Peace and Society #01

12 Pages·1993·29.5 MB·English

by  TUCND Trade Union CND

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IN THIS
It is a membership organisation, producing a
environmental concerns has lead, for example,
Page 23
bi-monthly jotunal, working mainly through ISSUE
to involvement in the anti-THORP campaigns.
individual members. Those local groups that do
As well as being part of specific coalitions of
exist tend to have a social orientation, with Page
peace groups (eg Test Ban Coalition), Medact
activists working through other local peace
1 WHATS THIS
works with other organisations on specific
groupings.
JOURNAL FOR
projects and events. This is seen as a useful way
During one of the interviews, someone asked 2 CND CONFERENCES
of getting different perspective on hugely
me "does anybody know what the peace PAST AND PRESENT
complex issues. -qp-nnwlrilw-"-§1I-mi
movement is anymore?" Having been involved
3 THE WAR IN THE
A 20 page newsletter is produced three times
in peace campaigning for over 5 years and
SAHARA
per year for members of the organisation, as
thinking that I might ha. e some grasp on the
5 WOMEN WAR
well as a range of leaflets. There are some local
concept, this survey has come as a shock. It
RESISTORS IN
groups but much activity is undertaken by
really is not clear what the peace movement is.
FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
individual members.
There are, of course, some bland generalities
7 NUCLEAR
that can be made, but little of use that can be
Peace Pledge Union PROLIFERATION AND
done with them. With a few exceptions, the lack
THORP
(071) 38 5501
of concern with broader issues or clear links
8 MAJOR CONCERNS
that are this to be drawn with other new social
PPU started in 1934, as a response to the
OVER THORP
movements’, NGOs etc make me wonder
escalation towards World War 2. The
whether there is not still considerable
9 THE RIGHT TO SITES
organisation was described as taking a moral
rethinking and realignment in the pipe-line.
FOR GYPSIES
standpoint and practical perspective. There are
two strands of its activities. One way of looking at the military is that 11 MOSCOW ~
OCTOBER 1993
there are two tendencies; one is highly
i) Information concerning current conflicts,
sophisticated, strategic in outlook and ruthless
14 NORTHERN
and non-violent resistance to it; an on-going
in action. The other is of a thug tendency, which
IRELAND - THE ‘PEACE
information service available to all.
cannot see the MADness of its own activity. PROCESS’ AND PEACE [
The reality, in this description, is likely to be
ii) Information and education concerning 16 COUNTERACT - THE I
mixture of the two.
attitudes towards conflict resolution. There are
ICTU ANTI-SECTARIAN '
three aspects of this project work: providing
UNIT
With the project of the broader peace
educational materials for teachers, materials for
movement in such disarray and the blanket of
17 STATEMENT BY THE I
those working with and caring for young
apathy born of despair that shrouds the
ICTU
people, and promotion of alternative strategies.
progressive movement in this country, we
19 THE NUCLEAR j
should hope that the thug tendency is in the
Politics is seen as being about people rather
JUNKIES’ LAST BLAST i‘
ascendant.
than partieslgovernments. PPU is a British
20 ROUND UP or
section of War Resister International (WRI) -
PEACE GROUPS ‘
the other section being CAAT.
‘
-_
This journal has been produced by Trade Union CND. It has been put together by
an editorial collective including a range of people from different aspects of the
peace movement. Future copies will be offered on subscription and will be avail-
able as and when human and financial resources allow. As a general aim we hope
to produce it monthly.
The views expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent
those of the collective. If you have comments or contributions you would like to
make, contact:- -_'r
TUCND
162 Holloway Rd
London
N7 8DQ
071 700 4524
or
091 272 2046
PEACE AND SOCIETY - ISSUE 1 - NOVEMBER 1993 ~
Ln
A JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS JOURNAL CONFERENCES PAST AND PRESENT
Th? dim ‘Conference is a-comin’ on. Loudly sing Cuckoo’ (Traditional folk song)
Lionel Trippet
The problems facing peace movement people
CND, as were the other peace movement or-
¢
Paae I It’s that special time of year_again when peace- belongings, roaming the halls and corridors, in
Page 2
and political activists are those of reassessing
ganisations in Britain, was very much a
ful folk go on a pilgrimage to some institution vain attempt to find someone they’ve never met
the role we can play in British political life and
child of the cold war. Much of the thinking
of higher education sufficiently desperate for before, who probably isn’t even there in the first
of challenging our own way of thinking, rooted
within it was geared to countering the pos-
money to risk CND’s subversive presence on place, while trying to discover if there is any
in our culture. The hope is that we will then be
sibility of a superpower conflict and that had im-
campus. form of public transport after 9:30pm to
better able collectively to bring about political
plications for our whole approach to the politics
somewhere that is so far out of town that it is
change in this country and change the role it
we promoted. Sometime we even reinforced
Long months ago the Conference Organiser probably nearer to where they started from in
plays in international politics.
cold war attitudes and ideologies. The demise
started poring over glossy, come-hither the first place.
of the Cold War means that we should be
The jotunal is aimed at us, people in the brochures and vanishing on long fact-finding
rethinking our project, rethinking what it is we
ConfOrg also has to struggle with the eating
peace and trade union movements. But we trips. It was all very different under an earlier
are trying to achieve and the ideas we try to and drinking arrangements. Most Colleges
ConfOrg. Then we were just booked in
would hope to be able to widen the breadth of
propagate. whilst delighted to have several hundred paying
wherever Manchester United were playing that
people who would count themselves as being
conference persons, don’t really want the
Saturday.
integral parts of those peace movement. Aimed
That doesn’t appear to be happening to any expense of opening up their catering facilities,
at affecting ourselves as much as affecting
great extent. Our political culture was so Anyway, the venue has been booked -
especially on Sunday, for more than the
politics and, in so doing, help us understand the
permeated by this cold war that, even though possibly even double-booked - and a mysterious absolute minimum extent of time they can get
world better that we may be better able to
the sun now shines between east and west. the entity called CAWG (Conference away with.
change politics.
permafrost remains within that culture. Arrangements Working Group) has been
The wise delegate will therefore set aside the
convened. CAWG is to CND what the
The journal will deal with international issues,
For much of the population of the world life official conference programme and plan around
freemasons are to the police. CAWG works in
racism, fascism, a bit of history, analysis ol
is no less dangerous, in fact for some it has
those all-important half hours when the
mysterious ways, its blunders to perform. No
differing struggles as they impinge on the
become more dangerous. For others it was
cafeteria is actually serving hot food. You’ll
struggle for peace, the economics of peace and outsider has the faintest idea what it does, but it
dangerous anyway but the urgency of a possible
probably end up eating lunch at 11am and miss
is clearly very important indeed. No-one seems
disarmament, the effect of gender on the
superpower conflict made it important for us to
all the debates but it’s much better than living
politics as they impinge on us - in fn ct anything to know where it meets or when - often
concentrate on countering the possibility of
on a vending machine diet of Pork Scratchings,
which is vaguely related to what we P including the members; but it is there, in some
such a conflict. That the peace movement in
Mars Bars and Mates condoms.
attempting to achieve. obscure back room, deliberating...
this country played no small part in preventing
Bar problems are less acute - although when
such a conflict is something we should be justly In terms of the form of this journal, we arr‘ First comes the Fixing of the Deadlines.
Conference was at the City University in
proud, and this may, to some extent, justify our limited by cost and the technology we have Deadlines for resolutions, for emergency
London, which specialises in Business Studies
concentration on issues relating to the Cold resolutions (emergency resolutions are mostly
available. In terms of the latter we are indebted
and accountancy courses, the student union bar
War. ordinary resolutions submitted as a try-on by
to TUCND for making their facilities available
managed to run out of draught beer and all fruit
groups who missed the ordinary resolution
to us. But having said that, we hope to leave the
But now the threat to peace has changed.
juices on Saturday night. which is a bit worrying
deadline), for candidates for high office to
form as open as possible. To quote James
Nuclear Weapons play a different role in
since by now these financial experts are
declare themselves and submit a few
Fenton "In conventional journalism, form is
politics now and we should take account of it.
probably being hired to run the NHS.
well-chosen words on why on earth anyone in
length. Six hundred words, twelve hundred,
In Britain they play a role in maintaining a
their right mind should vote for them.
ffteen hundred - all these figures denote
The main point about student bars is that
foreign policy which is rooted in our history as a
familiar forms. They may be brilliantly or
there is usuallyonly a limited amount of
country, a history which stretches farther back Candidates must produce a mug shot. These
prosaically employed, but they are determined
comfortable seating. So your mission is to
than the second world war. reveal that they all have mad, staring eyes, fixed
by extraneous considerations: what-space is to
boldly go for it. Go in early and hard. No
snarls, a variety of unfortunate skin conditions
CND has within it people from a range of be filled, who else is filing that day, how man}:
pussy-footing about. No apologetics and no
and the general look of inmates from some
different political and cultural groupings and ads there are and so forth. One longs for an
prisoners. Think Vinnie Jones; think Rommel.
