[Spain still does not have a military dictatorship…]

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Spain still does not have a military dictatorship. But it was certainly the threat of another military coup-supported this time by all the top generals which has prompted the feeble government of Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo to take another step to the right.

After the killing by ETA of another senior military officer in Pamplona, the government was, it seems, given an ultimatum by the army chiefs of staff.

As a result Calvo Sotelo has immensely increased the mjlitary role in Euskadi (the Básque country).

• He has sent the navy to patrol off the Basque coast. And he has sent sections of the army to patrol the French border to prevent the escapé of ETA terrorists.

The military have also been given a bigger role within the repressive apparatus of the state.

At the same time the police have seized and are holding in prison at least 50 leading radical Basque nationalists including members of the Herri Batasuna (Popular Unity) coalition who are elected municipal councilors.

All this has been done with' scarcely a murmur (except of implied support) from the leaders of the main workers parties and so far also very little reaction from the working masses or nationalist parties in Euskadi.

These new repressive measures and increased militar isation of Euskadi-and the agreement to slow down, the steps towards greater autonomy in the regions-may have pacified the power-hunger of the military for a time:

• Crisis But the Basque people have shown for years their hatred of Francoist repression and their willingness to struggle against it.

It was the outburst of resis tance provoked by the trial of Basque militants in Burgos at the beginning of the 1970s which set off the wave of opposition which projected Francoism into a massive crisis of political authority.

Throughout the 1970s it was the campaign for the release of Basque political prisoners which led to huge and threatening mobilisations against the repres sion.

There are still Basque nationalist prisoners and only a week before the recent coup attempt Euskadi saw its biggest general strike and street demonstration ever in protest against the police murder of Jose Arregui, an ETA suspect.

Social conflict

It is hardly possible that Madrid's new attacks on Basque national rights can pacify the army without fomenting even more determined resistance from one of the most highly politically conscious working classes in Europe.

So for the Calvo Sotelo government the price or noi handing over political power to the generals is to take action to stoke up even further the fires of social conflict.

And the next stage of this process can only be the declaration of a state of emergency and martial law in Euskadi.

The hopeless weakness of the "democratic" bourgeoisie and the criminal failure of the CP and Socialist leaders to do anything but hide behind the "democratic" King, has not avoided a military coup; it is simply leading to military coup by stages. How does Reagan know that 88% of the miners don't have black lung; he's never been down a mine in his life."

Miller's work mate, Craig (Big Foot) Corder warned that the companies are going to try to scare the workers by saying that the black lung benefits will raise the price of coal and put miners out of work. Reagan has complete disregard for the workers and little people of this country."

Auldy Cecil said "Most miners work till they die. They consist The fact that the Reagan government's war plans in El Salvador now can be connected to the atttack on American workers is extremely important and points the way to a political campaign against the Reagan government and the two capitalist parties.

This first step by the miners should be matched by the entire trade union movement with national strike action and a rally of millions in Washington.

Every worker and poor person will be directly hit by The US labour movement has the power to completely paralyse the Reagan. government if it mobilises its resources.

' The miners, joined by the railroad workers, airline workers, teachers and federal government workers, can do to Reagan what the Welsh miners recently accomplished in Britain against Thatcher.

It is ciear that the same decisive action is necessary today if Reagan is to be stopped.

HER D Angry US miners

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MURD DAFNS,