The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 2

HOME NEWS THE GUARDIAN Saturday; October 10 1981 Steels Thatcher first target in constitutional crusade FitzGerald seeks British commitment on changes reforms would "remove an obstacle to the contemplation of a new relationship with the in the context of an Anglo-Irish relationship so structured as to enable Unionists to retain their sense of a British-Irish identity, and citizenship of the United Kingdom." Dr FitzGerald said that the form of the constitution would "provide also for an upward delegation of functions to an all Ireland authority, should agreement be reached on such a delegation." Although the Irish constitutional debate has been subdued so far there are undercurrents of bitterness which point to the risks Dr FitzGerald is taking in domestic terms. Fianna Fail has accused him of besmirching the state with his accusations of sectarianism. One Irish national newspaper, the Irish Press, reported in its main story yesterday: "The danger of the seeds of civil war politics being sewn again in this debate has become very real." velopment of the joint Anglo-Irish study groups which would possibly tie into a fresh devolutionary initiative in the North. The Anglo-Irish studies initiated last December by Mrs Thatcher and Dr FitzGerald's predecessor, Mr Charles Haug-hey, will be complete in time for the November meeting. The study groups, made up of civil servants from both countries, examined several areas, the most important being new institutional arrangements.

But British representatives stress; the need for Ireland to bring about domestic change which would facilitate a joint initiative. It is that challenge which Dr FitzGerald is now taking up. In his address to the senate yesterday Dr FitzGerald stressed the need for reconciliation with Northern unionists. But he repeatedly hinted that the sort of development he expected to emerge from the Anglo-Irish discussions. At one point he said that the From David Beresford and Joe Joyce, in Dublin Dr Garret FitzGerald's crusade for constitutional reform which he launched formally in the Irish Senate yesterday is aimed primarily at the British Government rather than Loyal-list opinion in Northern Ireland.

Sources in Dublin confirmed yesterday that the Irish premier expects a significant response on his proposals from Mrs Thatcher, when they meet next month. The main constitutional reform is the repeal of the Republic's jurisdictional claim to Northern Ireland. Another involves the abandonment of the Republic's ban on divorce. Dr FitzGerald privately acknowledges that the reforms are unlikely to be carried without a response from the British prime minister. They are bitterly opposed by the opposition Fianna Fail party.

It is understood that Dublin favours the creation of an Anglo-Irish council as a de Bombers destroy office block in Northern Ireland city centre Council caught in trap over 200,000 contract By Stephen Cook ANYONE raising the rather delicate question of a large contract for a former senior official encountered a lot of unanswered telephones and "no comments" among the top brass of Hereford City Council yesterday. The reticence has developed because it has recently become clear that the Liberal-controlled council could be faced with spending about 200,000 of ratepayers' and taxpayers' money for no result A group of six councillors have been deputed to find a way out of this little local difficulty while opposition councillors look grimly on. "It's an unholy mess," said one yesterday. The official with the contract is Mr Martin Opie, who retired last month after seven years' service. The full council meeting behind closed doors decided not to replace him, and that he would have a freelance contract instead of a golden handshake.

Even as they debated the members had before them a letter from the National and Local Government Officers' Association giving warning that its members would not handle any freelance work done for the council by Mr Opie. But the council went ahead. Mr Opie, of Bodcnham, near Hereford, was engaged to provide architectural services for an 80-bedroom hostel, 1,600 houses, a flats development, and a sports centre, and to do a survey of the city's listed buildings. "The contract is now signed and sealed and in operation," Mr Opie said yesterday. "If I do not do this work somebody else will have to be paid to do it." True to its word, however, NALGO put its foot down.

The Hereford branch secretary, Mrs Nicola Gough, said yesterday We were never consulted when this deal was being drawn up. It is a clear case of denying work that could easily be done by our. members at the town hall." NALGO says there is a clause in the contract which prevents the council employing extra staff to do any extra architectural work which comes up. Councillor George Powell said he understood Mr Opie had the right to subcontract work to others. "If NALGO carry out their threat we could easily find ourselves paying out vast amounts of ratepayers money and getting nothing in return.

