Hands Off Venezuela
Reports have appeared this morning confirming what many of us suspected. The Bush regime is interfering in the Venezuelan elections in an attempt to depose President Chavez. Funds are being deployed by the US to mobilise support against Chavez. This is an unacceptable act of imperialist inteference in a foreign country which must be condemned by democratic governments across the world.
As joint president of the "Hands Off Venezuela Campaign" I am calling on our Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to issue immediately a statement condemning any such interference and calling upon the Bush regime to disengage in this illiegal activity. The UK government must insist on the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people being respected and must disassociate itself from any acts by the US or any other government seeking to undermine democracy in Venezuela.
Under a real Labour Government Britain would work co-operatively with the Chavez administration to tackle poverty and inequality in both our countries and to secure peace and justice globally. This includes upholding the rights of the people of Latin America to determine their own futures democratically and to secure the full benefits of the natural resources of their continent.
The message to Bush is "Hands Off Venezuela."
As joint president of the "Hands Off Venezuela Campaign" I am calling on our Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to issue immediately a statement condemning any such interference and calling upon the Bush regime to disengage in this illiegal activity. The UK government must insist on the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people being respected and must disassociate itself from any acts by the US or any other government seeking to undermine democracy in Venezuela.
Under a real Labour Government Britain would work co-operatively with the Chavez administration to tackle poverty and inequality in both our countries and to secure peace and justice globally. This includes upholding the rights of the people of Latin America to determine their own futures democratically and to secure the full benefits of the natural resources of their continent.
The message to Bush is "Hands Off Venezuela."
posted by John at 11:27 AM
14 Comments:
If Bush gets a hold on Venezuela, then he gets a proxy seat on OPEC. Here he can influence decisions or even destabilise this organisation.
I am never quite sure whether Peak Oil is real or a scare story to prop up oil prices. Post Enron, the US economy is looking increasingly shaky - as if it were based on sand. But sadly for Bush there's no oil under that sand :-)
John got it totally right when he said we should, "work co-operatively with the Chavez administration to tackle poverty and inequality in both our countries and to secure peace and justice globally."
If only the Bush and Blair regime did this!
Jonathan Millins
Equalities Officer
Kent Labour Students
at a Hands Off Venezuela meeting I attended last summer some of the Venezuelans there thought that our higher education systemn was still free - not under New Labour it isn't! - and yet our country is supposed to be more advanced than their's .... (you could also compare the Cuban NHS which is democratic and works properly to ours, witness the current scandals of elderly people not being fed in hospital wards and the lack of special care cots for very sick babies (reported in The Mirror today after a whistleblower drew attention to it).
Sadly I'm not a bit surprised that Bush is trying to depose Chavez, so much for the US upholding world freedom and democracy when their own interests are threatened - they should have gone beyond this imperialist hypocrisy by now and also put money into finding sources of renewable and green energy for when the oil runs out as that's only a matter of time anyway. It reminds me of a debate I was recently listening to on RTE 1 (Irish radio) where two jewellers were interviewed about the sources of their diamonds etc. The first one was aware of fair trade and made sure he didn't source his jewels from African mines using child labour (there was a recent report on News 24 about this, quite shocking, also kids sending twelve hours a day scrabbling for the glittery metal you put in make-up and they are often exposed to dangerous toxins as well...) but the second jeweller said he had many long standing customers who would come in and ask for a replacement wedding ring for example forty years later as they had lost the original so he would get them exactly the same one for sentimental reasons but if this goes on he will never change to an ethical source will he?? We can have a new world order now if we want it where there is peace between nations now the Cold War is over but the trouble is that the US thinks it's now the only superpower and that it can therefore do what it likes and the Blairites have supported this and so we are still stuck in cycles of war over territory as in the Middle East and resources such as oil as in the Gulf wars... all the things I hoped would soon be history when I studied International Relations fifteen years ago! There's no reason why we have to go along with Bush's foreign policy, America is not going to bomb us if we don't agree with them so we should be able to stand by the Venezuelans and uphold democracy for all not just for the rich West; then maybe the penny might finally drop with the US leadership that there's is not actually some God given divine right to govern the rest of the world and also realise they can never win in Iraq with their current tactics.. Let's hope that Hillary Clinton or whoever gets the democratic nomination to run in 2008 can run on a proper left platform and we can hold Bush off from Venezuela and Iran etc till then. The neo-cons always act when their interests are threatened so we must not stand by and do nothing though we should not stoop to their low tactics, rather build up a rational and democratic oppostion to them both here to get rid of the Blair elective dictatorship and in the US.
In a world that inspires very little hope, Venezuela is a shining beacon for what governments should actually be about - supporting all the people in their country especially the weakest and not looking after th rich and powerful as Blair and Bush do. Every true Labour person should demand that Blair supports Chavez and tells Bush to keep his hands off Venezuela, as Venezuela shows what true democracy is rather than the puppet regimes in Afganistan and Iraq.
A government consisting of a regional tough-guy, who stands shoulder to shoulder with tyrannical regimes like Cuba, Georgia, and Iran, represents "a shining beacon for what governments should actually be about", does it? Rule #1 for any wannabe dictator: make a few digs about Bush and the sillier elements of the British left will forgive just about anything. It's Uncle Joe all over again.
any regime which faces the hostility of the neocon rulers of the USA (which means any decent regime in Latin America at least, if not anywhere) will be likely to make common cause with other regimes which oppose the USA. I am sure Chavez is not perfect, but which Latin American regimes are better?