long-stay- throw-away-the-key institution.
the fact that it does so is its greatest strength. elastic magazine, in which content can
Probably just let out for the Conference as part
Actually CND people have a good record of
The fact that it has not rnade significant inroads determine new forms. One longs to get back to
of a long term rehabilitation programme.
seizing the maximum amount of territory and
into others, such as black people and the reporting."
ni-
holding it against all comers. But if there is any
working class, is perhaps its greatest weakness. Meanwhile the ConfOrg is wrestling with the
So the form is as elastic as we can make it,
problem with students cluttering up the place,
Accommodation Problem. Several hundred
This journal is an attempt to open up the ‘ within the limits of our pocket and our project.
don’t hesitate to play the old and fi-ail card.
debate about issues which relate to peace. To The other limitations are that the subject matter delcgatcf hays to stay somewhere‘ The usual
However odd they may look, most students
open up our thinking about the things which relates to the struggle for peace the writing is solution is with a local activist‘ At this Point’
come from Surrey and have been nicely brought
faced with the prospect of bem morall
0 ¢ _ O . . g y
have a bearing on hatred, racism militarism and mterestmg it has to be, the subject matter 1s bl km . . .
up. Ask them to move up a bit and the odds are
the struggle throughout the world for a more depressmg enough. The fmal decisions on the ac aflcd mm pumng up half a dozen total
they'll clear off altogether.
just and peaceful way of living. inclusion of material will be made by the strangers’ complete with probably incontinent
baby and a vegan dog on a strmg, all arrivin
If that doesn’t work, talk to them. Address
editorial panel‘ well after midnight because they lost their “fay
No one has a monopoly of the "correct
them as Young People in a quavering voice.
analysis“ either of world events or of the role a In short the journal’s purpose is that of a on the M1, most local activists either resign
Tell them about what it was like in the Sixties.
peace movement could play in Britain. They all, fgr changg the, pl-Qg-1-essivg f1'Ol'l1 OI’ shut up IIOHSC and g0 Off O11 3 I316
Give them the wrong money (‘Would you? My
perhaps, have some degree of truth in their movements and that of a facilitator for the holiday.
leg is playing up again’) and ask them to put
words. This journal will strive, therefore, to struggles for peace.
something embarrassing on the juke box: the
In fact such precautions are quite
include material from a range of different
Incredible String Band or that nice Julie Felix
unnecessary. Most delegates are fated to spend
sources and from a range of different political
will do nicely. If they don’t bugger ofi, start a 3
most of the Conference, festooned with all their
perspectives.
little community singing of Give Peace a "
Q l
Chance. That’ll do it. The only problem there thermoses, spoilt papers, split decisions and the
Page 3 Most current wars in the world are basically 7 Page 4
camps in an area near Tindouf in south western
is that half the delegates will vanish as well. But annual disappointment at the feeble intellectual
Algeria. This constitutes the centre of s civil wars involving cultural, religious or"
they'll soon drift back when their glasses are level of the graffiti in the toilets. Ou sont les
Polisario’s administration of the Saharan Arab national chauvinism. There are two glanng
situationists d’antan.
@mPtY- 1
' ' ' exceptions; the Indonesian invasion of East
Democratic Repubhc which was declared on
So there you are. “Tis the eve of Conference, And remember, if you’re in Cardiff, that was the 27th February, 1976. SADR is a full
workshops, socials, votes, priority ballots, last year. member of the Organisation of African Unity
and is currently recognised by over 70
hustings, lukewarm veggiburgers, split
countries, but not by the UK. Polisario’s SADR
administration undertakes all the normal
THE WAR IN THE SAHARA
functions of government in an abnormal
situation, running the camps, providing basic
but universal health and education systems,
Donald McDonald
developing agriculture in the desert and
,.
maintaining its armed forces in the liberated 1
For twenty years the indigenous people of the colonial power was on its-knees and the Spanish
zones over the border in the Western Sahara.
Western Sahara have been bravely strug- were preparing to withdraw. But rather than
gling for their very survival against the armies of prepare for the nation’s independence, Spain Since September 1991, there has been an
three different invading nations. (who had previously done little in terms of uneasy UN supervised truce which supposed
building up health, education, civil and to lead to a free referendum to decide the
Combatants and civilians alike have been administrative structures), went into cynical country’s future. However, Perez de Cuellar’s
bombed, strafed, jailed, tortured, principally by secret negotiations with Mauritania in the south last report to the UN Security Council
the occupying Moroccan forces. Yet despite and Morocco in the north.
recommended a Moroccan plan to include their dthe Mereeeee eeeeeetien of the 1 of the 1240 kids at
their fighting forces being outnumbered 10:1.
settlers m the referendum. This remams a_ Western Saham In both cases a wealthy and , this Fe”-Se”-O schooj
Events moved quickly; on 6th November,
Polisario has destroyed a third of wealthy
major and quite unacceptable sticking point for eewerful country has attempted to annexe a J mere than 150 had '
1975, King Hassan of Morocco led the "Green
Morocco’s air strength as well as taking over
Polisario-who naturally argue that only citizens weaker neighbour’ in both cases overcoming I ee”-eUs I-"jun-es as a
March" of 350,000 unarmed "volunteers"
two thousand prisoners of war.
who can prove registration in the last Spanish resistance with the utmost ferocity reeUIt of the wan
through the desert to commence the occupation
census in 1974 should be allowed to vote. _ _ _ _ _ _ Am, h - I
oug specra
The origins of the war lie in the 19th century of most of the Western Sahara. Simultaneously,
There are no difficult issues mvolved, this is a support is eivee they
Current UN Secretary General Boutros
grab for Africa by the European powers. Mauritania occupied the southern third of the
Boutros Ghali recently visited the region and is simple struggle fornational liberation and self are educated with the
territory. Without reference to the inhabitants
expected to make his report soon, but even if determination. Pohsario are urging trade . ether ehfldree
From a power base in the coastal strip, Spain
of the Western Sahara, Spain legitimised the
Polisario agree to a degree of eligibility beyond unionists in the UK to support the drive for 2 -
occupied and controlled the area which became
land grabbing operations in the secret Madrid
the Spanish census, there still remains the humanitarian aid and, above all putting 6'
known as Spanish Sahara until 1976. Liberation
Accords of the 14th November, 1975. General
diplomatic and political pressure on the i
problem of validation - will the UN accept a
Francisco Franco, the last of Europe’s dictators
mere oral proof of identity as Morocco wants?
from the 1930s died before that week was out.
It has to be said that the UN’s record in the
Spain formally withdrew on 28th February
region has not been good; Perez de Cuellar was I
l
1976, but were immediately replaced by the
long suspected of having a cosy relationship
armed forces of Morocco and Mauritania.
with King Hassan of Morocco. One UN envoy
4
resigned when he discovered that his assistant I
Polisario then took up fighting against two
had passed a computer disk of Polisario’s
new invading powers, scoring notable successes
registered voters (from the 1974 Spanish
principally against Mauritania, a very poor
census) to the Americans, who copied it for the
country (per capita GNP of $480 pa, 50%
Moroccans. Morocco then arranged for its
unemployment and 17% literacy) where the war
was deeply unpopular. Following two coups settlers to impersonate the respective Saharawi
d’etat and military victories for Polisario, citizens.
Mauritania withdrew from the war, signed a
In October last year Saharawi protestors
peace treaty with Polisario on the 5th August
sought refuge in the UN MINURSO mission in
1979, and subsequently recognised Polisario’s
the city of Smara in the occupied zone. They
Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in
were instructed to leave the offices the
struggles had previously been ruthlessly 1984. \
following day whereupon they were arrested Security Council members, especially Britain 1 Pefleee-e Use e
suppressed in 1957-58 and 1967-70, but by the
I .
A Polisario unit and probably deported to Moroccan prisons. In and France, to ensure that the referendum is i mbeere ef eeewred
However the war with Morocco has
early 70s it was becoming clear that none of the
welcomed back from Jime of this year Morocco held elections to its conducted in a fair manner. j end deflated weepene
continued for seventeen years since 1976, with
European powers would be able to hold "their"
patrolling the desert impotent assembly, blatantly disregarding the
both sides suffering heavy loses. Despite the
African possession by brute force. Specifically they are asking for UK unions to , A/Though Oumumbered
UN referendum plan. Polling was conducted in
usual United Nations pronouncements about
work for three principle objectives; . 1 70 to 7 Ih9l/ are
the occupied zone right under the noses of the
Following. the Portuguese revolution in April the right of self determination, Morocco was
j formidable
MINURSO forces.
