The line of march for the Bolivarian revolution pushed by Chavez, who elaborates on revolutionary strategy in many speeches, especially on his weekly television program Alo Presidente (when not singing folk songs), is not for the process of change to stop with reforms to Venezuela’s existing power structures. He has used reforms to weaken the political and economic power of Venezuela’s capitalist class, while at the same time strengthening the confidence and organisation of the oppressed (the workers, urban poor, campesinos, women and indigenous people) in order to replace the structures of the old society with new ones based on the oppressed themselves.
Sunday 14 October 2007
Article
Here is an article by Stuart Munckton of the Australian paper the Green-Left Weekly, Hugo Chavez: social democrat or revolutionary?:
Saturday 13 October 2007
Report
The five "engines" for Socialism: meetings in support of the Venezuelan Revolution in Ireland
P. Bowman (Dublin)
Hands off Venezuela, in co-operation with the Venezuela Support Group and the James Connolly Debating society in Belfast, organised two meetings in support of the Venezuelan Revolution in Dublin (8th October) and Belfast (10th October). The idea was also to continue with the campaign Hands off Venezuela – Ireland, already constituted after a first round of meetings held last April in two Irish Universities.
More than 35 people attended the meeting in Dublin (including activists from SIPTU and other unions, from the Connolly Youth Movement, éirígí, the Labour Youth, the CPI and others). The meeting in Belfast was hosted by the James Connolly Debating Society and had an enthusiastic audience of about 60 people from many different backgrounds.
The meetings intended to explain "the five engines for socialism"; the programme that the Venezuelan government will try to implement in the next future. 63 per cent of the population of Venezuela voted for that programme in the election held last December.
Carlos Fiorillo, member of the Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and Hands off Venezuela – Ireland, presented for the first time in English translation some sections of three speeches about the "5 engines" that President Hugo Chavez made between the 8 th and the 17th of January 2007. Carlos said:
"The 5 Engines is the name of the procedure that is taking place in Venezuela in order to make the transition from a capitalist state to a new socialist state on behalf of the Venezuelan people, and to nationalize the resources for the well-being of the whole country; as president Chavez promised when he won the last presidential elections on December 2006."
The first engine, Carlos went on, is the enabling law. With that law the Venezuelan government will be able to nationalize all that was privatized; the second engine is a constitutional change to allow the people of Venezuela to go towards socialism. President Hugo Chavez, according to Carlos, said that, "Venezuelans [in the election last December] voted for socialism … [Socialism] is what people want … [Socialism] is what the country needs… Venezuela is free, we are not colony of anybody."
The third engine is national education on socialist values and solidarity, and access to education for all at all levels: "study is the debate of ideas in a permanent way." The fourth engine is a new "geometry" of power, based on popular power, in order to eliminate the differences between classes and the obscene privileges of the bureaucrats and the ruling class. The fifth engine, Carlos concluded, was the "explosion" of popular, revolutionary, socialist and democratic power through the creation of communal councils and federations of communal councils.
Jorge Martin, international secretary of Hands Off Venezuela Campaign, analysed the current situation in Venezuela. The political process unfolding in Venezuela, he said, has a socialist character and is fully democratic. It is not the first time that Hugo Chavez wins an election, but this time he got 63 per cent of the votes, he said.
The problem, Jorge argued, is that the imperialist powers don't agree with the nationalisation of the basic means of production in order to satisfied the needs of the people of Venezuela; it goes against their profits. This is so even when any nationalisation and expropriation has been carried out according to law and with payment of compensation.
So, Jorge continued, the imperialists will try anything they can to get rid of Chavez and put back into power the old corrupt oligarchy. They already tried with the US-backed military coup and the bosses lock out in 2002. This shows the hypocrisy of the US and European governments when they accuse Chavez of being undemocratic.
In the meeting in Belfast some people in the audience asked what people could do in Ireland to support the people of Venezuela and to stop the imperialist intervention. In Dublin, some also expressed the need to actively support the Bolivarian movement. Jorge Martin made clear, first, that the broadest possible movement in solidarity with Venezuela should be organised in Ireland. He made an appeal to all those who agree with three basic principles, full support for the Bolivarian revolution, against imperialist intervention and counteracting the lies of the media, should join Hands Off Venezuela.
The first thing to do, he said, was to tell the youth and the workers in our communities what is really happening in Venezuela. That is the only way to counteract the lies spread in the mass media, owned by a few large corporations, about the Venezuelan government.
This could be done by organising talks and projecting documentaries in colleges and in meetings with trade unionists, by passing resolutions in trade union congresses, by getting youth organisations and trade unions to link up with our solidarity groups, etc. He underlined several times the importance of getting the support of the working class in our communities through their trade unions.
Jorge Martin suggested raising funds and getting trade unions to sponsor delegations trips of Irish workers and students to Venezuela in order to witness what is really happening in Venezuela, and reporting back in their communities, trade unions, and study places.
We would like to thank all those who made these meeting possible.
