From Sara O'Hara in Dublin THE SOCIALIST Labour Party has lost its one spokesperson in the Irish parliament week Noel Browne announced that he would no longer represent the which founded in 1977 after Browne and others were expelled from the Irish Labour Party.
Browne's decision followed a stormy annual conference of the SLP at the end of January.
The conference agreed that *British imperialism is the cause of all violence in the North and so long as it remains we defend the right of the Provos and all other forces to take up arms to oppose British imperialism'.
The Come ence delegates went on to approve a motion instructing Browne and party chairperson Matt Merrigan, head of the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union, to initiate a labour movement delegation to Long Kesh.
The delegates also backed a MATT MERRIGAN — the SLP chairperson instructed to initiate a delegation to Long Kesh
Despite
for to the Irish was deferred.
minimal role perialism. party person Young Conservatives also attacked Mason's moder ates for their opposition to The absurdity of Mason's remarks was further emphasised by the evidence he used for his ridiculous conclusions. The Northern Ireland secretary claimed that the poll he was on was conducted by the EEC.
But it later emerged that the EEC had decided to disrethe Doll as unrepre This hardly surprising, in that the pollsters only questioned 270 people, 85 of whom did not bother to reply.
This latest outburst from 'wee Napoleon' has brought call for a conference open to all those prepared to unite in mass acuon around une demands: restore political status, troops out of Ireland now, end torture this clear policy anti-imperialist action, confusion remains.
For instance, the conference refused to pass a motion disTimes by Browne which had condemned the H Block prisoners' protest as 'elitist'. Instead the motion Criticism of such vacillation came from the newly formed Republican Socialist Tendencs in the party, who complained that the SLP has played only a mass struggles against British imThe tendency pointed out that the party had organised no ted. meetings on the H Block issue, despite specific instructions at the last conference. Nor had the appointed spokesthe national even the most respectable quarters of Irish opinion As an editorial in the Irish Times put it: "The Secretary of State has finally written himself off as a serious, concerned arbiter of Northern Ireland politics.. when he finally departs he will leave behind the sorry record of a bankrupt approach to Irish politics."
Joining in the criticism was JORT Hume. Mason, Hume, anti-Irish', was 'bankrupt of any politica ideas', and 'had revealed all too clearly that a person had to be some sort of a Unionist before he (sie) could have any part in a solution for the North question.
Speeches and press statement Irom me party readersa this issue were criticised for discouraging involvement in anti-imperialist activity.
The tendency called for action not just on H Block but also on the National Wage Agreement the Irish equivalent of the social contract], and on contraception.
The party conference did pass a motion confirming the past position of the SEP fo free, legal abortion.
The future political direction of the SLP remains in question.
hrownes resignation parliamentary spokesperson he has not resigned from the such BUSe challenge to the leadership and its willingness to press ahead with organising around the anti-imperialist policies adop The Republican Socialist Tendency will be to the fore in insisting that no concessions to Browne are made or considered.
Socialist Challenge. 15 February 1979, page 11