1974, Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau able to occupy much of the coimtry with the 1 UK and International TU support for the ‘i
were soon recognised as independent states. It covert, and sometimes overt, support of the Saharawi right of self determination, and a fair
However, in an effort to avoid continiiing
was inconceivable that in neighbouring Spain, western powers. At an estimated cost of $3m
referendum; . I
heavy loses for both sides, the Polisario
the ailing General Franco and decaying per day, Morocco maintains an occupying army
leadership has tried to ensure the maximum
2 TU input into fund raising for their
fascist Falangist regime would survive in Spain of 120,000 soldiers behind the "wall of sand",
progress for the UN peace process. They have
diplomatic and political work; and
let alone in its last African territory. three meters high and 2,300km in length,
taken a major gamble, they feel that this is .
protected by minefields and US supplied
necessary in order to avoid more deaths in a 1 - 3 Organising visits of UK trade unionists to
The Liberation forces in Spanish Sahara
electronic listening devices.
protracted struggle against an occupying power the camps in order to publicise the need for a
came together and formed Polisario in May
1973 and renewed the struggle for Huge numbers of Saharawi had to flee and an with vastly greater military might. , fair referendum process. 3
independence. Within two and a half years the estimated 165,000 are currently living in refugee
2
_
Q
These women, as well as women who_work Page 6
In July 1992 a member of the green berets, a
Page 5 Following a visit to the Polisario camps by a Copies of the NCU’s report of NEC Member
directly against the ugly nationalism, who try to
member of the unions NEC, the National Donald McDonald’s visit can be obtained from:- muslim unit, recounted on German television
help refugees regardless of their ethnic status,
how he was paid 100 DM each time he brought
Communications Union is now interested in
Roger Darlington
and who run crisis hotlines and refuges - like
in a bus full of women ’to be forced into
helping to coordinate greater TU involvement
the Zagreb Centre for Women War Refugees,
prostitution’: "IfI did not fmd enough Serbian
in the campaign. International Officer
and Women in Black in Belgrade - are not
women then I filled the bus with Muslim and
Contact points:- National Communications Union recognised as fighters because they have
Croat women." Forced prostitution, as Korean
rejected the weapons and methods of masculine
’comfort women’ found fifty years ago, is not
Western Sahara Campaign 150 Brunswick Rd
warmongering. Yet these women need courage
prostitution, but rape, repeated over and over
and skills far greater than that of the soldiers
180 Brixton Rd Ealing again.
firing from hilltops into the towns. They wont
London SW9 6AT The Green Beret soldier’s ’confession’ might
London W5 IAW get medals, though, because the enemy for
be true, or it could be yet another example of
these women is not another ethnic identity or
Tel: [phone]
the propaganda of this highly emotive issue,
group or nationality, but war itself. They are not
which in turn is used to spread further hatred
combatants in the war, but against the war.
The man with the
and revenge, leading to further violence against
bare head is a
I am not denying that men, such as those
more women.
Moroccan soldier. He
emaciated figures brought out of internment
was taken prisoner by It is easy to evoke shock and condemnation
camps, have also been harmed in the war, or
Polisario and has for individual perpetrators‘ with these stories,
that occasional women, like Mrs Thatcher, get a
remained a POW while covering up the implications. We’re told
kick out of warmongering. But I do think that
since. He said he was that has happened in all wars, that wars are like
the widespread acceptance of masculine
well treated and this, that soldiers are like this. So? Does that
aggression needs to be honestly and urgently
appeared to be mean it’s okay? Are they saying it’s natural and
addressed or we will fail yet again to fmd
physically OK. therefore we have to accept it? Racism is also a
appropriate solutions.
Morocco has a cause of war, but at least this now gets
Nowadays mediators without the nationalistic
number of secret recognised as something which needs to be
baggage of adversaries are brought in to help
prison camps holding addressed.
resolve conflicts. But these mediators are nearly
Polisario, where torture
Not so the war against women that men fight
always male. If they notice women at all, it is
is frequently used.
in parallel with their wars of domination or
just as unfortunate victims. Women who are i
They don ’t admit to the
patriotism. Reporters speak of Serbs fighting
active noncombatants, who try to maintain the
existence of these
Muslims, just as they write of ’football
principles of nonviolence and cooperative ways
camps.
hooligans’, ’increases in violent crime’ and
of living are ignored as though they where
’inner city youth’. These terms appear to be
invisible. Could it be that the mediators have a
gender neutral, and therefore conceal the fact
vested interest in keeping war respectable?
WOMEN WAR RESISTERS IN FORMER
that women and girls are conspicuous by there
Women and men experience war differently.
absence. The common factor is uncontrolled
YUGOSLAVIA
War engages men in a game they seem to
masculinity, but attention has to be diverted
recognise, with rules, roles and opportunities to
from the obvious by all kinds of political
’prove themselves’. They interchange between
excuses. The problem is not just testosterone
Rebecca Johnson
being destroyers or destroyed: if they are
run riot, but the role of combat and aggression
beaten in one exchange they can dream of
in the construction of concepts of manhood.
beating their enemies in the’ next one. War is
Q s if you haven’t noticed, there’s a war going Wrong.
The world, which has defmed the war in
some sort of continuatioinhi the games of
n in what to used to be called Yugoslavia.
former Yugoslavia as a nationalist war, tries not
Anyone looking at this war can see that it is combat around which thefi masculinity has
Analyses abound: this is a revival of historic en-
to notice that men and women are more
not about protecting women. Indeed, women been constructed. So well before the necessity
mities going back centuries; cosmopolitan, mul-
fundamentally on opposite sides than are the
and children are in the front line, as primary to join up and fight, the men begin to huddle, to
ticultural urban values under threat from rural
Serb men from their Croat or even Bosnian
targets. The Amnesty International report of plan, and clean their weapons, while the
superstition manipulated by fascist popularist
counterparts. Under the guise of humiliating
January 1993 entitled Bosnia-Herzegovina: testosterone and adrenalin levels climb.
leaders; collectivist communist values clashing
the enemy (male) by raping ’his’ women, war
Rape and sexual abuse by armed forces,
with private enterprise for the future of the
Women don’t see a game in the war. They try
gives soldiers free and violent access to all
identified the abuse of women as widespread,
Yugoslav nation(s) under the new world order...
to keep life going instead. When war comes to
women.
committed by all sides. In most cases the victims"ii
their regions, women experience it as a personal
were identified as of different nationality from
A rather important fact which hit me as soon I met and spoke to many strong and
attack, quite literally an invasion, with their
the perpetrator, but Amnesty also reported on
as I went to the former Yugoslavia is almost courageous women - of all sides-while I was in
bodies often the first thing to be invaded. This is
soldiers who raped several women, including
never commented on: the combatants are the former-Yugoslavia in May/Jime this year.
not a recognisable role, but the deeply personal
women of their own ethnic ’side’. Convicted
almost exclusively male, while the refugee From their stories it is quite clear to me that the
and, to them, irrevocable - destruction of their
rapists and gangsters became war heroes.
camps are filled with women and children. This majority of women had considered it most
lives. On an individual level, women can be
is not just a war against civilians; this is a war important to resist the war mentality and
SOS Hotline, an independent group of deadly adversaries if they choose to fight, but in
against women. But of course that’s because nationalist fever and had hoped it would be
women who run a phone crisis line for women war it is not just their personal safety at risk, but
soldiers are supposed to be men, isn’t it? War possible to keep war away. As -the armies
victims of violence in Serbia, whom I visited in the family, community and security that they
requires manly courage, fighting skills and marched, men across the former Yugoslavia
June, have identified a 30 percent increase of had worked for. Women are not combatants
bravery, which are the perquisites of began meeting in separatist cafes to clean their
rape and sexual violence, including what they because they are war-resisters, not because they
masculinity. Women aren’t soldiers because guns and gee each other up with plots and plans
have dubbed the ’post TV news violence
are the weak being protected by their menfolk.
they can’t fight, they wouldn’t know what to do, for heroic deeds. Most of the women carried on
syndrome’. They also noted an increase in the
The importance of their resistance should be
they need to be kept out of the front line. Men visiting each others’ homes or going to market
presence of guns when men commit violence,
celebrated, not ignored.
fight in order to protect the women. with their neighbours. In doing this, some even
even when the victims are members of their own
had to defy male relatives who had prohibited
families. j -
contacts across the ethnic lines.
'3
¢
Research and Development into the concept Page 8
consultation with the governments of the
\
contracting utilities, environmental of ‘management’ of radioactive materials would
NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION AND THORP
organisations, local authorities and trade unions. also force the nuclear industry to abandon its
objective of ‘disposing’ of it in an underground
- repository at Sellafield .
Nigel Chamberlain
Britain and Plutonium. ISIS Briefing by
References
to register and control plutonium stockpiles.
