With our convictions, with our values, with our struggle asset, here we are in Atalaia, in this beautiful Avante! Festival, in these three days of a festival which the youth made their own.

Some ask themselves why there were this year more people helping build the festival and why more youth attended.

In fact, those that take their wishes for reality and take their caricatures for truth, find it very difficult to find a suitable answer.

But for all those who know this Party, those who know the strength of the convictions, the just nature of its struggle and the importance of this force of resistance, proposal and struggle will not have great difficulty in understanding – in the context of an anti-PCP offensive – the answer given by thousands of comrades showing up for the Festival’s construction and doing tasks during these three days, in a committed and determined way.

All those who wish to understand the emotion, joy, engagement and humanism of this event, all those who leave aside prejudice, clichés, finished truths and want to understand the generosity, the life and struggle commitment and engagement uniting all those who build this magnificent Festival will honestly conclude that the Avante! Festival is both an impressive denial of the old and prolonged falsifications and slander thrown on the PCP and an undisputed symbol of whom the Portuguese communists and their Party really are, desire and stand for.

Here, from the Avante! Festival, we would like to salute the PCP militants and friends for their humanism and dedication to their Party and also to say to the Portuguese men and women, to the male and female workers who are quite rightly concerned, unsatisfied and showing indignation with this government’s policies, that this Party will do all in its power to defeat this offensive, will do all in its power to attain a new policy, a left-wing alternative that may respect those who work, that responds to the problems of the people and country, that deepens democracy in its several aspects, that protects our sovereignty and national independence.

Problems mounting up

For those who deluded themselves or wanted to delude, not much time was needed to become clear whom this government is serving, and which interests it is basically serving.

Not much time was necessary for the government to show what the PSD (Social Democratic Party) and the PP (Popular Party) tried to hide during the election campaign. With the votes in their pockets and already sitting in the ministerial chairs, they hid their promises in the drawer, painted the crisis with deep dark colours so as to create a “tighten the belt” psychological atmosphere, raised taxes and the cost of public services, forgot the promised pensions increase (Portas forgot “the old folk”) stopped bonus schemes for credit to purchase homes, gave new benefits to the private sector in detriment of the public interest, ignored company closures and displacements as well as wages in arrear, announced new steps for the privatisation of important companies and launched a major offensive worsening the situation in social welfare, health, education, labour legislation, public administration and public television.

All of this goes and in hand with a significant rise in the prices of the essential goods and services that were also inflated with the pretext of the euro’s introduction and as a result of the political atmosphere created by government statements.

That policy provoked great social unrest, protest and strong indignation.

And it is equally obvious that the continuation, in its essential aspects, of the previous government’s economic policy, together with the accentuating of neo-liberal policies namely in health, education and social security will only worsen the country’s problems and the social situation.

The submission and blind fulfilment of the Stability Pact, with drastic cuts in reproductive expenditure and in public investment, feeds rather than counters the recessive factors which prevail in the Portuguese economy, with a consequent rise in unemployment.

We are not saying that the budgetary deficit should not be taken into consideration. But no one can show or scientifically support that, despite the economic situation and the country’s needs, the deficit should remain at 2%, 3% or 4% of the GDP. Likewise, we can say that it is technically indefensible and politically wrong to consider a zero deficit as the core element of the budgetary and financial policy. Germany, France, Italy and other countries will read the Stability Pact in a way that is more convenient to them. But the Portuguese government wants to be the champion of monetarist orthodoxy, be blind followers and accept submission, especially because the deficit’s dramatisation serves their purpose of justifying the legislative counter-reform and the “tighten the belt” policy always for the same people, namely the public administration workers and all the wage-earners, leaving practically untouched financial capital’s interests, privileges and profits.

It is of public knowledge that contrary to its election promises, the government increased VAT by 2%, a socially unfair tax which is in fact not even having great effect in terms of revenues while tax benefits for financial capital and tax privileges for insurance companies and banks are kept.

Banks that have one of the European Union’s highest profit rates and that, according to a specialized magazine, have been living their “golden years” – as the publication explains – with a very efficient formula: “promiscuous relations with the cabinet and the government members”. A policy that clearly favours big groups.

