Issue 076, Saoirse: Irish Freedom (August, 1993)

              uimh 76 lunasa - august 1993 50p usa 24 per year 398,600 unemployed unemployment increased in the 26 counties by 3,200 in the past month while it remained static in the six counties 4 billion ec and taxpayers money is to be used in the south to create 20,000 jobs per year - but the problem remains that for every 10 jobs created 9 are lost tories sell out dublin sdlp once again the british tory party has made a deal with the unionists in the six counties in order to help the british government stay in power as a result relations between the 26-county administration and the british government are at their lowest point since margaret thatcher's out out out speech of november 1984 party organisation as such is now superfluous with the new deal in place sir patrick mayhew openly wooed the un ionists onbbc radio on july 1 8 saying it would be in their best interests to support the british government the irish news the following day accused him of turning himself from an honest broker into a recruiting sergeant for the tory whips the deal does expose the lie of claims by the sdlp and dublin that britain is neutral on the question of the six counties remaining under british rule and that she has no selfish or strategic interest in staying in ireland the title conservative and unionist party was used for the first time in ages before the maastricht treaty vote in westminster to underline the tories side of the deal in a series of meetings in the week before the crucial house of commons vote on the social chapter of the maastricht treaty on july 22 were held between conservative party managers and the nine mps of the u1 ster unionist party uup led by james molyneaux the votes of the unionists were secured in return for a package which is not entirely clear neither is its duration but it certainly involves continued tory support for the unionist veto on ending british rule in ireland the creation of a house of commons select committee on the six counties dealing with legislation affecting occu pied ireland is definitely on the unionist agenda a select committee such as those in existence for scotland and wales can write its own terms of reference and summon people to appear before it the unionists would dominate any select committee for the six counties and would have power over the implementation of repressive laws objective it has long been an objective of the integrationist james molyneaux to establish such a committee and he was able to state on july 28 that the uup may support john major in the long-term this signals that the unionists are becoming more and more the tories ' allies in the six counties the resignation of laurence kennedy the leading tory in the six counties from his council seat innorth down at the end of july highlighted the fact that the conservative orange card the votes of unionist mps have been used to prop up british governments in westminster since the 1880s when sir randolph churchill proposed that the orange card was the one to play in 1 923 an embittered sir edward carson recognised after the partition of ireland how the unionists had been used by british governments saying that they were only pawns in the cynical game being played by tory politicians in order to retain power the british labour party have also bought unionist votes in the past to keep them in power mostrecently during the 1976-79 james callaghan john major's tory government in britain plays the orange card to hold power administration callaghan's minority labour government won unionist support at that time by increasing the number of westminster mps elected from the six counties from 1 2 seats to 1 7 the present uup leader james molyneaux played a key role in negotiating this deal with the britishlabour party in the 1 970s he said on july 28 that the current arrangement with the tories was like their support for the callaghan govern ment the unionists feel confident now that the 1985 hillsborough deal will fade away this leaves the dublin administration and sdlp with a lot of explaining to do nniversary q unger annual hunger strike martyrs commemoration sat 28th august assemble east end at 3pm speakers tommy mckeamey tyrone released pow frdes wilson belfast emer o'connor limerick bob loughman new york * * * bands glens of antrim tunnel band portadown kevin lynch memorial band dungiven lona college high school band rockville new york members of emerald society police band attending al madden nga boston john hurley foif boston aoh members