Page 7 The Govemment’s response to the concerns
Walker and Berkhout. November 1992
The IAEA is under goat pressure to increase
expressed about proliferaitioiu if THORP is
National Council CND statement on THORP
its monitoring activities, especially in those
permitted to coence f"'fi%-pE®C@SSlfig spent fuel
Can Civilian plutonium be used in nuclear
to the DoE. 24th January 1993
countries considered to harbour desires to join
and release large quantities of highly enriched
explosives? A review of statements by nuclear
the nuclear club and where fissile material is
and plutonium can be surnniiarised as: National Council CND Statement on weapons experts. Federation of American
extracted from nuclear warheads. However, it is
THORP to DoE 11th July 1993 Scientists. 24th August 1984
understaffed and underfunded and may be
"The Government remains satisfied as to the
unable, therefore, to adequately monitor the Statement on Government Policy on Speech to Japan Atomic Industrial Forum by
intentions of the governments of the THORP
plutonium recovered from THORP. Reprocessing and Operations of THORP at William Dircks, Deputy Director General
customer countries.... It therefore sees no
Sellafield. Released by the DoE, 4th August IAEA. 13th April 1992.
reason to prevent the operations of THORP on
Diversion of ‘Civil’ plutonium could prove
1993
this account."
dihflcult to momtor and until BNFL’s
commercial contracts are made available for
The history of the development of fissile
public scrutiny it could be argued that
material and nuclear weapons has always been
MAJOR CONCERNS OVER THORP .
economic pressures may result in contractual
shrouded in secrecy. Decisions have been taken
substitution between foreign utilities.
with minimal consultation within government
Jim Barnes
and not at all with the people. This lack of
It is simply not sufficient to state that the
public consultation characterises the present
countries whose utility companies have -signed
discussion about the future of THORP as it There are three areas of concern being raised store’ their waste..Reprocessing "no longer
contracts with TI-IORP are committed to the
to nuclear proliferation. over the commissioning of the Thermal Oxide appears to offer any immediate and significant
principles of the NPT. The Treaty is due for
Reprocessing Plant (THORP). One relates to advantage from a waste disposal point of view",
renewal in 1995 and many signatory nations
information has been extracted from various
they said. BNF have not revealed who their
the costs involved. The second resultsfrom the
have severe reservations ab out compliance with
s..oi1.irces, compiled and disseminated by
increase in radiative discharge and other other customers will be or what quantities will
its clauses. Many are pointing ‘ls e finger at
organisations interested in the free exchange of
be involved. It is difficult, therefore, for even ‘
enviromnental problems which THORP will
Britain for allowing BNFL to promote the
information. BNFL refuses to explain the
produce and the third results from the the most starry eyed of its advocates to take
international trade in plutonium and escalating
-details of its contracts with the Ministry of
these projected profits seriously.
separation of plutonium, which THORP was
its own nuclear weapons stockpile with the
Defence, the military pretend they do not exist
designed to do.
acquisition of the Trident submarine system in
and governments have consistently misinformed One estimate of the cost of cleaning up the
flagrant breach of Article VI of the treaty.
the public about the relationship between the site once it has reached its safe working life at
COSTS
production of fissile material and the 40 billion. This remains speculative and it could
Furthermore, members of the previous
construction of nuclear warheads. Some press reports quote the cost of building prove an underestimation. For it to be less than
Japanese Government and other political
THORP as 112.3 billion, others quote £2.8
that new technologies would have to have been
factions have stated their opposition to the
What trust can we have in elected
billion. developed and there is no sign of this
indefmite extension of the NPT in 1995 and
representatives who continue to state that "it is
happening. There is no theoretical possibility
not the Government’s policy to give further believethat Japan should reserve the right to It was originally decided to build THORP in
currently known to physics which would suggest
information on this (usefulness of plutonium develop its own nuclear weapons if it considers 1977 when Britain, together with a number of
such a technology could be forthcoming.
nuclear warheads) or to comment on the details other nuclear nations pose a threat to its other countries, were still developing fast
of my nuclear weapons tests which may be sovereignty, citing North Korea as an example. breeder reactors, which would be able to use as
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS:-
alleged tohave carried out"? fuel the uranium and plutonium THORP would
This is exactly the argument North Korea
separate from spent fuel from conventional At a meeting in June this year of the Paris
uses to justify its own nuclear programme and
As long ago as 1984 Dr. Robert Seldon, a
reactors. At the time it was thought that Commission, the group. of 13 nations who
Britain uses to justify its expanding nuclear
nuclear weapons designer at Lawrence
THORP would make huge profits from control pollution into the North Sea, a motion
weapons arsenal. If the NPT is to survive after
Livermore Laboratory, stated that: "...all
reprocessing other countries waste. That now was agreed to calling for far tighter controls
plutonium can be used directly in nuclear 1995 then it must be strengthened and adhered
looks extremely doubtful. None of the fast over discharges of nuclear material from
to as well as be seen to be equitable to all
explosives, the concept os ‘denatiu'ed”
breeders have worked successfully and the cost THORP than Britian was proposing to
plutonium is fallacious. A high content of Pu240 signatory nations. At present the five declared
of refining uranium from ore is now much opperate. They also called for more rigorous
nuclear powers seem to believe that the er
isotope is a complication. Given a free choice, a
cheaper than in 1977. There is now a procedures in handling nuclear materials.
wording of the Treaty can be interpreted in
designer would chose low Pu240 material."
considerable glut of plutonium and uranium Britain was the only government to vote against.
different ways.
worldwide.
The Government has stated that it has full
The THORP plant will mscharge into both
confidence in IAEA safeguards and its ability Conclusion
BNF have argued that the plant will make the sea and into the air. Sellafield village
to regulate an expanding trade in plutonium.
The UK government appears to be £500 million profit over a ten year period. already has ten times the national average for
They appear to have overlooked the fact that
committed to a high risk strategy for short-term However, very few people are prepared to childhood Leukaemia.
William Dirks, the Deputy Director General of
believe BNF’s figures which have consistently
economic advantage. The most sensible and
the IAEA, believes that "Even if one disregards Some concerns are based on the fact that the
proven to be wildly optimistic in the past. The
practical means controlfing nuclear
the fissile material from nuclear warheads, the process will produce sixteen times the quantity
turn over which will produce this profit will be
proliferation is to halt. plans to reprocess spent
excess of isolated fissile plutonium from civil of nuclear waste than they receive as spent fuel
10 billion, which means that the margin is tight,
fuel and stop its international trade as a market
nuclear programmes posses a major political for reprocessing. As yet no satisfactory method
not to say tiny. "
commodity.
and security problem worldwide". has been found for neutralising the radioactivity
However, recently the government withdrew associated with this waste and so it remaain
BNFL must be encouraged to prepare
The IAEA’s major role is to promote the
a commitment to imderwrite any losses made by problem for thousands of years to come.
detailed plans for the long-term ‘management’
commercial exploitation of nuclear power with
of spent fuel and fissile smateinial the customers. Scottish Nuclear then withdrew
a secondary and soiaewhat contradictory, role The government’s own advisory panel, the _
their contract and decided, instead, to ‘dry
Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation,
4
__
,- _--I- e-A.‘ __-'
fth t b ome no- To areas for s in local authority control. If the discounts are Page 10 V
weight of the stuff would make up to 20 nuclear
page 9 has also voiced concerns in a recent report.
'Trr(:irse3ers.e Conn ry ec g allowed, about £40 million could then be
bombs it would not be too difficult to amass
They said that the rise in radioactive discharges transferred to bodies which would then become
sufficient to produce an arsenal of weapons.
resulting from THORP’s activity "should be
The 1968 C31avail Sites Act “la? brought in by powerful independent site associations tailored
viewed with some concern" because it would the Labour Government of that time after a to "gypsy-t need5"_ L
The second is that the customer countries
inevitably involve a greater risk to the spate of violent evictions and confrontations,
themselves would use the plutonium to make
population." leading to bloodshed and several tragic fatal
nuclear weapons in the future. That possibility
accidents.
itself can be a destabilising element in
The report also says that "No practice
international politics. The technological
involving radiation should be adopted unless it It places a duty on local authorities to provide
capability and the possession of a stockpile of
produces benefit to the exposed individuals or sites for those "gipsies" "residing in or resorting
plutonium taken together can be the basis for
to society to offset the radiation detriment it to an area". The misspelling of the ethnic term
threatening other countries. The very existence Gypsy is significant in this context since they are
causes." The committee says that no estimate of
of stockpiles of plutonium is itself a defined in the Act as "persons of a nomadic way
the potential hazard has been made available
considerable incentive for governments to of life whatever their race or origin" - a lifestyle
and that no new process shouldbe authorised
develop nuclear bombs. not an ethnic defmition. -
without such information being taken into
account.
It would take Japan, for instance, a matter of This has enabled New Travellers (called in
months to manufacture weapons once it has the media "New Age") to claim, quite rightly,
Of the other governments who have voiced
built a stock. This is one of the reasons North
opposition to THORP on environmental consideration under the Act. They wouldn’t '
Korea is using as a justification for continuing
grounds, Ireland, the United States and the want the concrete and tarmac reservations
its own nuclear weapons programme.
