and PAM HURST report.
Doubts in the minds of many PCF members have broughtla al head since September. It was then that the and Socialist Parties, Finding themselves unable to agree updated Common Programme, broke the Union of the Left.
In October the PCF, after a meeting of Central Committee, opened a fierce polemic against the Socialist Party (PS). This culminated at a national congress of the PCF four weeks ago to launch the party's campaign for March elections. Marchais, the *There are thousands of comrades who are asking questions." This is the claim of the left opposition inside the French Communist Party (PCF). The opposition which has emerged publicly in the last two months has published a series of statements under the collective pseudonym of "Max Pierrat', RIC SISSONS party's General Secretary. been stated that he guarantee, in advance, transfer votes to the PS in the second round.
It is in the context of these shame exchange Position has faced hi len and the PS that the left Marchais party. They consider that the Marchars has been pursuing an opportunist" line.
The opposition is made up of 'all those who collectively ar individually reject the social the and who consider that a NOT the bestof friends: Milterrand (left] of the Socialist Party and Marchals of the Communist Parly. revolutionary communist line is necessary to confront imperitiist in crisis".
The opposition estimates that since October it has been instrumental in organising over 300 meetings of PCF members to discuss the party. involved several thousand would COOL patty mutants These OCCI TESTIC 10 2S but for the most part made up hetween the members of federal leaderships. Already they have established a network which permics national coordination.
The opposition argues rhat the Union of the Left broke down hecause at no point have united commitices been organised at the hase. Thus one of the central planks Pierrat" current is for popular future of the and immigrant workers, They claim these have gatherings have nor by the third and included This chey into the 'Max Pierrat* fell.
of the "Max the proletariat factories and neighbourhoods They further criticise the Union of the Left for failing to draw into i unportant social layers. without whom change will not occur, such as womer, rout The call for popular any committees is theorised hy the Union. opposition in the demand for the PCF to revert to a line of *class against class' as advanced Communist International in the carly 1930s. putting consider entailed 'unity at the base, sometimes ar lake a clear the base and the summir. but never only at the summit. It is Taller category that considers the Union of the Left mistakenly The opposition attacks the March reformist" party leadership lo dropping the dictatorship of feature Jean-Claude STEPHENE Party. programme; for failing to take the struggle against accepting the French nuclear international solidarity against repression; and finally for distancing itself from the socialist states and the Soviet length the opposition fails to Stand on the suppression of democratic rights in Eastern Europe, wluch occasion the *Eurocommunists in Italy. Spain and France have done.
With the inminence of the clections left opposition has stated: necessary to beat the right. In order to correct its mistakes the PCE should advance a Dew programme that makes it clear that to 'end the crisis, finish capitalism and that there is no other escape than the transition Left to socialism." They further and thorough going debate in the proT democratic party congress in February;
The apposition has been forced lo operate under collective pseudonym and publish its statements in non-party magazibes because of the lack of Internal demncracy withun the PCF. Al the recent national Party Congress there was not one vote amongst 3,000 delegates cither against or MASCIOn! Considering, that there was no discussion in the ranks of the party beforehanc and the delegates were picked by the federal committees this comes as no surprise This forces the opposition underground. The leadership's Suppression DE internal democ tacy has been aided by "dissident" party intellectuals.
Elleinstein and Althusser. Elleinstein recently commented in an interview i the wockly Politique Hebde, ' am nor at all favourable to the exiscence of tendencies which can obly transform themselves into splits. Althusser in New 104 stated ' Recognition of organised tendencies soems to me to be cuE of the question in the French Party.
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