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After the elections of the 20th of June 1974, the Andreotti government, based on the "programmatic non-distrust" of the Communist Party, is formed in Italy. This government marks the beginning of the unfortunate years of national unity. It is precisely during this period that the Italian Communist Party will more clearly reveal its role of supporting pillar of the regime. The political motion of the Congress of Naples grasps this new and essential element of Italian politics fully and denounces the incapacity of the Italian Communist Party to carry out any political alternative whatsoever, and this in spite of its electoral success. To defeat this tendency it is necessary to resort to referendums. The congress confirms the validity of the referendum project as the only possible means to achieve an alternative policy against the concordat compromise. If this is the central fact of the motion, there is however also an appeal to other forms of struggle and initiatives, especially those in favour of abortion. Furthermore the organizational motion will translate the decision of the previous congress to establish regional parties into operative indications. The congress appoints Adelaide Aglietta secretary and Paolo Vigevano treasurer.
The XVII National Congress of the Radical Party confirms and denounces in the facts of these last years the evidence that the peculiar cause for the serious economic and social crisis the country is going through consists in the crisis of the welfare, corporative and fascist state that the Christian Democrat Party still continues to defend, with the approval of the parties of the historical left; the economic provisions announced by the government will once again make the working classes and the weaker and defenceless segments of the population assume the costs of this crisis, in the absence of a political solution which can ensure the overcoming of it; the revolt addressed against the unions, often even in corporative forms, comes from the distrust, or rather the clear and desperate certainty that the strategy presently used will prolong the crisis and make it even more serious, inflicting greater sacrifices and causing more unemployment, worsened life conditions, intolerable social costs, and will translate itself into new forms of capitalist theft, new social injustices, lack of perspectives especially for the young, in a real class massacre for the weaker and alienated classes. Any policy of co-management within the pattern of the regime is ever more clearly and tragically destined to address itself against the left and against the unions, and can transform the great alternative hopes that had been aroused by the Italian Communist Party in the past elections into despair and mistrust. It becomes increasingly clear that this is the target that the Christian Democrat Party of Moro and Zaccagnini, of Galloni and Donat Cattin want to reach with the Andreotti government. A new way of governing cannot be formulated without a left-wing alternative government directly assuming the responsibilities of the country. In any case, any other temporary hypothesis would necessarily be founded on the unity and the strength of the whole Left area. Nor can there be a solution to the crisis without the destruction of the huge apparatus of corporative and unproductive structures, parasites which represent the tissue of the country as well as a hindrance not only for the Italian economy but also for the republican democracy itself. A policy of alienation in the left area for the forces considered inconvenient, no perspectives of a common alternative programme, the quest at all costs for power concordat compromises on the State's institutional problems, on the guarantees of freedom and on civil rights; these are the most serious aspects and errors of the Communist policy, which the Italian Socialist Party is unfortunately co-responsible for. Like thirty years ago, the Left is confronted with a political choice and a historical opportunity: either to radically change society or to become part of and co-responsible for the reinstatement of a corporative State, different in its external aspect but identical in its contents. The Congress of the Radical Party therefore believes that the battles for the transformation of the State and the assertion of civil liberties are still fundamental in order to introduce the perspective of a fairer and more human society. The Congress therefore believes that the main task of the Radical Party is that of carrying out the battles started years ago against the fascist structures and laws for a full fulfilment of the Constitution. Validity of the referendum project The renewed resort to the abrogating popular referendum seems to be the only means to pursue and enforce the control over the themes of the abrogation of the Concordat, of the Reale law, of the Rocco code, in its illiberal norms which still include union offences and opinion offences, of the law on the public financing of the parties and on other, equally authoritarian and fascist laws, and of at least one of the military referendums (judicial regulation and penal code). Only through popular consent, expressed by millions of signatures by Communists, Socialists, believers, democrats who will not accept a concordat compromise as an inevitable fate, will it be possible to prevent the Christian Democrat Party from creating the premises, in the course of