Portuguese presidential elections offers a clear way forward in defence of working class interests. Our comrades of the Internationalist Communist League (LCI), Portuguese sympathising organisation of the rourth international, naa ineratore planned to stand their own candidate.
As part of the moves towards unification between the LCI and the Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT), however, the LCI agreed to run a joint campaign in favour of Arlete Vieira da Silva, who had stood for the PRT in the assembly elctions and claimed to be an old member oT ine cr wno nac been arrestec and tortured under the Catano regime.
Fighting Fund?
Caledonian Road, London N.1.
Subscribe paign to get the necessary signatures for the candidate to stand, our comrades naturally also looked into her credentials - only to discover that her supposed record of struggle was a comp lete fraud: she had never been imprisoned or tortured. In these circumstances the Lei ana ra at once winorew tren support for her, but by then it was too late to put up another candidate.
There must be a strong suspicion that this affair was a deliberate provocation against the LCI and PRT by those who had no interest in seeing an indepencent workers candicate stand goainst the generals and bureaucrats.
Slowly our Fighting Fund total inches upward-but it's-being left far behind by the burning needs of the class struggle. Racist violence flares on a scale not seen for nearly twenty years; the TUC pay policy steamroller hits a bumpy patch as the building workers' conference and nearly 90,000 miners vote to reject Healey's con-trick; while internationally, the Syrian invasion of Lebanon threatens to set the whole Middle East alight once again.
In the midst of these momentous events, Red Weekly plays a vital role in explaining their significance and spelling out the political tasks which flow from them. But we can't do that without resources-resources which are sorely lacking to us. Just look at the four page pull-out on the student occupations in this issue. Ask yourself if it doesn't play a much needed role in helping to organise the struggle. Then think of the extra expenses we incurred to make its production possible. Isn't that worth a donation to our Among last week's contributors were: N. Shovelton, £1.50; S.W. London IMG, £3; L. Sinclair, £15; IMG Media Fraction, £25. Let's see your name in next week's list. Post your gift now to: Red Weekly Fighting Fund, 97 TO The President will have considerable powers as a result of the constitution agreed three months ago. The President can dissolve the newly-elected Legislative Assembly and dismiss the Prime Minister and Government Ministers. It is clear that the ruling class see me crescent as a neure who can-be represented as standing above the class struggle, speaking with authority and arbitrating in the capitalists' favour. Both the Socialist and Communist Parties voted for this constitution.
At the present time the obvious Candidate for me bourgeoisic 1. General Eanes - the strong man of immediately put their weight behind his campaign, and they were followed after an internal struggle by the Socialist Party. Omission According to SP leader Soares, Eanes represents 'the synthesis of April '74 and November "75". It is interesting that he does not mention 11 March 1975, when Eanes was purged from his post as head of the state television network after te attemptea coup by spinola the army, reducing it in size by 40 per cent and setting up a strike force of 10,800 special picked men to deal with problems of security. While giving Soares an assurance that he will not oppose a minority SP government, he has also clearly stated that he will not have his hands tied by political groups. It is not surprising that the Economist called Five candidates are on the ballot for the presidential elections in Portugal. They are General Ramalho Eanes, the army chief-of-staff; Admiral Azevedo, the Prime Minister; Major Carvalho, the former chief of COPCON; Octavio Pato, a leader of the Communist Party; and Pompilio da Cruz, who claims to represent the 800,000 refugees from the African colonies. The candidature of the last-named, however, is being challenged on legal grounds.
It has been Eanes who has streamlined The candidatures of both Azevedo and would have liked to add its voice to those supporting Eanes. However, it knows that its base would not vote for either Eanes or Azevedo. both of whom have attacked the workers movement. The Stalinists were tererore caugnt in a clert suck.
- On the one hand, they do not want to split the armed forces or oppose themselves too sharply to the ruling class. On the other, they have to maintain their own working class base to be of any use to une capitansts unc somnion mey came uD wun was to stand an old memoer or the Central Committee - Octavio Pato, a bureaucrat or long standing Having taken this decision, CP leader Cunnal scurnea orr to expiam it au to Eanes, commenting afterwards: It is never a problem when you speak with Octavio Pato-standing to advance CP's claim to governmental office Illusions However, a major effect of Carvalho's camparya seems key to be arevival ol the illusions which led to the disaster of 25 November. Talk of popular power cannot substitute for attempts to develop and centralise those organisations through which the working masses have conducted their struggle over the last six months -the trade unions and workers commissions. my oyevne on mer own independent organisations and not on 'Robin Hood' figures (Carvalho's latest self-description) can the workers throw back the capitalists' attacks and advance towards a successful revolution It is around this theme - centred on the call for a CP-SP Government based on a democratic national congress of trade LOus and WOrKers CommISSIOn - tha our comrades of the LCI will be campaigning in the coming weeks.
Ric Sissons