Scandinavian countries have been the most provided by most councils - in fact most gypsies
E
outspoken. would prefer sites designed with real need in
This is why considerable opposition to
E
mind - but the Act enables evictions from
THORP is building within the United States
PROLIFERATION
Council land in undesignated areas to be fought
government. Clinton has made statements that
in court and for Judicial Review applications to
It takes about 7kg of plutonium to make a he is worried about what THORP will do. The
hold off the bailiffs. The Tories have signalled It Should be noted that the National Gypsy A way Qf fife that is
nuclear bomb. THORP will be producing about Pentagons own Non-Proliferation office have
their intention with the review of the 19o8 _ Council is neither "national" or a "council" m threatened by a mean
5'7 tons of it a year, much of it for export. There been lobbying hard to have it stopped. 25
Caravan Sites Act put out for consultation m any demoqatic sense, of the word. and nasty Govemmem
are two dangers in this. One is that the Congressmen and Congresswoman, including
August 1992, to abolish the duty to provide sites
customers may sell material to a third party or Joe Kennedy of Massechusetts, are promoting
under the act and have already cut off the 100% b_J°?°mytCffby"_' Mzéggsgglfid tgfigmafillia
that its security will be insufficient to prevent it legislation in congress condemning THORP
capital grant for new sites. This has been 1‘ ° 355° 5 "PP1118 _ _ 81' _ > i
from being stolen, either by terrorists or by and calling on Clinton to initiate "High-level thanks to Labour opposition, the Bill was talked
universally opposed by Labour politicians and
out. The overt racism of Onslow and Wells was
governments who wish to make nuclear bilateral discussions" with the British
even by many Tories. The police have
revealed in the debate: ‘
weapons. Bearing in mind that a hundred Government with a view to halting the project.
condemned it as creating more problems than it
solves. Gypsies and Travellers have united to
_ _—..
THE RIGHT TO SITES oppose it in all respects.
Democratic Traveller groups such as the
Gypsy council (the former National Gypsy
Paul Winters - LCTR
Education Council), Northern Gypsy Council,
"You know you won’t all get on the new site - So goes a recent conversation with a group of North Country Travellers Association, National
there’s not enough room". The permanent Gypsies outside Hull. Over 20 trailers are now Romany Rights Association, and political
pitches are already allocated to Bluey’s family gathered on Bently lay—by and the local Tory groups such as Labour Campaign for Travellers
(they’ve been waiting over ten years for a site) councillors are having a field day in the press: Rights, have worked together to fight the
and the transit pitches will soon fill up. What common cause. Liberty have coordinated a
"Call for quick action to move gypsies".
are you going to do if your not one of the lucky national demonstration and lobby of
ones?" Parliament. Safe Childbirth for Travellers, have
"one law for the gypsies and one for the rest
focused on a specific issue to gain cross-party
of us".
Life in a lay-by "We’ll meet that when we come to it. We take support. The Social Responsibility wing of
I
"we just want the government to get a move
each day as it comes". religious groups have attacked the reforms on
on so that we can solve this PROBLEM".
moral as well as practical grounds. The
campaign is broad-based and focused.
A history of evictions (often just before the!’ "
'*"'\\i
Meanwhile,,two private members Bills, at the We should remember
biannual count so that returns to the
that half a million
end of last year and the beginning of this, from
Wells - "Like keeping poultry - it is the same
Department of Environment showed an
Gypsies were killed by
far-right extremists, Bowen Wells and Cranley
with Gypsies - once on a sit-“e on which gypsies the Nafls. The ‘Pm of
underestimate of the need) had disrupted
Onslow, floated proposals for further
may be entitled to camp is designated, it ' racism inherent in our
patterns of settlement and migration, and the
assimilationist and privatisation policies. governments current
attracts all sorts of other nomadic vagabonds.
new site would be too small for the numbers
attitude laid the bask in
And so they come - in large shiny caravans a
needing accommodation. Vi/hen it opens,
Cranley Onslow’s bill proposed the sale of the 1930's for this
pulled by Land Rovers and Jaguars of recent
Beverly Borough (Tory) will get Designation. genocide. This is not
cotmcil sites with a 78% discount and, if not
yum‘ vintage.". just a British problem»
sold within 12 months, to be sold without a R mm-about Euro!" 11*
"Designation" is the carrot chased by Labour
reserve price. i
Onslow - "and Mercedes“ tar right art Ilillll
and Tory Councils alike. This is a crude quota
ethnlt!-minorities as a '
system, likening to the Group Areas Act in
The hidden agenda was revealed by the Tory
it Wells - "Yes - accompanied by Mercedes and scapegoat for economic
South Africa, limiting the number of people
MP Oliver Heald, who supported the Bill: r ;risis.For IIISIIIIQC,
the odd Shogtm".
\
allowed in a camp, in an area which has been more than 20 have URI!
killed in a spate of p
"The effect of clauses 2 and 6 would be that
granted Designated status on he grounds of
As a positive way forward, Traveller p R
.i
anti-Gyoale attach In —
adequate provision, and, wait for "4".-_|@-P-1- organisations such as the National Gypsy . organisation such as the East Anglian Gypsy _ Hungary recently-
it,"expediency". What this means is that whole Council would be able to acquire sites currently
Council, Essex Romani Association, North
. , '
’3
1 _ , _
more strident and extreme. After some days the , Page 12
But what was the reaction of the people to all
a-i4r!»! - -»
unauthorised sites. This would provide
Country ‘Travellers Association and the building and its occupants were completely
these provocative developments which would
Page 811
short-term amenities such as drinking water,
Northern Gypsy Council, assisted by groups isolated. All communications, water, gas and
eventually culminate in the cataclysmic events
refuse collection, sanitation and hard-standing
such as Safe Childbirth for Travellers, have electricity were cut, leaving only a small
of 3rd-4th October. From my own observation
in areas where there are no spaces on sites for
been formulating their own policy proposals - generator which quickly exhausted the available
and discussions with Russians, the dramatic and
Travellers Cfllppfld illegally. Hardly earth
"Alternative Proposals for the Constructive stock of fuel. Meetings were held by candlelight.
tense confrontation being played out in
shattering demands!
Reform of the 1968 Caravan Sites Act".
Moscow left the overwhelming majority more
There are times in a nation’s march when
It looks as though the Tories will put their exhausted, more politically alienated....and
These proposals would form a much more historic events determine its future direction.
reform of the 1968 Caravan Sites Act on the more cynical than ever before. People have long
constructive basis on which the Department of There were fateful hours.during Friday 1st
back burner, and concentrate on the law and since lost the ability to distinguish who are the
the Environment could consult, but will they
October when this may have been such a case
or,der issues surrounding the Public Order Act. good guys and who are the bad. Most people
listen? The government seems such more for Russia and its people. Towards the end of
have come to the conclusion that all those in
preoccupied with pandering to the prejudices
the parliamentarians abortive occupation there
Again, this will do nothing to deal with root
power are simply self-seekers and thieves....a
of vested interests, such as the Country Land existed an unarticulated but perceptible
cause of the problem - the lack of sites. Labour
popularly held view these days, and not without
Owners Association to take an objective look at
growing sympathy for the parliamentary
Campaign’for Travellers Rights has launched a
justification. The primitive market has made it
the problem of inadequate site provision.
underdog. Many people, beyond the supporters
"Right to Sites" campaign to promote positive
much easier to get an infmitive variety of spirits,
of the much criticised Parliament, felt a genuine
P
alternatives to the government’s muddled
LCTR has supported positive proposals
liqueurs, cigarettes, beers, confectionary, coke
sense of outrage at the government decision to
thinking. If you want to fmd out more about this
coming from genuine representatives of the
and pepsi, and other such benefits of invariably
cut-off all normal services, particulary water,
campaign, please contact:
different Traveller communities. In addition it
Western manufacture. It is immeasurably easier
from the lawmaker deputies. Perhaps the
pi
has endorsed the proposals from Humberside
to fmd such products than to find bread, milk,
LCTR, Secretary, 84 Bankside Street, wartime blockade of Leningrad still haunts the
Law Centre for local authorities to strike
butter, eggs, cheese, medicines, etc, etc... In the"
Russian psyche, especially since the case of the
Leeds, LS8 SAD.
facilities agreements with Travellers on
first 9 months of 1993, Russia’s industrial
Russian opposition was not against reform as
output fell by 17% compared to the same
such...but against what it claimed was a reform
OCTOBER, 1993
period last year, which also showed a similar
MOSCOW....SEPTEMBER,
process which was too quick and too deep, and
fall during the same period of 1991. In these
which had no clearly defined strategy for its
circumstances is it any wonder the Russian
evolution.
people in the mass feel powerless and
Dave Yeomans
emasculated. But this precise time, in my opinion, was the
Now, he stands alone at Russia’s helm....and the
It was a profoundly saddening experience to When President Boris r,;.;,.,_,.
going is likely to get tougher and more ' A
stand in the vast expanse of Moscow’s Manezh Yeltsin dissolved
dangerous.