And when they talk of sacrifices and allow workers dismissals, it is also particularly shocking to see the government eliminating for good the taxation of stock exchange profits. Wage earners pay 15, 20 or 30% of Income Tax, while those making thousands of euros in the stock exchange pay nothing.

This is the PSD/PP government’s tax justice. This policy may be compared to a funnel.

The PCP considers this situation as unacceptable and will fight for its reversal. This is taking place in a country where, according to figures recently made public, the accumulated tax debts and tax evasion account for more than 15 billion euros!

In a public speech in Póvoa do Varzim, the Prime Minister said he was going to fight against large-scale tax evasion. Prime Minister Cavaco and Guterres pledged to do the same in several speeches at the beginning of previous political seasons and in Parliament, during debates on the budget. This has been an ongoing promise.

But to really combat tax evasion we need to counter financial capital, Madeira’s offshore and its President, Alberto João Jardim, big speculators and large-scale interests which are actually quite well represented in this Cabinet. In fact, what has already occurred with the football clubs taxes and also with the Judiciary Police whose Joint-Director resigned, having done it because she felt “a progressive loss of support in the fight against economic crime and corruption”, does not leave the government with great credit. We recall that only after the scandal had broken with the resignations, did the government say that it would grant exceptional powers to the Judiciary Police! The “rumble fish have to watch out…” because the big lords will continue to smile, like in the tax policy case.

Trying to respond to the growing discontent and protest due to the government’s policy and changes in the labour laws, first of all Paulo Portas (maybe inspired by the biography of Mussolini which he took with him for his summer holiday) and later the Prime Minister in Póvoa do Varzim, both declared that what the country needs is work and not strikes.

Here, from this Avante! Festival, we say to the Prime Minister that the country does in fact need work, but work with workers rights, with fair wages and not more de-regulation, fixed-term jobs or new slave labour!

The country does in fact need work and “general work”. We can certainly do without wages in arrear, widespread displacement of companies and company closures in one street corner, to see them open up with another name in the next corner of the street, leaving workers unemployed, without wages and rights.

The country does in fact need work and “general work” and also to find compensation for merit, but not with some earning in one day what others do not earn in a year. Do you remember that PSD minister who said that his minister’s wages were not enough to pay for his own breakfast? The PCP says that democracy, human rights and social justice cannot remain outside the company gate. There is no general work on low pay, with unemployment, nor with more precarious labour and destruction of rights. Poverty cannot be fought with miserable pensions, shameful allowances for the disabled people and with policies of wealth concentration!

Budgetary difficulties must be overcome by strongly avoiding superfluous expenditure, putting an end to the policy of replacing the “rose boys” by the “orange boys” and cutting tax benefits for financial and speculation activities. You can only fight those difficulties if you increase the revenues, notably by taxing the large fortunes, by effectively taxing financial capital and by launching a firm fight against tax dodging and evasion and never by violently tightening the belt of those who work.

The PCP has not simply exposed and protested in relation to this unfair policy. The PCP has presented several measures and draft bills in Parliament, namely: demanding the return of taxation on stock exchange profits; swifter collection of social security deductions and tax debts; compensation of the Public Administration workers who saw their real income loose ground and the protection of workers rights threatened by the closure of public bodies where they work; fighting company displacements and accountancy engineering and frauds for stock exchange benefits; fighting the laundering of capital and drug traffic; defending the national production fabric. The PCP will not give up fighting against the government’s right-wing policy, by advancing alternative proposals and also exposing, resisting and launching the combat.

We also consider it unacceptable that the government has stopped bonus credit for the purchase of homes by the youngsters and the lower income people, under the pretext of frauds, thus hitting many youngsters who were preparing their future.

The Portuguese Communist Youth (JCP) whom we salute from this rostrum, will soon be holding its 7th Congress, under the motto “We have a chance to transform”, immediately started collecting signatures that only in a few weeks achieved several thousands, thus contributing, in an important way, to the youth’s mobilisation. And they have kept this banner quite high, since other Party Youths have now also launched the same demand.

The PCP believes that it is possible to fight the frauds and make the credit loans by strict and fair.

