The outcome of the Portuguese general election is a clear defeat for the rightist parties.
The issue now is whether the ruling Socialists will continue as before with the support of the smaller parties of the far left, the Left Bloc and the UDC, which combines the Portuguese Communist Party and the Greens, and whether they can ensure the advance of economic policy.
By Nicky Dempsey
The main Portuguese trade union federation the Communist-led CGTP has called a one-day general strike for November 14 in response to the announcement of the government’s latest austerity measures.
The announcement follows huge mobilisations against government policies, in what were widely described as the largest demonstrations in Portugal since the revolution which overthrew the Caetano dictatorship in 1974.
By Brian Jones
The working class of Greece obviously still faces a huge uphill fight against the savage austerity measures being imposed on them to pay for the crisis created by the Greek capitalist class. The new ‘bailout’ package for Greece agreed by the Eurozone countries only represents the mildest of ameliorations of the terms of the previous such package – 21 per cent effective reduction in the size of debt on Greece’s bonds, reduction of interest rate for bailout funds from 5.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent, and extension of the period of repayment. But nevertheless it contains a crucial lesson – struggle pays.
By Nicky Dempsey
Photo NunoRibeiro
The Portuguese general strike on November 24th registered a major increase in the response of the working class and its allies against the attacks on social welfare, pay and jobs. The government claim that there was only 30% support for the strike in the public, and even less in the private sector was widely derided.
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