The Starry Plough, Vol. 1, No. 7

Just to note that this edition of the SP is wrongly numbered. Both it and the subsequent edition were numbered Vol. 1 No. 7.

Many thanks to the long term contributor Spáilpín who forwarded this to the Archive. This is a further edition of the IRSP newspaper, the Starry Plough – the first one was posted some months ago, produced in the aftermath of the split from Official Sinn Féin which precipitated the foundation of that organisation.

This edition of the Starry Plough has a striking front cover asking ‘Workers to be jailed?’ in relate to ‘statutory wage ‘agreement’ threat’. It also asks are British forces ‘licensed to kill’ and argues that ‘Sectarianism’ is Britain’s brainchild. It also flags a report on ‘IRSP in Boston’.

The editorial notes that it has previously warned that ‘the government was threatening that it would introduce statutory wage agreements’. It argues that ‘workers must now clearly see that wage agreements suit the bosses’. It argues that the Trade Unions role is ‘not to help capitalism in its problems by making workers bear the brunt’.

Another article notes that the IRSP was ‘linked, along with the Provisionals, with the recently announced South Armagh Republican Action Force’ and strenuously denies the allegation arguing that ‘we reject sectarian tit for tat killings as a reaction to the current British inspired Loyalist assassination of Catholics and Nationalists’. It continues, ‘We wish also to re-iterate that we do not have a Military Wing and that incidents such as the indiscriminate killings at the Orange Hall are politically counter productive and weaken the overall anti-imperialist movement’.

Another article lays out IRSP demands including ‘abolition of all repressive legislation North and South, the immediate withdrawal of British troops, an amnesty for all those imprisoned in the anti-imperialist struggle, the immediate disarming and disbandment of the UDR, RUC and RUC reserve. Another piece muses on whether the PIRA ceasefire will end soon.

RTÉ, and the prospect of the re-broadcasting of BBC, is addressed and strongly criticised. There’s articles on the repression of women including protests outside the Institute of Public Affairs Dublin and women prisoners.

Other pieces examine the situation of the Basque country and Chile.

The last page covers a visit to the United States by Seamus Costello and Jimmy White.

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