internationally as a defeat for neoliberalism. Led by Lula, a former union official and created in the struggle against the military dictatorship, the PT was supported by those who wanted land reform and an end to hunger in Latin America's largest country.
The PT's ministers come from a wide range of political currents. These include the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), the Democratic Labour Party (PDT), The Socialist Popular Party (PPS), the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB) and the Green Party (PV). Miguel Rosserto a mem ber of Democracia Socialis: = (DS). Brazilian Section of the Fourt Agrarian Development, his tion being supported by th bourgeois parties. The most important of these is Henrique Meirelles. He was a director of the Boston Bank and formerly a member of parliament (deputy) representing the PSDB (the previous President Cardoso's party).
He heads the Central Bank and is raising interest rates and increasing the budget surplus designated to pay off the foreign debt. He personifies the continuity with the neo-liberal economic policies of the previous government.
Lula's government is determined to maintain some of the most important aspects of the neo-liberal economic agenda. It is legislating for
I reform that would have a adverse impact on ector workers. It has tted itself to including among some members of the Fourth International, that the comrades of DS were wrong to accept a government position in Lula's administration. The fact that there were representatives of parties from the ruling class in there meant that, at best, it was going to be a class-collaborationist government
However, these comrades had been building the PT from its very earliest days. To refuse the offer of a post, when you had the support of a mass movement of landless peasants and had a strategy of supporting their autonomous mobilisations makes an organisation appear lightminded and propagandist.
Democracia Socialista is an inteNow though the moment has come for DS to leave the government. The possibilites for conducting a fight against neo-liberalism and the pension reforms inside are gone and to retain a government post taints DS with them.
Brazil's trade unionists have been demonstrating against the pension reforms and the MST's mobilsations are continuing.
Despite what is happening at the governmental level, the PT retains an open democratic culture. The opportunities for Brazilian socialists to put themselves at the head of a movement against the IMF agenda and neo-liberalism are very favourable but they can't do this while sitting in Lula's government and that is why DS needs to pull out of it immediately. Since Lula's election there has been little for PT to celebrate
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The Portuguese Left Bloc is a formation much like England's Socialist Alliance and Scotland's SSP. The Bloc has been extremely socialist Ist resistance October 2003 2l
International resistance