Notes from Belfast by Bob Armstrong
Socialist Appeal, Mid-June 1943

The Glasgow Forward recently commented that the only reason why conscription has not been put into operation in Northern Ireland is that more troops would be required to hold the country down than could be compensated for by the conscription of the man-power of the Six Counties. With this judgement one can only agree; especially anyone who witnessed on the spot the mass reaction to the conscription danger two years ago.

Long before he began to flirt with the Orange die-hard conscriptionists, Churchill knew of this organised mass opposition. He knew then, as now, that in terms of augmenting the British Army's man-power it would cost more than it would yield.

Why then did he carry his threat almost to the point of implementation in 1941? Because he was in reality hunting another quarry – the Éire ports. He knew that the announcement of conscription would have heralded a major flare-up into which Éire would willy-nilly have been drawn; and so speculated on de Valera's fear of war, especially Civil War. 'Give us the ports and we will promise no conscription' was his threat.

In 1941 Churchill's bluff was called. The lack of allies and the generally adverse military position necessitated a retreat on the Ulster conscription front. In the interim, however, the balance of world power has changed somewhat; and to-day the Churchill Cabinet feels more contemptuous both of British working class opinion and of the goodwill of minor nations, such as Éire. Any renewed promise by the Imperial Cabinet will almost certainly be implemented.

Police Molest Appeal Seller
On May 15th at Ann Street, round about noon, one of our comrades was advertising the Socialist Appeal with a poster captioned 'Churchill Cheating Russia', when a middle-class female Tory began to molest him. She called a policeman, who immediately threatened to 'smash his skull in, knock his head off, break his jaw,' etc., etc. Most of the crowd which gathered were indignant at the brutal language and Hitler-like behaviour of the constable, who first seized the poster and then seized hold of our comrade's arm and took him down to Chichester Street Barracks. All the way down this cowardly bully, knowing well he was protected by his uniform, kept reiterating his foul threats, and likewise in the Barracks, in the presence of at least a dozen other constables. Despite a strong protest the Socialist Appeal seller had his poster confiscated.

This incident proves: that in police-controlled Ulster any criticism of Tory leaders is regarded as almost bordering on sedition; that a policeman in uniform can commit assault with impunity; that whenever a fascist-minded Unionist provocateur, or for that matter a Stalinist, chooses to raise his or her voice in the streets against one of our sellers for displaying a slogan which would be accepted as absolutely permissible criticism in any democratic state, he stands in immediate danger of being hauled up for incitement to riot.

In conclusion it might be added that the constable concerned had not the remotest inkling as to the political tendency of the paper. It could have been Labour or Socialist Party or Communist Party for all he knew or cared. In fact he called it 'Communist'.

The Stalinist Flunkeys
The local Belfast Stalinist rag in a front page statement on the new Cabinet writes: 'Insofar as the Cabinet represents almost an entire change of personnel it offers the possibility of a more vigorous policy in the prosecution of the war. To that extent we welcome it.' Insofar . . . These are the classic opening words of every Stalinist formula designed to fool the workers and bind them to the bosses' programme.

The war which the Brooke Cabinet will 'prosecute' more vigorously, will be the war against the workers and all who offer opposition to the Orange Tories. More vigorous 'prosecution' will be its main policy. Sir Basil Brooke is commonly known as 'Boycott' Brooke because of his frankly stated policy of excluding Nationalist workers from employment wherever practicable. Unity the Stalinist paper, voices the pious hope that the new Cabinet will tackle the disgrace of unemployment effectively – a hope thrown to the dupes of course. Unemployment is rising not merely as a consequence of governmental or managerial incompetence, but basically because full employment would proved unprofitable to the financial interests. Only nationalisation without indemnification can alter this trend in the interests of the workers. The only solution the Brooke Cabinet can offer is the conscription of labour for British industries.