Spain: Fake Devocracy

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Spain's Francoist dictatorship has even provoked the Stalinist leaders.

Under its new regulations the regime has legalised the Socialist Party (PSOE) of Felipe Gonzalez; but it has simultaneously legalised the right wing "historic" PSOE, led by a group of exiled time servers, such as Rodolfo Llopis.

This, says Gonzalez, is a plot to confuse • the electorate and reduce the Socialist vote in the elections scheduled for early June; the "historic" PSOE should have been forced to change its name.

Gonzalez has withdrawn from the ten-man "democratic oppos ition' negotiating team, which has just reached more or less complete agreement with Premier Suarez on the rules of the election.

The CP is equally piqued by the Suarez regime's refusal to legalise it at all. The case has been sent to the Supreme Court which must decide within 30 days.

The CP has in any case already published its list of election candidates who, even if it is not legalised will put up as independents.

Along with the CP's application the regime also threw out those of the three Maoit-centrist parties. the Revolutionary Workers' Organisation (ORT), the Labour Party (PTE) and the Communist Movement (MCE).

Another failed applicant was the "Trotskyist' Revolutionary Communist League (LCR) which supports the Majority Tendency of the "United" Secretariat of the Fourth International.

For an organisation claiming to be Trotskyist to apply for legalisation under these conditions is indefensible.

Asking a government of fascists for permission to exist can do nothing but give more legitimacy to that government.

No addition proof is needed to "expose" the utter fraudulence of the regime's democratic reforms.

The elections will take place without the legalisation of all workers' parties (which the regime has no intention to allow), with a proportion of members of the proposed legislature being nominated by the King, and without its being given clear constituent powers.

They are a mockery of demoстасу. This, however, will not stop the Socialist and Communist Parties from forgetting their lukewarm call for a boycott of tlie referendum two months ago and treachersouly participating in the regime's fake democratic plans.

This, for Gandhi, is the most ominous sign of all since, because of the proliferation of opposition parties, Congress has always won previous general elections on a minority of the total vote.

Even in the "landslide' of 1971 Congress only got 47% of the votes.

The opposition, although many of its candidates are still in prison under the emergency gulations, could wi But this right wing alliance c provide nothing masses of workers and peasants in India. single point: opposition to Gandhi. Its programme consists of Whoever wins the elections, therefore, the Indian masses cannot expect parliament to solve a single one ot the problems abject Poverty and open which bee.

The situation poses with greater urgency than ever before the need to construct a Trotskyist party in India which can lead a struggl around democratic and transitiona neras ds which. answer the real Indian workers and peasants.

*Out with the Gandhi dictatorship confidence in the 'oppos ship! ¡tiontree all political prisoners and end the emergency! Liquidate the repressive apparatus!

*Expropriate the landowners! Redistribute the land!

*Cancel the debt farmers!

*For a sliding scale and hours!

*For a public works 10 bolish unem Noy ment!

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The wave of strike: in Holland, which over the last three weeks halted ports and several other industries, has achieved partial victories.

Employers nationally have been forced by the action to agree to maintain the limited sliding scale of three weeks.

In many instances the bureaucracy had to struggle hard to force workers back to work after settlements which did not meet the full demands. The gains however have been limited but real.

Most importantly they show that Dutch capitalists have been INTERNATIONAL NEWSI FITTON ZTRS KOPRS SFR ENTO Italian workers demonstrate right-wing demagogy has called RZANTI Fi) sinis SCIOP the next two years. Tere

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indignation of its two faithful servants, the reformist and