is singularly inappropriate. Many of the staff, I gather, belong to revolutionary parties, and all of them understand the need to smash the existing Portuguese state. Indeed, the banner of Republica wiin ine paper s start marching Denmo i could be seen on tne most memorable demonstration I have ever participated • This took place in Lisbon on 20 Aug ust, when 50,000 workers called for the overinrow or ne government ano ton power to be placed in the hands of the workers' and soldiers' councils.
ne very rear unreat to rortuguese cabhaiism nas sent snivers down me spines of all reactionaries. small busin essmen and fascists, whose political ideas have been discredited, find that mey can operate openy ow usure tue Portuguese Socialist Party for camouflage. Indeed, tne for is at the present time one of the main props for the existing social order.
That is why President Ford, after expressing alarm over the situation in rortucal. went on to Didise tRe eTTorts or harole vison and otner curopean social democratic leaders tor coming to the aid of the Portuguese Socialist Party. At Helsinki, Wilson promised that the social democrats' contributions to the PSP would match those of the Soviet bloc to tne rortuguese communist rarty 'pound for pound". As he has since put ine soviet contrioution ar t4 minion a monin. one can oniv assume mat une same enormous sum is now being sent to Mario Soares.
A simple mathematical calculation shows the magnitude of such assistance. Mario Soares has claimed that the PSP nas ou uwu members. so tat to minon per month would be the equivalent of £80 per member. As the average Portuguese worker only gets a monthly wage of around E50, this would mean That soares was receivine more ber men! ber as a subsidy than most Portuguese families have to live on! Probably never Dear Comrades, Much as I agree with the views put Torwara in te artice on Portugal -Will it be another Chile?' (Red Weekly. 11 September), I think you should also have explained why such comparisons are being made now, and why revolutronaries snoura De careru about now they use them.
Recently the Portuguese Communist Party - using its dominant position in the media and in the Fifth Division of the army (the propaganda unit) -seems to have deliberately exaggerated ine extent or me counter-revo utionary violence in the north and the threat of a right-wing coup, which as your article points out is not on the cards. Why is TuS!
raced with its growing Isolation due simultaneously to its sectarian antics in relation to the Socialist Party and its refusal to develop organs of working clas power independent or une armed rorces vovement and the capitalist state CP has taken a 'left' turn using the Chile analogy as a cover for its manoeuvres. While the 'united front' formed with the revolutionary left was allegedly against reaction, in reanty tne or used this exer cise to bolster Goncalves Fifth Provisional Government and add weight to its crumbling strategy in relation to the MFA.
Rather than confront the reformist leaders or ine socialist rary - wn are aruv responsibe for surno uo tne violence in une Norin - inrouen a ciear call for a workers' united front against by reformists manoeuvres to strengthen its position with the dominant sections of the MFA over and against that of the Socialist Party. Sections of the revolutionary lett seem to nave cor taken for a noe for a time at least, in the course of this process.
strategy the CP would put forward in Portugal if they were actually faced with the threat of a Chile-type coup. I would De tor te sowing cown or the revolutionary process. Indeed it has already said as much, and one of the few criticisms that various Communist Parties have made of the Chilean experience is inat une move towaros socialism was tog fast! In fact it was precisely the slowing down of the revolutionary process in the time to organise and prepare itself for the coup.
other Communist Parties, including the British, use the Chile analogy in Portugal situation they do not want to lead a struggle for power. the key task is to "fight reaction', they aim for a multi-class alliance of all those Torces inat are suboosediv orepared tu defend 'democarcy' regardless of their Dasic class interests way to create another Chile - and something revolutionaries must constantly explain.
MIKE GANSILLO, London reaction, the CP was indulging in sectarian It is also worth remembering what Chile which led to hesitations and divisions inside the working class, and gave reaction We should remember that the PCP and Todav because in an immensev tavourabie By suggesting that inat is the sure domestic problems on his plate. But with exposure in Chile and defeat in Vietnam, then pre-revolution in Portugal, the US part of world imperialism cannot at present police the world by itself.
Mance pointed our mat no oner perialist country is today capable or sur stituting for momentarily debilitated Right-wing violence in Chile prior to the 1973 coup. "Slowing down the revolution' only gave the right more time to organise. the far left succeeds in mobilising sec tions of the Labour left and its mass base against what they are doing. Red Weekly accordingly should sharpen its focus in its coverage of the role of Wilson and the rignt, agnation or deadly accurac is called tor PETER TUNNEY, Aberdeen.
red weekly 18 september 19/3
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