Scamus Loughran was one of the men released from Long Kesh just before Christmas, after nearly two-and-a-half years behind the wire. Arrested during the first swoop of 9 August 1971, he was released by Whitelaw on 6 June 1972 only to be re arrested and detained on 18 August 1972 after being involved in the truce negotiations at Lenadoon, Lung Kesh is a disgusting, degrading dealing He spoke to Red Weekly reporter Bob Purdic about his experiences and the way in which his ideas have developed during this period. "1 was picked up about five-past-four on the morning of 9 August, the sergeant who arrested me was very civil but after a neichhour started to eve han bloody hell his attitude changed? Seamas was marched down. the road, tied up securely, and with an StR resting on his shoolder, its muzzle just bolow his ear. He told the sergeant that the rood they were on only led to a good enough for you you Irish bastard. " I started to sweat, I thought: "this & it they he going to take mo down bere, sut oneid my head, and that's it. We had gond about 35 yards when some licutenant came over and chewed the bollocks off the seigcant.' Seamus us taken in a Saracen to Gildwood Barmicks On the way they met opposition from the people of the area, bins were rattling and stones were flying" The corporal in charge opened the back door, and put hin, on his knees in the entrance: Just at that moment a gal once me to baren cou, done "Oh my god, my own people are going to get me." * At Gird wood he was ghen the helicopter" treatment, Le. taken up blindfolded in a helicopter, and thrown out about three feet off the ground. After interroga by Military Police who constantly battered him un the joints with their batons. He was forced to run in stockinged feet over a path made up of broken glass, stones, nuils, lin cans, elc., both feet were badly cut and micra leow pasoner took a piccc or gas about N inch square out of his left foot. Later lie was transferred to Long Kesh.
LONG KESH The first thing that strikes anybody about Long Kesh i the sheer dullness of the place, I would love Long Kesh, it must run into millions, Conditions are anything but good, I was first of all put into Cape Two-there were about 120 men in each larg Nosen hut (now there are about 40 in a hutt. There was only a chemical toilet, and the cods of the hut were of wood, which shrank bocause of the weather and allowed wind and rain to come through Later when we were transfernod to Cape Five the ends were made of brick, hut the bricks soaked The True and Barbaric History of the Benighted This book is the funniest anti-imperialist history-book you-are ever likely to come across It's a devasting cartoon-history of the real history of America and its delightfully expressive. Everyone will learn something Trom it, with ts simpic, Tactua and pistons punctur ing of the myths about "America, the free', defender of the free world.
A few quates: Andrew Carnegie was a millionaire and through whenever it rained. 'Ob the 25 Oegober 1971 we had a riot in Cage Twd.. This laught us u very hard lesson; we were no match against CS Gas, Rubber Hullets, and brutality. About 30D soldiers came into the Cago and they really pave us a bad time of iL It was only by the luck of the and a month later we were transferred to Cage Five.
place to he in. The whole thing about interranent is that you don't know when you are getting out. When you go into fall, for one ycar, five years, fifteen years, nt least each duy you can say: "well that's one day 13l nevr have to do again."
Why did Pym let me out? Why does he hold on to men like time Hannaway, whosen no tals od has been in a long time? Why does he hold on to the "hooded men, " like my cellanate Liam Shannon? Incy can reven end internment lairly. You have to ink, can they do anything tairly? Why can't they Just open the gates, let the men oul, burn the place to the ground and never let such un abomination be soon on the face of this earth apsin?"
SINN FEIN Politically Seamus Loughrun is a fairly typical Provisional Republican. He Joined the Republican Morement at the age of eighteen, and was imolved in the (in his words) Tather futile' 1956-62 Border Campalen, during which he was imprisoned. He had settled down to married life in Belfast the has five children), when. the pogroms in 1969 made him realise that, despite superficial changes, Northern Ireland had not teally changed, He is convinced that military action by the Republican Movement was the only answer to the situation, and that any changes which have heen made in the last five years tave been won by the Republican Movement.
