rule, the creation of the ‘“‘sovereign’’ state of Ulster (North Ireland), to facilitate their plunder of Ireland, and to provide a base of operations whereby their landlordism could be perpetuated, and their spurious “religious’’ differences exploited to the full. Ireland is indeed ‘“‘The most distressful country’’ as its immortal songs and its rich native culture bear witness, but its “distress” is a British imperialist import, imposed upon the Irish people by force and violence, by trickery and deceit, by betrayal and a virtual genocide down through'the centuries. * What is happening in Ireland today did not originate today. It is the harvest-of an evil seed sown by British imperialism; the seed of bigotry, prejudice, hypocricy and violence. It is no more a “‘religious’’ war than the genocidal aggression of U.S. imperialism in Vietnam and Southeast Asian is a ‘‘religious”’ war. Moreover there is only one way to restore peace in Ireland; for British imperialism to ‘‘Get out of Ireland’’, just as the only way to achieve peace, unity and sovereign independence for the Vietnamese peoples. In this respect at least, there is a very close parallel between Vietnam and Ireland. With more than a decade of pillage, plunder, defoilation and mass killing, U.S. imperialism is slowly awakening to the reality that it cannot win, even while it escalates its mass murder. With three centuries and more British imperialism may awaken to a like reality, — that it also cannot win in Ireland, regardless of how many troops it scatters across ‘Ould Erin’. That may be a hard lesson for British toryism to learn, but it will get the idea sooner or later. There is only one road, to peace in Vietnam — and Ireland; for the imperialist invaders to call a halt to their provocations, violence and murder, and to Get Out of both countries— while the ‘‘getting is good’’. In his poetic tributes to the Irish martyrs of the 1916 Easter Rebellion in Dublin, Sean O’Casey made that clear enough to the overlords of British imperialism. Other Irish men and women of letters and deep humanity; poets, patriots and rebels against tyranny have made the fact crystal clear. It is for British and U.S. imperialism to learn that ‘‘Men born to freedom cannot be enslaved” no matter how hard the Via Doloroso may be. : 7th ANNUAL CANADA-CUBA © WINTER CARNIVAL Departs Vancouver Dec. 26/71 Only $659.00 Contact: GLOBE TOURS 2679 E. Hastings St., 253-1221 Vancouver 6, B.C. 254-2313 Vancouver needs By ALD. HARRY RANKIN Alderman Earle Adams, who calls the shots for the NPA on City Council, is stubbornly opposed to any reform of the electoral system in Vancouver that would include the ward system (see his Letter To The Editor, Vancouver Sun, Nov. 2, 1971). That’s neither new nor surprising. If we had a ward system, the NPA would lose its 35 year control of City Hall. That’s the real basis of NPA opposition to the ward system, no matter what other arguments are trotted out. A ward alderman, says alderman Adams, ‘‘would only have to curry favor in his own ward to ensure his re-election and would have no motivation to work in the best interests of the entire city.” What’s wrong with an alderman doing something about the needs of the people in his ward? Is it wrong for an MLA or an MP to concern himself with the needs of his constituents? Does this system stand in the way of dealing with issues that affect the entire province or the entire country? Of course not. Under our present system of throwing all voters in one big _ constituency of 267,000 voters, little or nothing is done for any area of the city, or for that matter for the city as a whole. But the wishes of the real estate promoters and speculators are well looked after by the majority - on Council. Alderman Adams asks ‘“‘what if anything is wrong”’ with our present system? The real question that should be asked is “‘what if anything is right about" it?” We use constituencies for provincial and federal elections. A ward system would amount to the same thing for a city. There is no more reason for electing 10 aldermen in a constituency of 250,000 voters than there would be of electing 55 members of the provincial legislature from one single province-wide consti tuency. And how long will Vancouver voters tolerate the ridiculous system where when they go to vote they get a ballot several feet long with 30 to 50 names on it from which they must select: 10? It just doesn’t make sense. The benefits of a ward system are numerous and obvious. Each area of the city would be given direct representation on Council and the needs of each area would be raised in