Eire crisis brings civil war danger

THE IRISH ruling class took a step towards civil war when it arrested ex-ministers Haughey and Blaney on gun-running charges and precipitated a major crisis in the ruling Fianna Fail party last week.

BY THE EDITOR The arrests were followed immediately by a bellicose and uncompromising statement by Local Government Minister Mr Kevin Boland.

He demanded a special Ard Fheis (conference) of the Fianna Fail party to remove Premier Lynch from office accusing him of 'unparalleled treachery' against the people ot N At a press conference in his Rathcoole home only a few hours after the arrest of five prominent Irish citizens on charges of conspiracy to import arms, Boland, who is the Fianna Fail joint secretary, said bluntly:

'As far as I am concerned there is a split, and under no circumstances am I prepared to serve under the leadership of Mr Lynch, because of an act of unparalleled treachery against the people of the six counties.' Bombshell He then dropped his bombshell which shock the government and the opposition: 'Lynch must quit the leadership or I resign.' The special conference should decide the legitimacy of Lynch's claim to leadership and Republican orthodoxy, said Boland. If such a course was rejected, then the Taoiseach would have to call a general election.

Boland's anxiety was based on his belief that N Unionist extremists were openly training and arming civil war against nationalism and that there would be fresh attacks by these elements this year.

Mr Boland was joined in his attack Mr McDonnell, National Executive Committee member of Fianna Fail, who stated that nothing could stop the struggle for a united Mr Lynch now faces the gravest crisis in Irish politics since 1921 and, like the Ulster Unionist leadership, is trying desperately to preserve a façade of unity in the ruling party and stem the ever-growing tide social revolt from workers and farmers.

No answer Threatened by the presence of British troops in the North and challenged by the rebels his own party, who see him more and more as a Whitehall stooge, Mr Lynch and his faction can find no answer to Boland's charges other than stating that an Ard Fheis could not discuss the issues because they are sub judice!

There is every indication to show that Lynch group will reject outright a general election and instead for a national government.

Far from allaying doubts and soothing dissension, such a move is bound to

'Britain

clear out' -Blaney Former agriculture minister Neil Blaney said on Saturday that if the British government pulled out of N Ireland problems could be settled peacefully between the six counties of Ireland. He told a Fianna Fail dinner at Milford, Co. Donegal, that Britain ought to be wise to themselves. "The Stormont government is only a puppet with the strings being pulled at Westminster, and it is time that someone cut these strings to end partition? I.O.S. staggers into deeper THE COLLAPSE of Mr John M. King's attempt to salvage crisis-ridden Investors Overseas Services puts an even bigger question mark against the future of the world's largest mutual trust fund.

King's take-over bid came to an end with the refusal of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to rescind the ban on IOS operations inside America.

Had King proceeded with his plans, he was warned, none of his many business concerns would have been allowed to sell their stock to American citizens.

There is no doubt that the SEC refusal came because of his already close ties with IOS which have only become clear in the last few weeks.

Doubts also arose about the financial value of many of the Denver millionaire's financial ventures.

Loans

During the course of 1969 IOS lent $47 million to several 'insiders and friends', including Mr Edward Cowett, former number two in the hierarchy, for the purpose of supporting the price of IOS stock.

Among the recipients of loans was Mr King.

IOS shareholders are unlikely to be encouraged by the continued failure of the 1969 accounts to appear. Originally promised for the end of April, they were then delayed until the end of May. Now it is hoped that they will be approved soon'.

In the light of all the adverse publicity which has surrounded many aspects of IOS accounting practices, it seems unlikely_that. any group leading European or American banks will rush in to save Cornfeld's former empire.

They will certainly want to take a long hard look at the IOS accounts and books in order to judge thé real value of the mutual trust fund giant which at the height of its One of the sacked Pontypool 'truckers' speaking at Saturday's St Helens mass meeting. TWO BIG questions hang over tomorrow's talks at the Trades Union Congress's London headquarters, between union chiefs and members of the rank-and-file committee which led the strike at Pilkington's St Helens glassworks.

crisis fame had a book value of over $2 billion.

The banks are much more likely to pick off anything of worth that remains of IOS and allow the rest to collapse.

quote annoys unionists ALLEGATIONS by Trades Union Congress general secretary Victor Feather in Liverpool on Saturday that professional agitators might be stirring up trouble in factories in the North-West were condemned by trade unionists in the area yesterday.

"This was a statement set up by the press, said a local engineering shop steward.

Liverpool Trades Council president Eddie Loyden confirmed that Feather's allegations 'must have been made at a press conference—he certainly didn't say this while I was at his meeting.

VSC London against campus A TOTAL of 77 people marched behind the banners of the Vietnam Solidarity Committee and the International Marxist Group to Smith Square — where the Tory and Labour Parties have their headquarters —on Saturday.

The march followed a meeting in Trafalgar Square in which the tiny audience was addressed by Fred Kirsch, a student eye-witness of the massacre of four students at Kent State University a month ago.

Many of the marchers appeared delighted with the Of immediate concern to most ST HELENS workers is what committee chairman Gerry Caughey described at Saturday's mass meeting as company attempts 'to prove it's going to have no more strikes for 100 years'.

Workers at the key Triplex safety-glass works returned, as previously reported in threat of wage-cuts and redundancies.

Saturday's meeting also revealed other attempts by the management to re-establish its iron grip.

Prevented

Shop stewards, who are also members of the strike committee, described how they were being prevented from moving around the works to carry out union business while 'loyalist' General and Municipal Workers' stewards went unrestricted.

