have lived up to our responsibilities as revolufionary socialists.
What we must do over Shrewsbury is to set up defenco committees in every area to defend these workers and to take their case into all sections of the working class. Tonight's meeting is a very positive step in that direction. Unless we can bring topether all the most more politically aware workers, instill in those workers an awareness of the nature of this struggle, ot what the ruling class is attempting to do, it will not be possible to defeat the Shrewsbury attack. The working class movement will be left wide open for the next ruling class offensive. That is what this fight is all about Wemust not end this evening simply by puss ing a messuge of solidarity We must commit ourselves to particspate in the building of desence committees in every arca, and to take this campaign into every town, every city, every trade union branch, every college and university campus, and every local Labour Party. We must pledge ourselves to the building of an effective national defence campaign for the Shrewsbury 24. The historical roots of this collaboration be in Britain's long standing semi-colonial relationship with Portugal. From the time of the Methuen Treaty in the 18th century the trade relationship between the emerging British bourgeoisle and the landowners oi teudal Portugal followed the familiar pattern by which the dominant trading partner industrialises at the expense of the continuing stagnation of the other. Portugal's contribution was raw materinls, mainly wine, Le. goods which required Little machinery and did nothing to stimulate the growth of a capitulist class. Britain, on the other land, exported manufactured goods to mainly textiles, which thus held back the beginnings of a textile industry in Portugal while it accelerated the process of capitalist growil in Britain.
The significance of this today is that Portugal's resulting econoniis weakness makes it impossible for ber to decolonise, while al lho Name time rendering her national bourgeoisie relatively subservient to the major imperialist power. Through decolonisation the major imperialist