Stranica 3 [3]
Ah? 04 $2
- page three ¬
dissatisfaction of the previously PSC middle-class supporters, it is
foreseen however that, in the municipal elections, liberals will
gain a certain amount of votes. These ballots they will gain will
not come from voters who agree with the liberal program, but from
electors who feel that, under present circumstances they have no other
choice. Consequently this cannot be tabled as a stable gain.
Besides, according to all observers, the Liberal Party is
suffering of a leadership crisis. It has no outstafnding men at hts
head at present. Mr.Albert Deveze is advancing in age and has no more
the strength of past years.
The Fe3 (Parti Socialiste Belge) counts among its leaders
. three outstainding figures. Mr.Buset is the head of the Party. He
is a higly intelligent, capable and extremely authoritarian leader.
His will makes the rule. It is due only to his energy and to his
absolute authority that the Party unity has becn maintained, despite
divergencies existing among its members. Mr.Buset is not afraid of
threatening even the most outstafnding socialists with exclusion from
the Party, if they should fail to accept the group's discipline, ¬
Paul-Henri Spaak is the leader of the right-wing group among socialists
He is well known in internatiénal circles, having been foreign minister
and having plaid a role in world-wide and European affairs. His recent
nomination ing Strasbourg has been received in Belgium with great
surprtse and not always with the most favorable comments. In the
country itself indeed - with the exception of the group of his
immediate followers - Mr.Spaak is not well liked. Everyone recognizes
his ability and his oratory facilities. Conservatives criticize his
attitude in the royal question and more recently in opposing the 24¬
months military service. It is felt that the same man should not try
to incite Army recruts against their superiors, should not work inside
Belgium against a European Army and then accept a honor position in
Strasbourg. - Old socialist leaders feel that Mr. Spaak is not entirely
reliable: once already he nearly split the Party, making its right wing
independent, if it was not for Mr.Buset's strong attitude. Now he is
still held by Mr.Buset, woo is said to have the most amazing influence
on Spaak. - As to the young socialist they bitterly criticize Spaak
for his “double personality": he is living an easy bourgeois life for
himselfg but if it comes to propaganda and manifestations, he dresses
and acts as a proletarian and utters the most revolutionaty words. ¬
Mr.Victor Larock is the third outstajüűng figure of the socialist party
The capable editor of the socialist newspaper "Le Peuple", he is the ¬
leader of the left-wing gpoup in the Party. He too, it is said, would
have become a Nemmb and tried to split away from the right-wing of
Spaak, if it was not for Mr.Buset's unifying authority. The latter is
opposed to any alliance with or support of the communist, with the
exception of certain specific actions. He fears indeed that a party,
developing at the left of the PSB would push the latter into becoming
a center group that will have to look for support and alliance with the
right. At that same moment, Mme socialist party leadership knows, ¬
it will lose all its left-wings, especially all the young socialists,
who will prefer to join the communists. While some of the more right¬
wing socialist, might, under sueh circumstances, enter a common group
with the left-wing of the Christian Party. This would mean peactically
the end of socialism in Belgiumg in the same way as, in the past, the
rising of the socialist Party at the left has meant the down-ward trend
and weakening of the liberals.
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