Contact Hands Off Venezuela Ireland ( hov.ireland@yahoo.com) or visit our yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hands_off_Venezuela_Ireland).
P. Bowman (Dublin)
Hands off Venezuela, in co-operation with the Venezuela Support Group and the James Connolly Debating society in Belfast, organised two meetings in support of the Venezuelan Revolution in Dublin (8th October) and Belfast (10th October). The idea was also to continue with the campaign Hands off Venezuela – Ireland, already constituted after a first round of meetings held last April in two Irish Universities.
More than 35 people attended the meeting in Dublin (including activists from SIPTU and other unions, from the Connolly Youth Movement, éirígí, the Labour Youth, the CPI and others). The meeting in Belfast was hosted by the James Connolly Debating Society and had an enthusiastic audience of about 60 people from many different backgrounds.
The meetings intended to explain "the five engines for socialism"; the programme that the Venezuelan government will try to implement in the next future. 63 per cent of the population of Venezuela voted for that programme in the election held last December.
Carlos Fiorillo, member of the Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and Hands off Venezuela – Ireland, presented for the first time in English translation some sections of three speeches about the "5 engines" that President Hugo Chavez made between the 8 th and the 17th of January 2007. Carlos said:
"The 5 Engines is the name of the procedure that is taking place in Venezuela in order to make the transition from a capitalist state to a new socialist state on behalf of the Venezuelan people, and to nationalize the resources for the well-being of the whole country; as president Chavez promised when he won the last presidential elections on December 2006."
The first engine, Carlos went on, is the enabling law. With that law the Venezuelan government will be able to nationalize all that was privatized; the second engine is a constitutional change to allow the people of Venezuela to go towards socialism. President Hugo Chavez, according to Carlos, said that, "Venezuelans [in the election last December] voted for socialism … [Socialism] is what people want … [Socialism] is what the country needs… Venezuela is free, we are not colony of anybody."
The third engine is national education on socialist values and solidarity, and access to education for all at all levels: "study is the debate of ideas in a permanent way." The fourth engine is a new "geometry" of power, based on popular power, in order to eliminate the differences between classes and the obscene privileges of the bureaucrats and the ruling class. The fifth engine, Carlos concluded, was the "explosion" of popular, revolutionary, socialist and democratic power through the creation of communal councils and federations of communal councils.
Jorge Martin, international secretary of Hands Off Venezuela Campaign, analysed the current situation in Venezuela. The political process unfolding in Venezuela, he said, has a socialist character and is fully democratic. It is not the first time that Hugo Chavez wins an election, but this time he got 63 per cent of the votes, he said.
The problem, Jorge argued, is that the imperialist powers don't agree with the nationalisation of the basic means of production in order to satisfied the needs of the people of Venezuela; it goes against their profits. This is so even when any nationalisation and expropriation has been carried out according to law and with payment of compensation.
So, Jorge continued, the imperialists will try anything they can to get rid of Chavez and put back into power the old corrupt oligarchy. They already tried with the US-backed military coup and the bosses lock out in 2002. This shows the hypocrisy of the US and European governments when they accuse Chavez of being undemocratic.
In the meeting in Belfast some people in the audience asked what people could do in Ireland to support the people of Venezuela and to stop the imperialist intervention. In Dublin, some also expressed the need to actively support the Bolivarian movement. Jorge Martin made clear, first, that the broadest possible movement in solidarity with Venezuela should be organised in Ireland. He made an appeal to all those who agree with three basic principles, full support for the Bolivarian revolution, against imperialist intervention and counteracting the lies of the media, should join Hands Off Venezuela.
The first thing to do, he said, was to tell the youth and the workers in our communities what is really happening in Venezuela. That is the only way to counteract the lies spread in the mass media, owned by a few large corporations, about the Venezuelan government.
This could be done by organising talks and projecting documentaries in colleges and in meetings with trade unionists, by passing resolutions in trade union congresses, by getting youth organisations and trade unions to link up with our solidarity groups, etc. He underlined several times the importance of getting the support of the working class in our communities through their trade unions.
Jorge Martin suggested raising funds and getting trade unions to sponsor delegations trips of Irish workers and students to Venezuela in order to witness what is really happening in Venezuela, and reporting back in their communities, trade unions, and study places.
We would like to thank all those who made these meeting possible.
Contact Hands Off Venezuela Ireland ( hov.ireland@yahoo.com) or visit our yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Hands_off_Venezuela_Ireland).
Thursday 11 October 2007
No Volverán
No Volverán is a 90-minute documentary made by members of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign when they visited Venezuela in December 2006. While there they witnessed Hugo Chavez's landslide election victory and they also spent time at Sanitarios Maracay, a factory under co-operative workers' control.
The documentary can be watched by going to this page on the HOV website. Alternatively the DVD can also be purchased from Hands Off Venezuela directly.
Sunday 7 October 2007
Articles on Venezuela
The following are two articles on the current situation in Venezuela.
