FOCUS Marxism Today October 1981 5

by changing the electoral law has rebounded campaign. His definition of the election issue in its face. Moreover since Carron is not in was the one that prevailed. However once the prison, he will continue to hold the seat and result was declared his own political though he has declared he will not be organisation took an enlarged view of its attending parliament, he will nevertheless be significance. The vice-president of Pro- a constant political irritant to the visional Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams, issued a Government. statement declaring, 'The election of Owen The long term significance of the result will Carron, MP, is more than a victory for the depend on how the political forces of which political prisoners and a repudiation of the Carron is a representative capitalise on this British government's death policy in the H- success. The local government elections in Blocks of Long Kesh. It is a reassertion, once Northern Ireland and indeed the general again, by nationalist people of our right to a election in the Irish Republic saw con- future free from British interference.' siderable success for 'Anti H-Block' Carron's repeated assertion about the candidates. Clearly the hunger strike, like no election being only about the hunger strike other issue, has tapped the latent emotional was thus denied by his own political resources of Irish nationalism and in some organisation. areas at least has created a virtually un- Of the other candidates Ken Maginnis was stoppable momentum. If the anti H-Block an archetypal representative of Official movement and in particular its core, the Unionism. A school principal and ex major in Provisionals, take this opportunity to develop the Ulster Defence Regiment, he was able to an enhanced political role then it will be an obtain the endorsement of all the Unionist important electoral challenge in any area parties. In any case it proved to be where there is a sizeable nationalist insufficient. He described Carron's victory as community. This has grave implications for a the result of 'massive intimidation and whole variety of other political forces personation'. Certainly there was personation especially those who oppose repression but but equally there were more than just Carron reject the political strategy of the supporters engaged in it. Together the Peace Provisionals. Lover and General Amnesty candidates Of course Fermanagh-South Tyrone obtained 339 votes which was no more than a cannot be regarded as a typical constituency testament to the affection held by some of the even in Northern Ireland. Twice in the past it Irish for English eccentrics. The Alliance has elected republican candidates. Currently Party ploughed its usual territory with its the area has seen considerable polarisation candidate, Seamus Close, making moralistic within the community. On one side Catholics exhortations about the need for peace and remember the coercive discriminatory communal reconciliation. He managed to THE BY-ELECTION IN Unionist state which was controlled by the secure third place with 1,930 votes, almost FERMANAGH-SOUTH TYRONE Unionist Party, while currently experiencing 900 more than the last Alliance candidate in The result of the second by-election in the repression of the British state. On the the constituency. Fermanagh-South Tyrone may well prove to other Protestants perceive the IRA campaign Tom Moore of the Workers Party- be more significant than the first. In the first, as being directed against them; as a kind of Republican Clubs obtained 1,132 votes and hunger striker Bobby Sands fighting the religious genocide along the Border. The IRA declared himself satisfied. Tom Moore was election from the Maze prison obtained insists that it is engaged in a legitimate armed personally an outstanding candidate with 30,492 votes and had a majority of 1,446 over struggle against the forces of the 'British War impeccable credentials gained in the trade his only rival, Harry West of the Official Machine' though increasingly this has union movement and community groups. Unionist Party. Since the change in the become flimsy in the face of thinly disguised Even his party's bitterest opponents electoral regulations made it impossible for sectarian assassination. Finally the spectacle acknowledge his integrity, hard work and another hunger striker to stand following the of men prepared to starve themselves to commitment to working class politics. Yet death of Sands, Owen Carron fought the seat death, with awesome determination to carry the Workers Party-Republican Clubs has describing himself as an 'Ami H-Block' on despite 10 deaths, has evoked an been vigorously criticised for fielding a candidate, and won a victory with 31,378 enormous response. All of these together candidate. It has been suggested that they votes. His majority over his strongest with the actions of the British government presented themselves as the only legitimate opponent, Ken Maginnis of the Official which, if anything, have exacerbated the working class voice as a fait accompli with no Unionist Party, was 2,230. Thus he exceeded crisis, combined to make Carron the victor. prior consultation with other left forces and both the vote and the majority gained by His success was no doubt also helped by his then with a kind of political arrogance Sands in an election field of 6 rather than 2 capacity to reduce the entire election to a demanded total support for their stand. They candidates. Carron was able to represent single issue, the hunger strikers' five have also been accused of being equivocal himself as a surrogate hunger striker and was demands. He disclaimed the relevance of his about the whole issue of repression, on one successful in translating the tremendous membership of Sinn Fein and refused to hand opposing the campaign for political mobilisation around the demands of the comment on his attitude to the military status while their own members accepted and hunger striker into another election victory. campaign of the Provisional IRA. Yet as enjoyed the 'special category status' that The attempt by the British government to other candidates pointed out membership of applies to 'crimes' committed before 1975, prevent hunger strikers standing for election Sinn Fein demands a support for that and on the other offering qualified support 6 October 1981 Marxism Today FOCUS for the Northern Ireland Police Authority despite its impotence to contain or restrict the activities of the RUC. Finally they have been described as giving covert support to Unionism since their intervention in Fermanagh-South Tyrone could never hope to do more than detract enough votes from Owen Carron to give Maginnis a victory. All of these are serious criticisms though it has been proved that they (WP-RC) could not sufficiently split the vote to prevent Carron winning. Tom Moore fought the election on the slogan 'Peace, Jobs, Democracy', and while there is an element of attempting to transpose the old Bolshevik slogan of 'Peace, Bread and Land' to Irish circumstances, nevertheless these demands are an attempt to articulate a strategy whose essence is the notion of a political accommodation between the divided sections of the working class. Carron rightly focused the attention of the electorate on the question of repression but in doing so he has reinforced division and helped to reproduce both nationalist and loyalist blocs. There is the very strong argument that the precondition to the solution of the Northern Ireland crisis is the democratic accommodation within the work- ing class. Carron, like Maginnis, can never contribute to that process. Should therefore an arena of popular politics be handed over to forces whose effect in the final analysis is to foster working class divisions? Alternatively it might be decided to use that arena to propagate an alternative politics. In any case the Thatcher government has once more to face the dilemma of an 'Anti H-Block' MP for Fermanagh-South Tyrone. To date it has dealt with the problem with a degree of ineptitude and intransigence astonishing even for a governement with its record. It remains to be seen whether it will take this opportunity to resolve the crisis or will merely blunder on incapable of under- standing the forces that it confronts.