"A shift of this sort does provide us with the basis for concern - major concern', commented US Defence Secretary James Schlesinger on the results of the 15 June regional elections in Italy. ally increased its share of the vote from 27.9 per cent in 1970 to 33.4 per cent, while the ruling Christian Democrats saw their vote fall from 37.9 to 35.3 per cent.
Taken together with the events in Portugal, the imminent collapse of the dictatorship in Spain, and the crisis in Greek-Turkish relations, it is no surprise that these election results have the imperialist chiefs worried. As the Daily Telegraph commented: "NATO could not survive Italy's defection on top of all this."
The massive swing leftwards in the elections reflected both the series of working class mobilisations over the last few years and the utter inability of the Christian Democrats to deal even with the effects - let alone the causes - of the deepening economic and social crisis. After nearly 30 years in office the party - for so long the main political instrument of the capitalist class - is virtually paralysed by the effects of widespread graft and corruption.
Meanwhile public services, particularly in such fields as housing, health and education, have been slowly grinding to a halt.
Nor are things any better on the economic front. Three days after the elections it was announced that The Communist Party dramaticeight fold over the first five months of this year, while the number of registered unemployed has topped the million mark - a rise of more than 400,000 since December.
But despite its electoral success SODAI ANZA ASCISTA CP secretary Enrico Berlinguer addresses victory rally the Communist Party has no solutions to the crisis either, apart from the generalities embodied in its project of the 'historic compromise This "democratic alternative' of the historic compromise has, as its name suggests, very little to do with the class interests of the Italian workers and poor peasants. Instead it involves a series of concessions to the capitalist politicians - including support for the Common Market and NATO - in an attempt to achieve an alliance in government with the Christian Democrats.
The contradictions between this class-collaborationist solution and the immediate need for an anti-capitalist offensive to solve the problems which face the working class are be= workers' control /iran
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DEMOCRATICA• DEI SOLDATI which can restore Italy to health." CONCESSIONS