Just Good Friends!

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Three faces of reaction could be seen on tour in Britain last week -one former dictator eager to resume her tyranny, one general operating as a bonapartist president and one vice-premier of a ruling Stalinist bureaucracy.

Variously entertained by Callaghan and the Labour leaders, this trio had converged on London in pursuit of their separate counterrevolutionary ambitions.

Each sought help and advice from their friends in the British bourgeoisie and labour bureaucracy and neither Gandhi nor Eanes nor Wang was turned away empty-handed.

Indira Gandhi arrived for intensive consultations with the politicians of the British bourgeois state on the problems for imperialism Gandhi posed by the crisis of Janata in India.

Her second aim was to win political support and financial backing from the Indian community Britain.

But it was not enthusiastic crowds which greeted the architect of Emergency Rule.

After a noisy reception at the airport, worse things were to come at Southall with the major meeting of the tour.

Met by some 2,000 hostile demonstrators inside the Dominion cinema and on the picket outside, Gandhi was forced to give up her speech after only 10 minutes of high-flown rhetoric.

Although this minor setback must have sharply wounded her vanity, Gandhi can in general feel satisfied with her trip.

After the by-election victory in Chikmagalur, she can now return to the Indian parliament to take up the leadership of the opposition.

This confirmation of her political comeback ensured that she • was treated seriously by the Tory leaders-both Thatcher and Heath met with her.

But Gandhi's closest friends in Britain have always been in the Labour Party leadership.

(On this occasion it was Peter Shore and Michael Foot who leapt to the defence of this famous "democrat".)

Callaghan himself displayed rare tact in dealing with this faithful ally of imperialism.

In place of the violent displays of political affection for the Shah, he avoided giving open political support to Nehru's daughter.

Instead they met privately as friends'-and took tea together.

The other guests at this select tea-party did not include President Eanes or Vice-Premier Wang-perhaps because the business Portuguese President tanes Callaghan had to conclude with them was a more formal affair of trade deals and bargaining in arms.

The significance of PHOTO: John Sturrock, Report.

Ganahi admirer Sitore to its capitalist owners.

In the industrial sector, tens of thousands of workers have taken action on wages.

Token strikes

Although the CP has so far succeeded in restricting this movement to token strikes and protest stoppages, the massive pressure building up within the Portuguese proletariat clearly menaces their ability to police industrial peace for the bourgeoisie and army.

The British Labour leaders have always given their firm support to those forces of reaction determined to keep Portugal within the orbit of imperialism.

in particular, Eanes sought and won from Callaghan renewed commitment to Portugal's entry into the Common Market, and fresh supplies of arms to build up Portugal's military strength for its role in NATO.

No doubt Mulley will soon be heard in the Commons denying the obvious fact that this boosting of the armed forces poses grave dangers to the workers and peasants of Portugal.

Industrialisation

The Chinese delegation came to pursue their negotiations with imperialism for the rapid industrialisation of Chinese industry. But Wang secured not only contracts and massive bank loans, but also guarantees of arms.

Despite their reluctance to antagonise the Kremlin bureaucrats, Callaghan and Mulley have been prepared