Spain's Workers' Parties Sink to New Depths

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while large enough, the rest of Spain. both the organisers' expe- initial proposal of the tations and other recent Maoist ORT-immediately L 'GLI-CISE-V It has been increasingly difficult in the last few weeks to tell the difference in Spain between fascists, "reformed" Francoists, reformists, CP Stalinists, Maoists, and Basque and Catalan nationalists.

All of them have. been marching, sometimes in the same demonstrations, "against terrorism"

All these political forces have been competing with each other to stage public shows of support for the Spanish bourgeois state and its repressive apparatus.

The first of these right wing orgies took place in Bilbao on October 28.

Organised by the right wing Basque Nationalist Italian workers march through Rome Party (PNV), it was supported by both the Socialist Party and the CP as well as the Maoist Workers' Revolutionary Organisation (ORT).

Of the main unions, the Stalinist-dominated Workers Commissions supported the march. Only the UGT (related to the Socialist Party) told its members to stay away.

30,000 strong Even with the backing of parties which obtained 90% of the votes in last June's elections, this demonstration was joined by no more than akant z0 nan *thinh compares unfavourably with RP demonstrations In the last in Bilbao. two vears. demonstrations against the government's economic policy or in favour of Basque national rights have regularly drawn ten times as many participants.

This reflects the fact that the latest campaign of the Basque separatist ETA (Euskadi and Freedom) has a great deal of popular sympathy in Euskadi, since it has been directed almost exclusively against members of the armed police and the civil guard and against Francoist local officials.

But the PNV's reactionary initiative was later ranantad hr athar nantiac in It was actually on the VOR taken up by the Socialist Party, the CP and the Workers Commissions that on November 10 sizeable "anti-terrorist" demonstrations were organised all over Spain.

These were joined by the government party-the UCD, and sections of the extreme right wing as well as the other main Maoist group-the Party of Labour (PTE).

Held back

Once again the UGT in most areas held back from supporting them.

These reactionary mobilisations are all part of the lead-up to next month's constitutional referendum.

This, as ETA knows, could be crucial in shifting the thin veneer of stability and democracy which Adolfo Suarez has managed (with CP, Socialist and Maoist support) to paste over Franco's • crumbling state.

Martial law

Already virtual martial law exists in parts of Euskadi which is covered with road blocks. . Meetings to campaign for a 'No' vote or boycott of the referendum have been banned.

ETA's campaign in which 25 policemen have been killed this year has, for all its failure to offer political direction, focussed attention on the absolutely unchanged nature of the Francoist repressive apparatus as Spain prepares to vote into force its "democratic" constitution.

The main workers' parties-reformist, "Eurocommunist" or Maoist-are, therefore, using their «anti-terrorist" campaign to cover up their nefarious collaboration with the ruling class in building the pretence of putting the blame on ETA.

The workers' leaders shamefully march against the killers of Francoist policemen, side by side with those who have been responsible even within the last few weeks for brutal repression and murder of workers demonstrating for their democratic rights.

It is the same workers' leaders who are holding back the workers on other fronts such as the fight for adequate wages and against unemployment.

Here the UGT bureaucracy, under Nicholas Redondo, is playing its full part alongside Marcelino and the leaders of the Stalinist Workers Commissions.

Both of them are continuing to negotiate with the "democratic" Francoist government about the renewal of last year's hated social contract (the Moncloa Pact).

Both the UGT and the Commissions have agreed to the principle of a ceiling on wages.

So far they have rejected the proposed government figure of 12.5 percentcompared with 22% last year and with a current inflation rate of 16%.

Lukewarm

But it is clear that both organisations have given such hesitant and lukewarm opposition to the proposals that Suarez has been confident enough to say publicly that he is prepared -Callaghan-style-to try to enforce his wage limits without official union cooperation.

There is no doubt that under these conditions the build-up of mass discontent over falling living standards and rising unemployment, like the widespread demand in Euskadi and Catalonia for real national rights, is becoming increasingly difficult for the Francoists and their reformist, Stalinist. and Maoist allies to contain: £62,000 bail money.

in fear of her life if she is extradited to Germany where a number of urban guerrillas have been murdered in jail, Astrid Proli has now been incarcerated in prison for two months since her arrest on September 18 The West German authorities continue to put back the date by which they expect to be able to produce evidence against her in extradition proceedings:

This is despite' the fact that: the crimes: in which she is supposed to be involved took place in 1971 and criminal proceedings were - actually started against her in Germany, before she fled to Britain.

The labour movement must demand thạt the: Home Secretary Merlyn Rees immediately release Astrid Proll and drop the extradition proceedings against her:

She has "committed no crimes against the workers movement in Britain or in Germany.