AROUND THE WORLD
AROUND THE WORLD UNITED STATES Abortion rights threatened A UNITED STATES Supreme Court verdict of May 23, 1991, upheld the ban on clinics that receives federal government funds from "promoting" abortion. They are already forbidden to use public funds to carry out abortions, but this new ruling makes it illegal for staff to give a pregnant woman any information on termination of pregnancy or on any abortion clinic.
It is clinics in the most deprived parts of the country that get federal funds. Most of them have decided to do without the money in order to to be able to continue to help women seeking advice. In some states, such as California, the state gov- states. such as California. the state government may provide the money, but it is nonetheless clear that this federal decision represents a clear restriction on women's right to choose.
This ruling, which was first adopted in 1988, had been challenged by the state and city of New York, as well as by the Planned Parenthood Federation. The Supreme Court decision will give heart to the anti-abortionists who see tas a step to SPAIN Right gains in local elections AGAINST a background of austerity and little social mobilization (despite a public sector day of action on the eve of the vote) the May 26 local elections saw a high abstention rate (37.8% overall), especially in the big cities.
The ruling Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), with 38.4% of the votes, improved its 1987 score and remains the country's strongest party. However, it lost control of major cities, such as Madrid, Seville and Valencia, to the benefit of the rightwing People's Party (PP). To maintain control of other important cities like Barcelona, the Socialists had to make alliances, notably with the Communist Party.
While the PP remains a long way behind the PSOE, it picked up over 600,000 votes and saw off its rightwing rival, the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) of former prime minister Adolfo Suarez. 24 But both the PSOE and the PP will have International Viewpoint #209 • June 24, 1991 to follow a policy of pacts and alliances (with bourgeois nationalist forces in Catalonia, Andalucia, and elsewhere, in both cases, and with the CP for the PSOE whether to keep control of municipalities or prepare for the legislative elections in 1993.
The United Left (as the Communist Party presents itself) improved its vote, with 8.4%, and strengthened its representation. The Greens did not make the expected breakthrough with less than 5% of the vote.
In Euskadi, the revolutionary nationalist organization Herri Batasuna lost some ground, but remains the main force in some places, such as San Sebastian. *
News from the left CANADA Canadian Trotskyists meet THE second convention of Socialist Challenge/Gauche Socialiste, recognized earlier this year as the official section of the Fourth International in the Canadian state, was held in Montreal on May 19-21, 1991. The convention brought together rank and file leaders from the labour, feminist, lesbian and gay liberation, anti-war and student movements across English Canada and Quebec.
Two themes dominated the convention: the deepening crisis of the Canadian federal state, in the face of the struggles for national liberation of the Quebecois and aboriginal peoples; and the growing resistance to the ruling class "free trade" offensive against workers' rights, job security and wages, which threatens all public services and enterprises.
### SRILANKA
Fear is declining
THE leadership of the Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP), which won over 20 seats in the recent local government elections in Sri Lanka (see IV 208) issued the following comment on the elections on May 12, 1991: THE local government election results show clearly that the masses are coming out of fear and feel less intimidated in expressing their opposition to the government. However the low poll indicates that in many areas effected by state terror during the recent period, people are still scared to openly express such opposition. We are happy that even under adverse conditions large numbers dared to vote against the government. The ruling UNP has been defeated in several places where they dominated since 1977 and in many places overall. Their so-called landslide victories are due to the bonus seats allocated to them as the single largest party. If not, the opposition would be in the majority in many of these councils as well.
Even though technically speaking the election was relatively free and fair there was indirect pressure on the people as the UNP entered the contest with the powers of president, cabinet and provincial councils in their hands. In particular the media was misused and abused. On the other hand the war in the north against the Tamil people remains a serious blow against democracy and the fundamental rights of the people.
The election results show the validity of a realistic agreement among the opposition parties. Our proposal for a no contest pact was rejected by the main bourgeois opposition party, the SFLP. If that had existed the UNP would have been defeated in many other places.
We are very pleased with the election of 22 NSSP council members, which will strengthen our campaign for a mass struggle to oust this reactionary UNP regime.
The general shift to the left adds to our strength. It is clear that the hope for revolution is alive and revolutionary Marxist ideas are accepted by a significant number. The efforts of our MP and other elected representatives to arouse the masses against the system will be enhanced by the activities of these newly elected members of the people.
