T The Provisional Repubis branded by Westminster and the entire bourgeois political spectrum in Britain "psychopaths', "thugs' and other such epithets. These characterisations are slavishly choed by many in the labour movement who label the Provisionals as a variant of "green fascism' The attitude of revolutionary socialists is of an entirely different order. Despite fundamental differences with the Provisionals, their errors are viewed in the context of a struggling anti-imperialist movement, to be discussed in the spirit of a struggle against a common enemy. The 1977 Ard Fheis (National Conference) of the Provisional Sinn Fein, held on 22/23 October, presented the opportunity to look afresh at the Provisionals. Exen prior to the conference expectations had been raised by a speech a leading Belfast Republican, Jimmy Drumm, made this June when he foretold Republican involvement in workers struggles. What, then, emerged?
One of the most notable features of the conference was the participation of many men and women newly released prisons both in the "Free State" and the occupied North. While the majority of the participants were elderly and male, there was a scattering of young women from the Turf Lodge area of Belfast — which has been under a state of heavy seige for at least six months. To describe these fighters for Irish freedom as "thugs" or "fascists" is despicable.
1974: YEAR OF VICTORY?
Their struggle was partially reflected in the conference by the many resolutions and speakers on the plight of Irish political prisoners. One such speaker — a woman from the Belfast Relatives Action Committec called attention to the Catholic minority's militant opposition 1o Westminster's attempt to criminalise political prisoners. Yet neither the Ard Fheis, nor speakers at it, were able to map out a concrete and realisable strategy for effectIve action on this issue.
This in itself ilustrates one of the basic inconsistencies of the Irish Republican tradition. That is, while its fundamental strain is opposition to imperialist conquest, this is combined with a basically conservative ideology, This peculiar combination is expressed in the Provisionals claim to be the legitimate heir and sole representative of the suppressed Irish nation. As such this leads to an inflated view of its own capacity to decisively defeat Imperialism. Thus, for example, the Provisionals announced 1974 as the "Year af Victory' But the most widely-held and dangerous belief of the Republican movement is that the strugzle in Ireland long ago transcended the boundaries of the mass movement, and is now on a higher plane of a direct military war of national liberation. According to this view mass action is at best an auxiliary column supporting the front line "war effort.
AGAINST REPRESSION The whole history of the Irish struggle and its most recent phase in particular have conclusively demonstrated that the contrary the Republican movement possesses neither the military nor social weight necessary to defeat imperialism. Moreover, although there is at least a substantial minority of the Irish population which is sympathetic to the idea of a united Ireland, the vast majority are not yet prepared to wage an all-out fight against imperialism.
Recognition of this basic reality does not rule out the possibility of direct political action. Nor does it imply capitulation to the pro-imperialist politics of the reformist Social Democratic and Labour Party in the North. Experience shows that while remaining in the general political orbit of traitorous leaderships, the mass of the Irish people will respond to specific manifestations of imperialist oppression.
In this context when the civil rights SOCIALIST CHALLENGE, 24 November 1977, page 13