The Plough #38
10 May 2004

E-Mail Newsletter of the Irish Republican Socialist Party

1) "We, Comrades, Are It"
2) After We Torture Our Prisoners
3) Europe: Oppression in the Heart of New Europe 
4) What's On?

*******

"WE, COMRADES, ARE IT"

Address given by IRSP Ard-Chomhairle Member Terry Harkin to Fringe 
Meeting of the Scottish Socialist Party:

Comrades, let me first thank you for this invitation: it is an honour 
for us to be invited to address this meeting organised by the SRSM --
one of the few socialist and republican groupings left who actually 
conform to standards legislation by meaning what they say on the 
packet. Let's face it, if we lived in a society governed by 
advertising standards there would be more than the British Labour 
Party in the dock for false advertising. 

But, we don't, we live in a society where a government's only reason 
for being is to provide fodder for big business and novo-imperialism. 
Fodder to be used, exploited, exported, burnt out, degraded, and 
tossed away.  

Comrades, we live in a world where, if governments do not provide 
that fodder cheaply enough then it's no problem, other fodder can 
easily be obtained from other governments who will willingly sell the 
children of their land into servitude for a pittance in tax, such is 
their lack of pride.

India, one of the largest and naturally richest places on the face of 
the planet is reduced to selling its children into sweat shops and 
call centres because its natural resources have been systematically 
raped for centuries by colonial imperialists who retained their 
assets and paid little or no reparations on "disengagement." 

South Africa, where the diamonds and gold under an ANC government 
should be the property of the people of South Africa, yet we see the 
mines still in the hands of multinationals and the people of that 
nation still enslaved and still digging their own resources from 
their own land for strangers.

In Iraq and Afghanistan the story is much the same. Although in these 
nation states the novo-imperialists have the decency to come with 
painted faces, Bull Pups, or M-16s at the ready. Here they come as 
mercenaries in the pay of high capitalism, resplendent in their 
traditional tribal garb.  

In Ireland and Scotland we know these scenarios well, it is the way 
of the bully, the rule of the bigot and thief. It is the conquerors 
way and we, too, have drunk from this cup. We understand it, however 
what I can't understand is why? Why do we let it happen? Not you and 
I here today, comrades, but we as a society. Why? The answer seems to 
be simple; we let it happen because it's easy to. It's easy (but not 
cheap) to dress your kids in trendy brands even though you know for 
a fact they were put together for a pittance by children and other 
exploited workers in some far flung place you will never see and know 
the pain of. 

So you're content to spend the equivalent of the average national 
wage on a top, jeans, and trainers for just one of your kids. It's 
easy to let your kids spend your money on Westlife CDs even though 
you know that you're putting money into the pockets of those who sold 
their birth right to sell records by endorsing little red paper 
flowers to remember with "pride" the fallen of an army that levelled 
large parts of their home town (in living memory) and who tied one of 
the greatest labor leaders of all time to a chair and shot him. Like 
I said before, it's easy.

When I was young, the brother of comrade Patsy O'Hara, then on hunger 
strike, once told me an undeniable truth during a conversation. He 
said, "Just because you have a bit of carpet and a colour TV in your 
living room it doesn't mean that you're not being oppressed". 

Things have changed of course, wooden floors, PCs, FSTs, and DVDs now 
festoon our living rooms but in essence we are more oppressed than 
ever and in our unwillingness as a society to grasp this nettle we 
oppress others. Who made your shirt? How much were they paid? How 
much did you pay? What was the profits margin? These are questions 
every one should be asking but only a few socialists are.

Let's extrapolate that to include the world and Irish questions. The 
Ronald Reagan New World Order exploits of Tony and Bush Jnr. have 
reduced the world to a war zone in waiting. The hypocrisy used as a 
justification to get us to this point are as frightening as the 
situation itself. It seems to work something like this. First Britain 
and the US sell you what they call WMD; you go off and use it for its 
intended use. Then the UK and US invade your land and thieve your oil 
because you used the weapons they sold you. That's nice work if you 
can get it. It's true; it's cool to be Tony and Dubya. No one, not 
even the UN, can stand against you. With the media moguls in your 
pocket (or is that you in their pay) you can say what you want and 
their hirelings will sanitise it and dumb it down or sex it up for a 
population devoid of the ability or will to question the obvious 
reality gaps. 

