21.03.1996

Herts on Ireland

At our last meeting on February 20 we decided to change our name from Herts Socialist Forum to Herts Socialist Alliance.

It was felt that ‘Alliance’ expresses more clearly what we are, namely an alliance of different groups and individuals who share the common aim of socialism. ‘Forum’ seems to suggest a mere talking shop. Whilst political debate is extremely important, unity can be built around campaigning on agreed issues. The meeting therefore agreed to launch a campaign against the Job Seekers Allowance. We shall be discussing this in more detail on March 11.

The meeting will also discuss a draft charter for socialist change. The draft was prepared by the Scottish Socialist Forum Steering Committee.

The meeting was informed that education cuts of £30,000 are going to result in cuts amongst teaching staff at Icknield Infants School. If you have any news about cutbacks in any of our services, disputes at workplaces, or campaigns you think we should be supporting, please let us know.

The last item we discussed was the breakdown of the peace process in Northern Ireland. The meeting unanimously passed the following resolution:

“Herts Socialist Alliance hold the British government responsible for the breakdown of the peace process in Northern Ireland. However, we oppose the resumption of terrorism by the IRA. It will be the working class, not the government, who will suffer from the violence. We also oppose any return to violence by the protestant paramilitaries. We stand for the resumption of peace negotiations without preconditions. However, we do not believe the failed politicians are capable of bringing about peace. The peace negotiations should involve trade unions, community groups and other working class organisations in order that the interests of the working class are paramount in such discussions.”

The meeting also expressed support for the ‘No Going Back’ movement in Northern Ireland. We would very much welcome your views on the resolution. Where there is disagreement this will be debated at a future meeting.

Clive Carr and Jim Horton for Herts Socialist Alliance