We seem to have got ourselves into an unholy mess," said Mr Powell. The council's chief executive, Mr Charles Willis, pointed out that the NALGO decision was taken by the. executive of the local branch and it remained to be seen whether members in the architects' department would implement the blacking decision. "I don't think it would be right to say what the latest position is," he said. "But I think the difficulty is capable of being amicably resolved." MRS THATCHER and her husband Denis, at Heathrow yesterday on their return from the Commonwealth Conference in Australia and their visit to Pakistan.

They flew home in an RAF VCIO Father flees from Teachers' commune By a Staff Reporter An office block in Strabane, Co Tyrone, which housed the town library, welfare offices, and the offices of the Department of Environment, was destroyed yesterday by an explosion and fire. In Londonderry, a bomb planted in a Post Office van exploded before a bomb disposal squad could defuse it slightly damaging a shopping complex. In a third incident yesterday a car bomb was defused in Armagh. Police received telephone warnings about all three bombs. In Belfast the Royal Ulster Constabulary is convinced that Protestant extremists were responsible for a machine gun attack on the Shamrock Club, in the Catholic Ardoyne district of north Belfast, late on Thursday night.

Lawrence Kennedy, aged independent Belfast City Councillor was fatally wounded when two gunmen, one armed with a machine gun and the Judge seeks fees cut for QC offered The Teachers the 6,000 profit from the sale, as Moss Side riot report 'urges police watchdog' byelection plea to Tory voters By Denis Johnson Mr David Steel, the Liberal leader, said last night that Conservative voters in Croydon North-west could hold the key to the outcome of the byelection on October 22. Before dodging hailstones to meet the voters in Thornton Heath Mr Steel made what he. called a "specific appeal" to those who had voted Conservative in the past to support Mr Bill Pitt the Liberal-Social Democratic Party Alliance candidate. He said The line-out is Bill Pitt against the London Labour Party. Every former Conservative vote could be absolutely crucial." His message reflected the alliance team's recognition that unless it breaks down the hard core of Conservative support Mr Pitt's chances of success are slim and victory would probably go to the Labour candidate, Mr Stan Boden, who has a strong personal following.

At the end of the first week campaigning the Conservatives insist that. the bulk of their votes is holding steady, although the candidate, Mr John Butterfill, admitted that there had been defections in the higher income groups unhappy about their businesses. Mr Cecil Parkinson, the chairman of the Tory Party, arrived yesterday "to see at first hand now tnings are going" and said he would be reporting encouraging signs to the Prime Minister, later in the day. He went on: "This is an important byelection for us. A lot of political froth that has been floating about recently will disappear and people will find there is a hard core of support for what the Government is doing." He said he had seen members of the Blue Chip group of 14 backbenchers who issued a policy pamphlet on Thursday and all were committed supporters, 100 per cent behind Mrs Thatcher." Asked whether he was really saying that the whole of the Conservative parliamentary party was united behind Mrr Thatcher's policies the party chairman replied it is impossible to imagine a party of this size where everyone thinks along identical lines on everything." He also invoked the" time-worn image of the broad Church.

At Labour's campaign headquarters Mr Roy Hattersley, was laying into the SDP, describing it as a "refuge for every Labour MP who has been found inadequate by his constituency or who would have liked to speak on the platform at party conference but found it was not available to him." The defectors were "more interested in the cynicism of power than issues and policies." Candidates of the three main parties contesting the Croydon byelection walked out of a public meeting last night in protest at the presence of the National Front candidate, Mr Nick Griffin. About half the audience left, too. The meeting was organised by the Croydon branch of the United Nations Group. One of the organisers, Mr Stephen Harrow, said Our invitation implied that the meeting was open to all candidates. We took the view that the arguments should be answered at a oublic meeting.

A Social Democrat candidate overturned a Labour majority of 1,111 in a council byelection in Runcorn, Cheshire, on Thursday. Tom Phipps polled 752 votes beating the Labour candidate by 192 votes. There was a 27 per cent turnout. Benn defeat 'affected by defectors' By Colin Brown Mr Tony Benn's supporters in his campaign for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party yesterday published figures showing that this week's defections to the Social Democrats could have affected the result. Their figures show that despite the five defecting MPs since the contest at the Labour Party conference on September 27, Mr Healey would still have won if it had been held to morrow.

