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The Free People of the U.K. and the Venezuela Information Centre regrets the
tone and content of Mr. Blair's reply. Venezuela has held the most thoroughtly
monitored and audited elections of any country and independent international
observers have consistently certified them as free and fair.
It is extremely unfortunate that the Prime Minister failed to take this
oportunity to acknowledge Venezuela's democratic credentials under President
Hugo Chavez and to congratulate him and his government on the major advances
made in tackling poverty and social exclusion. Mr. Blair's attempts to undermine
the authenticity of Venezuela's democracy by reference to its relations with
Cuba was particularly unfortunate. Part of President Chavez's approach has been
to promote regional integration through building strong alliances with all his
neighbours in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Prime Minister's ill-informed remarks have caused great offence in
Venezuela, particularly following on from last week's intemperate comments from
Donald Rumsfeld when he compared Chavez to Hitler. Mr. Blair's response betrays
his adherence to the hawkish, neo-conservative, view of Venezuela fostered by
the Bush admistration.
The recent UK trade union fact-finding mission to Venezuela headed by Rodney
Bickerstaffe was told by Jose Vicente Rangel, the Venezuelan Vice President and
Ali Rodriguez, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister that they placed great value on
good relations with the United Kingdom and hoped to strengthen ties in 2006.
Whilst the PM's comments were regrettable, VIC hopes that they may generate a
meaningful debate which will allow for some redress to the general media
distortion in reporting of events in Venezuela. Those who visit Venezuela, as
opposed to those taking their information from State Department-sponsored wire
services, invariably come away convinced that it represents one of the most
positive examples in today's world of a participatory democracy working to make
poverty history and redress decades of corruption and mis-government.
http://www.vicuk.org/index.php
http://www.handsoffvenezuela.org/home/
BLIAR sides with bosses in attacking Venezuela!
After more than a week of intense sabre-rattling by Washington against Hugo
Chavez in which diplomats have been expelled, Pat Robertson, the notorious
American Christian fundamentalist, has renewed his call for Chavez’s
assassination and Rumsfeld has compared Chavez to Adolf Hitler, now Tony Blair,
the British Prime Minister and lapdog of US imperialism, has joined the affray.
Late on Wednesday in the House of Commons Colin Burgon, a Labour MP representing
Elmet, asked the following question: “I am sure that my right hon. Friend the
Prime Minister shares the satisfaction that is felt by many on the Labour
Benches about the shift to the left that has taken place in Latin America. To
use a phrase, this is bringing Governments into power who will be in the
interests of the many and not the few. Does my right hon. Friend agree with me
that it would be bad news for all concerned if we allowed our policy towards
those countries, especially Venezuela, to be shaped by a really right-wing US
Republican agenda?”
As usual, the Prime Minister used the occasion not to welcome “the shift to the
left” in Latin America, which is abhorrent to George W Bush and the reactionary
clique that controls the White House, but to attack President Chavez. Adopting a
high moral tone, Blair, like some pompous second-rate school master, proceeded
to lecture the naughty Mr Chavez on his bad behaviour for daring to stand up for
the Venezuelan people against the dictates of US imperialism. “Up to a point”,
stated the PM. “It is rather important that the Government of Venezuela realise
that if they want to be respected members of the international community, they
should abide by the rules of the international community.” In other words,
Venezuela must learn to buckle down and accept the wishes of American
imperialism and its great leader and moralist, George W Bush.
Then Blair went for the throat, in the nicest possible way, as is the cant of
the British House of Commons. “I say with the greatest respect to the President
of Venezuela”, said Blair meaning the reverse, “that when he forms an alliance
with Cuba, I would prefer to see Cuba a proper functioning democracy.” Here
Blair, smiling like a Cheshire cat, fully supports Bush’s line over Cuba. In
other words, he favours the overthrow of Castro, the restoration of the Miami
gangsters and the introduction of capitalism into Cuba, all under the
“principles of democracy”. They want to transform Cuba, as well as the rest of
Latin America, into a colony of the United States and are grinding their teeth
at the warm relations between Caracas and Havana.
These “democratic” principles, so highly praised by the imperialists, were used
to invade Iraq and subjugate Afghanistan. They are used as a cover for
imperialist aggression around the world.
In response, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has accused Tony Blair of opening
up a European front in his attacks on Venezuela. He correctly described Blair as
“a pawn of imperialism, trying now to attack us from Europe”, and “the main ally
of Hitler”, a clear reference to George Bush.
Relations between Venezuela and the US worsened last week when both countries
expelled one another's diplomats, after Venezuela accused the US embassy in
Caracas of spying. Afterwards US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld compared the
Venezuelan president with Adolf Hitler. Chavez hit back saying: “The
imperialist, genocidal, fascist attitude of the US president has no limits. I
think Hitler would be like a suckling baby next to George W Bush.”
Chavez then turned to Britain in the latest twist of events, and retorted: “Stay
in your place, Mr Blair, you do not have the morality to call on anyone to
respect the rules of the international community.
"You are precisely the one who has flouted international law the most... siding
with Mr Danger [Bush] to trample the people in Iraq."
"Venezuela is a free nation. Do you believe we're still in times of imperialism
and colonialism?"
Chavez noted the statement came shortly after Bush had called for increased
funding for a US radio station broadcasting pro-American messages in Latin
America. “This is not a coincidence, this a part of the imperial aggression,” he
said.
The ranks of the British Labour and Trade Union movement look with great
sympathy on the Chavez government. They instinctively understand what is at
stake. That explains why so many trade unions and trade unionists have given
their support to the Hands Off Venezuela campaign. They compare the genuine
reforms, in education, healthcare, help for the poor, they see the
expropriations of several companies that have been placed under workers’ control
in Venezuela and they compare this to what we have in Britain, i.e. cuts in
education, healthcare, privatisation of almost everything that could be
privatised. They know which side they are on.
Blair also sees these things but his reaction is different, in fact it is the
complete opposite. He sees the reforms in Venezuela as a threat, a threat to the
profits of his masters. He sees Venezuela as a dangerous example that is
infecting the whole of Latin America and also getting an echo around the world.
He sides with Bush against the workers and poor people of Venezuela. We side
with the Venezuelan masses against imperialism.
http://www.handsoffvenezuela.org/bl...g_venezuela.htm
HANDS OFF VENEZUELA BLIAR! YOU SUCK! YOU LIE ALL THE TIME! ALL YOU EVER DO IS
KISS BUSH'S CORPORATE ARSE.
Lord Cerne Abbas
To rebel is right, to disobey is a duty, to act is necessary!
"Nemesis, winged one that tips the scales of life,
dark-eyed goddess, daughter of Justice,
you restrain the futile pride of mortals with your unyielding bridle and,
hating hurtful vanity, destroy black envy: below your wheel, always
moving but leaving no trace, the fortune of man turns.
Unseen, you come at once to defeat arrogance;
by your hand you gauge the span of life, and, frowning,
you scrutinize the thoughts of men, you always hold the balance.
Be merciful, hallowed judge, winged Nemesis, life's force.
We honor you, Nemesis, immortal goddess,
victory incarnate with wings unfurled, faultless,
sharing the throne of Justice; you resent human vanity
and banish men to Tartarus below"
http://www.veloceraptor.free-online.co.uk/identity.html
http://www.veloceraptor.free-online.co.uk/mylinks.html
http://lordcerneabbas.blogspot.com/
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