In Ireland the same tactics are employed, no one questions the 
government and pro-Good Friday parties. No one seems able or willing 
to look beyond the hype coming from these groups they can't get 
passed worrying where the next pair of Reebok is coming from and that 
is the only thing that is keeping the GFA alive.

I mean come on, what is it for? Who does it serve and just why in the 
name of god are the American novo-imperialists involved? I don't even 
pretend to know the answers to these questions but I do know this. It 
is not for the working class in Ireland, North or South, Prod or 
Taig. It is not the instrument of reunification it has been touted 
as. It has copper fastened partition, enshrined in law sectarianism 
to a point never dreamed of by Carson and Craigavon at the formation 
of the Orange State. It has deprived the indigenous (and I do not use 
that word out of context) population of the North of what little 
cover offered by Articles II/III of the Republic's constitution. It 
serves no one other that the artificially planted Ascendancy and 
their artificial state. The reality gap on the loyalist side is very 
glaring in Ireland they can't decide what to worry more about their 
Britishness or the next pair of Nikes.

The English, as the Scots and Irish know well, have a decidedly funny 
take on democracy. First they invade you, killing as many as they can 
at the start to terrorise the others. Then they splash a bit of money 
about, buy who they can, kill or forcibly evict those they can't. 
Move their own people on to the land then call an election, blacken 
all those who stand against them terrorists and enemies of democracy. 
Sound familiar? Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Afghanistan, Iraq, and 
wherever next. It's the English way, the American way, the Old 
Colonial and Novo-Imperialist way. The beauty today is the same as 
it's always been, because you own the media or it owns you, you get 
to regurgitate all the old lines and spoon feed them to the people in 
the sure belief that 90% will swallow it whole. Why, again I ask why? 
And this time I'm not talking about society, I'm talking about us. 

Comrades, we are the other 10%, and we are shared, marginalised, 
compartmentalised, and demonised. All by our own hand. Sectarianism, 
elitism, and sheer inability to work with other groups and groupings 
within the left has handed victory to the enemies of the working 
class time and again. 

At times like this I always remember my first encounter with the SWP 
some 20 years ago at Speakers Corner. It was a Bloody Sunday March 
that was just forming up to move off to Kilburn High Road. Back in 
those days the march went to Kilburn and the call was 'Troops Out and 
Self Determination for the Irish People.' I miss the old days, but 
anyway, the NF attacked the march as it was forming up and comrades 
from Red Action and the Socialist Federation ran out to defend the 
crowd. It was then that the SWP chose to "slog anise," "hold the 
line" they said, "chant slogans" they shouted as 200 fascists 
advanced and two female comrades were beaten to a pulp in front of 
them. I left that day with a bitter, bitter hatred of all those on 
the left who stood on the sidelines sloganeering and recruiting while 
a few comrades fought every one's fight just yards away. 

Fast-forward to the eve of the first Gulf War and a meeting in Conway 
Mill in Belfast. Eamonn McCann, the SWP's Ireland guru, is holding 
forth on how socialists should be supporting Saddam in the coming 
war. Come on, Eamonn, the guy gassed the Kurds who were involved at 
that time and still are involved in a legitimate liberation struggle 
of their own. 

