[British Leyland's closure of the Innocenti factory (which…]

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British Leyland's closure of the Innocenti factory (which also threatens jobs in Britain) is one part of its all-out drive for rationalisation and speed-up centred on the Ryder Plan in Britain.

The closure follows a series of rejected ultimatums to the workforce that htey accept a 33% redundancy with a simultaneous massive speed-up. Leyland's withdrawal is also in line with its recent slashing of its Australian work-force, and the closure of its Spanish operations.

In Milan the closure was immediately answered by the full-scale occupation of the plant, and a massive one-day general strike throughout the Milan area called by the Italian Metal Workers' Union - but beyond appeals to other capitalists to buy the factory, and nationalist speeches against "foreign capital" the union leaders offered no perspective for a fight.

In Britain likewise the proposal to shut down Chrysler production is a part of a programme of crisis measures being taken to preserve the US-owned multinational. The open threat to 25,000 Chrysler workers, along with thousands of others in related jobs, has caused dismay and confusion among convenors and Labour MPs.

While Stoke convenor Bob Morris talks of occupation in the case of closure, this is to cover his complete lack of policy to fight redundancy, which he is clearly willing to accept. As he said:

"Of course we recognise that many jobs will have to go.' At the same time, Pat Fox, convenor at Rvton while admittina cars (in Britain 19% down on last year), with huge factories working Italian car-workers de way below capacity, the sights of all the employers are set on reducing the number of plants, and focussing production on wellequipped, high exploitation factories. This is the gist of the Ryder plan.

Workers have no interest in propping up Chrysler or Innocenti. Both are part of monopolies which function solely in the interests of the capitalist class.

So it is vital that workers learn the inner workings of the car industry - its finances, stockorder, turnover, its relationship to the suppliers, to the banks and to the state. Because only with such knowledge can workers prepare to manage a planned, nationalised car inductr What steps must flow from the lessons of Chrysler and Innocenti?

Firstly, since the attack crosses monstrate against short-time working. national frontiers, workers must also organise internationally to fight the multinationals.

Stewards from the whole Chrysler corporation must discuss joint class action to force the employers to open the books and reveal the real state of affairs. (Some of the manipulation taking place is revealed in our article, The British Leyland Combine Shop Stewards should convene a national meeting of stewards and invite delegates from the Innocenti occupation committee to speak and call for support.

SETBACK TO The suppression of the fabricated so-called "left-wing coup attempt" in Lisbon on 25th November has resulted in whole series of antidemocratic and anti-working class measures by the Portuguese military regime and its Sixth Provisional Government:

The events of the alleged coup must of necessity be obscure from this distance, but there can be no doubt that a series of provocative military moves were arranged by the right wing to force out into the open all sections of left-wing soldiers.

NO CP SUPPORT Though the military government and the Armed Forces Movement claimed that a possible coup was being planned, in fact the paratroops and light artillery soldiers who mobilised to defend their gains did not receive the support of the Stalinists of the Communist Party, thus remaining isolated from the working class. Forced out on a limb, the movement could then be smashed and Despite some reports to the contrary, the Stalinists decisively separated themselves from these events. As Le Monde put it, soon afterwards, the "moderation" of the CP was the most conspicuous aspect of the events.

The whole situation was thereOver the last week the army of the Peoples Republic of

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scored a number of successes over the invading armies of South African mercenaries and US financed and equipped -FNLA and Unita forces.

On the northern front a big defeat has been inflicted on the FLA at the town of Caxito 30 miles from Luanda, the capital. The recapture of Caxito involved the capture of vast supplies of weaponry of United States and Belgian origin.

CAPTURED

Large amounts of US military ¡hardware were also captured in advances in the south involving the recapture of Cangumbe a town situated on the vital Benguela railway which stretches across Angola from the coast to Zambia and is a vital economic and military means of communication.

The situation in the South of Angola now is that the northward advance of the South African invading mercenary force of Panhard armoured cars has been stemmed, and 8 vehicles captured. This has been due to a combination of the onset of the rainy season, and to the Soviet supplied 122mm rockets and heavy artillery now in the possession of MPLA forces.

SKILL, Reporters who gained access to the area noted that whereas the 'FNLA' armoured force was entirely manned by Whites, either Portuguese or South African, the MPLA artillery was fired and directed by MPLA soldiers, evidence of the superior level of military skill and organisation of the MPLA.

