ARE we the only radical people in the country who think that the film The Deer Hunter is OK?
Most of the reviews in the left press, including Soclalist Challenge, Flame, Socialist Review, and Spare Rib, have missed the point. The film is not essentially about the high-level polities of the Vietnam war, and so criticism on this score alone is totally inadequate.
Nor do we think the film is a glorification of "macho' lifestyles. True, it is about men, violence and killing. But we think the perspective on this level is very positive.
Are we reaily the odd ones out? Perhaps something readers think sir? Merseyside do SUE BRAIN, ANNE CUNNINGHAM, BOR DENT, KRAJKA, BOB GAFFEY, MO (MILNER (Liverpool)
TWISH to thank you for the excellent review given to The Deer Hunter (15 Winchi. As a veteran of particular imperialist debacle, wholeheartedly agree with Gardner's analysis.
Exposing the film for what it is, a SOUTH EAST YOUR report on the local elections in the Spinish state (12 April) asks: 'How could the left win majorities in the major towns, when only a month ago it lost to the right wing in the Beneraldraws attention to the matter of unity.
But it is worth recalling that even without unity the two major workers" partics, PSOE (Socialists) and PCE (Communists), together polled about as many votes overall in the general clection as the two major bourgeois parties, cloctoral system (approved in its day by the PSOE) which working class pay such a high price for the disonity of the leaderships The base advanced, then, wasn't so small. other Nor was the distance it travelled so great. If it really had been the case thar "the two largest working class DANIEL parties (had been left) with 70-80 per cent of the vote in the towns of more than 50,000 people?, the impact might well have been as dramatic as in 1931 Unfortunately, such percentages were confined in the main Harcelona and Madrid and the mining valleys of Asturias.
However it is the case that in about 70 per cent of the major towns and cities.
BLOTS accounting together for some 70 per cent of the population, the Carl (including radical' nationalists and regionalists) has won a majorily -sometimes large, other times small -councuots. important, but CIA 2HPH BE 000a TOWER d, London NWE and correctly party's predominantly working UCD and CD. It was the Bilbao. made the The which the Unity)
to be appreciated.
if understandably, the industrial belts villages 'left' HAMLETS adors c councillors in Catalonia and the three in Castile (Madrid) were elected as members of the PSOE in that party's lists. They are not members of th LCR, though they are expected to I don't mean to minimise the importance of this, but the exact importance can only be evaluated in light of these facts.
In the Basque Country five of the LI's councillors were elected on the ticket, in the Basque-speaking zone. Despite a considerable presence in the factories and unions the party made little headway in the major class towns of Greater • TESt councillors participated in joint slates, most commonly with the radical nationalist coalitions of Herri Batasuna (Popular and Euskadiko Ezkerra (Basque Left). Again, this is to set the record straight so the real possibilitie and problems of the party can begin FRED FAIRBAIRN (Bilbao)
THE LENGTH of letters prialed will usually be kept down to 400 words in order to encourage us wide a range of contributions us possible. All letten may be cut at the Editor's discretion. Unsigned letters will not normally be published, although we will withold real names from publication on
rclation to other tion was put together.
people and public mectings. shops are planned What may be the biggest problem is that 'community" and democracy in this context reflect the status quo, and in station in a single pioneering What is needed is for the elected trust to rceresre che spirit and real democracy of the hectic days when the applicaThe trust ans to involve out education on the uses of the medium. A regular newsletter, and work
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..or a total distortion?
SOUTH WEST Treat Tues 12 wry other sundas. 2nd Eland Pant