THE REFERENDUM on the Spanish Government's reform' plans resulted in a nigner pro Government vote than anyone expected.
The result was reminiscent of the Franco constitutional referenda, which usually produced more Yes votes than the number of electors. Inis ume, mougn, macre was onc big difference. Twenty-two cent of the electorate responded to the call of the illegal working class parties to bovcott the reterendum while a further 3 percent cast Diank Darlol Dapers But the Yes vote last Wednesday was an overwhelming 94.2 per cent of the total votes cast: If the boycott was a big advance on the fake referenda of Franco's day, it was a setback that it was not more substantial and that the Government vote was so high. Why was this?
KIDNAPPED * A little-known left group Oriol, President of the Council of State.
No commentator has talled lo remark on the incredible good fortune of the Government, will only days before the referendum. NODOdY actually KnOWS GRAPO, the kidnapping group successor to FRAP, tants were among those executed by the dying Franco in September 1975. This is entirely unconfirmed.
per GRAPO first came to light when it claimed responsibility wave of bombings around the fortieth anniversary of the Civil War in July this year. But it is known that at least some of these were right-wing provocations. gime has consistently shown that it is not above staging such provocations itself.
A good example is the Madrid cafe bomb of September 1974. A cafe frequented by police bombed causing a deaths. The strange fact is that there were no policemen in the cafe at the time. Even stranger is that there had been a warning posted in ine Madria ponce stanon to keep away from the cafe!
This bombing was the signal for a massive wave of arrests of leftthis affront to its authority coming wing militants. Could it be that this time, too, the Government has what staged an boost its credibility as the guardian of law and order and discredit the whose mili- workers parties? Already Communist Party leader Marcelino Camacho and 36 other militants have been arrested since the referendum.
Alternatively, the fascist bands nave been acuve mourne sum lar provocations. ious was the murder of a woman in Santurce in July by a number of fascists (who were also policemen) dressed as Basque fishermen. Even the Spanish press could not sto mach this and it was exposed to the The re INSANE If the kidnapping was mounted was by a left organisation, then it was a number of piece of insane ultra-leftism. It is impossible to see that the working class can make the slightest gain from having its weight replaced by a band of guerrillas.
But the demand which is being raised by the kidnappers - for the release of all political prisoners -does highlight the repressive character of the regime. Two hundred militants, mainly Basques, are still held in the sub-human conditions hard-line rightist who favours this repression, deserves anything he has coming to him.
INSTRUMENT
* The Government remains the instrument of a thoroughly antidemocratic dictatorship. ine orner obvious ractor in tne Government's victory at the polls Is is total control or une news action which would The most notorOWI political = = WHICH appeared the referendum camparticipation in been far higher.
BOYCOTT the referendum port the boycott.
MADAL TOTS A democracy for forty years, would clearly vote in favour of anything guarantee democratic rights. If the opposition had been allowed democratic campaign, rather than underground activity, the abstention rate would have * The Communist and Socialist Parties utterly failed to launch an effective campaign for a boycott o For weeks after the announcement of the referendum both parties (PCE and PSOE) dithered coa 55 per cent. over whether they would call for blank ballot paper) or a boycott. In the case o he PSOE this was not clarified a any. point. The PCE, on the other hand, with the threat of not being legalised, was more ready to sup- considerable But the actions of both the PCE and the PSOE over the past weeks have been towards demobilising the working class. First the defeat of the Madrid bus workers, largely QUIZA EL DiA AS NOS UDR Many ABST class could not be brought to bear on the referendum campaign.
The big exception was in the Basque country, the stronghold of the militant working class and the far left. Following the lead of the LCR (sympathising organisation of the Fourth International) the far left mounted a campaign for an active boycott involving and demonstrations.
The arrest of 154 comrades of the LCR and the massive defence campaign forced the PSOE and PCE to support this call. The refcountry clearly reflected this mobilisation. In Vizcaya there was a 45 percent abstention and in GuipuzREFERENDUM The overall conclusion must be that the Government has gained breathing space by the referendum result; but the continued struggle of the Basque workers shows that they are willing по таке зело тога e workes 1 the Spanish state. Despite the apparent success of the Governmen
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DEJEN SAUR A VOTAR... PER
CASA. 'Perhaps they'll let us out on the 15th so we can vote."