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UNITED IRISHMAN AN tElREANNACH AONTA AIBREAN (APRIL) 1977 Vol. 35 No. 4. lOp (30c) Monthly Newspaper of Sinn Fein The Workers'Party BRUSSELS AND HEALEY PUSH Prices sky high The celebration of the twentieth birthday of the Common Market was to roughly 4% or £2 on the British should not go unnoticed by the understandably muted in the light of the widespread unemployment and near average pay-packet of £80 per week. Loyalists who raised the issue of an uncontrollable Inflation, particularly in food prices, in almost all the E.E.C. Independent North but without countries. Ireland's membership of the Community is twice more difficult for But the same fate awaits the reference to the financial control of the average worker, given the conflicting policies which the Southern pockets of British and Northern Westminster. Government and Britain bring to bear on the vital question of monetary Ireland workers as has happened in returns to farmers. the South as the farming pressures increase towards the equalisation of The devaluation of the Green is based on meat prices It is difficult Elections Community food prices. Within a pound, for the benefit of the ran• to see any other than the ranchers month or so Healey's Income tax chers, is going to eat deep into the benefiting. Recent estimates of While the British Chancellor cuts will have lost their value. pockets of Irish workers. The list of profit from meat show that the claimed that he was not presenting a vicious price increases, and more butchers chalk up a massive 30% pre-election Budget, the reality may Apart from the fact that such cuts well be that the Left of his own party threate-ned as soon as the profit. So the benefit, if It can be do not work in Northern Ireland to Agricultural Ministers reconvene, called that, passes to a small per• will be forced into bringing down the the same extent as in Britain, wages Government as it persists in policies reads like a wartime table of scarce centage of the community. being substantially lower, the but essential foods. Rationing designed and dictated by the In• overall result of the Budget is bound ternational Monetary Fund to without the ration cards with a to Increase a wide range of prices vengeance. Butter up by 5p per Mountains mollify industrial and financial and could seriously damage in• interests. pound, beef by at least 6p per pound, dustrial growth. Increases in fuel Mr. Clinton, whose Party's in• bacon by 3p, cheese by 3p and milk and road tax are more significant terest lies with the large scale by i^p. A further wide range of for Northern production than in In the South a general election is private farmer, attacked the policy goods, including cereals and frozen Britain, pushing up both import and due in a matter of months. The proposed by Britain's Minister of economic problems' are similar to vegetables, will soar in price, some export costs. by as much as lOp. Apart from the Agriculture who was seeking to keep that of Britain and the lack of increase In adult foods, babies are down prices and put an end to the solutions from the Tory Parties also under attack, all baby products meat and butter mountains. A policy Unemployment equally obvious. Both the Coalition being subject to some Increase. which derives from the fact that and Flanna Fail cannot hope to A conservative estimation of the Britain is an industrial country and The fact that most observers see settle the inflationary spiral, par• effect of the devaluation is an is concerned with the votes of the British Budget as indicating a ticularly in food prices. The need to overall jump of at least 4p In the workers at election time. slow expansion of the UK economy expand the public sector in pound in the price of food. This just will not benefit Northern workers in agriculture has never been clearer. after the Irish Congress of Trade However, due mainly to the so- any way. None of the Chancellor's Unions had agreed to accept a called Common Agricultural Policy cuts or changes in taxation are Policies for cheaper food based National Wage Agreement which prices in Britain have increased by designed to deal with the chronic on expanding State companies in has by now been already eroded. almost 80% over this past three structural unemployment in the Six Bord na Mona and the Irish Sugar Fine Gael's Mark Clinton, 26 years. And. certainly in his Budget, Counties. Nor was there any in• Company as advanced by Sinn Fein County Minister of Agriculture, Chancellor Heaiey gave some dication that he Intended later to The Workers' Party \yi\l be crucial reckons that farmers' Incomes