But if four more Labour MPs had joined the 5df, Mr Benn could have won. The figure suDnlied bv the Rank and File Mobilising Committee for Labour Democracy, which is closely associated with Mr Benn's campaign, are suspect because they suggest that every MP who defected would have been a Healey supporter. One of them, Mr Bob Mitchell, the MP for Southampton Itchen, did not vote. The other four who defected after the contest are Mr Dickson Mabon (Greenock), Mr James Dunn (Kirkdale), Mr Tom McNally (Stockport south) and Mr David Glnsburg (Dews- bury). If nine Labour MPs who voted for Mr Healey defected Mr Benn would have more than 50 per cent of the total vote in the electoral college.

gunmen's intention was to kill randomly. They left after a barrage of beer bottles and glasses thrown by the club's patrons. Republican News, the IRA newspaper says this weekend that the British Government, during its explanation of the new prison regulations at the Maze, should not try to "res-surrect victory out of its defeat" or it will be "pushing for further confrontation in the H-blocks." The protesting prisoners want Lord Gowrie, the Northern Ireland Minister of State, to explain directly to prisoners in the Maze gaol, near Belfast what the Government is offering as a change in the prison regime. Latest figures on the number of people detained in Northern Ireland for question ing under the Prevention of Terrorism Act show that 236 people were detained in the first six months of this year, compared with 222 in the whole of 1980, and 162 in 1979. Boys' unit to abolish strip check and cell Allegations of harsh living conditions for boys at a Glasgow assessment centre were admitted yesterday in a report made to Strathclyde Regional Council.

Mr Fred Edwards, social work director, said that malpractices at Larchgrove Assessment Centre were admitted. "The searching of boys down to their underwear after visits to ensure that nothing had been smuggled has now been stopped," he said. The room with a ventilator but no window, which was used 12 times in five months for solitary confinement of boys, is no longer to be used. Larchgrove holds 70 boys, aged between 11 and 16, though sometimes as young as eight. Staff also number 70.

"The blame has to be on myself," Mr Edwards said. As chief officer I was responsible for the department." But he said that Mr Jim Hazel, the head of the centre, had not been disciplined in any way. "The speed of change at the home has not been quick enough," he added. The action to bring change to the centre followed allegations in the Guardian Councillor Dick Stewart, the council leader, said there was no excuse for boys being put to scrubbing floors and walls. Parents are to be advised of the clothing required for a boy's stay living conditions are to be improved with a locker and chair at each bed.

Doors are to be kept unlocked, visiting hours made more flexible censoring of letters ended. By Michael Morris The Hytner report into last July's riots in Moss Side, Manchester, to be published next week, is expected to recommend that a new type of Ombudsman be set up to hold independent inquiries into complaints against the police. The report will also ask the Greater Manchester police committee to set up a special investigation into police activity during the riots, it is understood. The Moss Side inquiry, set up by Greater Manchester County Council and headed by Mr Benet Hytner, QC, has apparently concluded that the riots in Manchester were not race riots but that there could have been an element of "copy cat" violence after the disturbances in Toxteth, Liverpool. The forecast of what the report concludes, was published in the first edition of a new tabloid newspaper, Man Scottish Tory condemns Younger plan for squeeze on local government By Nick Davies A father of two has left the London commune run by The Teachers to renew efforts to remove his two children from the commune's Welsh farm where they are undergoing a course of education, discipline, and mental hygiene." Mr Mark Hastings and his family, whose real names cannot be given for legal rea sons, joined the commune in April and pledged all their property to it.

Mr Hastings re belled when he realised that he was expected to have no contact with his children, aged five years and 12 months. At the end of July he left. and, with the help of the ponce and solicitors, removed them from The Teachers' farm at Sling, near Bangor. Two days later, he changed his mind and returned to the commune with the children. He said yesterday that he had now left for good and was staying at a secret address.

don't want them turning un on my doorstep," he said. Some times they go after people and try to get them back. Maybe with me they will feel that I have never really become involved." Mr Hastings said he did not know how much of his property he would recover. He and his wife, who is still an active member of the com mune, sold their house and councils, said If the Chancellor wants to increase income tax, can we now take it that there will be powers, too, for a national referendum Mr Younger said yesterday that the proposed legislation would answer the criticism of the recent Miscellaneous Provisions Act, which was tabled mainly to penalise Lothian Regional Council. Under this the Scottish Office has the power to withhold rate support grant on a weekly basis and to stop authorities borrowing to make up the shortfall.

