Strange Times (The Morning Star)
Hugo Chavez has never done anything by the normal route. An officer in the Venezuelan army he was moved by poverty and social injustice to challenge the ruling oligarchs of his country. The old political system of the comfortable bourgeois parties was eventually overthrown by pressure from the Bolivarian revolution. Those who challenge his democratic credentials would do well to recall that he has been elected, re-elected, won a recall referendum and a parliamentary majority. Nobody can challenge his results in this respect; all done with no help from a hostile media and neighbour to the north.
His visit to London next week is another example of stepping outside the norm. His visit is officially “private” so he will not be meeting Tony Blair or any Ministers. There is an irony in this as the Prime Minister has had much to say about the Venezuelan process and his perceptions of it. He might do well to reflect that the re-distribution of wealth and elimination of poverty in Venezuela is an example to the whole continent.
Chavez will however be meeting many other people who have shown their support for the revolution in Venezuela, and who have been long term activists on Latin America.
After his brief visit to London, Chavez will be travelling to Vienna for the EU Latin America summit and trade discussions that are being held there to try to shore up the EU position in Latin America, and encourage trade.
It is a strange turn of events that the whole continent is now being courted by the world’s power blocks.
Since the 19th century the Monroe Doctrine of treating everything south of the Rio Grande as a US “sphere of influence” has meant that after coming out of the control of the Europeans through Spanish and Portuguese imperialism, the continent had the strange relationship of a settler ruling class who owned the land, and such industries as existed were owned by US and British capitalists.
History records that every attempt to change the social order was met with brutal repression of peasant uprisings, or where radical governments were elected they suffered at the hands of the USA. The exceptions were the success of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and the Cuban Revolution of 1959. In every other country from Guatemala to Chile, radical governments were overthrown by US funded and supplied military coups.
Cuba’s survival of nearly 50 years of US economic blockade looks all the more remarkable alongside what has happened elsewhere in the continent.
The highest standard of literacy, health care, education and popular housing are all in Cuba; compared to the rest of Latin America it is an amazing success story. The example of Cuba is a very powerful image throughout the continent.
The success of the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela has had a huge effect on the neighbours, with Bolivia electing Morales and the Left gaining ground in Peru. The pro US Government in Colombia looks more and more isolated.
Economically, the continent is blessed with huge resources but needs massive investment to develop them. Bolivia has announced the nationalisation of its oil resources and control of production.
Initially the reaction of the oil companies was to threaten all kinds of retribution and sadly the reaction of Lula in Brazil was to express concern about this action. Brazil’s state owned oil company Petrobas is a big stakeholder in Bolivia. Morales has shown the way to the utilisation of resources for the people. Historically, Bolivia lost its silver to the Spanish, it’s tin to British and other companies, and does not wish to see its oil and gas go the same way.
Whilst the EU and US might bemoan what is happening across the continent, the real investor in the continent is China. Huge hard currency investments are being made by China who is making long term trade agreements to ship natural resources to China.
The excitement of the revolution in Venezuela and Bolivia and its high hopes should not blind us to the reality of the powerful forces that are at work.
The US might be very bound up in Iraq at the moment, but it has never lost sight of what is happening to its south.
The NAFTA Treaty and the problems it has created for the poorest in Mexico are an example of what the aim is. Bush wants a Free Trade of the Americas agreement which will impose free market economics on the whole region. The Venezuela/Bolivia/Cuba trade agreement is very different. Building internal trade is obviously necessary, but also conquering poverty, high infant mortality and lack of education for the poorest.
Chavez’s visit is an historic first. His contribution to the elimination of poverty is a huge step forward and has given real hope to lots of very poor people. There are lessons we can all learn.
It is policies that really matter. The Parliamentary Labour Party packed into the historic committee Room 14 on Monday to hear Blair say he was staying for a bit, was going to go sometime, and that he had much to do.
More ominously, he said that he was staying on to ensure that New Labour’s policies were effectively carried out.
Brown, on the other hand said on Sunday that New Labour had to renew its coalition to win the next election.
The problem last Thursday, when Labour scored 16% of the vote in England, was that the policies on Iraq, health internal market and private finance have failed to enthuse Labour voters.
We need a change of leadership in the Labour Party, but not a coronation.
The policies that are being followed in some key areas are a real turn-off for voters. It is policy debate and change we need first.
Labour supporters deserve commitment from the Government to ensure that we run public services by public ownership, and that we have less of the Plc mentality and much more of the sense of community needs in our core philosophy.
A new Defence Secretary and new Foreign Secretary have a huge opportunity to say we are not getting involved with attacking Iran and will withdraw from Iraq. A break with US foreign policy is what is needed to bring supporters back to Labour.