Even more serious, however, is the situation at Pilkington's PONTYPOOL plant in Monmouthshire.

Local G&MWU officials there apparently have their own unique interpretation of the Congress House agreement of ten days ago that they would 'make representations to the management for the reinstatement or reemployment of the 27 workers at Pontypool whose employment has been terminated'.

Some of the Pontypool demo turn - out - they smiled seraphically and shouted: •Wilson, Nixon, up against the wall! and Wilson, we want you dead!' as they huddled outside the deserted party headquarters after their march.

They also carried a politically misleading poster which amounts to a crude obscenity worthy only of the 'Private Eye'.

Two years ago, the VSC claimed to have mobilized 100,000 people on the October 27 Grosvenor Square demonstration. will return to our original schedule-five days a week.

returns to Prague ALEXANDER DUBCEK left Ankara on Saturday by air for Prague. The deposed Communist Party leader, now Czechoslovak Ambassador in Turkey, has been suspended from Party membership during a rising campaign of vilification which has rise to fears that the Seen Stalinists are preparing …a frame-up against him.

nounced that he was returning to visit his 80-year-old mother, who is seriously ill.

'Naturally while in Prague he will take the opportunity of having consultations with the various authorities.' French press state that Dubcek's wife was recently refused permission to leave Czechoslovakia.

Saturday.

ence, Wilson explained away rising food prices — it's a problem for every advanced modern country' - and justified high taxation - 'the national family cannot spend what it does not raise in taxation'.

dulging in the 'luxury of negative opposition', the Prime Minister concentrated his attack on the proposed valueadded tax and Tory rent policy.

£89 18s 7d.

for an early start with our June Fund.

With the publication of attack This will continue until the

exacerbate conflicts in Irish society and have a powerful impact on Ulster events.

The split in Fianna Fail will be carried step further next Wednesday when the Fianna Fail Parliamentary Party meets to decide whether the whip should be withdrawn from Mr Boland. He is certain to resist such a move.

Whatever happens it is now obvious that the Green Tories of Dublin are disintegrating as rapidly as the Orange Tories Belfast and the scene is being set for a decisive and unpostponable struggle between the Irish workers and poor farmers and the ruling class, North and South.

Terrified

Nobody should confuse the demagogic statements of Boland, Blaney and other elements of the Irish bourgeoisie with any real desire to unify Ireland along revolutionary democratic lines. fied of the frist woreers and poor farmërs as the Lynch mob.

They hope to use the border as a convenient distraction from the crisis in the South and, at best, to provoke a situation which would permit the UN to put pressure on Britain to withdraw troops replace British imperialism with US imperialism, assisted by a certain amount of gun-play on the border.

Neither group can guarantee the rights and liberties of the Protestant minority.

In fact their association with the reactionary Catholic Church serves strengthen Paisleyism in the North and perpetuate religious divisions.

The historic betrayal of Irish unity by the stunted Irish capitalist class in 1921 is complete. No attempt by any section of the Irish capitalists to evoke the ghosts of 50 years ago will succeed today.

The task of unifying Ireland rests on the shoulders of the Irish working class alone.

The British working class can and must assist their Irish brothers to break from the bankrupt Republican ideology and take the revolutionary socialist road to power and unity.

There is no other way to do this than by fighting for the defeat of the Tories on June 18 and by demanding the unconditional withdrawal troops from Ulster now!

YEAROF LENIN RI We are absolutely can be considerably election weeks.

commencing June 1 for 15s. inclusive to: | Name Address Postal order/cheque for 15s enclosed.

LATE NEWS JAPAN: ANTI-US DEMO An estimated 8,000 demonstrators staged anti-US rallies and demonstrations throughout Japan. yesterday against the presence of US forces and bases and the extension of the US-Japan security treaty which comes up for review next month. bomb went off inside the US Air Farce base at Tachikawa near Takyo but there was no damage.

APARTHEID PROTEST New Zealand All-Black rugby player Ken Gray said yesterday he protested against apartheid by resigning from rugby Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Published by Workers Press, 186a Clapham High Street, London, S.W.4.

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Please send Workers Press from June 1 to 'truckers' — glass carriers — sacked five weeks ago after walking out in protest against alleged misinformation about the situation at St Helens told the Workers Press on Saturday that they had been given a different version of this agreement; that they would be reinstated or reemployed only if there were vacancies at the plant.

What is more, they have been expelled from their local union branch - although the G&MWU's Cardiff district office claims they • are still members of the union.

Both the victimization Triplex and the sackings Pontypool were sources considerable bitterness in Helens at the weekend.

If cast-iron guarantees on both issues are not forthcoming from Tuesday's talks, a growing number of shopfloor workers will be callingat the mass meeting scheduled to take place in seven days time - for further strike action. convinced that our circulation Increased over the next three with 15s to :

Special Election Offer, Workera Press 186A Clapham High Street London, SW4. before the selection oI the team . to tour S Africa next month. 'With most New Zealander, he saieve all racism is wrong, NEW EGYPTIAN AIR RAIDS Cairo, Sunday-Egyptian_jets swooped across the Suez Canal early today to blasit Israeli positions at El Kantara and El Cap in the, nothern sector of the waterway, a military spokesman announced.

Fighter bombers scored direct hits and fires were. seen in ammunition dumps and fortifications.

Thirteen Israelis were killed in Egyptian commando attacks along the canal yesterday -the highest toll since the six-day war three years ago.