In the last few years the leadership of the Irish Republican 
Socialist Movement has sat down and talked to governments who have 
ordered the deaths, imprisonment, torture of its membership, and 
exclusion of the IRSM over the last three decades. I've sat down with 
loyalists, unionist politicians, and Presbyterian clergymen and all 
in an effort to move the Peace Process on beyond the GFA. In all that 
time only one group, no, not the loyalists that the INLA hit harder 
than any other group during the late war. Not the governments the 
IRSM had sought to over throw. It wasn't even the unionists; of all 
people it was the Socialist Environmental Alliance! Colin Brice, an 
SWP stalwart, stood up at a recent meeting of this group an announced 
to the world "while the INLA is in existence we will not work with 
the IRSP". Now, I don't know who ate the cream off this comrade's bun 
when he was a kid but for a man who claims to be a revolutionary to 
stand up and make a statement like that it must have been bad. The 
GFA is up the creek, the air is not fit to breath, people are going 
to be charged for water and oh yes, there's a world war starting. So, 
what do people like this do? They get all chauvinistic about who they 
are going to talk too. Echoes of Spain during the Civil War or what?

Revolutionaries like that, comrades, they make me weep! That's the 
SWP for you again. Let's face it, comrades, I don't like these guys, 
I find them elitist arrogant hurs who systematically target, acquire, 
and then proceed to burn out the brightest most promising socialists 
of each generation for no perceivable gain. Don't get me wrong, 
comrades, they're great folks if you want to get your placards seen 
in the media but I've never met one in the house of someone who's 
just been "pipe bombed." I've never seen them with their placards 
when loyalist mobs are carrying out pogroms in North Belfast. Most of 
them are nice people personally but I'm glad, when I sleep over in 
North Belfast, that it's Connolly's sons and daughters who hold the 
line at night.

However, I see the need to work with them, and God love me I probably 
will have to one day. I'm using them as an analogy because of 
personal experience but the process of political exclusion of other 
left comrades they embody is transferable to us all at times.

I'll tell you this, comrades, we are it, we are the 10%. There is No 
One Else. The excrement is on the blades of the air conditioner and 
we have one hand of cards to play and we must play them between us. 
Reagan's New World Order as interpreted by Dubya and Tony is coming 
and it is bringing with it a war that's casualty figures will dwarf 
those of the American Civil and World Wars I and II combined. Global 
capitalism is marching to war and it's dragging us and the entire 
working class with it. 

We have no Connolly, we have no MacLean. We, comrades, are it. And we 
had better be up to the task. Sectarianism within the left is worth a 
million paid informers to those who benefit from our disunity. It is 
their way of controlling and nullifying us. It is time for us to put 
away childish notions, pick up our collective cross, and walk on.  
Get in there tomorrow, comrades, and push your motion but do not be 
despondent if it fails by the hand of the slackers. Their small minds 
will count it a victory but they'll know full soon that their fence 
is on fire and that watery lefty politics can't cut it any more when 
Iraq is in flames as it will be with more and more young Scots being 
sent to fight Tony's folly. Hate them for their actions, despise them 
for their ineptitude but never, ever, turn your backs on them. Let us 
go from here with unity in our minds and strive to build that unity 
before it's too late. 

*******        

AFTER WE TORTURE OUR PRISONERS
By David Rovics

We'll get rid of the dictator, rebuild your country
Make sure all your kids go to school
We'll clean up the cities, get the sewage plants running
Institute parliamentary rule
We'll bring you autonomy, senators and judges
And a shiny new blue banner
We'll bring you pride and prosperity, food in your bellies
In every home a phone, fax and scanner
After we torture our prisoners

We'll bring you decades of peace, spiritual release
Free religious expression
You can say what you want in the papers you run
We'll never force a confession
After we torture our prisoners

The oil will flow just where it should go
Across the desert and into the sea
And you'll thank your God and the CIA
That finally you are free
After we torture our prisoners

You'll all be safe with us to protect you
And keep you out of harm's way
You'll thank creation and your liberation
From the dark into a new day
After we torture our prisoners

You can all jump for joy, each girl and boy
And look boldly into the distance
You'll be so happy for all that we've done
For such invaluable assistance
After we torture our prisoners

You won't have to worry about tyrants and bullies
Now that you have sovereignty
You can hold your head high, kiss Saddam goodbye
Say hello to democracy
After we torture our prisoners