The solution cannot be found by creating even more difficulties for those who are pushed into buying their own homes, since there are no houses for renting available at accessible prices.

This explains why the PCP will introduce a draft bill in Parliament to reinstate bonus schemes for those who really need to buy their own homes. And I am certain that you all share this decision of ours.

Regression in democracy’s social contents

The vast right-wing offensive is not limited to workers “tightening their belt” in view of hypothetical present economic difficulties. What is really under way is the practically boundless labour market de-regulation; the conception of unemployment as a structural and inevitable reality, the attack and weakening of trade unions, the elimination of basic labour rights together with cuts in the public systems of health, education and social security which is being de-characterised and privatised, always to favour the demands and interests of private insurance companies.

Waving with one or two measures, especially with higher pensions whose increase - bringing them up to be on a level par with the statutory minimum wage - was already included in the previous Social Security Law. The government is trying to curb the protest against the elimination of the public, universal and solidarity system, to make it easier for the private sector’s intervention and profit.

This is why the private insurance companies are so desperate for the deduction ceilings (limits) to be adopted, to be able to count on the millions from workers’ insurance pay in order to feed Private Pension Schemes to be used in stock exchange speculation. Recent cases of insolvencies and scandals hitting huge companies in countries using these schemes led to the ruin of thousands of pensioners who overnight became totally unprotected… Pensions will only be safe if they are assured by a social security public system.

The first great threat is for the younger generations, but what is really at stake is a law that intends to introduce social and economic regression in our democratic structure.

The Social Security Public System is a fundamental right achieved with the 25th of April [1974 Revolution] that needs to be preserved and consolidated and not destroyed.

Equally, yielding to old claims and more recent blackmailing from some multinationals corporations- as if the country were a Banana Republic - the government intends to launch a regressive and brutal attack against the very foundations of labour legislation, while adding some candy to disguise what is essential.

It is important for workers to know that the government wants to pave the way for unfair dismissals, enlarge and make casual labour and trial periods eternal, allow the employers to manage and organise working time as they please, impose the workers’ forced “displacement”, both in occupation and geographically, truly liquidate the right to collective bargaining and collective agreements, limit the right to strike and struggles during the period of collective bargaining.

All of this is wrapped up in the need to increase productivity, hiding as can be seen in several European Union Surveys, that productivity can only go up with job stability, quality jobs, fulfilment of workers fundamental rights and not with de-regulation, casual labour, jobs without rights and low pay. These factors cannot enhance productivity. Actually what they normally cause is a higher rate of working hazards and accidents.

And we have added reasons to be worried about this matter.

Portugal has the highest working hazards rate in the European Union, with the lowest indemnities.

We reaffirm:

That the PCP does not accept that our country is progressively transformed into a peripheral region of the European Union, a simple spot known for its sunshine, cheap manpower and clandestine immigration. This model is doomed to failure and regression.

That the PCP does not accept that this government goes to the trunk of antiques of the old Cavaco Silva government to dig out and now present, with new make-up, a bill intending to kick out thousands of Public Administration workers on term contracts, as well as thousands of teachers and civil servants.

Something is wrong with a country where more than 36 thousand teachers are not placed in secondary schools, remaining unemployed. Something is wrong with a country where pre-primary educators are under-valued, thus transforming pre-primary education from what it should be - the first phase of the educational system - into a simple form of keeping children under guard.

Something is wrong with a country with new cuts in higher education expenditure, thus threatening the coverage of essential current expenditure, raising strong fear of a more precarious nature of teaching, less quality in teaching and research, growing devaluation of public education.

Something is wrong with a country where the National Health Service’s shortcomings and problems – which in their majority are no more no less than the result of the health policies implemented by the PSD but also by the PS governments, namely in their last terms in office – are now being used to justify the privatisation of hospitals management and of health care areas that are potentially more lucrative, thus giving more public money to the private economic groups.

The management of the Amadora/Sintra hospital and the insolvency facing several private health units speak for themselves.

Likewise, the PCP does not accept the regression in terms of wages and pensions, but also in the political and ideological context, translated for example into the family Bill or into the important set of values and rights gained by women with the 25th of April, later to be enshrined in the Portuguese Constitution.

