Spain: Fascism Lives

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ON For the second time this year sections of Spain's fascist military have been threatening to seize power.

The legalisation of the Communist farty (tollowing on • the "disbanding" of Franco's National Movement) prompted the resignation of the Navy Minister and of two generals in the "parliament" and an emergency meeting of the Supreme Military Council.

PROTEST This last body finally reached agreement to limit its actions for now to sending a strong protest to the Suarez government.

According to the majority of the press, the terms of the protest were: 1. disapproval of the legalisation of the Communist Party which would nevertheless, in the national interest be accepted in a disciplined way, as a accompli; 2. an underlining of the army's "duty" to defend national unıty, the national flag, the institution of the monarchy and its own reputation.

But the fascist paper El Alcazar journal of the Francoist war veterans) said there were two more points:

3. the army's objection to the way in which, through the legalisation of the CP, the government had degraded the person of the King.

4. the army's readiness to resolve any future problems which might emerge "by using its own methods"

This situation was sufficiently tense for an army denial of the last two points to be broadcast every half-hour on Spanish radio for a whole day!

But whether or not they were in the message, there is no doubt that they represent the thoughts of a good many generals.

The powerful and well-financed fascist Popular Alliance of exInterior Minister Manuel Fraga has lined up fully behind the army.

CORTES

It has also collected enough signatures to demand a special meeting of the Cortes (the fake parliament) to discuss the legalisation of the CP, which is still far from being accepted by the far right.

Stalinist and reformist leaders have responded to all this by either denying that it is happening or cringing before it. press) and local sheets produced strike-breaking editorial staff.

SOLIDARITY

The rest of the country's press has been stopped in solidarity with the locked out printing workers of the Berlingske Tidende concern, and to back up the Graphic trades negotiations for new contracts.

The Berlingske Tidende concern has co-opted onto its board an outside cowboy who has deliberately picked on the strongest organised workplace at the biggest firm in the branch.

It is clear that a major struggle against the printing trades is in the offing.

The lock-out workers have tull backing by their unions, by the trade as a whole, and by the working class. But unfortunately it looks as if the workers' leadership is bargaining away jobs as negotiations appear to be developing.

The Stalinist leadership has proposed voluntary redundancy of 150 older workers over 12 months, coupled with redundancy payments (not a normal practice in Denmark, but used by the Stalinists to avoid a struggle against unemployment at B&W Shipyards also), and a "transition wage to ease the move onto pensions from wages.

Galvan, leader of the small but active reformist Popular Socialist Party said in a statement, strongly reminiscent of the Popular Unity government in Chile:

"The army has burried the prejudices of the war ... and are becoming an army of professionals in the service of the nation and loyal to the crown"

The CP leadership, anxious not to cause any offence to the fascist generals cancelled its plans for a mass rally to celebrate legalisation.

And as a symbol of its abject collaboration, it has shamefully recognised the monarchist rather than the republican national flag and will display it at its election meetings.

JUNE ELECTION

The election has now been fixed for June 15 with a three week campaign beforehand.

But it rernains unclear what the elections are for. The government refuses to say • whether the new assembly will have any constituent powers or how the government will be constituted or even whether it will depend for its survival on a parliamentary majority.

The election will take place under conditions where numerous facets of the Francoist state remain intact.

The army and the police are untouched. Parties to the left of the CP are still illegal. So are all the independent trade unions.

BOYCOTT

The legalisation of 100 political parties does not stop daily arrests for political activities throughout Spain.

After three "amnesties" there are still political prisoners.

Under these conditions, and where the working class is showing itself ready to go beyond the constitutional straight-jacket in which the right and the reformists and Stalinists want to hold it, we continue to believe that revolutionaries should demand a boycott of the forthcoming elections.