this legislature, to overthrow the achievements of the Left, to block any resolve and possibility of an alternative, to renew and consolidate its power. The Congress charges the Federal Council with the task of defining the number and the contents of the referendums on the bases pointed out by the 1st congress Commission, which must include the ones explicitly mentioned in this motion. The Congress charges the Secretariat, the regional parties and all the Radicals with the duty of ensuring the political and organizational conditions to guarantee the fulfilment of this project. The Congress directs an appeal to all the workers that are struggling, to all the base organizations, to the activists of the Left parties, inviting them to give a political expression to their battles, contributing to the success of the above mentioned programme and thus creating the premises of a clash with the Christian Democrat regime. Mobilization in favour of abortion The Congress denounces the serious danger that the battle for a free and gratuitous abortion might result in a law inadequate to solve the problem of clandestine abortion, and on the contrary destined to aggravate this problem. The dangers consists not so much in an impossible compromise between the Christian Democrat Party and the parties of the left, but in the scarce clearness which the Left owes to the resolve to avoid an uncompromising and clear-cut political and ideal confrontation with the DC at all costs. The battles in favour of free and gratuitous abortion is still not finished. Clandestine clerical and class abortions have still not been defeated, civil disobedience is still necessary. The Congress of the Radical Party also points out that the seriousness and the urgency of the economic, social and institutional crisis, the vastness of the crisis in the Socialist electoral area, considering the elections of the 20th of June, the lacking or inadequate response of the PSI to the proposals of the Radical Party, the slowness of the renewal processes in this party, leave us with little time left and make the Radical Party's task of contributing in first person to the process of rebirth and of assertion of a great libertarian socialist force extremely urgent. Today's Radical antagonist must give a fundamental contribution, if the battles of the months to come in favour of the assertion of civil liberties and right will succeed, battles which are essential for the creation of tomorrow's socialist protagonist. It is especially urgent to set ourselves the task of real and radical reforms of the State's social and institutional structures. A task which consists in elaborations and debates in order to establish the proposals, the programmes and the instruments of the party's initiatives, for the first time allowed for by the objective conditions of the party's growth and organization. As far as the economic field is concerned, the Radicals refuse to look for and to provide a total and univocal ideological answer. With the methods that are typical of them, they identify the problems and spontaneously, in a self-contained manner, seek a solution for them. The congressional debate had already underlined some new ideas which, although still in a primitive stage and void of a full theoretical maturity and organizational premises, however represent the potential for new battles. It is the case for example of the proposals to establish "Consumer unions and organizations" which were suggested from many parts; for the proposals of fighting against pollution and on the economic problems, and to encourage alternative and self-managed forms of production (production and work cooperatives, consumer cooperatives) and others still. It is also the case of the hypotheses of referendum, which focus on themes and problems linked with the specific economic field: the fund for the development of Southern Italy, the abolition of bank secrecy, and so on. Whereas for the first proposals the attitude of the party cannot but be directed at encouraging the experimentation and the autonomous organization, and create a debate and an information aimed at acquiring an increased theoretical and organizational capacity, as far as the other proposals are concerned the party must study the concrete possibilities of carrying them out and finding the most adequate instruments to do so. Self-management of the battles But above all, these proposals are entrusted to the self-management of the companions who will assume those battles, who will create leagues and federal organizations for those battles, according to the provisions of the statute. The leagues and the federal movements, and especially the Mld (1), the Fuori (2), the Cisa (3), the Loc (4). The Congress acknowledges the problems posed by the woman companions of the Women's Liberation Movement, with options and decisions that are both coherently feminist and Radical, which must be solved in the context of a correct functioning of the relationship and of the federal organizations, and in this context charges the Federal Council to reach an agreement with the Mld as regards the commitments and the initiatives for the gathering of the signatures for the referendum and on the draft bill on the equal conditions of man and woman, which is contained in the bill of liberties. The Congress expresses its gratitude to the companions of the Cisa, and especially to the companions of Florence and Bologna, who have once more experienced prison, paying