Square, next to the doomed Lenin State parliament on 21st
ll"
Museum, listening to the rattle of tank and September he gambled
It was on the 10th of August this year that
machine gun fire and seeing the billowing on using what were
President Yeltsin predicted several weeks of
iii. CZ!
smoke from Russia’s parliament building clearly unconstitutional L-2*
sharp political conflict when he said that the " _"::.=i"
l
climbing high into the cloudless blue sky. Not means to force through
D
month of September would be the month "when
5-1T1"
more than half a mile away, ordinary Russians any vision he may be
questions of the constitution, elections, and
O
1a:7t3;
were killing ordinary Russians in support of one harbouring to extract the _ r_._I
essentially the fate of authority in Russia will be
N l
group of ex-communist card holders who were country out of its
decided". 1'39; Giicijo
struggling for power against another group of desperate and chaotic
To \4'*!°N ‘jw
_ '
ex-communists of the same ilk. This was the 4th The parliament’s speaker, Ruslan difficulties. Critical times
of October, and before the day would end, two Khasbulatov, the same day, said the legislature may demand critical
of the key players, Vice President Rutskoi and was "in a combat situations" when addressing a decisions, especially IM-
H _*_g;,g...,il_::.-
parliament Speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov, along conference on the social protection of the when we consider the " 77*
with others, would be under lock and key in the military. It is doubtful if either of these two potential collapse of a *-1_;..-4
'.,'_.T__‘;I.I'_';'_"
former KGB’s Lefortovo Prison. Those adversaries , though now implacable enemies, country with a huge “-___ "‘“_%_.‘___,_ \P, 33 -.____""..__...'
=1_-4-..».?
"---_._ __:;_..;__r'.__._.;'_j;.-
ilélh*1»;- \;:... '.{.'_1_.-1;-.-_=..».+.
claiming to represent democracy would prevail and who, alongside Alexander Rutskoi, stood nuclear arsenal. :..-_ \..__K____~-- ___..__.__._ _______;‘-_____..1|._,_-?.__,______________ --'I"‘"‘_.~J..-1.'.-|:r,_._-__-___—_---in."*"@€W-_l—~i_l@-:_@_.-1 l-41- __-_A_ TE'‘___#1-lq’_--_"_'€-I-__..._._...___-_.I\_:_-__"\~-___..,_ JK%?;.Zir_m£_-u5-_':_-'-V-“L--»
___‘I'_‘ —-..-.,~.._..__.:_,."E_§=,'- .______,___
jib
over those claiming to represent democracy. on a tank together tqfacedown the August
But can one
1. . 1991 putschjcould have possibly imagined the
-__,"-
The deadly battle for Russia’s House of compromise with
eventual dreadful outcome.
-._._
Soviets, known as the Black House, (referring democracy? Western a=——-
as much to the deed as to the building’s smoke Russia’s deepening political and economic leaders, including
blackened exterior), cost almost 200 lives and crisis continues unabated. From Russia’s ‘F" Britain’s Prime Minister ' .
Copyright Steve Bell
point when the deputies lost all.
several hundred injured. It was a sudden and regions come signals of deep discontent and the John Major, were speedy in their expression of
violent climax to the struggle for power between desire for many, especially those with vast support for the actions of the Russian President
Naturally concerned at the escalating tension,
Russia’s parliament and President Boris mineral wealth, to breakaway and go it alone. to dissolve the Russian Parliament. not only in the capital but throughout the
Yeltsin’s government. Charges and countercharges of corruption
vastness of Russia, the head of the Russian
This support reflected a stark contrast to the
against "people in the highest echelons of power
Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexi II, ofiered to
Which side won is unlikely to be known for a
position adopted by those same leaders who at
were batted to. and fro. The Vice President on
mediate at talks between the two sides. The
long time yet. the time of the anti-Gorbachov coup in 1991 ,
the 18th September accused the President of
discussions were held in the Danilovsky
were the first to their condemnation of the coup
preparing to impose a dictatorship and that a
Russia’s transition from a so-called monastery in central Moscow. Meeting directly
leaders breach of that very same Constitution.
coup was immanent, warning the Parliament
"communist" totalitarian state to a so-called R for the first time since the standoff began, the
that it might not live to see the planned '
market orientated "democracy" has a great The stand-off between the parliamentarians presidential and the parliamentary delegations
Congress of Peoples Deputies (the highest
distance to go. But President Boris Yeltsin has and their supporters occupying the White .' reached what amounted to a preliminary deal at
legislative body under the present, much
put an emphatic end to his favourite whipping House in protest at its "dissolution by decree" 2:40a.m. on Friday. Under the agreement the
amended, Russian Constitution) due to be held
boy - the parliamentary opposition. It was very and the president and his supporters, city would reconnect the services to the White
often convenient for Yeltsin to put the blame in November. deteriorated by degrees. Accusation, charges House, while the parliament would place ,all the
for the failure of his government’s economic and countercharges were, each day, becoming "weapons inside the building under a joint
policies onto the parliamentary opposition.
'3
_ ,, rm,“ ." .
it
iiegeae - guard. But at the session of parliament that President appeared to me to be not very lucid. The following day the special session of the President Yeltsin’s close ally, Moscow Mayor Page 14
He did not seem capable of pressing the control Yury Luzhkov, said he planned to dissolve the
morning‘the overnight agreement was rejected Congress of Peoples Deputies voted by 636 to 2,
buttons. Everything remained chaotic". The Moscow City Council which, ever since the
by the remaining 150 or so deputies, who to relieve Yeltsin of his responsibilities.
journalist was asked whether Yeltsin spoke on President attempted to dissolve it on 21st of
defiantly stated their belief that the political
The Russian media, especially the TV and
the telephone and gave orders during the crisis- September, firmly sided with the parliament
winds were beginning to favour them.
Radio, was far from being an objective and
"Not at all. He was paralysed", Pharkomemko (and some days later he did). Other Soviets
Khasbulatov told reporters "The breakthrough
impartial mirror of the constitutional crisis,
said, he added that he had tried to wire an (cotmcils) around greater Moscow Region were
is coming and the junta headed by Yeltsin will
indeed for a long time it had displayed its own
account of what happened for his newspaper, also banned. A Yeltsin aide, Pyotr Filipov, said
be thrown out of power". This in my view was a
crisis of identity, having simply switched to
but that the censorship introduced by at a press conference on the 5th of October the
grave error ofjudgement and was probably the
serving a new master..."He who pays the piper
president’s advisors are trying to decided
presidential decree had blocked its publication.
hinge on which the whole situation turned.
..." Some months before the dissolution decree,
whether to dissolve all regional soviets or just
(Ed. The article was published by the English
Public sympathy simply melted away.
the leading opposition paper ‘Pravda’, by order
language ‘Moscow Times’ 7th oct, under the those that opposed his September decree", etc.,
of the government’s press service, was banned
The course of events started on 21st
headline "Its only the beginning", after the etc., etc.
from sending their journalists to any press
September, which 6 weeks earlier had been
lifting of the censorship restrictions)
Whether some type of Russian democracy
conference given in the Kremlin. Two days after
predicted as a ’hot’ time politically, came to a
It was probably clear to the holed-up the Decree a government order was issued can emerge, or whether the country will slide
bloody head on the 3rd and 4th October in
into the abyss of dictatorship or whether the
parliamentary leadership on Sunday night shutting down the national parliamentary paper
fighting heavier than Moscow had seen since
(3rd), who knew the calibre and personality of ‘Rossiskaya Gazetta’. Sadly after the shooting . country will disintegrate into a welter of
Tsarist times. Tanks, howitzers and heavy
their government opponents, that things were had ended the situation deteriorated regional conflicts remains to be seen. There are
rnachine-guns began pounding the sealed-off
building at just before 9a.m. on the 4th. By not going smoothly in the Kremlin. It was dramatically and speedily. distinct signs to suggest that any of the above
indeed strange that it was not the President who scenarios could be possible.
5.30p.m. the assault was over. Many
On the same evening that the White House
addressed the nation from a subsidiary TV
parliamentary deputies had abandoned their
deputies surrendered, Presidential Decree No Perhaps "it’s only the beginning",
studio on that crucial evening, but the first
occupation and their more determined
1578 was issued to introduce censorship of Parkhomenko’s article delayed by the censor,
Deputy Prime Minister, Yegor Gaidar, with an
colleagues at the last moment, lured by the offer
newspapers and magazines. Yeltsin also could not have been more aptly titled. With
appeal to the citizemy to take to the streets in
of government and administrative jobs. e
suspended the publication of 15 opposition inflation again set to match last year’s figure of
support of the government. Moscow’s Mayor,
What people believed would never happen newspapers including Pravda, Den, Sovietkaya 2D00%, industrial production continuing to
Yury Luzhkov, immediately followed Gaidar.
had indeed happened...the Russian army had Rossia and Rabochaya Tribuna. In addition the plummet, and with the world’s fmancial A
He too supported the president and
used its weapons against Russians. Neither popular oppositional programme ‘600 Seconds’ institutions calling for an ending of subsidies to
government....but announced an immediate ban
was also closed. the still significant state sector, the future road
Russia nor its army are ever likely to be the
on all street demonstrations!
to the capitalist market looks extremely bumpy
same again.
A strict 11pm to Sam curfew was introduced
About two hours before this, the democratic and uncertain.