Mr Younger said It is a direct answer to what I thought was the only really effective criticism of the Act, which was why should not the local electorate decide Under the proposed powers budgeting and rating estimates believe benefit some or all of the city's inhabitants. At the Sheba press in Kingsland Road, Hackney, yesterday one of the seven members of the collective said that the application for cash help had been made in order to pay 100 a week to two workers and to ease present cash flow difficulties. The collective, whose members work in a voluntary capacity and support themselves by jobs elsewhere, has published seven books In its 18-months existence. One book, Sour Cream, an anthology of prose, poems and cartoons, sold out a print of 5.000. Other books include one smuggled out of Russia, where it was banned.

It was published by Sheba under the title, Women in Russia. The collective believes it to be the first "samizdat" women's work to come out of the Soviet Union. wen as tneir new cooKer ana car. The Teachers' commune, which is registered as a char ity, was founded in 1972 by a computer programmer, Mr Kevin O'Byrne. He has de veloped a philosophy and a new language and says that parents often interfere in the develop ment of their children.

Mr Hastings said yesterday that he had not seen his children since he returned to the commune in July. I want to see them. But I wasn't even allowed to discuss them." He said he intended to take steps to see his children as soon as he was able. He had no intention of returning, The psychological aspect of it is very strong, it only by spending a lot of time away from the place and talking to other people that you are able to see it. it you are there all the time, you end up sinking.

"They don't argue a point with you. They just make you knuckle under. If you are in a room with half a dozen other people and you are the main point of attack it's much harder than someone just com. ing up and telling you what to do. They put you down and put you down and you are so low, and they slowly let you up in their mould." Mr O'Byrne was not available for comment last night.

will have to be submitted to the Scottish Office before final endorsement by a local authority as the new financial year approaches. Mr Younger says that if these exceed flis guidelines which he says, accommodate an acceptable rate increase taking in proper level of spending, a council would have to hold a referendum among all its electors before spending could be increased. The Miscellaneous Provisions Act will now be kept as a safeguard. Strathclyde Regional Council, the largest authority, will have 16 million cut from its rate support grant, while Lothian, which has already been forced to make savings of 30 million, will lose a further 3.5 million. But the women believe that the allegations of lesbian propaganda and pornography may spring from a book which they are about to publish called For Ourselves.

Translated from the Dutch, the work is a handbook on health and sexuality. Jill Nicholls, one of the collective workers, said yesterday that the book was hardly lesbian propaganda. "It's very affirming about about bisexuality." Sheba has also published the Spare Rib Diary, a children's book called The Great Escape of Doreen Potts, and is about to publish a book on Africa by the distinguished Nigerian born author, Buchi Emeteta. Mr Ward said yesterday that the collective had been described by GLC officers as being in a classic start-up situation." Sheba's books are to be security against the loan. Lawrence Kennedy victim of sectarian killing.

other with a pistol, burst into the front hall of the social club, firing indiscriminately. A Belfast ambulance driver was critically wounded during the shooting. RUC detectives are convinced that the chester Flash. It says that although the report reflects concern about allegations of police misconduct it emphasises, in general, that no allegations about specific misconduct are being made. The newspaper says the report will suggest that the new type of Ombudsman would be in addition to those for Government administration and local councils.

It adds that the Chief Constable of Manchester, Mr James Anderton, is particularly concerned about a police van charge on the night of July 8, and a foot charge by officers which followed it The Hytner report is further said to blame unemployment, especially among black youths, as a major factor in the riots. And, the Manchester Flash says, the report will also refer to decisions about housing and other amenities in the area being made by Manchester City Council without consultation. bridge officer got to within six feet of him and spoke to him for several minutes. But he did not seem to understand and jumped. Thirteen days later a holi-daymaker found an unrecognisable body on Bamburgh beach about 80 miles from the Forth.

Mr McCreath commended the police for solving the case. Verdict: suicide An Old Bailey judge said yesterday that he would recommend that the legal fees of a barrister involved in Britain's longest-running and most expensive court case should be considerably reduced. Judge Brian Gibbens OC made a lengthy statement in open court which is unusual and is thought to follow a dispute with leading defence counsel, Mr Michael West, QC, wno is aiso a part-time judge. Judge Gibbens's remarks came after a report of the matter in last week's Sunday Telegraph in which Mr West was quoted. The iudee said he would recommend that the tax ing officers, who fix the amount barristers should be paid frtim the legal aid system Should forfeit a substantial proportion of Mr West's fees.