Council, as they should. Citizens in each area would have an alderman who lives in the area, who knows the problems, and who would have an office in the area, to whom Beaver Transfer * Moving * Packing '* Storage 790 Powell St. Phone 254-3711 PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1971—PAGE 2 McEWEN FRCS GU they could go _ with their problems. A ward system would enable citizens to participate more actively in shaping Council decisions. Now tod much of that shaping is done by the lobbies of powerful vested interests backing the NPA. Alderman Adams indicates that he may favor increasing Council from 10 to 12 members, but still elected as at present. That would solve nothing. Two steps need to be taken to achieve a ward system. A majority of Council must agree and apply to the provincial government for an amendment to Vancouver’s charter. The provincial legislature must pass the amendment. The next session of the legislature meets in January. If we are to get a ward system in time for the Dec. 1972 civic elections, there is no time to lose. If enough people make their voice heard at City Council, even the NPA will have to listen. If you want a ward system, let all the aldermen know and let City Council know, and if any organization you belong to feels the same way, make sure it lets Council know too. Pfeiffer to speak Dr. E. W. Pfeiffer, a world- leading authority on the effects of chemical and biological warfare in Vietnam, will be in Vancouver on Wednesday, November 17 and the morning of the 18th. He will speak and show films in the Unitarian Church, 49th and Oak, at 8 p.m., November 17. His last trip to Vietnam was in August of this year. His meeting in Vancouver will be sponsored by Voice of Women and the Peace Action League. HARRY BALL | Ball runs 4 in Surrey SURREY, B.C. — Ha Ball, prominent commun worker and retired railroads announced this week that he u + be a candidate for the SUI municipal council 12 December civic election. Ball, who was a for alderman in Burnaby be moving to Surrey, said ™ statement announcimé |. candidature that ‘‘the ae : people pay more than thelt | share of municipal taxes. th He charged that whet ats people want some improvemé ita done in their district, they oa get it done, ‘‘but whem the business wants something ©) Council falls over themselV give it to them.” ‘ol Ball pointed to transportal as a major problem. He 5%. 4 rapid transit system is ™ “ot very badly with connector" ois. Ae local bus lines to serve all pa) of Surrey. He said this ¥ opl help keep the land for the Pi fo instead of using the lat ant a roads. Ball said freeways Ki roads would cost the peoP mh | Surrey so much that they fet 7 not afford rapid transit late? sis i Charging that most busiN® done in committee meetl? ple in-camera, without the Pr ning present, Ball said every ‘ime seems cut and dried by thé z the public hears about it. 7 mer fore > \Ladies and Gentlemen: on the Vancouver City Council. 8323. ) Petition for ward system A petition demanding adoption of the ward syste Vancouver is being circulated by the Committee of Pro sive Electors (COPE). Following is the text of the petitio™ To the Vancouver City Council: Whereas there is a need to extend democracy, incté citizen participation and give each area direct represen Therefore, we the undersigned citizens urge you to the Provincial Government, before the 1972 legislative S€ to enact changes in the Vancouver City Charter tha require a ward system for Vancouver. : 43 | (Copies of the petition or information, phone a WV m for gres | ase : f tatio® request ssid! t would Vietnam aid shipment No. 34 leaves Vancouv@ ); The 34th shipment of goods for Vietnam left Vancouver aboard the Soviet ship Vogkinsk on November 4th. As customary it will be transported to Vietnam free of charge. The Children’s Committee of Canadian Aid for Vietnam Civilians in this shipment sent 11 crates of clothing, bedding, 100 pounds of vitamin D, stethoscopes, surgical in- struments and dressings, medical books, eye glasses and sewing accessories, to a total value of $4,426.00. While the media gives little news of civilian casualties in Indochina, recent visitors red alarming evidence of °° and slaughter, suffering op is devastation much of ion DS attributed to the introduc yin’ the U.S. of new ter Not weapons. Floods in bot cae and South Vietnam have iq iS the misery and want. desperately needed. gireel™ Contributions may be © ads' | to any one of three peli! Ee Emergency Medical for Artificial limbs, °T jottité purchase of wool and ¢ t materials, For arg. 5 information phone . Young, 733-9018.