Our council members will pursue an independent revolutionary line while fighting together with other oppositional parties both inside and outside the councils. *
AROUND THE WORLD
On the first question, the Un ine nirst question, the convention reaffirmed SC/ GS' traditional position of support for an independent socialist Quebec, and adopted a report calling for aboriginal self-government. On
INTERNATIENAL
MARXIST REVIEW the political establishment, and particularly the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) of Paul Béranger, whose populism has become fundamentally conservative,
Tiginal sell-government. Un the second point, convention delegates voted to initiate a campaign of solidarity with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), unions currently heading for confrontation with the very unpopular federal Conservative government. The convention adopted reports and resolutions counterposing internationalist solidaritv
İNTERNATIENAL
IF W
No. 11/12
- 1991
55/830
Special issue:
Documents of the
World Congress of the Fourth
International
THE SUMMER 1991 double issue of International Marxist Review contains the documents of the Fourth International World Congress • "New world order" or international instability? • Bureaucratic decay and struggle for socialist democracy in USSR • Strategic challenge to revolutionary left in Latin America • Bourgeois plans and workers perspectives in capitalist Europe • Dynamics of struggle for women's liberation Plus drafts on ecology and Manifesto of Fourth International in the service particularly of French interests in the region.
In this context the PMT has the opportunity to build and affirm itself as a current useful to all the forces of popular resistance.
In countries like Mauritius, where there is now only a low rate of residual unemployment, where women have entered the labour market in a massive way, and where professional qualifitionalist solidarity to protectionist responses to the imperialist trade blocs.
Particular attention will be directed to solidarity with
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Robespierre Acct 120179/90. Postal transfers to PEC CCP no 2 322 42 T cations and ways of life are changing rapidly, trade union struggles will take on central importance if they
Mexican and US workers' struggles.
The convention adopted a new constitution for SC/GS, which creates the framework for a bina-
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can extend themselves to a series of new democratic and social demands - new rights for women, defence of the environment against going as far as the summary execution of militants or assumed militants of the far left.
In this context, the fact that such meetings have taken place is not without importance. Several left newspapers underlined the positive contribution that the three meetings have made to the morale and revolutionary optimism of all Turkish socialists. The first meeting in Ankara, for example, was the biggest left political gathering in this town since the coup d'état in 1980. * MAURITIUS New organization formed THE socialist left in Mauritius has just witnessed an important process of regroupment. At the end of April 1991, the Militant Workers' Organization (OMT) and the Progressive Militant Force (FMP) fused.
These two organizations have already worked together for several years in the social movements and particularly in the trade unions. Recently, they have debated the reasons for the crisis of the regimes in eastern Europe, the question of democracy, and political strategy in the dominated countries like Mauritius.
After reaching a certain level of agreement, they decided to fuse and to form the Militant Workers' Party (Parti militan travayer, PMT).
The task facing the PMT is considerable, given the dizzying socio-economic changes Mauritius is experiencing with the development of the industrial free trade zone (see /V 204).
It will be necessary to build the bases of a new workers' movement independent of frenzied tourist development, and an intransigent struggle against corruption and foreign domination (particularly South African and French). * CORSICA Marxism and nationalism A FIUMARA is an organization of supporters of the Fourth International in Corsica. This group is linked to the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (LCR -French section of the Fourth International), but enjoys decision-making autonomy so far as its intervention in Corsica is concerned. This special "status" is a consequence of the national liberation struggle which has been going on in this country for 15 years. Members of A Fiumara have now decided to join the revolutionary nationalist organization A Cuncolta. They will remain collectively members of the Fourth International.
This decision has been taken in the context of the recent split suffered by A Cuncolta. Whereas the group which left proclaimed at its founding conference "the bypassing of nationalism and socialism", A Cuncolta maintains the perspective of a break with capitalism, together with the rejection of the single party and bureaucratic centralization. Its goal is to build a society capable of responding to the needs of the whole of the population and not of some groups.
Supporters of A Fiumara, while building A Cuncolta, will seek to participate in this debate in the light of the programmatic gains of the Fourth International, particularly through integrating the struggle for national rights in the perspective of social- 25 ist revolution on an international scale. *
June 24, 1991• #209 International Viewpoint tional leadership capable of meeting more frequently and more able to direct the work of the organization as a whole. Finally, the convention had the pleasant task of voting to recognize new branches and new members in Ottawa-Hull and Sydney, Nova Scotia. This is the first time in decades that the Trotskyist movement has had an organized presence in Atlantic Canada. * TURKEY The future of socialism ERNEST Mandel, a leader of the Fourth International, spoke at three meetings during a visit to Turkey from May 23-26. The first, in Istanbul, was on the theme of "the future of socialism" — it was organized by Turkish supporters of the Fourth International, and more than 600 people attended. The two following meetings were organized by Mülkiyeliler Birligi, the Association of Alumni of the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Ankara. They dealt with the upheavals in eastern Europe and with neo-liberalism, and attracted 1800 and 1200 people respectively.
Youth were in the majority at all three meetings, and their reaction was very positive. Whilst the process of recomposition of the Turkish far left has seemed bogged down for several years in interminable discussions, there are now grounds for hope for the politicization of a new generation, on a far more healthy basis.
For a year now the Turkish government has combined a relative liberalization of the regime at the juridical level with increasingly violent police repression,
IRAQ