i

Irish workers uniting for peaceful solution

British direct rule of Northern Ireland (Ulster) imposed by the Tory government of Prime Min- ister Edward Heath was imme- diately criticized by the Com- munist Parties of Ireland, and Britain. The CPI said that it “has continually called for the suspension of the Stormont (Northern Ireland) administra- tion. It opposes direct rule from Britain. The CPI demands has been for replacement of Stor- mont by a democratic adminis- tration composed of representa- tives of people’s organizations and not by a hand-picked Lon- don commission.”

The Irish Communists demand- ed release of all those held in Northern Ireland internment camps, enactment of a Bill of Rights which would include re- peal of the Special Powers Act, introduction of proportional re-

presentation, democratically-re- -

drawn electoral district boun- daries, and equal democratic rights for all. “There can be no basis for a democratic political solution until these minimum conditions are met,” the CPI said.

“In the present tense situation, the CPI calls for maximum unity of the working class to ensure ‘security for all the people. This is a time for non-violent and peaceful political action to guar- antee a democratic administra- tion in Ulster,” the CPI said. It urged all Irish workers to reject

the incitement of anti-working .

class elements, “such as William Craig and Company.”

“The situation is grave,” it warned, “Any extension into a civil conflict would find its vic- tims among the ordinary Protes- tant and Catholic workers, not among the members of the Bri- tish government, the leadership of the Unionist Party” in Ulster, “or of the Lynch government” in the Republic of Ireland (Eire). The CPI urged a mobilization of workers’ strength to find a peace- ful solution “rather than divi- sion among the working people.”

Craig, the leader of the reac- tionary Ulster Vanguard, de- clared in Belfast, “We have been betrayed by our friends and rob- bed of our rights. We intend to fight and win them back!” It was not an idle threat in the opinion -of informed Irish sources, since it is backed by a well-armed

Members of

trade unions and politica

underground army of more than 100,000 organized in the Ulster Force (UVF), the armed wing of the UV. The UVF and Craig both have close ties with the British Army and Stormont re- gime, and their weapons are re- gulation British Army and police types.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA), generally referred to as “the Officials” in the capitalist press, stated that since it “is not engaged in an aggressive military campaign, there is no need for a truce. If the British Army ceased its terror, the need for military action from the IRA would not exist.”

- splinter-group, are divided on the

truce issue.

Last week’s crippling strike in Ulster tended to show that the Protestant working masses are fearful of what British “direct rule” may bring, and Craig’s re- actionaries are taking full advtn- tage of these fears. Walk-outs by Protestant workers in Ulster- government controlled sectors were nearly complete: the police walkout snarled traffic, buses were not running, and telephones were not working. Rail and air transport was almost completely

. paralyzed and government-run

power stations were shut down. In the “private sector,” workers

at. Belfast’s important shipyards |

also walked out.

The Northern Ireland trade unions generally have taken a good, but somewhat cautious stand on the present conflict. In a February conference in Bel- fast, the trade unions’ leadership called for a peaceful solution and a Bill of Rights based on the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948, and suggested that it was up to the rank-and-file to give the lead toward implementing such a pro- gram. Zee

Fact of biology

A Montreal bio-chemist re- cently told members of the Canadian Club of Montreal that “there’s a biological reason for strike and violence in our so- ciety.”

He may have accidently stum- bled on the fact of biology that people must eat. .

| parties, including the

AKEL are shown participating in the largest meeting in the history of Cypress. The meeting was organized to counteract the continued pressure for the violent overthrow of President Makarios by the Greek military junta and their NATO allies. The AKEL (Progressive Party of Working People) supports Makarios and his policy of a peaceful solution of the Cypress problem on the basis of a unitary,

foreign aggression. :

PACIFIC,TRIBUNE—FRIQAY, APRIL 7, 1972--RAGE 8. 5

independent, sovereign state'and is working for unity of the broadest masses for the. mobilization, of the Cypress people to counter any

Teo ee ee a re

By MEL DOIG

Meeting at a time of grave social and political crisis in Italy, the 13th Congress of the Italian Communist Party, held March 13-17 in the great indus- trial working-class city of Milan, made its main work the defining and approval of the party’s policy and tactics in the country-wide election campaign that opened the day before it convened.

_Thirty-five million Italians are. eligible to vote May 7. These are the first national elections since the Liberation to take place before the constitutional time limit, in this case one year earlier. On the Sunday morning, March 12, the fraternal delegates visited a number of cities and towns in the Milan district. ‘Cheering Italian Communists waved to us as they stood wait- ing for the town halls to open so that they could inscribe their party’s lists of candidates before those of all other parties. Tradi-

tionally the Communists’ names .

are always the first on the ballots.

