series of political campaigns whose sole achievement was the further alienation not only of the bureaucracy but of public The 'cultural' policy of Chiang Ching and co. angered and demoralised cultural and intellectual workers. In the name of *reform' they in fact erected a crude cul tural dictatorship, reducing China's rich and varied theatrical heritage to a mere handful of "model operas"
The 'egalitarian wages policy, which favoured a downward compression of wage scales and exaggerated opposition lo "material incentives', earned them the hostility of large sections of the working class. Compared with so-called capitalist roaders" like Teng Hsiao-ping, Li Hsiennien and others, Mao's radical' proteges had no significant history of revolutionary struggle to back up their claims to moderate leaders made skilful use of the 40th anniversary of the Long March in 19/ to underune unl difference in background between the two Distotorchin The fact that "moderate' leaders appear to bear none of the responsibility for the series o1 ponca. crises which nave brought such discredit on Mao and his supporters in the leadership in recent years is another strong plus in their favour.
But to the degree that the Chinese masses look to the 'moderates' for fulfilment of their hopes, they are under an illusion. The real power bases of the "moderate' leaders are the army (which reportedly played an important role in the preparation of the recent purge) and the bureaucracy: Teng's use of troops to suppress the Hangchow general strike of 1975, the immediate closing of ranks in the bureaucracy during the recent TienAn-Men riots, and the classically bureau resolved all demonstrate the limits of the -moderates Nevertheless ine oovious close connec tion between the mass struggles of recent months and the present turmoil in the
THE SELF-STYLED 'peace people' of Belfast now stand fully exposed as unequivocal supporters of the British presence in Ireland. Within the last ten days three developments have occurred which once and for all destroy the myth that the movement is non-partisan rather it is an unashamed ally of the British Government and its troops.
FIRST was the statement made on 13 October by prominent "peace people' Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan in which they gave full support to the Royal Ulster Constabulary BRUISE Army. They declared: "Our attitude to the security forces is this: we fully support the rule of law and until the Northern Ireland community themselves evolve their own community constitutions and form of government, then the RUC and other security forces are the only legitimate upholders of law and order.' As the Daily Mirror put it, meaning or unis statement was Ulster Peace Brigade Back recently applied to work in the Foreign Office indicates her association with the politics of her dead husband — who was the direct representative of British imperialism in Ireland.
Sooner or later the mask or the peace people had to fall, and the way in which it has fallen is an object lesson for all those who think that peace can come 1r Ireland through wishful thinking. Events The events which led to Williams' and Corrigan's declaration of support for the Army began on Sunday in the Turf Lodge district of Belfast. Williams and Corrigan gatecrashed a meeting of residents being held to discuss the killing by a plastic bullet of a 13-year-old boy. When the media heroines arrived they were spontaneously chased out of the hall by an audience which saw them as supporters of the British Army responsible for the boy's death. Youths stone the cars of the three peace leaders after the Turf Lodge meeting ROMEY 210crce 1976 11 JOHN MAGEE reports from Belfas