THE press has smothered us pictures of Frankie Howerd, Pearly Kings and heroic English sea captains clutching Vietnamese refugees.
This has alternated with tales of gifts of bread and toys from businessmen overcome emotion at the sight of children fleeing 'communist' tyranny.
All that seems a long way from the damp walls, rotten wiring and families in one room 31 a Notting Hill refugee reception centre.
No teams of photographers or exclusive interviews with the people who rescued refugees they are Latin American exiles. They irom countries turned into OTISON houses compliance of international capital.
Their ESCUCTS doughty English sea captains but thousands of rank and file trade unionists and others who fought get -ine SADOUT government to accept Chilean refugees.
Since 1974 nearly 3000 Chileans have been resettled, 500 more are expected within the next year and possibly several thousand Argentinians when Videla opens his jails.
UNFAVOURABLE The Labour government, pushed by the action of the solidarity campaign, received more political prisoners straight from prison than any other country. But the still collbare unfavourably with similar ones in Holland and Sweden.
Processing of visas TAKES months, forcing people to stay on in bad conditions. We know of one or two cases where people waiting have "disappeared'.
programme has been dogged by inadequate funding and uncertainty of finance. Money comes via the Voluntary Services Unit which is a last resort financier for projects not linked to any one government department. Money received in month hand outs which makes any term impossible. Without the internationalist response of many volunteers the would have faltered badly This year the Joint Working Group for Latin American relugees asked tor and was offered £137,000 these part of which is supposed to cover the E9000 deficit of last fled year.
the SHORTFALL Why the shortfall? aren't obvious reason is Labour's lack of consistent solidarity.
Another is a very KUVCEIIIICHI what resettlement involves. The immediate reception of exiles is only a small part problem.
A person arrives usually Trom prison, speaking the language, having to find a job in a country where there are 2m unemployed and a there homeless. You can't sort it out in a couple of weeks.
One of the refugees told me: has 'It isn't easy adjusting to a country. There's everyday The newspaper stories "Chileans taking our council houses." The difficulty finding a job in your own skill. often Living on social security when you arrive here with nothing. But it's not much worse than a lot of blacks and many workers beginning the planning programme £216,000 "narrow"
of There have to Leaving Latin America doesn't solve workers problems with capitalism international struggle.
Most of the Latin American are Im exiles are active in the solidarity and labour movement. the last few years they have enriched that Perhaps that's why they aren't Fleet Street's favourite refulocal gees.
You can help defend Latin about American refugees of their conditions: * Support the Joint Working Group campaign.
and information. 'Damp walls, rotten wiring and families in one room.
put up adopt that's Come Over University. movement.
tion campaigning refugee charter, improve right while here.
Contact could be tionally organisations.
fact er', not shown intelligence * Support the campaign to Argentiniar political prisoners. Contact Committee or ruman kignis In Argentina, 1 Cambridge Terrace N1.
to the British Argentina Campaign Conference, 2 December, Liverpool * Discuss in your organisafor the implementation of some sort of November of entry and security As a first SICID, implement the UN provisions in British law. This campaign organised interna- sondanity through workers staring distance, November DOTECES, 'Get ATTRACTION the Thirties for sections of the British ruling class is an established fact.
What is less well-known is that a British monarch, Edward VIII, who later was forced to relinquish the throne, was strong admirer A TV documentary shown last year carefully omitted this lest present-day occupier of the throne was embarrassed in her jubilee year.
In reality the main reason for abdication was not the issue of marrying a 'divorced commonbut the fact that the question had been an intimate of the Nazi ambassador m London, Ribbentrop. This, coupled with the Nazi SynDales Edward, made the marriage a dubious ponucal proposinon In the year preceding his WaS state papers relaung to brusa derence ano operations. Even off to the Bahamas during the war for fear that if he remained in Europe the Nazis might use him as a Quisling King after they invaded Britain.
The researchers who uncovered these facts were politely told to keep their mouths shut.
•This appeared in NfN in our first issue. We thought it worth reprinting in light of the current TV serial on the subject. SCENE ONE, Wednesday 15 members of the International Marxist Group meet in a cafe to discuss events Irish prisoners. In the middle of their card discussions two young men sit down at an adjoining table Both are wearing blue shirts, both have short hair. They sit saying nothing but with heads inclined towards the three members of the IMG The three leave the cafe. The two listeners follow, and are joined by a third colleague They attempt, without success to follow the IMG members when they split up.
The IMG members had only arranged to meet 20 minute beforehand, on the phone.
SCENE TWO, Thursday 16 Two punks, Revolution supare returning after leafleting a school in the mates. Gorbals for a showing of the film Home Soldier Home.
A police landrover pulls u and two cops get out. They asl the punks: "Was it you who wa leafleting those kids?' The two punks, both Sham Army members and well used to police harassment, walk on. One of the cops shouts, 'Right c--t, come here' The two punks are searched. a leaflet is found, a cop says fuck, yOu papist bastard' and kicks one of the punks.
The two are taken to a police but finally released without charge.
The last time READERS WILL recall how anower acarn tonowed In une East End after the poisoned killing the Bulgarian emigré Markov. A Bulgarian exile was found dead at the bottom of the stairs, and Street immediately jumped to the conclusion that Zhivkov's agents were at it deal!
Speculation was rife. But the coroner's report revealed tha the dead Bulgarian had a heart condition and had died shock.
It was later revealed to the press that he had been masturbating when he suttered the attack. This information was also given to Fleet Street, but it was dutifully ignored Victorian morality? Hardly More likely embarassment that their attempts to pin this one on the Bulgarian secret policy had backfired in such a fashion.
Clash of interests RECENT visitors to Glasgow were me crash. On tour in Scotland and stopping off in Glasgow to promote their new album. GED of Glasgow's Sham Army takes up the story.
When the Clash put in an appearance at a local record shop, me and me mates in Sham Army and Revolution got on to Joe Strummer (lead singer of the Clash for all you BOFs) asking how he felt about the under 18-year-olds, non-students, who wouldn't get into their gig at Strathclyde University, To which Strummer replied they would get in because it was an open gig. Which we told him was bollocks, 'cos a couple of - mates naa tea to ge tickets and were knocked back "cos they didn't have a student Strummer didn't believe it, so we asked him to come up to Strathclyde and see if he could buy a ticket. Off he went on someone's motor bike and we ran up alter him Ten minutes later back he came and stormed in shouting "the gig's off, someone's being telling lies'. He'd been refused a ticket himself when he tried to buy one Strummer explained it all to the rest of the group wh agreed to call it off. Strumme promised an alternative venue would be arranged as soon as possible But it's not so easy with the Clash not playing the Apollo cos of the bouncers who are notorious for their violence Anyway we look forward to seeing Joe and the rest. Thanks ERNEST MANDEL will be the main speaker at a day school on *The revolutionary alternative to Eurocommunism Saturday 13 January Holborn Assembly Rooms London Full details in next week's Socialist Challenge Socialist Challenge 30 November 1978 Page 3
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Scenes from Irish life (Glasgow)