The decision of Russia’s military, taken at a and police authorities given sweeping powers to
legitimacy of the leaders of the parliamentary
detain and deport ‘illegal’ residents. Meanwhile President Yeltsin has called for
meeting of generals on Sunday evening (3rd
side evaporated at the instant when from the
an investigation to determine who issued the
October) following a day of violent clashes,
balcony of the White House, Ruskoi and
Another presidential decree issued Monday
decree to close the opposition press.
saved the government of President Yeltsin..... at
Khasbulatov ordered the taking of Russia’s
evening outlawed hardline opposition parties,
least for the present. What could have become
main TV station at Ostankino, some six
including the National Salvation Front, 30th October 1993
a successful counter-coup ended as a failed and
kilometres distant, and when they called for the
Working Russia, the Russian Communist
bloody uprising. But it was clear that the
"taking of the Kremlin". Did they anticipate this
Workers Party, the Union of Officers and
decision to use the army was neither an
could be achieved via gentlemanly negotiations!
others.
automatic nor easy one. The decision was
Though this was not seen by Russian TV, it was
arrived at, only after some hours of discussion
filmed live by CNN and shown on cable. The
and after reportedly desperate pleas made by
price of this footage could be a high one for
the President. Today, many army barracks still
these men. NORTHERN IRELAND - THE "PEACE
display the slogan "The army and the people are
indivisible". However, the army, being made up So, Russia no longer has a parliament, its
PROCESS" AND PEACE
of the people, is split between support for the Constitutional Court has been suspended and
President, support for the parliament, whilst a its chairmen, Valery Zorkin, dismissed. (On
22nd September the Constitutional Court, by a
great number feel a complete indifference, '
Jim Barnes
vote of 9 to 4, ruled that the Presidential
preferring to remain on the sidelines.
Decree dissolving the parliament was
A while ago the British government began aircraft factory in Belfast. The Provisional Sin
The course of events. during these days have
unconstitutional and that the President could
quietly to put the possibility of some form of Fien responded predictably with equal ferocity.
been widely reported. Perhaps later they must
be impeached). The supreme legislative,
settlement, which included the possibility of a Although attempting to be somewhat more
become the subject for serious and objective
executive and judicial power is concentrated in
United Ireland on the table The result was that discriminate as to the people they killed the
analysis. During these hours the country looked
the hands 9f °n° mam In an)’ 1311811989 ' d°5Pil° the Protestant paramilitariels began a Shankill road bomb destroyed their ability to
into the face of far more serious situation....civil
the mseeeeee leeeer ef twe evils '_‘ eppreeeh - _ programme of indiscriminate killin . The
represent themselves as being anything other
war.
such a situation can only be described as what it made it clear they didm care who was gr
than on a par with the UVF.
' dictat Slll
The eyewitness reports of a journalist in both 15 - °r P- A A what their connection with the republican
There is a serious problem for people within
the Kremlin and the parliament building speak Even after the Parliament had voted bu the movement, so long as they were from the
Mainland Britain in jtidgieg what is happening
of an atmosphere of "panic". One such and Scptcmbcrto strip Ycltsin of-"his "catholic" community. The purpose was to make
in Northern Ireland. Most assessment current
journalist, Sergei Parkhomemko, a _ prcsidcnfial powers for his decree dissolving - it clear that what was on offer from the
amongst political activists here are from a point
correspondent with the Russian liberal daily that part of the leg-slaturo, Khasbulatov was protestant paramihtaries was a.bloody process
of view of mainland politics, not from what it is
"Segodnya" (today) said "The atmosphere was quotcd as saying "An leg-slative power has of ethmc cleansing were the union with the _
like to live in Northern Ireland. That means the
absolutely chaotic.... effectively been e1iminatcd___Au power is now in south to be seriously flagged up as a possibility
perspectives and the solutions relate to
thc hands of thc prcsidcnta by the British government.
At one point there was no Kremlin anymore. conditions completely unrelated to those faced
Everything was out of control". The journalist, Taxi drivers, dustmen, people deliverin fast by the people of Northern Ireland. It may be,
8
who watched the events from the floor where food, were all to be targets. One of the fust they for instance, that the presence of British troops
President Yeltsin has his office said "The killed was a painter working at Shorts, the is part of the cause of the horrors facing '
i-|——— —— 7 I
it
ordinary people there. It does not logically that what he wanted was to generate a level of
Page 15
-Q
follow mat withdrawing them will resolve those violence which would maintain the sectarian COUNTERACT
problems. divide and obstruct the development of a
progressive politics but remained manageable
I
It is clear also that a united Ireland is the only
from the British governments point of view. Our mission: -to stamp dirt intimidation.
logical long term structure for that cotmtry. But
British government intervention in Northern
that does not mean that there are serious
Ireland has produced the current situation.
This article first appeared in the Journal and is reproduced with the permission of
problems associated with a united Ireland with
Counteract.
the Republic constituted as it is. The The hatred between the communities there is
domination of education in the republic by the not something, therefore, which can be
Catholic Church, the fact that Abortion is dissipated by a deal between Dublin and Counteract is sp:o;e.i...s!ored by the Irish Con- organisations before ‘flue unit was formally
Page 16
barely legal, divorce is difficult, the fact that Checkers with the coy offer of a couple of laimched in Novertiieer 19.90 with the following
gress of Trade Unions, backed by the p
contraception is legal only because of aids all political sweeties. At least part of the reason for AEEU, and alth~ough still young is already objectives:
point to a radical disadvantage for people, and the British government’s current posturing must
making an impact.
To develop aotien policies and strat-ages in
especially for women, in the south compared to be the cost of policing the results of their
cooperation with trade unions, councils of trade
those in the North. It shouldn’t be surprising policies rather than any real interest in the
You don’t have to shoot a man to destroy
unions and boina fide community organisations
that there is resistance to the idea of a united quality of life for people of Northern Ireland.
“'him. There are other ways - less violent, more
in an effort to alleviate the incidence of
Ireland from some of the people in the north or
subtle - of doing it. But it more or less amounts
Policing any community, be it in Northern sectarianism and intimidation in the workplace
that solutions offered by the left in mainland
to the same thing in the end. ’
Ireland or Medowell in North 'I‘yneside, is only and community.
Britain do not have a resonance amongst a big
possible with some degree of consent and
So says Jim Quinn, a man who, though
section of the population there.
To undertake research on the incidence of
cooperation from the population. Without that
optimistic and undaunted, has a mighty and
intimidation in the workplace, and to chart the
The late and odious Reginald Maudling, consent the exercise becomes expensive and
unenviable task in front of him. For, as
trade unions’ and employers’ response to it.
A leaflet Issued
while he was the home secretary, said that the ineffective.
development officer of an organisation known
recently by the ICTU
best we could hope for in Northern Ireland was
as Cotmteract, it’s his job to tackle the huge 1 That first year of Coimteract’s work was spent
It would be a mistake, therefore, for us to
an acceptable level of violence. I am convinced
problem of intimidation, discrimination and
establishing itself as an organisation with
believe that the paramilitaries on either side of
'IZ harassment that unhappily exists in Northern
specific objectives and a programme of work. It
the sectarian divide do not have support within
Ireland. _
immediately identified the trade unions as an
their communities. They could not function
area of influence which could be encouraged to
without such support and a programme for
’The unit is sponsored by the Irish Congress
address the issue. Year two saw the -
peace will either have to isolate both groups or
of Trade Unions (ICTU), so obviously we’re
development of guidelines for individual unions
embrace both groups. Since Tory support in
mostly concerned with what goes on in the
and workplaces on dealing with the issues and
Northern Ireland is sectarian based it is difficult
workplace, although our remit doesn’t actually
the development and implementation of a
to see how they could do either. Their attempts
stop there,’ he says. ’We’re out to stop cases of
training programme.
to cut and run to cut costs could lead to a
intimidation, harassment and victimisation
bloodbath.
wherever they occur - as well as cold-blooded
_ ’Basically, our work can be divided into three
murder. A man who is forced out of his job and
main areas - research; education and
In the long term the only way a resolution to
his home through threats, or made to work in
development,’ says Jim Quinn. ’Of these,
the hatred, violence and killing has to be 2
an atmosphere of fear because of his religion, l
education is clearly the most important, but we
generated by the people in Northern Ireland
can have his life - and that of his family - ruined
can’t get anywhere imtil the problem has been
and be" commonly accepted by them.
just as effectively as if he had a gun pointed to
defmed. Up till now there’s little to work on - '
If the political initiatives do have a resonance his head.’ the issues have been seen to be too sensitive,
with the political desires and aspirations of too divisive. People have been frightened to
Counteract was born out of concern
ordinary people there then peace becomes a
open what they see as a can of worms.’
expressed by the Peace, Work and Progress
possibility. The list of things ordinary people
campaign of ICTU. This concern related to the
So now, following a pilot scheme, there’s a
F will judge proposals on will be the impact of the
issue of intimidation and religious harassment
Q- full research programme under way, due to
., ._—4' proposals on jobs and on rights rather than the
Ii‘i. |‘\'
'\.