In fact, this government is launching one of the most violent political and ideological offensives against the women’s sexual and reproduction rights, to the family concept and to several instruments that exist in the field of equal rights and opportunities. Should it be continued, this offensive would bring about a deep regression in women’s rights and values and create new barriers to the effective exercise of rights and to the implementing of participation through equality.

Hiding behind their alleged protection of families and working mothers, what is in fact at stake is the continuation of a path that wishes the female labour force to become even more malleable and adaptable to the market needs and the full transfer to women and families of the social costs which should be covered by the state and the enterprises in terms of maternity, child and old age care. It would mean the return of the patriarchal family, with women at home (or only doing part-time work), looking after the children, the older or the sick relatives and doing the house work.

This government recuperates old, mouldy and reactionary theses to promote the return of women to their household, often using the pretext of the enormous difficulties felt by the majority of women in trying to make compatible their jobs with the requirements linked to their support to family and children, making them solely responsible for their children’s school failure and for the lack of care to the elderly – with the aim of reducing state investment for the creation of a public network in support of the childhood and the elderly, but also of reducing the employers’ obligations in implementing the working-mothers’ rights.

Therefore, it is essential to strengthen the women’s organised action to protect their rights, thus stopping the attempted regression of acquired rights, but also to assure women’s equal participation in all spheres of society.

You will certainly agree that the PCP must act with commitment, not just to mobilise the women and their struggle, but also the struggle of organisations that protect their specific rights, to try and counter the more violent aspects of those different policies. You will also agree that we must present Parliamentary initiatives to strengthen the maternity and paternity rights and to fight clandestine abortion in Portugal.

De-characterisation of the Democratic Regime

This government has also been gradually placing its political staff and clientele in the state apparatus, in the publicly-owned companies and in companies with public capital, but learning from the PS “image errors”, they have been doing it “undercover” and furtively, always using pretexts of so-called “technical nature”, efficiency, competence, restructuring, articulation, strengthening the resources and cutting in the expenses.

Trying to go unnoticed, what is really happening is a real assault on the state apparatus by the PSD and CDS/PP boys and girls, in a global plan of power concentration and authoritarian control of several apparatus and services by the government, with a clear party predominance.

At the same time, through so-called “management” measures, the PS boys, but also many competent and honest professionals, are being dismissed. Their single “crime” is not being servile to the government and their authoritarian behaviour.

This assault is particularly serious in sensitive areas like the information, security and police services, where the more conservative sectors are determined to control the counter-information and repression services. These are people who will not hesitate to use Party political instruments, as during the Cavaco Silva government, against the workers and people’s legitimate resistance.

In this context, the changes at the top leadership of the Judiciary Police Force need to be followed with all attention and concern, since they have to do in a deep way with justice’s main operational tool in the fight against organised, violent and highly sophisticated crime, against economic crime, corruption and “white collar” criminals. Reason why we demand a full explanation on the reasons behind the dismissals and nominations recently occurred.

The fact is that we should not forget that the right-wing parties’ election programmes included the “governmentalisation” of criminal investigation, and also submitting it to the “opportunity principle”, controlled by the Ministry of Justice. We cannot forget the difficulties felt by those fighting corruption during the Cavaco Silva government.

For the democratic law-abiding state’s credibility is essential, and for the PCP is an elementary requirement, that all the investigations on large-scale tax frauds involving powerful groups should be quickly and efficiently developed. We demand also the conclusion of both the investigation and court trial of the well-known case of the “Universidade Moderna”. As was already been said, if it was yesterday the then editor of the "Independente” newspaper would have already, without a shadow of doubt, demanded the resignation of the present Minister of Defence, surely adding that any citizen who, even if just formally, respected democracy, would certainly have already resigned until the whole truth became clear! As “his own friend” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa declared, “there are ghosts that can be explained”.

But the dangers of the democratic regime being de-characterised and weakened do not rest exclusively on social security, labour legislation, “governmentalisation” of sensitive areas of the information, security and repressive services, but also on yet another Constitutional Review which is being prepared, as well as on the ambition to change the election laws and the laws dealing with the political parties organisation and funding.