David Rovics
drovics@aol.com
(617) 747-4460 (voicemail)
(617) 872-5124 (cell)
PO Box 995
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

http://www.davidrovics.com/
http://www.everreviledrecords.com/
http://www.akpress.org/
http://www.daemonrecords.com/
http://www.soundclick.com/davidrovics/
http://www.folkweb.com/davidrovics/

[Note: Feel free to post and distribute. This is a song lyric, not 
a poem. The song, with music, will eventually be available for free 
download along with everything else I've recorded at 
http://www.davidrovics.com/]

*******

EUROPE: OPPRESSION IN THE HEART OF THE NEW EUROPE

From Workers Power Global, London

May the 1st saw 10 countries join the European Union. A big party was 
held in Dublin to celebrate the event. Politicians welcomed the Czech 
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Slovak 
Republic, Malta, Cypress and Slovenia into the EU and smiled at the 
greater opportunities for business. 

Other parties were held in the new accession states. One Polish 
businessman at the celebrations in Warsaw spoke for many when he 
said: "We will no longer be second-class people from a second-class 
country."

But there is one group of people who have been second class citizens 
and who will remain second class citizens in the expanded EU: they 
are the Roma.

In the countries now entering the EU, the Roma face persecution from 
police and racists, and discrimination in jobs, housing and in the 
law. 

--In Slovakia more than 2,000 troops, the largest mobilisation since 
1989, were used to put down a rebellion after Roma had their benefits 
cut (see Workers Power, March 2004)
--In Hungary and Slovakia, Romani women have been sterilised without 
their consent. Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights said 
about the Slovakian cases that the "Roma population of eastern 
Slovakia is particularly at risk".
--In the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, Romani children are 
put into so-called special schools separate from mainstream 
schooling. These special schools are supposedly for children with 
learning difficulties, however they have become a dumping ground for 
Romani children. This practice was slammed in a report from the 
Hungarian government's ombudsman for minority rights. It found that 
in one county in the north east of the country nine out of 10 
children in special schools were Roma.

Those Roma who do attend mainstream schools are often forced out by 
racism by teachers and other students. In one infamous case in 1998, 
Miklós Filep, a head teacher at a Hungarian primary school,
attacked Romani children with a knife. He was awarded a medal a year 
later for outstanding educational achievement. 

The charity Save the Children estimates that in the Czech Republic 
Romani children are 15 times more likely than non-Roma children to be 
placed in special schools. This means that three out of four Romani 
children are segregated in a substandard school system. Roma 
organisations and human rights organisations have protested against 
many of these abuses and have called on the EU to ensure that the 
Roma are treated with equality. However, the EU has done nothing to 
combat this racism. Instead, a few vague documents about social 
inclusion have been published and the accession countries have had to 
come up with some statements about fair treatment of the Roma.

In practice, the EU has accepted that its own human rights laws, 
which are supposedly to ensure that all EU citizens are treated the 
same, do not apply to the Roma. 

Roma already living in the EU fare little better. 

--In Germany, Romani children have been forcibly expelled, sometimes 
back to Kosova where they face even more persecution. Also, the UN 
has criticised the treatment of Romani women, saying that 
they "suffer from multiple forms of discrimination based on sex, 
ethnic or religious background and race." 
--Roma camps in Italy are often raided and broken up by the police. 
In 1999 the far-right National Alliance party (formerly the fascist 
MSI) called for the arrest of anyone protesting against these attacks 
including any officials or politicians for "allowing a demonstration, 
indeed a protest march by Gypsies right in the city centre".
--In the UK a number of Roma were deported in the run up to the 1 
May. Under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, Roma were 
sent back if the country they came from was on a "white list", these 
were countries deemed to be safe and included the accession 
countries. In the Czech republic, the British embassy was refusing 
visas to Roma and there were instances of them being thrown off of 
planes. 

