Smith stays in command in Zimbabwe 'democracy' farce

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more significant event the elections themselves.

Giscard has consistently worked to bring the labour bureaucrats into a central position in his strategy for the defence of capitalism.

Yet until now they have been unable to comply without totally destroying their base of support-and thus their value to the bourgeoisie.

But now the reformists and Stalinists have greater freedom to manoeuvre.

As the sequel to months of calls from their leaders that workers should halt all industrial action to build the campaign, the election defeat has caused inevitable demoralisation.

With this weakness and confusion amongst the rank and file, Marchais and Mitterand have been able to take the first decisive steps towards a new level of class collaboration.

Confrontation

But the road to a Popular Front govenment will be far from easy. On the one hand, Giscard's parliamentary majority still depends on the 1. -Ill. Marlint DDD Seldom has move towards "d emocracy" been more trans parentiy • fraudulent than the . "internal settlement" which formally took effect in Zimbabwe 10 days ago.

After this "settlement" who is Prime Minister? lan Smith! Who controls the white-led army? A committee of whites headed by a racist general!

The three black "leaders" who have participated in this fraud are, along with Smith, members of the new four-man Executive Council which is supposed to choose new ministers and make arrangements for "majority rule" elections later in the year.

Much as the imperialists would like to ratify and regularise this reactionary deal, even they know that it has no chance whatever of being accepted by black masses.

The only reasons that workers still assemble in comparatively large numbers to hear Smith's stooge Bishop Muzorewa is that, way this deal entrenches the rights and privileges of the whites in Zimbabwe and, second, the leaders of ZAPU and ZANU (the Patriotic Front) are failing to present an alternative which they find credible.

While it is clear that the liberation war has intensified over the last few months, it is also clear that the ZANU and ZAPU leaders are deliberately holding back from using their full military strength in the war in the hope of reaching a negotiated solution with the imperialists which in this case means Britain and the USA.

David Owen-the shoe-shine boy of British imperialism-is now set on patching together a combination of the SmithMuzorewa "settlement' and the deal he plans to do with the Patriotic Front and the so-called "front line" states."

ZAPU leader Joshua Nkomo has already indicated he is ready for a deal with Smith and Muzorewa.

Firet of all he savs. the Malti conference of Britain, the US and the Patriotic Front will have to reconvene, and then a joint conference could take place with Smith and Muzorewa.

Last weekend the leaders of the "front line" states (Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana, Angola and Mozambique) met in the Zambian capital Lusaka along with the Patriotic Front leaders Nkomo and Mugabe, with Carter's man Andrew Young hanging around outside the conference hall.

As we go to press the outcome of this crucial meeting is not known but it looks very probable that some of the front-line states are more than ready for a compromise with Smith and Muzorewa on the one hand and Owen and Young on the other.

For two of them at least (Zambia and Mozambique) some pressing economic problems would be eased by the reopening of trade with, and more especially through Zimbabwe.

At the same time Smith and Muzorewa feel in a strong political position to refuse an immediate deal with Britain, the US and the Patriotic Front.

But economically they, must be desperate for a deal.

Latest figures show that last year Zimbabwe's national income per head fell by about 10%.

It is now only about 70% of its level in 1974. The decline is expected to continue unabated this year.

Import quotas were cut back by one-fifth in January and have been reduced by a similar amount for the next quarter.

The budget deficit is growing as the war uses up more than £500,000 a day.

A wage freeze is due to expire in June and black workers are bound to offer resistance to any renewal of a measure which has already severely cut their living standards.

The scene is set for a compromise between all the participants -all, that is, aside from the 6 million black Zimbabweans whose interests can only be advanced by a struggle for national liberation and socialism which admits not the slightest compromise with racism and imperialism.

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ESTADOS FARDOS RALast year the Carter administration signed two treaties with the Panamanian military dictatorship of General CRETARIO Carter (left) and Torrijos (right) sign the treaties rPortuga AFTER THE restoration of military ranks to a number of formerly dismissed rightwing officers (including Spinola), the Portuguese army has once more been declared "safe" by its fellow imperialist armies.

Last week the Portuguese army received from West Germany and the USA a number of new tanks and armoured cars designed to strengthen NATO's southern flank. New NATO arms deliveries are expected shortly from Britain.