this price for an activity of civil disobedience which has once more been the most effective weapon against clerical and class clandestine abortion. The Party pledges to act for the liberation of its companion Giorgio Conciani, against whom the tribunal of Florence had directed its persecution, already denounced by the Radical Party and the Cisa before the Supreme Judicial Council. Conciani must be immediately put on trial and must be immediately freed. The Congress charges the secretariats and the regional party of Tuscany with the organization of a national demonstration in the coming fifteen days, in which all the associations and all the Radical activists must be involved. As far as the Fuori is concerned, which together with the Mld presented a project for the creation of self-managed advisory bureaus, the Congress takes note of this and invites the party to support the relevant initiatives. As far as the Loc is concerned, the Congress charges the organs of the party to support the initiatives, and from the more general point of view of anti-militarism, to ensure the continuation and the development of the first international anti-militarist march, to be held next year. The Congress takes note of the fact that during its course there have been many requests to take part in anti-militarist battles, and invites the party to support them whenever there is the occasion to do so. In all these problems and on the subject of the general anti-militarist policy of the party, the Congress believes that a vast debate should begin in the whole of the party, and starting from the federal Council. The Congress greets the companions from other movements, especially the recently created movements such as the Carm (5), the Fri (6), the Clec (7), and entrusts the Federal Council to carry out the federal report, and invites it to consider and ponder the projects of legislative reforms suggested by them, from those concerning the abolition of the law on mental hospitals, suggested by the Carm, to that on censorship suggested by the Clec, to that on the enforcement of laws on handicapped persons, supported by the Fri. In conclusion the Congress, in consideration of the coming elections, believes that, given the priority engagements of the Radical laws, in the course of 1977 there should be no electoral tickets of the party at university, constituency, communal and partial provincial elections during that year, and for this purpose addresses an appeal to the regional parties and the local associations, not excluding an original contribution on the part of the party in the context of specific local situations. Non-violence, civil disobedience The Congress, considering the progressive diffusion of the derivatives of Indian cannabis, the spread of the consumption of heroin with at times lethal consequences, the renewal of the repression against the consumers of Indian cannabis (and especially the persons who grow it for their personal use, which are punished by the present law in the same way as large-scale producers are), urgently points out to the need for an analysis of the phenomenon. It also entrusts the party to promote forms of radical non-violent battle and civil disobedience (self-denunciation, possession of Indian cannabis, symbolical occupation of state tobacco manufacturing plants), with the purpose of urging a legislative discussion of the proposal and the approval of the amendments to law n. 685. The Congress also recommends the Radical organizations to encourage the establishment of advisory bureaus and legal assistance bureaus. The Congress would like to remind all the companions that civil disobedience is the constitutional method adopted by the Radical Party, and invites all the companions to take part in exemplary actions in the places where such method produces effective results. The first deadlines in December Given the importance of the referendum initiative, the organs of the party are invited to promote, as the II congress commission pointed out, a first national political-administrative conference within the month of December 1976, in order to prepare and mobilize the party within the short lapse of time that is required for the political launching and accomplishment of the referendum project itself. The Congress in particular underlines the fact that the commitment against the Concordat is the result of the whole of the Radical Party's anti-clerical tradition, and dedicates this unitary battle for all the Left to Ernesto Rossi, whose Xth anniversary from the death will occur next year, to remember him to all Radicals, old and new, and to all citizens, even Catholic citizens, who suffer and pay for their dissent and their quest for freedom. The Congress confirms that the problem relative to sexuality is fundamental for the definition of a different quality of life, is the basis of the Radical methods of non-violent battle and linked to the expansion of the individual and social activity, and charges the national secretariat and the federal Council to organize a third national Convention for the liberation of sexuality to be held next year, addressing a special invitation to young people, teachers, libertarian parents, for a mobilization which must necessarily involve the school institution. THE ORGANIZATIONAL MOTION The XVII Congress of the Radical Party, held in Naples on October 31, November 1, 2, 3 and 4 1976. Having heard the reports of the outgoing secretary Gianfranco Spadaccia, and the summary report of the findings of the II congressional Commission (state and organization of the party), having examined the state of the party which can be thus synthetically summarized: a) establishment of thirteen operative regional parties complete with statutory organs