Meanwhile a vicious racist campaign in the UK's tabloid newspapers 
has pushed the government into withdrawing all support to Roma who 
are claiming asylum. Newspaper stories about "thousands of Gypsies" 
coming to Britain to live off "our generous benefits system" prompted 
the Labour government to crackdown on migration and withdraw all 
support to asylum seekers from Europe. 

Early last month, the government stated that all asylum seekers who 
originally came from the accession countries, about 2,750 claimants 
plus their families and mostly Roma, would from the 1 May lose all 
rights to the meagre benefits and housing handed out by the National 
Asylum Support Service (Nass) or from social services departments. 
This ruling would take immediate effect on the 1 May including 
evictions from Nass housing. 

However the day before this was due to take effect the Home Office 
changed its mind after pressure from refugee organisations which 
warned of families being made destitute. At the time of going to 
press, however, all the government has promised is not to evict 
people immediately and to carry out an urgent review in the first 
week of May. there is still no guarantee that these asylum seekers 
will not be destitute in the near future.

The government also rushed through new benefit restrictions, the day 
before the accession, introduced to prevent migrants from claiming 
benefits or housing when they come to the UK. Under a new workers 
registration scheme, migrants from the EU will have to prove that 
they have an employer and be in work before they are eligible to 
benefits including housing. 

Roma who had claimed asylum were barred from working; now they are 
expected to find jobs from the 1 May. They might be able to still 
claim asylum but their case will almost certainly be turned down as 
being "unfounded" as the new countries of the EU will be on 
the "white list" and be deemed safe. 

It seems in the new expanded EU there is still no place for the Roma.

ACTION FOR MARIO BANGO:

Anti-racist activists are planning "12 days for Mario" to draw 
attention to his case. Events begin on the 1st of May, the day that 
the Slovak Republic joins the EU, and include fundraising events; 
meetings to publicise Mario's case; petitioning; writing to the new 
Slovakian president, Ivan Gasprovic; and a day for writing to Mario 
to express support.  

For more information contact Joy Knight on 07866 695 839 
or email freemariobango@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.freemario.org/

FOR MORE ON MARIO'S CASE SEE:
http://www.fifthinternational.org/LFIfiles/Mario-index.html

FOR A HISTORY OF ROMA OPPRESSION IN EASTERN EUROPE SEE:
http://www.fifthinternational.org/LFIfiles/FIroma.html

*******

What's On?

*

MONDAY, 10 MAY

Cuireadh

Cuireann POBAL i láthair
Ródseó na Gaeilge 2004
Mórcheiliúradh ceoil agus fhilíocht na Gaeilge le
Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin agus Steve Cooney
Louis de Paor agus John Spillane
Luan 10 Bealtaine
Halla na Cathrach, Béal Feirste
Beidh fáilte agus fíon ar fáil ar 7.00
Déanfaidh an t-Ard Mhéara Martin Morgan
Ródseó na Gaeilge 2004 a láinseáil ar a 7.15 i.n.
Sólaistí ar fáil 
Tá saorchead isteach chuig an ócáid speisialta seo 
ach ticéad a chur in áirithe roimh ré

Deán teagmháil le Sinéad nó Micí ar 028 90 438132

Invitation

POBAL presents
The Irish Language Road Show 2004
A celebration of Irish language music and poetry with
Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin agus Steve Cooney
Louis de Paor agus John Spillane
Monday, 10th May
Belfast City Hall
There will be a wine reception at 7.00 p m
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Martin Morgan will launch the Road Show at 
7.15 p m
There is no charge for this special celebration but we ask people to 
book their admission tickets early

Contact Sinéad or Micí on 028 90 438132         

*

MONDAY, 10 MAY, 1-2pm

The Human Rights Centre Visitors  

The Human Rights Centre will be welcoming a visitor to the Human 
Rights Centre Law School on 10 May 2004. Everyone is welcome to 
attend. 