The government’s offensive in all these different areas is powerful and should not be underestimated. It intends to serve powerful groups, it is backed by a majority in Parliament and will be presented with great demagoguery and political marketin

But we should not equally underestimate the possibilities we have to fight it, through the struggle of our unyielding Party, with the struggle of the workers, the trade unions and the CGTP-IN (General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers), the powerful trade union centre whom we salute.

Convergence and Unity

Together with the affirmation of its own initiative and proposals, the PCP will take steps and is ready, together with other democratic forces, to find common or converging forms of action at the political and institutional level to beat this offensive and namely the serious historical reversion in labour rights, laying foundations for a left-wing policy at the service of the people and the country.

But it is also necessary to add something else because during the last month, not always with some memory and almost always with some amnesia, not always to explain and sometimes to confound, many have spoken on the relations among opposition parties, on the issues concerning their agreement or convergence, be they with immediate effect or in view of a future alternative.

Because it seems, the memory of some is especially short, from this rostrum we would like to remind some essential aspects on this matter.

The first is that, from the very beginning, the PCP did not have to wait until summery August to discover the importance of these issues.

In fact, on the very evening of the 17th. March elections, while other parties were mainly busy valorising or dressing up their results, the PCP was the only party opposing the right which emphasised before the country its serious concerns with the victory of the right and its consequences and gave a clear sign that hard times were in the coming and that they demanded a strong cooperation among the opposition parties.

Later, in the 20th March Central Committee meeting, the PCP clearly affirmed that the situation created by the election results warranted the need of building a strong convergence of the democratic forces which, without hindering their autonomy and differentiation, would enable to face the dangers in sight. And the PCP’s National Conference, held on June 22nd. expressed that, in order to face the serious challenges and grave threats created by the return of the right to government, it is necessary and essential to develop at all levels the process of dialogue, cooperation, common action or convergence among democratic forces and sectors, be it to resist government’s political offensive or to affirm, whenever possible, common political alternatives.

During these months, on our part, we have acted in accordance with this guideline and will continue to do so in the future, strongly engaged in gathering forces, energies, social and political influences to block the disastrous reversions that the government of the right wants to impose on the country.

But it would mean feeding illusions, deceits and severe abdications if, as some do, we ignored the problems and difficulties that weigh on this process and which derive in great measure from the real and sometimes substantial differences in political guidelines among the democratic forces, most of which were particularly patent during the last six years of PS administration.

We do not propose nor wish, now with the right in government threatening so many conquests and rights, that PCP and PS spending their time “licking the wounds” left by the negative options and guidelines which, on fundamental issues, the PS assumed while holding the government and half the members of parliament and which the PCP justly opposed.

But we also do not propose nor believe that there is any use or advantage in the voluntarism of simply laying a stone on the recent past and believing that all difficulties are solved with sweet talk, a few nods of affection or some more “cosy” interlocutors.

Precisely because most of the problems and difficulties that could weigh and condition the amplitude of today’s and tomorrow’s convergence among the opposition forces would result from the maintaining, namely by PS, of guidelines on some matters which, even with the best of intentions, would hardly be considered as opposition to the PSD and CDS-PP government.

And that is why, at the same time as we here at our “Avante!” Festival reiterate before all democrats and the country, our solid commitment of, in the highest possible measure, favouring a cooperation and convergence at all levels with the other left-wing forces, we want to make them here some appeals.

An appeal to the other opposition forces, and namely to PS to, in spite of what they may have recently defended in government, realise that the introduction of a “ceiling” on Social Security contributions is a deliberate path to de-capitalise the public system and a real “Trojan horse” meant to create those “accomplished facts” based on which the right and big capital would later demand other “ accomplished facts”.

An appeal to the other forces and namely to PS to, in spite of the ideas and projects it may have recently held in government, realise that temporising with the aggravation of precariousness in labour links and the strengthening of employer’ discretion are the opposite of that which is needed and urgent in the world of labour.

An appeal to the other forces and namely to PS to, in spite of what it may have set in motion during its government, realise that, among other lines of privatisation, the handing over of the construction and management of public hospitals to private groups will be a very serious attacking step against the National Health Service and filled with negative effects on the citizens.

