Only a week before the elections 10,000 shipyard workers went into strike against the government's lack of a coherent industrial policy-the shadow side of deregularisation and market liberalisation hitting countries and workers all over the world. * Portugal Left Bloc win
The Left Block won 2.5% of the vote in Portugal's September election, and will form a new parlamentary group with two MPs.
The Block is a new movement bringing together the PSR (4*h
International), the ex-Maoist
UDP and many independents.
The 130,000 votes for the Bloc is more than double its score in the June European election).
The vote profile remains almost unchanged: young and urban
Francisco Louçã ("'Chico")
from the PSR and Luis Fazenda from the UDP were elected in
VRISEA • The right-populist Progressive Party continues to gain votes with its dangerous cocktail of racism and social populism. Their main candidate in Oslo accepted the comparison between the Nazi occupation in 1940 with the present "immigrant wave" , while another local candidate said he was in favour of centralising asylum seekers in camps —which they could only leave if accompanied by a Norwegian.
But their racist rhetoric is provoking increasing alarm. The editor of the Journalists professional magazine poured his beer over one of the most prominent anti-immigrant politicians, and encouraged others to do the same
The chairperson of the main Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) suggested that people turn their back whenever a "Progressive" spoke at an electoral meeting—-this tactic was used with great success in the early 90s. against the extremist Movement Against Immigration.
Demonstrators protested at almost all the Progressive Party's electoral meetings. Although the party still attained their best score ever (13.5%), they were overtaken by the Conservatives (in 1997 the Progressives had overtaken the Conservatives to become the largest right-wing party).
The Progressives lost almost 6% of their votes in working class districts in Oslo-where they had previously been increasing their support.
Extreme right parties scored record high votes in recent elections in Austria and Switzerland. [BF/JD] * s two MPs the Lisbon region, where the Block has the best result (4.9%). UDP leader Fazenda entered parliament in 1991 on the Comunist Party list. He was one of the most enthusiastic defensors on the idea of forming this radical left unity in the beginning of 1999.
PSR spokesperson "Chico" Louça is an economist, and a leading member of the Fourth International. [PD] * • The next issue of International Viewpoint will carry an interview with "Chico" Louça International Viewpoint #316 November 1999 19
Germany
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