Bloggers for labour shows why many socialists are unlikely to go any where near labour.
I have been to Venezuela, Chavez is pumping oil money to the poor, creating an economy which is diverse enough to survive a possible fall in oil prices and promoting green alternatives.
I am not keen on some of his foreign policy partners but if I had been deposed in a CIA backed coup I would be looking for allies.
If blogger for Labour (Gaitskill and the Cia!) cares about human rights, he should acknowledged the US based death squads have murdered 100,000s and if he wants to take action he should support Craig Murray.
We cannot be uncritical of Chavez but he cuts a more thoughtful and socialist figure than anyone I can think of in the present Labour Party.
Jon,
The British left cannot (or rather, should not) be so desperate for friends that it should tolerate nuclear-weapon-pursuing, terrorist-sponsoring, teenage-girl-hanging, Israel-hating Iran. Better have no friends (regimes, that is; there are plenty of friendly democratic organisations and people) than sacrifice all the most important principles (democracy being #1) for tyrannies who merely spin the Bush line to cling onto power just a bit longer.
Derek,
I take it you're working on Chavez to discourage dependence on fossil fuels, and the inefficient running of the PDVSA? I fear you are uncritical of Chavez if you think this Mussolini figure has anything to teach the Labour Party. Compare and contrast: Tony Blair names a date for his departure; Chavez tries to amend the constitution to secure longer in office. If only the left could be purged of this obsession with foreign demagogues, who knows what could be achieved through democratic international cooperation?
And what was wrong with Gaitskell? (at least spell his name correctly)
Holy moly. As an observer of this site from Ireland "Bloggers4Labour" is perhaps the most bizzare name I have ever come across. What Labour are you "4" exactly? The lies of the Blairites, or the actual Labour Party represented on here by John McDonnell and in communities across Britain and the rest of the world?
I stand my by earlier comments. If your Labour Party sticks up for despots, then I don't care how big or popular it is, there's something very wrong with it, and it is the exception, not the norm. Please respond if you have a sensible point to make.
Bloggers4Labour,
Your posts smack of embarrassing ignorance. Hugo Chavez has won 10 elections over the last decade. His government has held more elections than any other on the planet. All these elections were certified as free and fair by international observers. The opposition have a complete monopoly over the media and have used it repeatedly to call for the armed overthrow of the government. Are you aware of any other democracy that would tolerate that sort of behaviour? Indeed, his opponents have actually staged a military coup against him. And you have the sheer audacity to compare him to Mussolini?
As has also been pointed out, he is implementing policies which are diverting the country's vast oil wealth into projects to help the poor.
You are a complete embarrassment. I'd do some homework if I were you before you carry on spewing your reactionary trash around the internet.
"bloggers4labour"
How absolutely ludicrous, and how absolutely predictable.
"My" Labour Party, surprisingly enough, stands up for the rights of the Venezuealan people to elect a government, to use their natural resources for their own benefit, to oppose imperialism and to oppose the exploitation of their country by ruthless TNC's.
"My" Labour Party tolerates neither despotism nor imperialism. Therefore the war waged on the Iraqi people by the New Labour project, pathetic supporters of the Bush regime, is anathema to anything resembling Labour values of equality, solidarity, freedom and democracy.
"My" Labour Party, the Irish Labour Party, is not some whole other entity. We are greatly influenced by the British Labour Party, having many of the same roots and personalities - Michael Davitt for one - and are formally connected through the PES, the SI and IUSY and ECOSY.
What happens in Britain is particularly relevant to our country, particularly in the North, and many of us on the left of Irish Labour are hugely supportive of John's outstanding campaign for leadership. Perhaps my presence here is unwelcome but I would imagine it isn't.
You quite literally do not have a clue if you are comparing Hugo Chavez and the grassroots Bolivarian revolution now underway in Venezuela with Mussolini's fascist Italy.
I have some legitimate concerns regarding Chavez's foreign policy in terms of where he allies himself, shared by many on the left, but your belligerent and reactionary comparisons are best left to whatever cyber world you belong in.
"bloggers4labour"
How absolutely ludicrous, and how absolutely predictable.
"My" Labour Party, surprisingly enough, stands up for the rights of the Venezuealan people to elect a government, to use their natural resources for their own benefit, to oppose imperialism and to oppose the exploitation of their country by ruthless TNC's.
"My" Labour Party tolerates neither despotism nor imperialism. Therefore the war waged on the Iraqi people by the New Labour project, pathetic supporters of the Bush regime, is anathema to anything resembling Labour values of equality, solidarity, freedom and democracy.
"My" Labour Party, the Irish Labour Party, is not some whole other entity. We are greatly influenced by the British Labour Party, having many of the same roots and personalities - Michael Davitt for one - and are formally connected through the PES, the SI and IUSY and ECOSY.
What happens in Britain is particularly relevant to our country, particularly in the North, and many of us on the left of Irish Labour are hugely supportive of John's outstanding campaign for leadership. Perhaps my presence here is unwelcome but I would imagine it isn't.
You quite literally do not have a clue if you are comparing Hugo Chavez and the grassroots Bolivarian revolution now underway in Venezuela with Mussolini's fascist Italy.
I have some legitimate concerns regarding Chavez's foreign policy in terms of where he allies himself, shared by many on the left, but your belligerent and reactionary comparisons are best left to whatever cyber world you belong in.
Thank you Mr. Mcdonell for reminding us, What this party used to represent, especially today when the leader of this country is a figure of worldwide ridicule.
Post a Comment
<< Home