An appeal to the other forces and namely to the Left Block to reflect upon the consequences of their enthusiasms and the announced engagement in opening a new process of Constitutional revision and to realise that constitutional revisions may begin with wonderful intentions by some, but always end up with dreadful results.

An appeal to the other forces and namely to PS to realise that if it sets upon itself the role of the great champion of changes in the electoral system for the Assembly of the Republic, it would create a huge and serious conflict among the different opposition forces and would mean a so serious approach between PS and PSD on a matter of serious damage to democracy that, by itself, would reduce to dust all the good words of an opening to its left that in the meantime PS may have proclaimed.

As we have often said, but it is necessary to repeat, thinking of those who never hear what is not in their interest, the PCP does not intervene in the political life and struggle and in the debate of ideas with the cultivation of formulas, tags and labels. But it places in the centre of its positioning, action and intervention the causes it believes in and fights for and the deep convictions which drive it, embody its distinctive political identity and sustain the generous activity of its militants and friends.

And we can even add that the political debate in Portugal would only gain in seriousness and efficiency if many, instead of busying themselves fencing with the ghosts they hover upon over the PCP, attacking a PCP’s presumed policy and proposals which only are born out of their disfigurements, they would rather busy arguing and disagreeing with the policy really defended by the PCP and the proposals and guidelines it really sustains.

It is against this flood of misrepresentations, caricatures and disfigurements, that, here in our Festival, we want to say for the reflection of all the Portuguese who do not cease to think by themselves that yes, it is true that the PCP fights for the revaluation of labour and the workers, that regards their rights not only as a demand of social justice but as one condition and a lever for the country’s progress and that the PCP has great honour to think so and does not intend to bow in to the interests of big capital, and that, yes, it is true that the PCP fights in order to let the public and national interest prevail in the economic organisation and that, together with the existence of private sectors and companies, it is essential to have a strong and modernised public sector and public services and that the PCP has great honour to think so and does not intend to surrender to a prolonged policy of privatisations which we continue to consider a scandalous assault and theft of public money and holdings.

Yes, it is true that the PCP fights for the strengthening, growth and deepening of the social rights of the Portuguese people (in healthcare, education, social security, work and access to justice), that it looks upon them as inalienable components of a democracy in line with the needs and demands of our times and that it has great honour to think so and does not intend to kneel to a prolonged offensive to amputate, limit or liquidate these rights.

Yes, it is true, that the PCP fights for policies of justice, humanism and social progress so as to reach the roots of the piercing problems of social disintegration, violence and insecurity in collective life, lack of protection of the immigrants, the serious dimension of drug addiction and its sequels and that it has great honour to think so and that, while defending necessary measures to combat crime and protect the citizens, does not intend to give in to the populist demagoguery and easy exploitation of emotions.

Yes, it is true that we fight for a new course in European integration, be it in the name of the interests of national progress and development or in the name of a more solidary and less unequal Europe based upon the cooperation among sovereign and equal in rights States and that we have great honour to think so and do not intend to surrender to the federalist drift which, in addition, only promises to deepen the gap between citizens and institutions, nor to the diktats of the more powerful countries.

Yes, it is true that we fight for a fairer international order, the mobilisation of resources to face the environmental problems and the problems of hunger, disease and poverty which dramatically affect a large portion of mankind, a world of peace and cooperation and that we have great honour to think so and do not intend to temporise with the aggressiveness and arrogance of US imperialism which is once more ready to stir up the winds of aggression and war with devastating social, economic and political consequences of capitalist globalisation.

These are some of the causes and convictions with which we face reality in order to change and transform it, having in sight our valuable project of an advanced democracy and also the perspective we hold that capitalism is not the end of History and that, through the struggle of the peoples, it will be possible to open the road to socialism.

These are some of the causes and convictions that integrate the left-wing policy we defend and consider indispensable to give consistency to a future left-wing alternative to the PSD’ and CDS’ policy and government.

These are some of the causes and convictions we work for to find more echo and more support in the citizens’ opinion and initiative, because it is this support, this more lucid conscience and this more intense initiative, converging with the indispensable strengthening of the PCP’s influence that can determine more a course of hope towards the left-wing alternative that Portugal needs.