The superior military organisation of MPLA is a reflection of its political strength among the workers and peasants. Behind the lines intensive training is underway by local popular militia forces. Meanwhile former Portuguese-owned farms are being organised into disciplined agricultural communes.

This contrasts sharply with the reports from refugees of the looting and burning and cold blooded shooting of unarmed civilians by the FNLA invaders. The FNLA continue also to lie and attempt a crude cover up of their dependence on US imperialism and South African military assistance both regular and mercenary.

At a meeting of Christian Democratic parties in Rome last Tuesday the FNLA representatives denied all connection between themselves and the South African military force "protecting' the Calueque dam in the Southern Angolan border region with Namiba (South West Africa). The lie was given to this staterdays Times of a or General picture Dutton of the South African Army conversing with the local FNLA commandant, a certain Portuguese 'Lt. Paulo' The official South African line is that military occupation of this area of Angola was undertaken to 'protect' irrigation in the Ovamboland area of Namibia and was at the 'request' of the tribal leaders of that area.

As the Times was forced to comment on Saturday "It is strange that a group of tribal leaders in Ovamboland can call on the South African government to occupy territory, belonging to a third country.

At least the FNLA bandits and looters can still rely on some measure of South African support. As the military situation has changed their erstwhile ChineseStalinist supporters have abandoned them!

"INTERFERENCE"

Meanwhile the United States continues to make bellicose statements against Soviet 'interference' (ie. military aid to the government of Angola) while itself continuing SOCIALIST PRESS, Wea clandestine arms shipments through Zaire. Over the last fortnight both Kissinger and Ford have warned of the danger to East West detente of continued Soviet support for MPLA.

The Moscow Stalinists calculate however that a speedy MPLA victory will bring forward a government in Africa sympathetic to the USSR and at the same time Ford and Kissinger will cool down, realising that the MPLA in no sense threatens to jeopardise Western economic interests in what is one of the richest countries in Africa in terms of Oil and mineral deposits.

The MPLA has already shown this in the independence speech by Neto, president of MPLA, welcoming foreign investors. Meanwhile MPLA has already established a modus vivendi with the two great multinationals operating in Angola; Gulf Oil in Cabinda and Diamang in Eastern Angola. Between them these two companies handle 86 per cent of Angola's foreign exchange earnings and employ the bulk of Angola's working class.

The nationalisation of these concerns is therefore the highest priority in any move towards a socialist economic plan in Angola. Yet in fact the opposite has occutred. In the case of Diamang the MPLA has even taken over itself the functions of the Old Portuguese company security police!

The regime is entirely unchanged, meanwhile there are discussions afoot concerning the MPLA government taking a majority shareholding in the diamond concern.

This will in no way bring the industry under the control of the of Laos' is headed by Prince Souvanouvong - leading figure of the liberation forces for over twenty years and a former protege of Ho Chi Minh - while Kaysonce Phonvihan, number one figure in the Communist Party, becomes Prime Minister, and all key portfolios in cember 10th, 1975 State prosecuting authorities are demanding the death sentence on sixteen alleged supporters of the illegal 'Peasants and Workers Liberation Army' , together with sentences ot up to fifteen years im prisonment on thirty-eight others.

Their mass trial - which has been proceeding since September 1973 - takes place before a military court in Istambul, given these savage powers under the dictatorial state of emergency in the capital.

Those on trial are accused of "armed operations aimed at overthrowing the constitutional order in force in the country", both in Istambul and in areas of Anatolia, in the east of the country.

Last week more than a hundred people were arrested in Istambul following clashes between students and police during the funeral of a student murdered by right-wingers. At least twenty three students were wounded when police attacked the funeral procession.

workers and peasants of Angola.

It will have the opposite effect of tying government revenue to the pressures of the world capitalist crisis.

Only the outright nationalisation of the diamond and oil deposits without compensation will allow the defence of a government based on the working class and the peasantry to succeed.

Cambodia with Peking reflects the fact that 'socialism in one country' is an immediate economic impossibility in these relatively small, underdeveloped states, mutilated by decades of revolutionary war.

The pro-Moscow orientation of the Hanoi and Saigon leaderships has led to sharp exchanges with

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Angola, the MPLA, has rever- ed the military situation and

INVADERS PUSHED BACK