THE FOUNDING conference ot the Socieust Lebow Part was marked by the passing of two motions conoreine the Tot national question in Ireland. workers. One dropped a territorial clain Six Councies pledged that unity could only involved in by uniting and Catholic workers. The other committed the party to campaigning for the withdrawal of British from the North of The obvious contradictions of in the party's founding history, But the tea similicance of the on the national the new question is the extent to which it breaks from the thesis of the Party. that work on this question is a deviation of backward nationThe Socialist Labour Party was forned is a result of the election to the Irish Parhament of a former Labour TD (MP), Dr Noel Browne, as an inde pendent. The Lahour Party had tetised to ratify Browne's nontination to run for election. Importantly Browne, a lettsocial democrat, is one of the very few Labour IDs to have a of support among Irish Many of those who became the independent campaign to elect Browne and his running mate, Matt Merri gan (a left trade union leader), had been radicalised in the late *60%, and had been politically inactive since then. Others were militants in the unions, orbers again had been members of the Labour Party who had leil it during the period of conlition. The majonty of the members of party did not come froin the Labour Party, a point which is important because -unitkens Britecounteroart the Irish Labour Party has no bolibcal or rank and lue r000 in the trade unions, and has Daved an extremely resonal role in relation to repressive lepislation and the North.
The Socialist Labour Party has adopted a very open consiturion, allowing political and sell their literature to the party. The right of women to organise autonoMousEs was also spied, and a national women's conference of the party will be held next month.
There are rwo political weaknesses to be noted, though the openness of the membership means that these possibly overcome. The first is a workerist tendency on the national question, and a failure nature of CLIC Protestant The second weakness is the new party's elecroralist orienta.
While Tew believe the party will become a maior parliamentary group in the near future, the importance of consticuency work and the running or candidates tend to be over emphasised.
Despite these drawbacks, the ane of the healthiest political initiatives of this decade in the South of Ireland, and signifies the berinning of i period of upsurge and reproupient.
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active regional solidarity bocause of the gravity of rbe problens that confront them.
After the victory, L. examplc, dramatic situation: without acoess to the sea and dependent an Thailand for its supply lines, facing serious food problems, and having just finishod a civil war with the part of the Meos tibe organised by the CIA. The Laotian Communist Party leadership made the right chotce.
COOPERATION The deputy minister Foreign Alfairs declared that SOCIALIST CHALLENGE, 26 January, 1978. page 13
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