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In this issue:
Turbulent times
LE PEN A contender for the French presidency! The fact that
an ultra-right, racist leader associated with the Nazi past defeated Jospin in
the first round sent a shock wave through France and Europe. Le Pen's vote was
not much higher than in 1995, but in protest against the anti-working class
policies of Jospin's 'plural left' government, millions abstained or turned to
the Front National candidate.
At the same time, nearly three million people voted for
Trotskyist candidates, a remarkable development when the French workers'
movement was for so long dominated by the Stalinist Communist Party. In protest
against Le Pen, 1.5 million demonstrated throughout France on 1 May. With a much
higher turnout in the second round, Chirac, the corrupt liar, was returned to
the presidency to stop Le Pen. Chirac received an overwhelming 25.3 million
votes compared to Le Pen's 5.5 million. But over 1.7 million registered a blank
vote to show they would not support Chirac. Socialism Today interviewed Alex
Rouillard, organiser for Gauche Revolutionaire, the CWI's section in France (see
page 14), on the election and the tasks now for the left.
The Netherlands produced two shocks. Opinion polls showed
that Pim Fortuyn's List, contesting parliamentary elections for the first time,
was likely to win dramatic support. An unusual far-right figure, Fortuyn was the
focus of discontent with the 'purple' coalition government led by the Labour
Party. Then, on 5 May, the Netherlands' tranquility was shattered by the
assassination of Fortuyn by an animal rights activist. In the elections on 15
May the LPF won 26 seats while Labour was left with only 23 (see page 3).
The election results in France and the Netherlands reinforce
the turn towards far-right parties throughout Europe. Berlusconi, Haider, Le
Pen, Fortuyn. Do we face the danger of a fascist resurgence? Rather, the broad
reaction against the neo-liberal policies of incumbent social-democratic
governments and coalitions has resulted in the growth of a new type of far-right
populist parties. In the absence of genuine mass workers' parties, they have
become a vehicle of electoral protest against establishment parties of left and
right. Socialism Today analyses the character of far-right populism and the
1990s conjuncture from which they have arisen (see page 9). We also examine the
evolution and prospects of the British National Party (see page 18), following
its recent electoral breakthrough.
Unlike France and the Netherlands, the Irish general
election on 17 May returned the incumbent government of Bertie Ahern and Fianna
Fail, primarily because of the continuing (though increasingly hollow) economic
boom. The Irish Labour Party lost votes, as did the country's second capitalist
party, Fine Gael. Socialist Party TD (MP) Joe Higgins was returned to the D‡il
(parliament) from Dublin West with an increased vote, and another SP candidate,
Clare Daly, won 5,501 first-preference votes (12.5%) in Dublin North (see page
5).
May's local council elections in England are also analysed
(see page 7). The Socialist Party retained two councillors. Overall, the SP's 34
candidates won 10,078 votes, an average of 11.48% in the seats contested.
Lastly, in Sri Lanka's recent provincial elections, the main
capitalist party has made gains. Responsible for brutal repression in the 1980s
and committed to neo-liberal policies, the UNP has gained because it now favours
a settlement of the Island's long civil war. The Popular Alliance of Chandrika
Kumaratunga was elected in 1994 on promises of ending the war and raising living
standards. But Chandrika's failure to support independence for the Tamil north,
the continuation of the war, and her government's pro-big-business policies, has
undermined her position. The JVP, with a Sinhala chauvinist position, also lost
support. The United Socialist Party, affiliated to CWI, whose general secretary
Siritunga Jayasuriya we interview in this issue (see page 27), contested council
seats on a socialist programme.
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