b) constitution of three regional committees regularly established in the following regions: Umbria, Abruzzi and Sardinia, c) the execution of three preliminary survey meetings in the following regions: Molise, Basilicata and Calabria, d) the presence of the following federate groups: Mdl, Loc, Cisa, Fuori, Liberal Democratic Movement, Carm and Fri. Considering that the congressional debate has give rise to two fundamental organizational policies: - The organization of campaigns for the gathering of signatures for the presentation of the request of a package of referendums to be held next spring; - the solution of the fundamental problem of the circulation of the debate of ideas, which is not simply information given within a libertarian and self-managed party, but also becomes the instrument of the activists' political formation, of the associative realities concerning initiatives and battles proposed and carried out. Considering, in addition to this, that these two points represent a remarkable area of convergence in the perspective of the political activity for 1977, for the need that the campaign be conducted in all its articulations by the highest possible number of activists. Taken note of the need: 1) to establish the policies of self-funding and enrolment to the party (amount and division of the shares, fundamental criteria of the enrolment campaign) in relation to the foreseeable minimum expenditure of the party, which will consist of roughly 750 million Lire for 1977, thus divided: - 150 million for the party's ordinary management (offices, telephone expenses, electricity, press service and mailing service, reimbursement of expenses, and so on); - referendum political initiative, which can be estimated to cost 600 million, thus divided: a) installation expenses Lire 300 million (250 million for the establishment of gathering spots, 50 million for printing of forms, other material and mailing); b) political campaign expenses 300 million (the minimum that is necessary for a national political campaign, as verified in the recent electoral campaign) and to underline that the party's ordinary management expenses must be covered with the enrolment and the contributions of its members and supporters, and to establish that enrolments take effect as from the approval of the motion of the '76 congress to the approval of the motion of the '77 congress; 2) to stress the central function that the federate Council has in a libertarian party as an organ: - of political representation in the period between one national Congress and the following; - of political management within the party, with the twofold function of carrying out the fundamental tasks of preparing the Congress and ensuring the circulation of ideas within the party in the broader meaning above explained; 3) to replace the old symbol of the party in the statute with the new one adopted at the recent elections deliberates: 1) The membership fee consists of 15,000 Lire and will be entirely paid to the federal party if the enrolment was made by the national headquarters, and will be instead paid in the proportion of 2/3 to the federal party if the enrolment was registered by radical associations or regional parties. For statute purposes we will consider members only persons who have paid the entire fee, with a first minimum payment of 5,000 Lire on enrolment. In order to stimulate its maximum productive effectiveness, the enrolment campaign will be concentrated in two turns, the first during the months of December and January and the second during the months of May and June. 2) The statutory organs of the party will take care of the publishing and diffusion of Radical News every ten days (mailed to members) and of Radical News as an agency (mailed to the regional parties), as well as the promotion of a broad debate within the party, especially as regards the referendum campaign. 3) For the organization of the signature gathering the following shall be established: - A national coordination committee, which will include the secretary, the president of the federate Council and other members of the Radical Party, members of the board, complete with a special office for the execution of technical tasks (as has been already done for the political elections); - a coordination committee for each region; - different local committees for the material gathering of signatures which will consist of two fundamental technical moments of the gathering in fixed places and of the gathering in open spaces. In order to achieve a more effective launching of the referendum initiative, special attention will be given to all forms of demonstrations, according to the Radical Party's specific tradition of battle and initiative; the use of the State Tv (immediately presenting the access requests) and of free broadcasting and Tv stations; the editorial agreements with newspapers and periodical publications. 4) To replace the party's old symbol, representing a "head of a woman with Phrygian cap" accompanied by the words "Radical Party" with the symbol representing the "rose in the fist" and the words "Radical Party" in the statute. Translator's notes
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