For the first time in Long Kesh, he had a chance to read. He got Red Weekly and other periodicals regularly, and was able to send out for books which interested him, He also started to write for Republicon Sews Polhallat changes you. Belore that Republican polities basically meant a united Ireland, a dumor tic society Socialen was something vou hiend about, but didn't want to talk about, because probably your mother would have Found out and EL YOU ALL SURIA The political and economic programme of the Republican Movement Aire ad Lays out certain stops, tho nabomabon of the major Haustries, Jor instanco, which to the Republican Movement are evolutionary stens But the se pollical things which we never talked about much in the Movement before, I Joted tho Sinn Fein cumuun inside, and we had a very high level of political discussion. I lad never had time to bother much about Sinn Fein before, but I'm an Big Red Diary (Pluto Press, 75p)
One of James Cannon's axiom's in the 1940's was the need to instil into a now generation of young workers and militants an awareness of the traditions States of America, by Jim Hughes (Quartet EI.25) of which they were a part. He was of course talking of the long, bloodstained and heroic tradition of the world warking-class struggle agsinst the oppression developing consciousness of this tradition as a major weapon in politically arming newly-radicalised work: ers moving towards revolutionary socialism. Today, when the potentiel for winning significant democracy is groater than it has been for many years, this axiom is doubly true, The publication of this andent Sion Feiner now, It did this for a lot of other lads too, lads who were fist politically naive: "there's the gun and there's the bomb; get our England." It never dawned on them to ask: "But what happens if Engand does gel out?"
*I'm an Irish citizen, this is my country and these are my people. Everything then develops amand people, not just my people, the irish people, Why does there buve to bo lumine in Ethiopia while other countries are dumping wheat in the ocean! Why does there have to be war at Victoam Wh cut do's: poole he left alone to got on with their own country? There's teen types in the workd, there are those whe want to get on about making a living, and there are those who want to make moncy out of thus peaplu. Something has to be done about it, and if we can't get it by the bullet and the bomb, wete golge to lave to get it politically. *Our political wing has failed rather itscrubly over the last two or three years, Probably because everything priorities right. We have to start working at politics. instead of just talking about politics We huve to get it elest chalilisee want to alove and then explast it to the people in detail.
And there is a lot of common ground between socialist movements of tho world. There's an awfat lot they can teach us, and probably a lot wo can reach them, 11 svery rare te lesh can t teach suncbod?"
Not By Politics Alone: The Other Lenin, ed Tamara Deutscher (George Allen & Unwin, E1.95 paperback)
Dozens of books are now pouring from the bourgeois. publishing houses in an attempt to 'explain' Leninism by examining the 'enigmatic", 'world-shattering personality of Lenin himself. Most of these tedious studies naturally ignore or distort what is the essence of Lenin's whole being, his fiterally world-shattering development of revolutionary Markist theory and its practical spplication by the Russian proincariat in the October revolution.
This latest offering, however wetl-intentioned, tends to fall into the same untegory; though it does heve the merit al consisting of anecdotes by revolutionaries The spectacular assassination of Spanish premier Carrero Blanco a forinight ago by militants of ETA (V). the nationnlist wing of the Basque liberation morement, struck a heavy blow at the carefully constructed apparatus of the Franco regime.
The appointment of Carrero Blanco as head of goverument in June last year marked his emergence as the key figure in the laborious opera tion to ensure the succession after Franco, His abrupt removal from the scene has now put this scheme which includes the restoration of the monarchy under the puppet Juan Carlos-once more in jeopardy. But the problem is now much more pressing as Franco's health becomes noticeably worse. Hence the sharpening of tensions within the ruling class, with some sections backing the fascist Falange, others discussing the possibility of an open military take-over, and a third group, which looks towards European capital. pushing for the return of the liberal Opus Dei group to the For the moment, none of these alternatives have been adopted. The urgent need to restore some semblance of nonnality to the situation resulted last weekend in the appointment of a comparative outsider, Carlos Arias Navurro, who was Minister of the Interior in the Carrero Blanco government. A former chief of the secret police between 1957 and 1965, he can he relied upon to continue and even step up the policy of repression pursued by his predes. ES8Oг.
The meaning of this policy has been highlighted by the trial of the Carabanchel IO, ten lenders of the Workers Commissions movement which sprang up in the 1960s in opposition to the officil "yellow' unions. This case has been the focus of the struggle against the repreasion in the last few months, with several thousand workers and students massing in a protest demonstration outside the court on the opening day of the trial, before being dispersed by the police. Last weekend these militants were sentenced to jail terms of between 12 and 20 years each ou charges of "unlawful assembly. ie pursuit of trade union activity.
The question now is whether or not the working class morement and its vanguard can capitulise on the crisis which has opened up in the ruling class to push forward its own counter-offensive agalast the repression and towards the organisation of the revolutionATY VENETAL KETERE WENCE BLUDE CAI OVERTOW the dictatorship. In this dereloping situation the need for militants in the rest of Europe to be ready to come to the nid of their Spanish comrades in strugule becontes all the more urgent. JOHN MARSTON NEXT WEEK: Repor on me recent finion herween the LCR Lige Comunate Revolucionaria-Resofition ary Concianist Legene, and ETA (Pip. The Mersist wing of the Basque iberation movement, and the perspectoes outficed hy the new organsation which supports the Fourth Peterrowel.