VIEWS
Dubcek has maintained a remarkable consistency of political views during the last six years. The orientation in his present Jetter differs very little from his last speech to the Parly Central Committee in September 1969. He continues to defend the policy pursued from January to August 1968, and still sup ports the Action Programme which outlined the Reform Project of the Prague Spring.
In spite of vigorous attempts by the secret police to intimidate him, Dubscek does not mince words in describing the prosent situation in the country. He explains that 'a deeper and qualitatively new crisis was brought about by the August inter vention" (of the Warsaw Pact armies in 1968), The Husak Government's policy can only lead to the degradation of the human personality, and the working class feels that it is being thoroughly manipulated. -, worker participation in public affairs and state administration has been reduced to a minimum, insofar as it exists at all'. Dubcek reaffirms his own commitment to democratising the Party and state, declaring: 'One cannot look upon the Party rank and file as a blind mass to Whom the leaders pass down chewed-over morsels for them to swallow'. He denounces the systematic use of force and coercion against the working class and insists on the right of oppos ition to be freely expressed within the Party.
The sweep and vigour of his description of the present situation inside Czechoslovakia makes Dubcek's document a protoundly embarrassing one for the CP leaderships of Western Europe, who would dearly like to forget about Czechoslovakia. At the same time there is nothing in Dubcek's letter which Western CP leaders could use to prove his ideological capiculaLion to the bourgeoisie. Truc, for revolutionary Marsists his remarks about the German Social Deraocrats are particularly outrageous: he calls Brandt's policy the main force and bulwark apainst the advance of revanchism and fascism". But such views should not lead British CP leader McLennan or his Italian counterpart Berlinguer to bat an eyelid: after all, the Italian CP ishiay trying to shack up with the Christian Democrats without a whisper of critical comment frout other Cs.
FATAL FLAWS OF ANALYSIS Yer Dubeck's undenisble courage in taking un open stand against the Husak regime and exposing the travesty of socialist democracy in Czechoslovakia must not blind us to the fatal Raws of his own analysis and perspective.
In the first place. while Dubcek defends the general politcal orientation of the Reforra movement he does not unequivocaily defend the traditions of the Czechosloval CP of |968 He makos it clear that he is prepared to take the November 196B Central Committee resolulion as the starting-point for a