Ill.‘
of men and women at work as well as those
report by next July. this will involve a survey of a
quality of John Major’s public relations.
|=-bqjliv
being isolated and attacked in their own homes.
number of workplaces where both employers
It is possible that a lack of appreciation Intimidation was seen as one of the most blatant
and trade union officers will be asked to
amongst peace campaigners and political and imacceptable facets of sectarianism
respond to a questionnaire concerning
activists in Britain as a whole, of what it is like experienced in Northem Ireland.
incidences of intimidation, and procedures for
in Northern Ireland may become a stumbling
dealing with the issue.
Counteract’s work began in August 1990 with
block to peace there.
the appointment of Jim Quinn and his assistant
One specific example of the current research
For those reasons we hope to carry a series of Noreen Moore, working out of a small ofice at
work involves the hi-jacking of vehicles. Each
articles on the situation there, from a range of the Belfast Centre for the Unemployed - a
week ten vehicles belonging to British Telecom
people representing a range of views. location that, it was hoped, would underline the
and the Post Office alone are hi-jacked and the
fact that Counteract was seen as a unit that
drivers assaulted and threatened. The vehicles
The first concerns the anti sectarian initiative
would operate with both trade unions and
are used for ’joy riding’, or for barricades, or
established a couple of years ago by the Irish
community groups. Seats on the management
are burned. Some are loaded with bombs (real
=’lC:o1agess of Trades Unions. The article first
J l committee were allocated to Belfast Housing
or fake) and the drivers, in fear of their lives,
-.--I ,\
.:;?i.1@3"l‘/fififfld in the Journal a year ago and is
Aid, Belfast Trades Council and Belfast Centre
are ordered to deliver them to the specific
reprloduced by permission of the author. We
I, for the Unemployed, as well as to individual
targets. The stress and anxiety suffered by these
have also included a statement by the ICTU for
unions who proposed nominees. Funding came
men has never, until now, been investigated.
.,. * l
51% good measure.
'4
mostly from 18 unions plus help from the
W:1_‘>. c,‘ Education is vital to the success of our
U
government. '
wcrk,’says Jim Quinn. ‘We go about it in a
in ii H
-Q
lira-1
number of ways. We uy to make people aware
There were then three months of contacts
of what the problems are, what the effects are,
it ." liaisen with interested individuals and
._ __ —— —— I
‘F
groups and political parties. There is a limit members to subscribe to and support the Page 18
Page 17 how they can play a part in eliminating We approach the employers, too, in an
however to the methods which are legitimate in principles outlined in this statement.
mtimidation. We run residential courses for attempt to shoulder some of the responsibility
pursuit of these objectives. We must withdraw
trade union officials who have a completely free for stamping out intimidation. Up till now
For example, we would hope that the
support from all those who advocate violence
agenda to discuss the issues. We may also they’ve been only too happy to leave it to the
churches would continue their efforts to bring
against others in pursuit of their objectives.
present them with a real case of intimidation unions. We’re also targeting such people as
home to their members the inhumanity involved
That includes disowning those who do not
and ask them to come up with ideas as to how personnel managers to increase their awareness
in all kinds of sectarianism and intimidation as
appear to advocate violence but, by their
they would handle it. ~ of the problems.’ _ E
well as in more overt acts of violence. Equally,
statements, implicitly support or excuse its use,
we hope that employers and their organisations
those who promote hostile living and working
will do all they can to promote a positive
enviromnents, and sectarian divisions among
The issue of unemployment is the biggest single cause of intimidation in the workplace’
response in their places of work. In particular,
workers.
we would expect that they would take the
Al Keeery - AEEU Divisional Organiser, Ireland
necessary steps to ensure the elimination of
THERE ARE NO ’.lUSTIFICATIONS.’
intimidation, sectarianism and discrimination at
NO ’LEGITIMATE TARGETS.’ NO
work, and to promote their places of work as
’ACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF
areas where workers from different
Declaration of workers’Rights (agreed by the Northern Ireland Committee of ICTU)
VIOLENCE.’ THESE ARE FALSE EX-
backgrounds do not feel under threat as they
CUSES AND DO NOT SERVE THE
I declare my support for every person to exercise his or her right to work. Furthermore, I declare my carry out their tasks.
INTEREST OF WORKING PEOPLE,
support for the right to work in Northern Ireland free from discrimination, victimisation or murder. I
We would also urge the political parties to rid
VVHETHER CATHOLIC, PROTES-
also declare that, whenever possible, I shall seek to counteract intimidation, discrimination and sec-
themselves of any vestige of support for
TANT OR DISSENTER.
tarianism in the workplace and in the community in general.’
violence and to spare no effort in trying to
devise political arrangements which meet the
Workers who in any way assist, promote, or
needs and aspirations of the working people of
contribute financially to those who threaten
STAND TOGETHER for PEACE, WORK AND
Northern Ireland, the elimination of poverty, of
these rights are not threatening anonymous,
poor housing conditions, and of deprivation of
faceless groups of people. In reality they are
all kinds.
threatening their fellow-workers, their trade
PROGRESS
union colleagues and their livelihoods.
The Northern Ireland Committee ICTU
believes that Government has a duty not just to
The current political urnest is undoubtedly
A statement of principles and Messa e to every Trade Unionist in
seek to eradicate social and economic ~
causing great tension in the community and the
Northern IreIand. deprivation. They also have a duty to promote
workplace, and there are elements, both sinister
the positive protection of the rights of citizens
and mischievous, who are seeking to exploit
who subscribe to the principles outlined above.
that situation for their own ends. Amongst the
Within the trade union movement, workers establishing and protecting a National Health
For that reason we have long supported, and
tactics currently being employed in many areas
pledge a special loyalty not just to themsel- Service based on the principle of the best health
confirm that support, for a BILL OF RIGHTS
in the province is that of intimidation of
ves and their own interests, but also to the inter- care possible, irrespective of the ability of the
for the people of Northern Ireland. We believe
workers, either in collective groups or of one
ests of others. patient to pay; I
that a positive commitment by Government to
religion or the other, or named individuals.
proper educational opportunities for our the Bill of Rights would assist those who seek to
Whilst the primary objectives of the trade
Some of our members are now threatened
promote constructive progress in various ways
young people.
union movement are industrial and economic,
with a sentence of death from the paramilitaries
in the community.
we also campaign on many issues which are of
By defmition, the word ’community’ implies IN CONCLUSION WE WISH THERE
for doing nothing more than, for example,
interest to the wider community, such as:-
the same concept of loyalty to one’s neighbours emptying dustbins, driving buses, fixing
FORE TO REASSERT T0 ALL OUR
and fellow-citizens; they not only attack the
telephone exchanges, serving in canteens,
fighting for better conditions for
individual victim, they attack the whole concept
delivering meals-on-wheels, belonging to one
disadvantaged groups in our community,
of living together in the community.
rel' ious back und th oth b ildi
whether trade union members or not‘
3
hoiigscs or admgirdisteriiig hdiisin;l;I'Ol;T&IIl11I%16S, D A
deiiveringpublicscrvices. UNION MOVEMENT WE ARE TO
AS TRADE UNIONISTS THEREFORE VVE MUST
There are strong grounds for believing that ANY E
SPEAK OUT CLEARLY AND UNANIMOUSLY
the present unrest has been an important factor y AND
“Z?i§i."I.‘.‘.‘£f.§;ii? EQONOMIC °,3}ECTI"ES OF FULL
AGAINST VIOLENCE DIRECTED AT ANYONE IN
OUR COMMUNITY. WE MUST NOT SUPPORT
expressed at the negative impact on customer AND
ANY GROUP WHICH SEEK TO PROMOTE
confidence and export orders due to the GAND
VIOLENCE, INTIMIDATION OR SECTARIANISM
present unrest. This threatens existing jobs and ALL,
IN ANY FORM. makes it more difficult to create new ones.
We re-assert the demands of the ’BETTER WE D
If we in the trade union movement stand back We must protect it and protect any fellow
LIFE FOR ALL CAIVIPAIGN’ of the 19708 AND PROGRESS AND VVE STAND
and tolerate or condone threats to our worker who is under threat. No trade unionist andiv;a;ii@u1qrih=r1§ht §f°Vfi”°P§‘° k d TOGETHER AGAINST VIOLENCE
colleagues we undermine the whole concept of should offend or threaten fellow-workers
securi o emp oyrnen an we -pai wor , an
‘community’. More directly we cheapen and because of their religion, because of whom they
the right to live free from violence. intimidation, _ AND
sully the name of trade unionism. Given the serve, or because their jobs take them into
sectarianism and discrimination - no matter
purpose of trade unionism, our members certain areas or locations, such as police
what their forms or from where they come.‘
should have a special understanding that the stations.
first loyalty of anyone must be the loyalty to
The trade union movement recognises that it
It is, of course, perfectly legitimate for trade
one’s fellow human beings.
cannot achieve these objectives by itself and we A
unionists to have other loyalties as well and to
urge and encourage every constructive element
It is that loyalty which gave birth to our seek to promote them by participating in, for
in our society to seek to influence their i
movement. Without it, we are an empty shell. example, volimtary organisations, campaigning