will recognition to the fact when he in• make more public capital available issues when the country goes to the increase by 15%, but as most of this troduced tax reductions amounting for the region. A matter which polls. Belfast and Dublin togetherness Belfast and Dublin have much in common, as has been recognised by the exchange trips of councillors and council officials. The two pictures displayed here illustrate how important it is that those new links should be strengthened as quickly as possible. On the left is the advice centre of Republican Clubs Councillor Jim Sullivan after it had been visited by the Paras before completing their tour of "duty". On the right is part of the Dublin Trades Council Right to Work march last month. Dublin has no Paras but they have all the other problems which can be found in Belfast, unemployment, bad housing. Time for joint action. INSIDE Americas secret mmy mid the multi-imtional compiaicy THIS Fiskinq limits fimco Page 12. 'i , A new Student columv MONTH Labour licks its left Page L Page 8 AIBREAN State government, and even on the Teamsters to stick to this new agreement. Letters But we are decisively on the road to victory. The United Farm Cabhair Dear Friends, and the many friends who Workers, and our supporters, Irish Republican Prisoners Defence & Aid Fund On behalf of the United Farm organised meetings and offered have continued to move and Workers, I would like to extend hospitality in Drogheda, Navan, grow even when all others 30 Gardiner Place Dublin 1 my warmest thanks to the many Newry and Sth. Derry. I would thought we were fighting a losing readers of the United Irishman like to thank you for all the time battle. Again, I would like to Funds urgently needed for^Republlcan Prisoners Welfare whom I met during the recent and effort you put in to make the thank you from the bottom of my UFW tour in Ireland, and who are tour such a success, and for the heart for joining with us, for the •Aid for Dependents*Legai Aid doing so much to win support for deep sense of commitment you love and the solidarity you have our Union, our strike, and our have shown with our struggle, given us. The motto of All Contributions Acknoyvledged international boycott of non• especially when you are involved farmworkers used to be "Sal si union California grapes. iasuch an important one of your puedes" which meant "Get out B'fheidir grub e seo an fath Labour Party Youth in Dublin, own. Not least of these friends is of the work if you can", but the Because we learned very early gur thogha se Udaras ar March 29. the United Irishman itself, and I United Farm Workers has on In the strike, that it would not RTE ina bhfuil truir daoine Merrigan flayed all aspects of would like to thank the staff for changed that to "Si Se Puedel" be possible to win our battle in ar a laghad a bhfuil dubh the leaderships current policy all of the publicity and coverage which means "Yes, It Can Be the fields of California alone — namhadas acu don teangan. accusing them of the sell-out of you have continually given the Done". And we are sure, so very because of agribusiness control our natural resources wealth over the police, the courts and UFW. sure, that with your support, we Ce'n fath freisin ar fagadh can win! Radio na Gaeltachta bhiain "when the party policy is full the media in rural America, we I am very happy to be able to state ownership and control. So With our best wishes to you iomlan gan ceannaire. Cen have always tried to reach out to tell you of some good news, contemptuous of the and to your work, Venceremos! fath ar dheineadh iarracht get support for our struggle from which your support has helped to government are our erstwhile Elaine Elinson, am na gclararcha a athru ar workers In the cities of America bring about. On Friday, March partners in the smelter project United Farm Workers, 110A Radio na Gaeltachta. An e go and around the world. 1, and 11, the United Farm Workers and that Mr. O'Rourke, New Jersey Brooke Road, raibh siad ag deanamh many thousands of UFW the Teamsters union signed a Zinc said on radio {March 27} that London N16. iarracht an aer bhanna a members, have been "on the jurisdictional agreement — which usaid i gcoir rud eigean eile. his company would accept even boycott" in many towns, and basically means that the a 45% state stake In the smelter cities in the U.S. and in the key Teamsters have, given us their and still feel that his company countries where the growers try Polasai assurance that they will no longer A Chara, had little to fear in presumably to sell the scab grapes.

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