Provisional leader now held in Long Kesh The leadership of the present campaign tell us that they are dedicated to Dulicine a peaceu sociew. no amount ol pray-ins or liberalism can give us this. The system which the Irish live under is not Dult for peace, and it is unis wich will defeat the desire which is being demonstrated at present.
*Ballymurphy, my home area, has always wanted peace. Violence existed there long before the IRA became active. Six hundred Telegraph families exist in the area. without anv brovision or 1acliities young people, for the aged, for mothers or schoolchildren. One hundred of the Tamies nave more inan ten them, each family cramped into ill-repaired, misplanned, jerrybuilt houses. 47 assassin The Daily cent or me residenis are relusec ampioy- ment.
"Is this an example of the society in which we are supposed to believe - a just and peaceful society? All of the eighty Their demand for peace came before 1969. Their peace for better housing, play facilities for the aged. and ine voune. inev cesired Treecom trom heavy rents; freedom from the dole queues and freedom from the Assistance Office
Decduse men cemands
estants will lace alad situation wnen ine brusn prop and the STOI removed.
pro-Brisn -DeoDie in per can work tocemner. nar system canno shed by the Belfast the handicapped Centre. be conceded by Stormont's political reg ime. In the same way, the peace demands of the peace people will also be rejected, cannot De •COn ceded by such regimes. A peaceful and just society cannot be built in Ireland by peace marches in the same way as it could not be built in Ballymurphy by demands to occupaTIon Corporation officials or Government offi- that is, *Republicans believe that ordinary Protup to the reality of the which uses them as its tools is professing a presently ovalry will realise marine! welfare will be better served in a system in which all Irishmen, regardless of religion evolve within the present set-up. Peace will alrect guestions britisn presence wich maintains i are Taken from a pamphlet recently publihebuorican Press United Ireland, etc. *If the word "peace" has any meaning [and or me. a pacmist. i cenainiv nasi inen surely those who call themselves Peace People shouldn't approve of armies o "Real peacemakers are political people they examine the underlying causes of the conflict they are concerned about, then act accordingly. Centuries of British policy towards Ireland is the reason why the two communities in the artificia Nonner Ireland statelet nave paramuitar forces. Until Britain withdraws from Ireland When Harry Courcha of Edmonton Labour Party and I [as sponsors of the Labour talked to Mairead Corrigan in the Peace People's office we asked her a number of -TO WhiCh received fluffy, inconsistent answers. As Peace People, we asked, did they believe British TrooDs snoule se withrawn tom nonner Ireland? Her first answer to this was that it would take them a year to evolve a policy on sucn a matter. one gave une same repry when asked their position on partition, a Later in the same conversation, however, she said that their main aim was to "achieve a harmonious Northern i state". The British Army, she said, "can stay in the background and let the communities come together." It would be "premature" in her withdraw British troops now Almost in the same breath, she said that peace meant condemning all violence!
concerned, that is no AS Tar asian policy at all and will never bring peace to The first prerequisite for achieving peace in Ireland is the withdrawal of Britain from practical TeEs. immediate withdrawal of British troops from Ireland Many DeoDie wid have followed the peace women have done so out of genuine and sincere desire to see an end to the seclarial assdooilations Fall end to the complete upheaval of their social and family lives. But they are being led along a marcel baut to unaler accous what ever britain nas to otter - peacy *Many people see the peace movement as a women's movement and therefore orooressive. but ine peace movement is the greatest indication of the failure to politicise women in Ireland. The question liberation
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only come when sectarianism demands were for employ-
Bernadette Devlin