Jon Benjamin of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights 
Unit will give a lecture on the role of Human Rights in Foreign 
Affairs on Monday 10 May at 1.00pm to 2.00pm in Room LT121, Lanyon 
South. For more information contact Dr. Rory O'Connell, Human Rights 
Centre Law School, Queen's University Belfast, BT7 1NN, Tel: 028 9097 
3459, ext: 3459, http://www.law.qub.ac.uk/

*

TUESDAY, 11 MAY, 1-3PM

A Sense of Place: Irish Community Resistance to the Globalisation of 
Hazard by Robert Allen (http://www.bluegreenearth.com/)

Tuesday, 11th May, 1-3pm, Room 106, Peter Frogatt Centre, Queen's 
University Belfast

Robert will also be giving a second talk @ 7pm on Tuesday 11th, 
Conference Room, QUB students' Union.

Abstract: Irish community opposition to the globalisation of hazard -
industries that pollute and poison - has gone through radical change 
since its first battles against state and industry in the early 
1970s. After two decades of conflict, which did not prevent the 
globalisation of Irish society, the atavistic nature of the protest 
has begun to employ new techniques and different strategies. 
Communities are locally committed but globally oriented and wise; the 
issues are no longer environmental or social, they are now about 
injustice -- and communities are beginning to realise that their 
sense of place is more important than anything else, if only because 
there is no place left to go.

ALL WELCOME 

Dr. John Barry Co-Leader, Green Party in Northern Ireland
http://www.greens-in.org/
johnj_barry@yahoo.co.uk
m: (0044) 07876597900
h: (0044) 02891 477937 

*

TUESDAY, 11 MAY, 10AM

No Prescriptions for Profits 

Demonstration/Protest at Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork at 10 am on 
(this) TUESDAY May 11th.

Assemble at Douglas Court Shopping Centre (Carpark).
Bring banners, noise, flags and placards!

The European Union group of Health Ministers will be meeting at 
Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork on Tuesday/ Wednesday 11th/12th May.  US 
Secretary of Health, Tommy Thompson is also expected to attend at 
some stage as invited guest. Thompson is a prominent member of 
Bush's Government.

This protests has been initiated by the Cork Anti-War Campaign/Anti-
War Ireland. It is being supported by a range of organisation 
including Cork Grassroots Network, Cork Women's Right To Choose etc.

*

WEDNESDAY, 12 MAY, 8PM 

James Connolly Celebration 

A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF JAMES CONNOLLY

UPSTAIRS, RIORDANS DROGHEDA LODGE, MAIN STREET, FINGLAS.

WEDNESDAY 12TH MAY, 8.00PM

MUSIC, SPEAKERS, CRAIC

ADMISSION FREE, ALL WELCOME

On the anniversary of the execution of James Connolly, the Irish 
Socialist Network is hosting a celebration of his life and 
ideas. 'Our demands most moderate are, we only want the earth.'
  
By Colm Breathnach -- Irish Socialist Network
breathc@hotmail.com

*

WEDNESDAY, 11 MAY, 7-9PM

There will be a North Belfast antiracist meeting for those interested 
in opposing racism from or in North Belfast. If you could pass this  
information on to people to whom this would be relevant, particularly 
people who live or work in North Belfast.

Next Wednesday May 11th
from 7-9pm
@ the Indian Community Centre
86 Clifton St Belfast BT13  

The agenda is open.

*

SATURDAY, 15 MAY, 2PM

ANTI-FASCIST ACTION, Ireland 
http://www.geocities.com/irishafa/firstnews.html

An informal talk with Dave Hann as guest speaker will take place at 
2pm on Saturday, the 15th of May in Connolly Books, 42 East Essex 
Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. 

Dave Hann, co-author "No Retreat." 
Connolly Books.  2pm, Saturday May 15th. 

