In the recent period, however, the line of the PRP had become even more dangerous with the adoption of a short term orientation towards an armed uprising. On 30 September it issued a declaration stating: "It is now time for the revolutionary forces and the workers to pose the question of an insurrection' (Diario de Lisboa, 30 September). It continued this line throughout October and November - stating at a press conference on 10 November: "Only a national insurrection on the basis of armed power rep resents at the present time a way out of the contradictions of the revolutionary process in Portugal' (Révolution, 14 November).
This was based on a so-called analysis that: "The organisation of the masses has already attained a level sufficient to inherit power' (press conference given by Francisco Marquez, a leader of the PRP, 7 November - quoted in Révolution, 14 November) - which leaves our sucn nue tacts as tue question of the Socialist Party, the domination of the workers' movement by the Communist Party the fact that even in the Lisbon area a really systematic centralisation of the organs of workers democracy does not exist, the fact that even in such a major city as Oporto the revolutionaries are in a tiny minority, etc.
Under such circumstances it is only too clear what everyone understood by the appeal of the PRP and the MES (Movement of the Socialist Left) quoted in last week's Socialist Worker: "The time has come to give a lesson to the bourgeoisie. Against the Sixth Provisional Government. Against the counter revolutionary council. Long live the armed Long live the socialist revolution.' working class.
Given this insurrectionist line, and the undoubted Tact that the eke aneme ves nave a red mmuchce in certain regiments (indeed, scientifically speaking the line of the PRP could be said to represent a certain stratum of lower officers) what occurred in Lisbon last week was easily foreseeable. It does not matter particularly whether what was involved was on Portugal reaction.
Grancisco Marquez, a leading member of the PRP, said at the press conference on 7 Novem ber: social democracy represents simpiy the snort est road to fascism' and 'an alliance of the Socialist Party and the PPD is openly preparing the victory of fascism. Of course, if this were true, then obviously the only course would be towards an armed uprising in the short term - after all, even a defeated insurrection would be much better than allowing the workers to be passively crushed as they were by Hitler in Germany. In fact, however, it was manifestnonsense Furthermore this nonsense has now been carried over into socialst worker usen. ine last issue des cribes the Socialists in Portugal as playing the same so-called "moderate" role played by the Christian Democrat leaders in Chile two years ago'. But the Chrisman bemocrats subborrec me nochercoup, m ror ugal, when the real Pinochet makes his move, he will be just as careful to smash Soares and the Socialist Party as he will be to kill the revolutionary lett and the CP. Anyone with a grain of sense understands that against this they will be fighting alongside the SP, and probably even Soares, against the Portuguese Pinochet. The PRP and now the IS leadership make the same mistake as the Stalinists in the Third Period in Germany - to confuse the counter
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'An alliance of the Socialist Party and the PPD is openly preparing the victory of fascism Francisco Marquez a leader of the PRP - 7 November.
EVERYTHING AT STAKE