Yes, a stronger PCP is possible

Today, more than on previous occasions, the situation created by this new offensive of the right, demands the PCP’s action and intervention and confirms its decisive role in the consequent defence of the interests of the workers and the popular masses. A role that it will assume, as always, with determination, coherence and decision, in the first line of combat against the policy of the right, with the workers and their struggles. A role and a presence, which, today like yesterday, as always, the workers and the people, know they can rely on.

As part of the Party’s answer to the neo-liberal and retrocession offensive, a great national action of explanation and mobilisation the revision of the labour laws will be launched on the 26th, with a special edition of “Avante!”, also included in the context of its diffusion – pointing out what is at stake and what the government wants – an action to which, due to its great importance, we now draw the attention of the party collective.

And to nurse our roots and strengthen the influence of this irreplaceable Party amidst the workers, we shall organise an important National Meeting in October.

We are engaged and convinced that it is possible and necessary to have a stronger PCP.

Yes, it is possible! With the stimulus and valorisation of militancy, with each organisation’s own initiative, with the clear idea that the Party is not an abstract entity, with the increase of the active nucleus, the renewal and rejuvenescence of the organisms and the deepening and exercise of internal democracy as an essential characteristic of the Party’s functioning.

But also, as stressed by the PCP’s National Conference, it is necessary to continue and strengthen the Party’s own initiative, showing the value of its project, spreading and affirming the proposals, strengthening the link to concrete realities, to the workers and the population in general.

The PCP’s political intervention is one condition to strengthen and increase its influence and its own affirmation as an indispensable force for the materialisation of an alternative policy.

That is why, it has an important meaning and importance the launching and materialisation till the end of the next year of the action “In movement, for Portugal with a future”, including different actions of explanation, debate and mobilisation on different problems and issues of national reality. An action which, by its development, through PCP’s intervention on important issues of national political life may become an element of resistance to the right-wing policy, and shows that the problems facing the country may have a solution, that it is possible to have a more developed and fairer country. An initiative which will contribute for an even greater proximity and intervention of the Party’s organisations and the problems and will enable the deepening of the reflection and knowledge, and whose success and results are inseparable from the involvement and mobilisation of each organisation and militant.

“In movement, for Portugal with a future” is by itself an important sign of confidence in the future: a confidence that the country is not condemned to the repeated and reheated policies which increase and aggravate the problems and the living conditions of the people; a confidence that not only a different policy is possible but that sooner or later it will be indispensable; self confidence and confidence in the workers, their struggles and in the action of popular participation in erecting an alternative policy.

A planetary casino and tragedy of millions of human beings

Our Festival is also a great display of internationalist solidarity in a world where inequalities continue to deepen, with the world economy transformed into a planetary casino, where neo-liberal globalisation continues to condemn millions of human beings to human indignity even within the richer and more developed countries.

The UN report disclosed during the International Conference on AIDS, which was held in July, in Barcelona, the Johannesburg Conference renamed the Earth Summit and the recent “Report on the Development of Humanity” give us a new picture of the terrible inequalities and the context of an iniquitous, cruel and barbaric world order which affects millions of human beings. And are by themselves accusatory libels against the dominating policies and a system based upon the private exploitation and appropriation of added value. And they are particularly shocking when confronted with the advances in science and technology, with the fantastic capacity of producing goods and services, the fabulous expenditure on arms and the infinite concentration of wealth, where, as we know, the holdings of three multimillionaires are superior to the GDP of the 48 poorest countries of the planet put together!

When the search of maximum profit supersedes Man and is the measure of all things, what is to be expected?

Is it not true, for example, that inequality in face of the AIDS epidemic surpasses all acceptable limits? And is it not true that thirty-nine of the largest pharmaceutical companies united against the South African government when it tried to produce generic medicines to face the dramatic AIDS situation and that the US also brought a case against Brazil in the WTO for not observing patents? It was the denouncement, the struggle of these peoples and the mobilisation of international public opinion that made them withdraw! But the pressures of the multinational corporations continue.

