The haunting of Soares

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Mario Soares, the Socialist Party leader who heads Portugal's new coalition government with the right wing Democratic and Social Centre, is a haunted man.

One of the lesser spectres which bedevils him is a press interview given to a British journalist at the end of February in which against a background of virulent anti-Communism Soares gave a graphic picture of the economic damage which his government's austerity measures would inevitably wreak.

Despite repeated denials of the content of the interview by Soares, it has been widely publicised and has increased the bitterness felt by the working class against Soares and his clique at the head of the Socialist Party.

Liquidation

The new right wing coalition and the intensified anti-working class austerity measures has put the finish to process which has been underway for the last two years-the breaking of links between the treacherous Soares leadership and the masses of workers, some of whom two years ago still looked to the Socialist Party for leadership.

Soares and his clique have presided over the virtual liquidation of the Socialist Soares no longer talks of a "Socialist government with CDS personalities" but of the complete unity of purpose of the government"

In this situation the attention of the working class is once again sharply focussed on the leaders of the Communist Party and of the main union federation, the Communist-dominated CGTPIntersindical.

Demagogy

These bodies have, of course, been making a lot of noise about the new government.

In the vote of confidence in parliament for the "second constitutional government" the CP voted against.

Iț rejects Soares' charge that this was a historic error"

The error would have been, CP leader Alvaro Cunhal said last week, to let in such a government with the support of the CP.

'The CP's vote against the Government", he went on demagogically, "Was the only correct vote for a party which is proud to be the party of the working class, of all working people, the party of agrarian reform and of the small and medium farmers, the party which always has been and will always remain faithful to its undertaking to the Portuguese people to defend its interests, aspirations and objectives whatever the circumstances may be"

Ever since April 1974 the Portuguese CP has shown itself expert at posing in this way as the champion of workers while in reality betraying every one of its struggles.

And Cunhal made it clear later in his speech what CP "opposition" really meant.

"The government has a dangerous political composition and a bad programme. We will fight against this governmental formula and against the policy which it has announced in its programme. But we don't take up-we never have taken up-an attitude of systematic opposition. As always we will judge concretely every decision and act of the This makes it clear that there is not a shred of principle involved in the CP s opposition to the coalition.

Only two months ago the CP was itself supporting a broad national coalition The CP's "opposition" is designed to head-off the growing resistance of the Portuguese working class and peasantry to the pro-capitalist pro-landlord government.

The CP is obliged to offer some semblance of opposition because in their relationship with the mass of workers and peasants they are afraid of sharing the same fate as Mario Soares.

Their problem was highlighted two weeks ago by important strikes in the public services.

On March 10, 300,000 public service workers nurses, and teachers all staged a one-day strike.

Despite the lame attempt of pro-government papers to label the strike a failure, it was very widely followed and has had à profound impact.

Called around a series of demands on wages and conditions this was the first national strike in the public service since April 1974 and it symbolises the frustration and anger felt by all Portuguese workers at the anti-working class policies of the In many other sectors of the Portuguese labour force new struggles have been breaking out.

The disastrous condition of Portuguese capitalism means that Soares cannot hold out any material reforms to appease this rising tide of protest.

Soares is haunted now by more than his own wordshe is haunted by the working class which he still professes to lead.