On 25 November, Mario Soares's dream came true. Using the excuse of a left-wing soldiers' rebellion, the Sixth Provisional Government (dominated by the Socialist Party and its military elite) was able to come down hard on what it called 'anarchy' and the 'totalitarian danger'. At last the way was open for that "democratic socialisen of which Soares had talked so much.
Six wocks later, the picture is rather dearer: arrests of hundreds of left-wingers; the closure of some newspapers and radio stations and the replacement of staff in others; the smashing of land co-operatives; the banning of all political rights in the army; a complete wage Ireeze; massive price increases: mass sackings; compensation to expropriated bank shareholders; the re-opening of the stock exchange. And then, just to ram ine message home, the murder of four demonstrators by the hated Republican Guards on New Year's Day.
Crush Just what has this to do with democratic socialism*? You may well ask. But don't expect an answer from Harold wuson. willy brandt rancois Mitterrand or any other of the Furopean social democrats who set up a 'Committee of Friendship with Democracy and Socialism in Portugal' a mere four months ago.
We said at the time that they were there to discuss how to crush the Portuguese revolution in the embrace of the capitalist Common Market. And their delight at the present turn of events can be judged from the report that West German social democratic leader Helmut Schmidt is now considering an Loom. loan to Portugal.
Naturally, the course of action which Soares is now pursuing does present some problems. Some workers may refuse to accept that the press is totalitarian' when many of its staff are Communist sympausers but objecue wnen incy are Subscribe NAME. replaced by Socialists. Others (stupid ¡clows, may snu it nara to reconcl Soares's calls for "press freedom' with Ene ForcIDIe closure or worKers news papers like Republica and O Setubalense.
It may even seem a bit odd that while French Socialist leader Mitterrand is calling for the release from prison of French soldiers demanding political rights, Soares is busy imprisoning Portuguese soldiers for doing exactly the same thing.
Prisons That's what the workers who gathered outside the Custoias and Caxias prisons at New Year thought. There were a lot of tem at Custolas too. While the first Reuter report spoke of ta few nundred' it later had to revise its figure to 5,000, while the French newspaper Le Monde (which is generally more reliable in these matters) estimated the total at twenty to twenty-five thousand.
The brutal response of the Republican Guards was not only a sign of the Government's preparedness to resort to open repression (using a force which has been left more or less intact since the davs when it was Caetano's favourite weapon), but also an indication of its nervousness faced with such unexpected opposition. And its action brought the immediate condonmanon or Labour Mr tom Litterick, who was in the crowd outside Custoias as an observer for the Russel Committee for Portugal.
Conference These latest developments indicate clearly the need for the conference called by the Solidarity Campaien with the Portuguese Working Class for 13 March.
many Labour Party delegat A SDCCR CITOTE MUSCO. to build up an opposition to Wilson's collaboration with the repressive regime in Portugal. Details of the conference can be obtained from the Solidarity Campaign with the Portuguese Working Class, 12 Little Newport Street, London WC2. simply with an affront to British why his action was applauded even by the right-wing Daily Telegraph. Scabbing less provided a fantastic boost for try. The brutal reality of the Pin ochet regime has been blazoned and that the Labour Government break completely with the junta. es as possible, prisoners. We have political internal exiles. BUILDING to hand
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