At another level, it is also shocking and intolerable that, in order to raise the price of their shares, great companies announce blatantly the dismissal of thousands of workers, to hint to the stockholders that in this way they will have higher profit rates.

The lives of millions of human beings are today more and more dependent on the results of speculation around the globe.

The falls in stocks, shattering the illusions planted by the propagandists of the “new economy” and the falsifications of accounts of great companies which were bankrupt or had huge losses, ruined thousands of small shareholders and pensioners whose pension funds were gambled on the stock exchange roulettes and deepened the economic depression.

And whilst very recently learned theories foresaw a strong and continuous economic growth for the United States, thanks to its “model” and the way its economy was financed. This is the result. The difficulties in re-launching the economic activity and the fears of a sharper drop in the stock exchange, with its snowball effects, are well founded. That is why it is said that in the imperial project of the invasion of Iraq and screened behind the anti-terrorist and defence of human rights rhetoric, there are two very concrete objectives: dynamize the military-industrial complex and control the Iraqi oil, giving stock exchange speculation a new breath. And this is one of the issues on which we demand a clear position by the Portuguese government, as did Jacques Chirac and Schröeder, both on political support and the use of the Lages Air Base.

The domination, the unequal exchange, the pillage of resources, the intensification of exploitation and the liquidation of the rights of the workers, the “financialization” of the economy, as well as the arms race which continues in this 21st. Century, even after the end of the so-called cold war are not a fatality.

We, the communists, continue to think that there is an alternative to capitalist globalisation, that a different world is possible, that a better world is necessary and urgent for the good of humanity.

A firm and confident Party

This is a Party which, also at this “Avante!” Festival, shows a firm confidence in the value and future of our communist ideals and convictions, an unbreakable will to fight and transform life, coherence, seriousness and verticality, the proposals and the revolutionary project of a great force of freedom, democracy, socialism, the Portuguese Communist Party.

A Party, which, like no other in Portugal, assumes its problems, failures, difficulties and insufficiencies and mobilises energies and capacities to lessen or overcome them, but is not willing to leave aside pride in its incomparable past and present of struggle and confidence in its future.

A Party which respects and does not fear neither the difference of opinions among its members, nor the political and ideological debate carried out with truth, seriousness and rigour, and rather sees them as natural and susceptible of promoting advances in reflection, but which, naturally, does not accept the superposition of the individual will and opinion on the will and opinion formed collectively. And, naturally, does not accept a system where each one would only respect that which was his opinion, his demands and publicly combat that which corresponds to the majority will of the party collective and the legitimate decisions of the different Party organs.

A Party which knows that there is much reflection and debate to be held in its midst, many doubts, concerns and dissatisfactions among militants demanding answers, but which also values the democratic debate and the reflection held in preparation of its recent National Conference – a process where no party member was prevented from defending what he felt like, where no party member was prevented from standing as a delegate and where no elected delegate was prevented from voting as he felt like in the Conference – and which valorises the conclusions of this important Party’s democratic instance of national decision, as containing useful and necessary guidelines and lines of work to strengthen PCP’s organisation and intervention.

A Party which is not, nor wants to be, a church or an army, but which is and wants to continue to be a free and voluntary association of women and men, united by a generous commitment forged around ideals and a political project, based upon rules of fraternal relationship and solidary functioning, which all pledged to accept. Where all knew and know that these rules mean that, in benefit of efficiency of their action and community of ideas, each one avoids behaving in public as if one were independent or a member of another party. Where all knew and know that if these rules were good when they held responsibilities in leadership they cannot become awful when they cease to hold these responsibilities.

A Party which does not yield nor wants to yield to pressures to choose between unwavering certainties and infinite and systematic doubts, for having chosen long ago a different road: a road inspired by causes, convictions and ideals which are its reason to be.

A Party which faces the sentences of division, crisis and imminent death poured on it daily and the false dilemmas into which they try to chain it, with a deep confidence that, through work, reflection, struggle, a stronger link with the people, through the unity, cohesion and solidarity of the party collective is and will be a force with a future, because the ideals it fights for have a future, because the values it claims have a future, because the generous human enterprise it represents has a future. Because human dignity and happiness and its humanistic project of social change have a future.