NE the PCI. crats room for manoeuvre. The Italian elections saw the Communist Party (PCI) stating positions that it had previously only hinted at. Its manifesto, clearly written with the idea of reassuring imperialism and the Italian ruling class, announoed that it was interested only in a broad, united coulition government of all the democratic and popular partles, including This, said party leader Enrico Berlinguer at a meeting of the PCI's Central Committee, would exist for a 'few years until the country had come out of the crisis, Berlinguer has made it clear that if a coalition of the Communist Party and the Christian Democrats is possible, he would also want the Republicans, the Social Democrats and the Liberals in the Government to give the Christian Demo What would this "Populsr Front' represent? It is clear from the PCP's manifesto that it would involve an attack of the working class. Indeed, the party is almest boastful that only it, because of its domination of the working class movement, could carry such an attack through.
The PCI sees the most important tusk as that of regaining confidence internationally in Italian capitalism. It continually laments that Italy is the 'unstable element' in the European oconomy, The "programme" that the manifesto puts forward, while dropping altogether any idea of nationalisation, therefore stresses the importance of investment - which can only be encouraged by guaranteeing the capitalists their profits and the safety of Of course this is all dressed up in left demagogy for the electorate. But Newsweek magazine got it in plain lungunge from Giorgio Napolitano, 'a member of the party nine-man secretariat and its co-ordinator of economic and trade Napolitano 'spelled out in detail the Communists' plan for salvaging the economy. They included increasing capital investment in both the public and private sectors of the class economy and curtailing imports by cutting consumption of meat and petroleum. Napolitano said soaring labour costs could be brought under control by restricting autoThe PCI has also proposed some organisational changes in the name of efficiency, such as strengthening the powens of the executive. This reform" will meet with a good deal of support from the other parties and may well be implemented — bowever, it is difficult to see how the working ment. class will beaufit from this kind of 'socialism', Another aspect of the election manifesto is the uncondieIonal support it gives to NATO. Much is made of the PCT's desire to 'contribute to the development of friendly relations between the Italian Republic and the United States, while the USSR isn't even mentioned. Just in case the message wasn't quite clear enough, Berlinguer declared last week that NATO could be relled upon to prevent any danger of Soviet interference. So the PCI now presents this reactionary Imperialist alliance as their protector and the upholder of 'democracy' against the nasty USSR The Italian papers have all been discuseing the possi bility that the PCI will be able to put its plans into practice The Christian Democrats will only accept a coalition with the POl if the strength of the parties of the working class forces them to, But if the PCI, the PSI (Italian Socialist Party) and Proletarian Democracy (the united far left slate) together win more than 50 per cent of the vote, that will pose the alternative of a government of the working cluss.
The line of the PCI is that the Christian Democrats must participate in any coalition that is formed. The Italian magazine L Espresso has quoted a leading member of the PCI, Giancarlo Pajetta, as saying: "Tere is no question of doubt; whether we have 49 per cent or 51 per cent we will act in exactly the same way, we will pot leave the Christian Democrats out,' But if the working class parties achieve that 51 per cent, then the PCI will be under considerable pressure from its base to form a PCI-PSI government.
The reformists argue that such a government would lead to a repeat of the Chilean tragedy. This scare tactic is typical of the PCI, which would never dream of organising the working class independently to ward off such a threat. Like all reformists, they have only distrust for the independent initiative of the masses, For them, socialism is something that is brought about by parliamentary manoeuvres rather than the self-activity of the working However, it is possible that if the working class parties win a majority then the PCI and the PSI could be forced Into forming a government without the Christian Democrats. The Gruppi Comunisti Rivoluzionari, Italian section of the Fourth International, have consistently denounced the flagrant class collaboration of the reformists and have fought the election around the slogan: *Vote Proletarian Democracy — Lo beat the Christian Democrat regime — for the creation of a FLI-PSI GovernALAN HUDSON