"Venezuela: Putting People First"

[Peace Patriot]

Venezuela: Putting People First

By JENNIE BREMNER - VENEZUELA SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN, April 8th 2011

Jennie Bremner on the positive example provided by Venezuela and the need for solidarity.

The deep global recession of recent years has been used as a political excuse by our current Government in Britain, supported by large sections of the media, to ruthlessly and heartlessly drive through savage cuts to public services and welfare spending. Such pain, it is argued, is 100% necessary, and similar arguments can be heard globally from those again proposing the ‘solutions’ of neo-liberalism.

But the actions of many governments in Latin America of countries considerably poorer than ours - including Venezuela - show that a different choice can be made. They have instead chosen the path of building a fairer and more equal society through investing in people and public services. In the case of Venezuela this is despite the fact the economy has, primarily as a result of falling oil prices, faced recession for two years.

For those of us campaigning for social justice and against inequality and poverty, two key things stand out. Firstly, that poverty (in Venezuela) fell during both years of recession, and secondly that the (Chavez) government has protected – and in some areas even expanded – social spending, including on key areas such as health and education that I will look at below.

(MORE) (my boldface)

http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/6118

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Putting people first--what an idea!

[Judi Lynn]

1. Thanks for sharing this article. We need to get the facts.

It's great to see some people are actually going in the right direction.

We will, too, if we EVER get a progressive government in this country.

Rec. #5.

[naaman fletcher]

2. Usually when I want the facts about a government

I go to their paid propaganda arm, too.

[Peace Patriot]

3. Who DO you go to, for the facts on Venezuela? Do tell! nt

[Peace Patriot]

4. The source of this article, Red Pepper, is an independent, non-profit group of Brits.

About Red Pepper

Red Pepper is a bi-monthly magazine and associated website of left politics and culture. We’re a socialist publication drawing heavily on feminist, green and libertarian politics. We seek to be a space for debate on the left, a resource for movements for social justice, and a home for anyone who wants to see a world based on equality, meaningful democracy and freedom.

Red Pepper is independent of all political parties, and whilst not rejecting party politics, seeks to help build the kind of pluralistic, dynamic movements which can fundamentally challenge our economic system, with its entrenched injustice, structures of power and oppression, and tendency towards war and environmental destruction. Although based in London, we have links around Britain, and have always covered events and perspectives from outside the capital.

We’re a non-profit magazine and exist because all those involved believe the left needs publications which are non-sectarian yet unafraid to take a stand, radical yet non-dogmatic, and thoughtful yet orientated on real-world activism. If you think so too, please consider becoming a subscriber.

(LINKS at the site):

Subscribe to Red Pepper for just £20

Read about Red Pepper’s history (quite an interesting history: http://www.redpepper.org.uk/history/)

Our editorial charter

Get involved

http://www.redpepper.org.uk/about/

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Here (the above OP), they are republishing an article from England's Venezuela Solidarity Campaign:

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About the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign

The Venezuela Solidarity Campaign is a broad-based campaign in solidarity with the people of Venezuela.

Our aims are to:

a) To defend Venezuela's sovereignty and independence;
b) To support the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their own future free from external intervention;
c) To defend the achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution;
d) To provide accurate and up-to-date information in support of democracy and social progress in Venezuela;
e) To support and build activity around these objectives throughout Britain, within parliament, regional and local government, the trade unions, amongst women, lesbian and gay communities, Black, Asian and Latin American communities, students and others.

Affiliated organisations to VSC include ASLEF, BECTU, BFAWU, CWU, FBU, GMB, MU, NAPO, NUM, PCS, RMT, SERTUC, TSSA, UCATT, UCU, Unite the Union and UNISON. Our President is Ken Livingstone (former mayor of London) and our patrons are Diane Abbott MP, Tony Benn, Rodney Bickerstaffe, Bruce Kent, Caroline Lucas MP and Ann Pettifor.

Contact VSC:

Write to: VSC, c/o PO Box 56210, London, N4 4XH or Email: [e-mail]

http://www.vicuk.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=28

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Venezuelanalysis.com is republishing this article. It did not generate the article. The writer, Jennie Bremner, is a union organizer (and the labor union Unite's Assistant General Secretary). The Venezuela Solidarity Campaign is run by London's former mayor and Members of the British Parliament (among others). Red Pepper is a British-based leftist magazine.

Also, there is no one on the Left who has been more critical of Hugo Chavez and the Chavez government than Greg Wilpert, the editor of Venezuelanalysis.com.

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So, now, tell us, what sources do you consult for your views of Venezuela? I consult leftist, labor and other such sources because I cannot trust corporate media sources. They have been relentlessly and thoroughly biased--often to the point of outright lying--against Chavez and his government, and have COMPLETELY IGNORED--NEVER REPORTED--that government's significant achievements nor ANYTHING about the awesome grass roots political movement in Venezuela which has elected that government by big margins, in honest and transparent elections. Corporate media reports NOTHING positive about this important political movement (which has spread throughout Latin America). Nothing! They seethe with hostility against it. And this bias is not only across-the-board, in ALL corporate media, it is nauseatingly repetitive in its "talking points" as if they were "copy and pasting" right off Langley's fax machine. It seems apparent to me that that is who YOUR sources are--the Associated Pukes, the New York Slimes, the Wall Street Urinal, the Economyst, et al. Correct me if I'm wrong, and you have OTHER sources on Venezuela. And please tell us what they are. I would be most interested to investigate sources of info on Venezuela that I don't know about.

[naaman fletcher]

5. I stand corrected.

I search a wide range of sources of information, both left and right wing.

[spanza]

6. "Independent" Venezuela Solidarity Campaign organize half their events in the Venezuelan Embassy

often with Venezuelan government's ministers and top officials. Again, you're telling us a bad joke...


On a different level, you write, "Also, there is no one on the Left who has been more critical of Hugo Chavez and the Chavez government than Greg Wilpert, the editor of Venezuelanalysis.com."

Absurd but funny.. show us some strong critic by Greg Wilpert concerning the Chavez government. His site had the head of Chavez at the top of each page for years.

And more important, he's the husband of the Venezuelan Consul in New York, Carol Delgado de Wilpert. But there's even more, the co-founder of venezuelanalysis, Martin Sanchez, is the Venezuelan Consul in Chicago.

And you still want us to believe that venezuelanalisys is an independent site...

:yourock: :rofl: