CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO 01R READERS e3SI«llllB a s e assess liasns WE MUST BEAT THE a No. 168 DKCLMBER 1958 as • SLUMP BELFAST GOV'T Irish Conference in London BEATS RETREAT Many Trade Unionists give support THE Six-County Tory Government, defeated by the united industrial strength of Belfast's workers, has beat a UTOMATION and Tory Government policy were blamed for the shambling retreat on one of its most blatantly anti-democratic looming prospect of unemployment when sixty delegates, and visitors, met laws. dustry. and has never dared to It has been forced to repeal the under the chairmanship of the Editor of the "Irish Democrat," to discuss the prosecute the "law-breaking" worst parts of the notorious strikers. Trades Disputes Act—because it "Irish in the struggle for work and wages." v (Continued on Page Two, Col. One) lound itself incapable of enforcing Mr. H. R. Edwards, son-in-law of James Connolly, and it. $» e^ rtrt ft ft t"j ft ft ft ft ft AAAAAA ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft i London organiser of the N.U.V.B., said that unless the Tory The Act. identical to one long Government was replaced by a Labour Government with the ago repealed in Britain, shackled The freedoms of the trade union necessary policy, there would be unemployment and the movement and severely limited the possibility of attempts at discrimination agarnst Irish workers right to strike. in Britain. He declared that Trade Unionism would have none UNABLE of this. Because of its existence in this Us y & w W VV V V V £ ft ft ft^ft ft ft SURPLUS .small "part of the United King- Mr. Edwards was introducing the dom." the British Government was 2= discussion on a report by the Edi- unable to ratify without reserva- THE SMILES OF 2> tion the International Labour tor in which he said there were S Organisation convention on free- CHAMPIONS two factors in the emigration prob- 3> df-iii of association. Well may William Johnson and lem. One was the fact of the pro- gressive ruin of thousands of Irish Every major strike in the Six "Terry" Casalaspro smile. On Sunday, 5 small farmers, shopkeepers and Counties since the war has been a 26th October, at the London Feis they 2» artisans, together with their fami- direct challenge to this dictatorial were declared winner and runner-up 3> Tory measure, and has been a lies and employees. This reduced respectively in the Minor Irish Dancing u direct limiting of the law by the S the internal market, and caused a lampionship of London. (reani.sed workers. 2= labour surplus. Although every major strike has William's father comes lrom Dublin, n. been in fact illegal, the Govern- while his mother is lrom Cork. Terry is £ That in itself would not create r.vnt lound itself impotent in face United States born of Italian father 2= any problem in Britain however 'I the strength of ieeling in in- and Irish mother. Both are pupils of 2»i great, the emigration, but Ipr one the Ted Kavanagh School ol Irish 2= other thing. That was the exis- 2> tence of large pockets of extremely Dancing. i* unorganised workers, especially in AN COIMISIUN tjtjtjtjtjyy tjytuze„stjtjtjcjytu:& yeusytjttf tjejtjtjtjtjy t-.tjtjcj,tu;& ?tjtjtjytjytjyytjytj tjytjy« building, catering and nursing. A an coimisium a ceapadh T chun ceist na Gaeilge a scrudu The existence of disunity in the ag tabhairt fen obair fe lathair na 9 ranks of the British workers before huaire. Agus ta obair mhor rompa (< the Irish came was the basis of ma tha siad chun i dheanamh i attempts to create fresh disunity ndairire. Pe seifteanna a mhol- We will embarrass them when they arrived. The problem faidh siad chun staid na haith- was therefore not to be regarded bheochana a laidriu ta geallam- |NTRODUCING a discussion nolly Association, said that the as a problem of the organisation of haint beagnach tugtha ag an unorganised Irish, but a^ the prob- rialtas go gcuirfear i ngniomh iad. as a result of which it was Six-county Government had lem of unorganised trades, or decided to hold a conference more" been seriously embarrassed Ach cad iad na seifteanna gur pockets of bad organisation. feidir leo a mholadh? Sin i an at the end of February 1959 to by the publicity given it by fhadhb. Nuair a chimid na daoine —E. MacLaughlin ata ainmnighthe mar bhaill den discuss the Constitutional the Connolly Association. RECRUITMENT Commons will probably follow, de- choimisiun ni feidir linn moran position of the Six Counties, manding the Repeal of the Ireland He referred to the annual Trade muinine a bheith againn asta. Ni "That is the reason for the Act. This Act makes it impossible he gur naimhde don teangain iad. Mr. Eamonn MacLaughlin, bringing out of all the guns Union recruitment weeks con- to end partition except when there A mhalairt, dar ndo, agus daoine ducted by the Leeds Trades Coun- general secretary of the Con- available against our republican is a Government in Stormont will- o gach Gaeltacht na mease. Ach cil, and hoped that if others fol- organisation," he said, recalling ing to remove it. mar adubhramair sa phaipear so the vicious attacks which have It is widely regarded as a vicious lowed the excellent example of cheana ni leor duthracht chun an been made over the past tew anti-democratic act establishing a Leeds, special attention would be teanga a shabhail. Si bun-chloch HE STUDIES IT wrong and unconstitutional prin- given to these trades, and that it na haithbheochana an cheist eac- months on so many fronts. ciple. would be remembered that many namuioohta. 4 COPY of the Connolly Asso- • ' ciation Booklet "Torture Trial "The Northern Ireland Gov- new Irish arrivals found their first Agus chun ceist eacnamuiochta in Belfast." by John Hostettler, the ernment calls us the 'notorious jobs in such trades. The "Irish na Gaeltachta a reiteach se ta ag Association's independent observer anti-British, anti-Ulster organ- Democrat" would be willing to help teastail ar an gcoimisiun na daoine HOSTETTLER at the trial of Mallon and Talbot, isation, because we are anti-Tory in any way it could. go bhfuil eolas eacnamuiochta aca. and have insisted on exposing Daoine a thuigfheadh cad e an has been sent to Mr. Morgan AT EALING (Continued on Page 3, Column 4) Phillips. Secretary of the British the humbug of partition, and re- sort tionscail ata oiriunach do " have heard a great deal gach Gaeltacht fe leith. Labour Party, by the Kingston fused to accept it no matter on » * about the state of affairs in Constituency Labour Party. This is what specious pretexts." Da mbeadh an lucht oibre pair- Northern Ireland lrom our Irish to provide detailed evidence to back teach san bhfiosru, cinniri ccard- members and perhaps we may their request to the Labour "We will embarrass them some chumann cuirimid i gcas, dhean- more," he declared. have thought it a little exag- LABOUR PROTEST fadh se an coimisiun a laidriu go National Executive Committee to gerated. But now we have had de- J^ INGSTON TRADES COUN- mor leis. Ach is trua linn nach i press for an impartial enquiry into The proposed conference, which tailed factual confirmation from CIL. after hearing Eamonn gcomhnai a thuigeann cinniri an allegations of ill-treatment of was decided upon at the meeting of what we can call a neutral source- MacLaughlin, General Secretary of lucht oibre chomh tabhachtach is prisoners, in Northern Ireland. the Association's Executive Council ail Englishman qualified to .speak." the Connolly Association speak oil ata ceist na Gaeilge do oibrithe na m London on November 30th. will | So said Coun. Robert Southern, the demand of Northern Irish tire do mhuintir na cathrach We understand that the Kings- aim at drawing together all those chairman of the West Ealmg Trade Unionists for the repeal of chomh maith le muintir na tua- ton Labour Party is not satisfied Labour and Republican forces who J Branch of the N.U.R. when the the Trades Disputes Act, decided to ithe. with Mr. Phillips' reply to their think it is time that the humbug I branch had heard Mr. John Hos- continue to press the British T.U.C. initial request. They have also that the British Home Secretary Ni loor Eire a bheith saor agus tettler, Connolly Association's legal to find ways and means to back, approached the British National cannot intervene in the six-coun- observer at the Beltast torture trial fiu amhain cumannach gan a colt- this demand. Council for Civil Liberties with a ties to restore civil liberties is ex- of Mallon and Talbot. uir agus a teanga fein a bheith similar request. posed. A lobby to the House of Delegates were amazed to learn aici chomh maith. Members of the branch, which is of the restrictions of civil liberties believed to be one of the best- and the rights of trade unionists attended and most-efliciently con- in Nothern Ireland and of the re- RAILMEN PROTEST AGAINST BELFAST ACT ducted in the industry as well as fusal of the Stormont Government one of the best-informed on poli- t.o recognise the official trade union tical matters, gave the speaker a EST EALING BRANCH of the of the Northern Ireland Committee ment had been compelled to bring there the Northern Ireland Com- most careful Hearing and asked National Union of Rallway- of the Irish T.U.C. and further amendments to the Act (still in mittee of the Irish T.U.C.