Spectator's Notebook
TklE report by the International Commission of twists on Spain and the Rule of Law Proves a• ;night be expected. that the only rule in Spain is Franco's wishes. [here are high- sounding Lass and declarations, but they are dis- regarded whenever they are inconvenient to the regime. The laws which are not disregarded are those dealing with political activity. 'It is hardly Possible, says the report, 'to find a single form of opposition which is not threatened by legal sanctions.' The report points out that 'the press Is completely gagged. Freedom of association is in a similar predicament. Freedom is not granted In : . . the creation ot political parties and labour unions, activities which are forbidden and Punishable by law.' Altogether Franco Spain is Plainly revealed as what it is ; a personal tyranny and a police State. I find it a pity that British and American apologists for the regime. particu- larly Roman Catholics, consistently ignore the Plight of, say, the Christian Democrats in Spain. In this they compare very poorly with the Italian Christian Democrats or the French M RP, who refuse to take such a one-eyed view of Franco and his tyranny.
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