Dave Hann is co-author with Steve Tilzey of "No Retreat." Both are 
veterans of the many physical confrontations which took place between 
the militant anti-fascists of AFA and members of the National Front, 
the BNP and Combat 8 in Manchester in the period 1977 to 1997, a 
tactic that eventually forced the fascists off the streets across 
Britain. "No Retreat" tells the story, in their own words, of how 
this was achieved. This event should be of interest to all anti-
racists and anti-fascists committed to opposing the current increase 
in "race" politics in this country, where at present isolated groups 
and individuals are attempting to organise along the same lines as 
the far-right has done in Europe. For those who wish to  avoid 
repeating the mistakes of the liberal anti-racists in Britain and  
elsewhere who are in part responsible for the current successes of 
the far-right across Europe, this talk should be instructive.

*

TUESDAY, 18 MAY, 9PM

Belfast Exposed

Screening: "Guerrilla Wars: Cuba, Vietnam and Afghanistan." Studio 
WGBH Boston Video (1999). 18 May 2004. 9.00pm 

South Vietnam, 1966, the face of war changed when bands of 
highly motivated guerrilla warriors showed that they could defeat 
even the most powerful armies in the world. The model for guerrilla 
warfare was set in Cuba when a small band of revolutionaries wrestled 
control from Battista's armies. The mobilization of the peasants to 
support the revolution created a prototype that would be copied 
around the world. In Afghanistan, the people resisted communist 
ideals, believing them a threat to the traditions of Islam. In 
these "people's wars," the guerrillas drew strength from the local 
population which furnished recruits, supplies, shelter and 
underground intelligence. The people remember: Vietnam War, Cuba, 
Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, Vietnam Tet Offensive, tunnels, 
Afghanistan, Russian offensive and Mujahideen.

*

THURSDAY, 20 MAY, 9PM

Belfast Exposed

Screening: "Battle of Algiers." Director: Gillo Pontecorvo (1966). 20 
May 2004. 9.00pm. 

The Battle of Algiers concerns the violent struggle in the late 1950s 
for Algerian independence from France. It was banned on its release 
for fear of creating civil disturbances. Shot in a quasi-documentary 
style, The Battle of Algiers uses a cast of untrained actors coupled 
with a stern voiceover. Pontecorvo balances cinematic tension with 
grimly acute political insight. He doesn't flinch from demonstrating 
the civilian consequences of the F.L.N.'s bombings. However the 
closing scenes of the movie provide thought-provoking images in 
support of the liberation struggle.

*

The School of Politics and International Studies

The Centre for the Study of Ethnic Conflict In conjunction with the 
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) presents a one-day 
conference: 'Interpreting ongoing crises in the Northern Ireland 
peace process: International dimensions'

Professor David Schmitt (North Eastern University)
The US War on Terrorism and Its Impact on the Politics of 
Accommodation in Northern Ireland. 

Dr Christopher Farrington (Queen's University Belfast)
'We're not quite as interesting as we used to be': Conflicting 
interpretations of the international dimension among Northern Irish 
political elites

Professor Paul Arthur (University of Ulster)
The American-Irish Dimension: Have the dynamics changed?

Dermot Nesbitt MLA (Ulster Unionist Party)
The Northern Ireland problem in the 21st Century European context

Professor Elizabeth Meehan (Queen's University Belfast)
From the EU in NI to NI in the EU

David Russell (Democratic Dialogue)
The unintended consequences of power-sharing: A compared exploration 
of the Belfast Agreement and Lebanese Ta'if Accord.

Professor Adrian Guelke (Queen's University Belfast)
The lure of the miracle? The South African connection and the 
Northern Ireland peace process

Eoin O'Broin (Sinn Féin)
Sinn Féin and Batasuna: Fact and fiction in an evolving
relationship

Professor Michael Cox (London School of Economics)
'Bringing in the international' Revisited 

Places will be strictly limited.  If interested please contact 
Christopher Farrington, School of Politics and International Studies, 
Queen's University Belfast, C.Farrington@qub.ac.uk , 028 9097 3231.

*******

Please feel free to comment on the contents of The Plough. We welcome
political comments and criticisms.

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