The first is Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution by Mark Langhammer of the Labour Party:
The second is Venezuela: A Good Example of the Bad Left of Latin America by Michael A. Lebowitz, who currently lives in Venezuela:
Here is a also a link to videos of a speech given by Liebowitz on the ongoing Bolivarian Revolution: Building It Now in Venezuela: Socialism for the 21st Century
The first is Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution by Mark Langhammer of the Labour Party:
From literacy projects to self employment preparation, from neighbourhood soup kitchens, to the Co-Op food Mercals, the Bolivarian Revolution has activated a layer of the poorest in Venezuelan society. The result has been a popular, empowering and humane vision - with a highly politicized, involved and active and increasingly organized civic society.
The second is Venezuela: A Good Example of the Bad Left of Latin America by Michael A. Lebowitz, who currently lives in Venezuela:
The Bolivarian Revolution has driven beyond the barriers constantly placed before it (and has itself developed qualitatively in the process) precisely because of its dialectic between leadership and the movement of masses. That is why the development of the collective worker through the explosion of communal power, the ideological campaign of Moral y Luces, and the mobilization of a new party from below are essential for the next steps.
Here is a also a link to videos of a speech given by Liebowitz on the ongoing Bolivarian Revolution: Building It Now in Venezuela: Socialism for the 21st Century
Monday 1 October 2007
The Venezuelan Revolution
Some background...
The Venezuelan Revolution has entered a new stage. After the election of December 2006, which the Bolivarian Movement won with 63% of the votes, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias proposed the unification of the different parties that constitute the Bolivarian Movement (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela - PSUV). He also launched the government’s new programme (“the five engines for Socialism”) with the intention of starting the transition to socialism and the Socialist Republic of Venezuela.
The Venezuelan working class is clearly at the forefront of the international struggle for socialism.
The revolution, however, has still to succeed. The mammoth and highly bureaucratic state apparatus inherited from the past and the international pressure from the imperialist countries and their corporations have still to be defeated.
An example of the obstacles facing the Venezuelan revolution is the long and difficult struggle of the workers of Sanitarios Maracay, who are running the factory, to get the state to expropriate the factory. This struggle is not over yet.
Jorge Martín, International secretary of Hands Off Venezuela Campaign, and Carlos Fiorillo, member of the PSUV (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela) and Hands Off Venezuela, Ireland, will speak at both the Dublin and Belfast meetings.
Carlos will give an overview of the programme of the government, known as “the five engines for socialism”.
Jorge will give a general overview of the new stage which the revolution has entered in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan revolution needs the support of the Irish working class. This can be best done by organising or joining support groups in Ireland; by joining or linking up with the international campaign ‘Hands off Venezuela’; and by fighting for Socialism in Ireland.
Dublin: Monday 8th October 2007, 7:30pm, Connolly Books New Theatre (Essex St., Temple Bar)
Belfast: Wednesday 10th October 2007, 7:30pm, An Chultúrlann (Falls Road)
Organisers:
Venezuela Support Group, Ireland
Hands Off Venezuela, Ireland (handsoffvenezuelaireland@yahoo.ie)
James Connolly Debating Society, Belfast (connollysociety@gmail.com)
The Venezuelan Revolution has entered a new stage. After the election of December 2006, which the Bolivarian Movement won with 63% of the votes, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias proposed the unification of the different parties that constitute the Bolivarian Movement (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela - PSUV). He also launched the government’s new programme (“the five engines for Socialism”) with the intention of starting the transition to socialism and the Socialist Republic of Venezuela.
The Venezuelan working class is clearly at the forefront of the international struggle for socialism.
The revolution, however, has still to succeed. The mammoth and highly bureaucratic state apparatus inherited from the past and the international pressure from the imperialist countries and their corporations have still to be defeated.
An example of the obstacles facing the Venezuelan revolution is the long and difficult struggle of the workers of Sanitarios Maracay, who are running the factory, to get the state to expropriate the factory. This struggle is not over yet.
Jorge Martín, International secretary of Hands Off Venezuela Campaign, and Carlos Fiorillo, member of the PSUV (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela) and Hands Off Venezuela, Ireland, will speak at both the Dublin and Belfast meetings.
Carlos will give an overview of the programme of the government, known as “the five engines for socialism”.
Jorge will give a general overview of the new stage which the revolution has entered in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan revolution needs the support of the Irish working class. This can be best done by organising or joining support groups in Ireland; by joining or linking up with the international campaign ‘Hands off Venezuela’; and by fighting for Socialism in Ireland.
Dublin: Monday 8th October 2007, 7:30pm, Connolly Books New Theatre (Essex St., Temple Bar)
Belfast: Wednesday 10th October 2007, 7:30pm, An Chultúrlann (Falls Road)
Organisers:
Venezuela Support Group, Ireland
Hands Off Venezuela, Ireland (handsoffvenezuelaireland@yahoo.ie)
James Connolly Debating Society, Belfast (connollysociety@gmail.com)
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