Venezuela - 10 Years of Revolution

by maverick - the rock that doesn't roll Wed Feb 25, 2009 09:06

'10 Years Of Revolution
Find out how Venezuela is setting an example for Latin America and the rest of the World'

there was an interesting programme on Channel 4 about Venezuela about two weeks ago. in it there was one poignant question from an ordinary citizen: why does Chavez help other countries before properly helping his own?

surely it is dangerous to any democracy if critics are attacked, shot at & shut down. it seems that pro-government groups can act in such a manner with impunity in Venezuela. the leader of the Venezuelan pro-government group, La Piedrita, took responsibility for a series of attacks against local journalists and media outlets. he also threatened to attack the 24-hours news channel Globovisión and RCTV Director Marcel Granier.

is this fascist attitude a good example of socialism?

sources:

http://cpj.org/2009/02/pro-government-group-threatens-v...u.php

by Bolivar Thu Feb 26, 2009 15:02

"there was one poignant question from an ordinary citizen: why does Chavez help other countries before properly helping his own?"

Ok, so apart from the drastic improvements in social services, provision of health care, adult literacy programmes, democratisation of the political system, "what has the Chavez government ever done for us"? The Venezuelan government has done excellent work helping its own people, as well as supporting aid programmes in other countries like Bolivia. Try doing your own research instead of being spoon-fed information by the hopelessly biased western media. Here's a good starting point:

www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-venezuelan-economy-in-the-chavez-years/

by Billy Idle Sat Feb 28, 2009 00:54

Well said Bolivar, I'm afraid our little friend has been reading too much of the "Economist" recently. A publication that apparently hasn't noticed the nationlisation of banks around the world nor the havoc caused by the parasites on wall street

by redjade Sat Feb 28, 2009 01:37

The question i like to ask euro-Bolivarians (wannabe division) is 'what proper revolution depends on the price of Oil and the West's addiction to it?'

This question always results in a slightly stunned silence, then a smile that acknowledges the truth of the question, without requiring an answer.

by Billy Idle Sat Feb 28, 2009 02:28

Its about using a countries Natural resources(and receiving a fair price for those resources) to benefit all sections of society, not just the elite as is evident in most Western Capitalist societies(not to mention the the dictatorships in poorer countries who feed into this pit of misery ably support by the CIA etc. examples include Mobuto, Suharto, Saddam Hussein, and Thatchers good friend in Chile, the list goes on and on!!)

by pat c Sun Mar 01, 2009 14:16

Chavez moves against US Multinationals profiteering from inflated food prices. Full story at link.

Chavez sends army to rice plants

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ordered the army to take control of all rice processing plants in the country. Mr Chavez accused some firms of overcharging by refusing to produce rice at prices set by the government. He warned that some companies could be nationalised if they tried to interfere with supplies of the grain. Mr Chavez - who has nationalised large swathes of Venezuela's economy - did not say how long the government intervention would last.

Major rice processors in the country include the US-owned giant Cargill and Venezuela's main food company, Polar.

Last year, Venezuela seized control of plants and offices belonging to Mexican cement giant Cemex. In 2007, the government said it had taken control of the massive Orinoco Belt oil projects as part of President Chavez's nationalisation drive.

by Bolivar Tue Mar 03, 2009 13:21

The superior tone of redjade's comment implies that he or she is the only person to have noticed that Venezuela's oil reserves have supplied much of the cash used to fund social programmes. You would have to be exceptionally dim-witted and unobservant NOT to have picked up on this - it is mentioned in just about every article that's ever been written about Venezuela and the Bolivarian process, hostile or sympathetic.

I would answer the question with one of my own - given that the global economic system is hopelessly biased against Southern countries, making it extremely difficult to pursue any experiment in independent development that doesn't follow the instructions of the World Bank / IMF etc., why should any progressive government be ashamed to make use of one of the cracks that emerges within that system by taking advantage of its possession of primary resources that rich capitalist states need? If there was a socialist revolution in South Africa, it would benefit from the fact that South Africa is the world's largest producer of gold and diamonds - the most capitalistic commodities you can imagine. Should they opt out of selling gold and diamonds to earn foreign currency that could be used to fund social development on the grounds that it wouldn't measure up to the pure revolutionary standards demanded by Northern cyber-commentators, or should they use the money while it lasts to help their people and set a positive example for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa?

In the long run, of course no revolution is sustainable if it is dependent on oil, diamonds or other primary exports to capitalist states. But that is just another way of saying you can't have a pure island of socialism in a great sea of capitalism - unless it spreads across national borders, the experiment will fail sooner or later. But if the subordination of Southern economies to the capitalist North was broken - as it would be if enough countries broke free and followed their own development path - then it would no longer be essential for countries like Venezuela or South Africa to take advantage of geological lucky breaks.

by dunk Tue Mar 03, 2009 14:01

Very interesting take on the success of the Venezualan revolution in terms of more local participation in the politcal process from what were before marginal and nearly politically invisible areas in the barrios...

2007 Film from award-winning documentary maker John Pilger which suggests that, far from bringing democracy to the world as it claims, the US is doing its best to stifle its progress. Talking exclusively to American government officials, including agents who reveal for the first time on film how the CIA ran its war in Latin America in the 80s, Pilger argues that true popular democracy is more likely to be found among the poorest in Latin America, whose movements are often ignored in the West.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_on_Democracy

by pat c Thu Mar 05, 2009 14:45

Chavez has pushed ahead and expropriated a US business which was manipulating supply to raise prices. He has also threatened to nationalise other US owned food companies. Full text at link.

Venezuela seizes US rice producer

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has ordered the expropriation of a rice mill, amid a battle with food companies over price regulation.

Mr Chavez said the mill, owned by a subsidiary of US food giant Cargill, was not distributing rice at government-set prices. He also threatened to nationalise the country's largest food processor and private company, Polar.

Venezuela has already set quotas and prices for 12 basic foods. Under the measure, 80% of all rice produced must be basic white rice. The measure also includes 95% of all cooking oil, coffee and sugar. Producers of items such as powdered milk, cheese and tomato sauce are also affected.

by Ben Fri Mar 06, 2009 18:26

I see the Venezuelan government have seized plantations owned by a multi-national with Irish connections. Is this a hint for the Irish working class to put manners on the capitalist elite here??