On March 13 the ICP Con- gress opened. The 1,042 deleg- ates representing the 1,500,419 members of the Italian Com- munist Party unanimously adopted the main report submit- ted by Enrico Berlinguer, whom they elected as the new general secretary of the party. Berlin- guer replaces in this post. the ailing Luigi Longo, named by

the 13th Congress as the party

chairman,

In the packed sports arena - where the Congress met, a single slogan high above the presidium announced the party’s call to action: ‘‘Forward to the building of working-class and popular unity; for a government with a new democratic direction; for the renewal of Italy on the path to socialism!”

The unexpected announce- ment of national elections, ‘and the consequent reduction from seven to five days for the Con- gress, determined the nature of -the main report delivered on the opening afternoon. Certain ideo- logical questions; the world anti-imperialist struggle; the depth of the developing crisis within imperialism and its ef- fects on Italy; these and other questions, dealt with in the November 1970 Central Com- mittee report for discussion throughout the Italian Commun- ist Party, could only be touched on at the 13th Congress. From its outset the delegates unanim- ously agreed that the Congress had to equip and mobilize the party for electoral battle at once, and that on short ‘notice and in.the.midst;of a: particular-

Fad

ect wm Italy's Communists gird for

ly complex and dangerous situa- tion. Less than 48 hours before the Congress opened, “leftist” and police provocations in the streets of Milan attested to reaction’s efforts to create an atmosphere of violence and fear among the people during the elections. :

The economic crisis today sees 1,000,000 unemployed in Italy. Only one in three persons can find a job. Many plants are curtailing production. While standards of living are drastical- ly. declining for most of the people, immense riches are be- ing accumulated by a small minority.

The political crisis today is marked by increasing loss of democratic rights, by govern-

mental incapacity and the rising.

discontent of working people and farmers, discontent that the forces of reaction and of fascism are seeking to turn to their advantage.

For 10 years Italy’s govern- ment has been the Centre-Left coalition of four parties, the two principal ones being the Christian Democrats and the Socialists with 264 and 62 seats respectively in the 630-member Chamber of Deputies elected in 1968. The Communists, who were not in the Centre-Left, had 166 deputies elected.

With the collapse of the Centre-Left, the Christian Demo- cratic party has assumed shaky ‘governmental power. The im- mediate, determining cause of Italy’s present parliamentary crisis has been the decision of the Christian Democrats to move the right, to encourage the most reactionary forces in Italian society.

Berlinguer’s report declared: “The main reason for the poli- tical crisis that has paralyzed . . . parliament lies in the fact that Christian Democracy-. . . has swerved its strategy to the right, thus blocking the rein- forcement of democracy.”

Affirming that the working class of Italy has become “the decisive force in the life of the nation,” the ICP general secret- ary stated in his concluding speech, “The alternative we now propose is not the enlargement of the Centre-Left but getting rid of it . . . of fighting for participation of Communists.” The process of attempting to go ahead with the Centre-Left, he said, is impossible. To the cheers of the Congress deleg- ates, Berlinguer declared, “Now is the time for Italy to go ahead with the working class and democratic forces.”

Communist trade union leaders

who spoke called on the party to,

- exert still great

rat lor - responsibility is great i;

trade unionists, preseM’s ized in three centres, tne being the Communist-le6 aa Links with the Socialis! fa have become stronger, representative address” 13th Congress with aie unity in action with tis munist Party. Other p4 ut i movements of the left, iy

Cc . \

Congress. aaa AS

In the main report “hes Wi as in a number of Spe im. leaders of the ICP, 8° aly was placed on a “neW gh, and how the Italian COM Gy Party sees it. “The gt@4 af tive is to construct “ig Europe,” Berlinguer $4 if fic and democratic, towards socialism . --

Italian Communists sind only towards the WOM?) afl j of our own country, "orc or

“all the democratic

our continent.”

Of the 1,042 deleg were industrial work farm laborers and peatiy croppers; 96 studem clerks; 43 technicians intellectuals. One hut forty-six delegate tweet 25 years of age; 171 1 afd pe and 30; 247 between 3 sel

There were 50 rater & ations at the 13th Co Hy cluding all the socl®.” ji, tries, with China 4?

invited but absent.

471 control syd

MOSCOW — At a Pigg ference for Soviet on oF ate journalists, held i0. a of Na of the State Committ of x USSR Council of Mim pal Science and Technology Wy Zhimerin, first dep i'M man of this committe 446 "Bhi at present the uss, gift A control systems 0% fveliBii purposes. During t Sal yy period (1971-1975) the. Uke will increase six ae 2,000 computing cent ss ped with new compPt of be put into operation. — teh) ber of electronic co™ ind the consumer g00 5 ed: ? will be more than tP. ‘be,

In the report On Dl CPSU Congress Leo of fi. nev, general secretae CPSU Central Comm | that in the future 4” bath state automated syst® of Ae lection and process! 6 mation is to be formulation of this to the great potent! Soviet, economy...

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