But he stressed that it was entirely up to the "proper authorities" whether to act on his recommendation. On May 1, at the end of two trials estimated to have cost 3 million. Britain's loneest crim inal case came to an end at the Old Bailey. It had concerned a 25 million fraud plot. Judge Gibbens said that the case had been unnecessarilv prolonged, and called for an investigation into the fees of lawyers.

Yesterday he said the two tnals, had taken a total of 274 days. The first had to be abandoned, and a second started. The judge went on: "The public have therefore a very real concern about the enor mous costs involved, and so, too, had a second jury who first had to serve for much longer than they were led to expect, which they did with remarkable loyalty. "But I was conscious of the feeling that they thounht the proceedings had been unneces sarily prolonged." judge uiboens said he had to criticise some members of the Bar. "I was most careful to avoid naming anyone, but it is normally unnecessary to do so." He had decided to make the position clear from his side after the newspaper report.

A report in the Sunday Tele graph revealed a doubt as to whether i had given effect to the assurance I gave at the end of the trial. Certain assertions were published, rightly or wrongly attributed to Mr West, that I had on the trial rescinded my proposee recommendations as reviewing his fees." That matter revived a legiti mate public interest and there fore he was making an announcement in open court in tne interests of justice." Judge Gibbens added: "I think it is also in the public interest that it should be real ised that a judge does not let a matter slide into oblivion." He had discussed the case in chambers with Mr West on September 18. "I may be forgiven." he went on "for adding one thing. The report of the Sunday Telegraph stated that I had been told by senior judicial authorities that my second statement, whatever that was was ill advised. "That report is wrong.

I have not been told by any judicial or any authority of any rank whatever that any statement I have made in connection with this matter has been ill-advised." He added: "This is a lamentable matter which I hope is now closed." GLC accused of aiding pornography By Peter Hetherington A leading Scottish Conservative last night condemned the Government's latest squeeze on local government, challenging the Chancellor of the Exchequer to hold a referendum on tax increases. The vice-chairman of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Councillor Ian Hutchinson, was responding to a proposal from the Secretary of State for Scotland, Mr. George Younger. On the day that Scottish councils were told that they will have 35 million cut from the rate support grant next month Mr Younger announced plans for local referendums for excessive and unreasonable rate increases. Mr Hutchinson, whose convention represents all Scottish the committee chairman, accused the Conservative opposition of behaving "like salacious schoolboys." The vote on the committee for granting the Sheba loan was 10-10.

Mr Ward cast the deciding vote. He said that Conservative councillors should not look through material searching for what might be considered pornographic but should think of the safeguarding of jobs which the loan ensured. He praised the Sheba press for "showing the strengths of collectives and for being a business which had arisen from the women's movement, GLC officers had checked the loans for their financial feasibility and had been impressed with Sheba, Mr Ward said. The loans were made under the Local Government Act 1972 which allows the GLC to allocate money to schemes which councillors Helen Starns, who has been blind since childhood, with her guide dog, Prisca, outside St John's, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where she will be a deaconess next year after completing her training By Lindsay Mackie Allegations that the Greater London Council is subsidising pornography by giving a 12,000 loan to a feminist publishing co-operative were made yesterday by a Conservative councillor. Works published by the Sheba Feminist Press were described by Councillor Cyril Taylor as being at best erotic, and at worst lesbian propaganda.

Mr Taylor, a member of the council's Industry and Employment Committee, which authorised the loan for one year, said that ratepayers money should not be spent on subsidising such material. The committee also approved a loan, at market rates of interest, of 100,000 for a year to the 45 journalists producing the new weekly magazine, City Limits. Yesterday, Mr Mike Ward, Interpol identifies body A man found dead on Bam-burgh beach in North Northumberland was identified through Interpol's bureau of missing persons, Berwick inquest was told yesterday. Franz Bohn. 36, of Friede-sail, Hamburg, leapt 150ft.

to his death from the Forth Road Bridge on July 13. The coroner. Mr Ian McCreath was told that a.