Truth and propaganda
Sir: After reading John Grigg's article ( and much that has come out in the press generally lately), I am forced to ask, do we still have freedom of speech in this country, or are we only fed with propaganda? Whatever may be the truth, for example, about the reason for the failure of the RUC to Come to Mr Fitt's aid in time, and for that of the Army, the real point is surely that hope of law and order in the Province, and the suppression of violence, depends on the confidence of the Catholic community in the police and the Army. How else can the hold of the IRA be broken? The RUC has lately been making efforts to present itself among Republicans. Six months before the IRA moved into an active campaign, with the Provos breaking off from the Officials, the behaviour of the RUC and of Loyalist activists prevented a reasonable, constructive approach to the moderate demands of the civil rights marchers. The Army had to be brought in.
Since then there has been constant talk of appeals to the RUC and to the Army which appear to have been deliberately ignored. There was an invasion by Protestant women of the BBC building in Belfast with the announcers being threatened; and the instance of the resignation of General Tuso, who is reputed to have refused to support the Army policy of attacking only the IRA and avoiding all real confrontation with the Protestants. Whatever may be the truth of these reports, if there is the slightest susPicion that RUC records are sometimes falsified or that the Army discriminates in any way, there is an end to the necessary trust in the authorities which discourages intimidation by the IRA. Absolute impartiality must be seen to be practised.
If Premier Lynch's words in a speech before the outbreak of the Troubles had been heeded, there would have been no violence. Knowing that the IRA is a symptom, not the disease, he insisted that there could be no peace in the North while the Orange Order continued to flourish. As a student of the Orange Order with the Ku Klux Klan in the States and the Broederbond in South Africa. Strangely, this has only been recognised by the Protestant clergy from Holland Who have attempted to mediate in Northern Ireland. No doubt these are familiar with the syndrome. Operating in slyer, far more Covert way, the Order made life very difficult for the Catholic community, deliberately, and just as effectively, as their counterparts have repressed Blacks or Jews. There was massive emigration of Catholics from the North. Those that remainedrdid so because job opportunities and British social
security benefits helped to make just bearable an almost impossible situation and because they were reluctant to leave their own country. I would add that the measures passed to improve the lot of the Catholic community lately are mainly still dead letters. Is there no respect for truth in our press?
Desiree Hirst University College of Swansea
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