uation and the Immediate Tasks of the Fourth International, presented by the Leninist-Trotskyist Faction to the 1974 World Congress of the Fourth International./ the Catholic minority and the Republican movement.
its bipartisanship with the Tories.
The Communist Party opposes Immediate withdrawal of the troops and calls merely for their withdrawal to barracks and a policy of phased withdrawal. The workerists of the International Socialists and the Workers Revolutionary Party have consistently accorded a low priority to work in defence of the Trish revolotion, placing it well below routinist economistic agitation on trade uhion questions.
Equally inadequate has been the response of those who, by attempting to foist "advanced" slogans like "Victory to the IRA' on to the movement im defence of the Irish revolution, mbstituted revolutionary" phrasemongering for the hard, serious work of building a powerful and effective campaign for the immediate withdrawal of the troops.
It i of the first importance that we take stock of the full consequenas of this abdication of leadership Dy groups claiming to be socialist or sevolutionary. This massive delpalt in leadership has had a deep mpact on the course of the Irish struggle in the past six years, adding to the senie of bolation felt by the The Cathouc minonity in he meeth, giving wide room for mansurre to the British imperistints, and contnturing in an important way to the present pronounced downtum of the struple in the north.
DOWNTURN This downturn, since the intro duction of direct rule in 1972, has been shown hy the dismantling of the no-go areas during Operation Motorman, the success of the SDLP in demobilising the Catholics and collaborating with the imperialists in promoting the Sunningdale Agrcement and "power sharing, the passage of the Emergency Provisions Act, the end of the rent and rate strikes, and the general decline in demonstrations and other forms of mass action on the part of the Cathahe masses.
British imperialism remains attuned to the possibility of a new upturn of the Irish struggle. That Is why the Labour Government is committed to maintaining British troops in the north in force, keeping hundreds of internees in the camps and upholding the repressive legisl ation.
The chain the nationalist strugeic after 1972 and the subsequent shilt in the relationship of forces towards the loyalists and British imperialism have underined both the acute crisis of political leadership of the Irish national liberation struggle and the failure by British revolutionaries to forge a movement in the heartiand of British imperialism with the power to defeat the policy of the Britisn The weak irish bourpeoisic and its governments in the twenty-six counties, whether Fianna Fail or Fine Gael-Labour, have consistently sought a compromise in the north that would defuse the struggle and prevent it from spreacing into the south. By pedding illusions in the utopia of power-sharing, the bourg cos nationalists of the SDIP have politically disarried and demobilised the Catholic ntasses. Neither the economist workerism of the Officials S DAVIES nor the militarism of the Provisionals nave been capable of giving a lead to the Irish masses.
The ceasedire agreement between the Provisionals and the British Government is a revelation of the tolal bankruptcy of the Provisional line. It is an admission by the Provisionals that their military campaign of individual terrorism has won them noth ing. neither the withdrawal of the The Provisionals, after negotiating a secret deal with British imperialism behind the backs of the Irish masses. have heen unable to propose any superior forms and metbods of strusele than the terrorst campaign waich bus proved such a costly fail BIC.
TERRORISM While unconditionally defending the Provisionais from the attacis of British imperialism, the Trotskyist movement has the responsibility to educate the vanguard in the Marxist view of individual terrorism and explain the errors made by the Provisionals, Relying as it does on Ure elforts of individuals or small groups, individual terrorism amounts to a rejertion of the revolutionary Marxist perspective of leading the masses traction rowards the socialist revolution.
Terrorist tactics nast necessarily be prepared and executed by small numbers working in secrecy, Such mettods separate revolutionaries frout the masses and totally discount the tremendous power and resources that the movement of the masses often produces. Incividual terrorism is a substitule for and hinders the process of mobilising the masses themselves into action apinst their oppressors.
Individual terrorism is based on a bourgeois concept of history that belittles the role of the masses and over-emphasises the role of individuals. It directs the attention of the TROOPS OUT * supported united front-type coalition for mass action against the British Government, The actions already carried out by TOM indicate the tremendous potentia. for such a campaign.
SINGLE ISSUE In building the TOM as a powerTul single issue campaign, we will be able to put the retor nists in the CP and the Labour Party, and the work erist secis like the WRP and IS. on the spot: and force some of them to support the frish struggle in a incaningril way.
We should seek to convince the TOM te propagandise and agitate among the British trougs for support to the irish people's right to self-determination and the immediate withdrawal of the troops from Ireland. We should popularise the con cops that the British troops theniseIves have the democratic right to discuss, decide and act on all major political questions like Ireland which surectly affect their lives We should aim to huild the TOM as an ongoing campaien, enabling it to pather the strength and power to force the British Government to change its policy and get the troops out - or be hrought down. Such a movement would begin lo undermine the sense of demoralisation felt ny the besieged Catholic minorty in Northern Iraland, Defence of the Irish revolution must also be carried out under our owa name, througa Ked Weekdy. public meetings and rallies DRACONIAN LAWS A complementary task is the building of a united-front-type coal ilon for the immediate repeal of the Jenkins 'anti-terrorist law. The imp ortance of the attacks on democratic rights embodied in this legistation makes it casential that we work to build a single issue campaign for ita repeal Such a campaign would be separate from the TOM in order to maxintise the support that could be win for euch. It would not cut acr oss the TOM. but complement me The Laboar Goverument's intro duction of draconian laws, allegedly to combat terronsm, underscores the central importanco of the Irish scruggle to the course of the class struggle in Britain. The struggle against this legislation and the building of a mams campaign in defence of the struggle of the irish people for self-determin ation are an integral part of defending and extending democratic rights in Active support for the liberation struggle of the frish masses is a prec ondition for the defeat of the divide and rule tactics employed by the ruling clas to maintain its class rule. There is a very modern ring to the words of Karl Marx in 1870 Chat it is a special task of socialists to awaken a consciousness in the Eng lish workers that for there the rational entracipation of Ireland is no question of abstract justice or humanitarian sentiment, but the first condition of their own socini cocалстракол.