by LoveUniHateExams 6 Replies latest social current
I've been seeing (but not really reading) a lot of articles about Venezuela in the British press.
Apparently, following much public unrest, there has been violence with opposition people being rounded up and possibly killed by the regime. There may have been illegal voting in the country's last election.
Corbyn and his comrades praised Venezuela in the recent past, holding it up as some kind of shining example of socialism.
Now they are eerily silent.
What in the blazes is going on?!
People who read my posting history know I am "left-leaning".
Venezuela (and other places) are what keep me merely "leaning".
That is some crazy stuff going on there.
The extremes are always extreme, left or right.
Venezuela's gov has been in the process of slowly becoming a dictatorship over the past decade. Some of the people are attempting to fight back, but the roots of the regime have extended far and wide throughout most of the critical institutions, be it the media, social services and much of the market base. It's hard to undo all that shit without bloodshed. Especially when the gov has the military on it's side.
Venezuela was a leftist's wet dream - free money for all! But as often happens, the other-people's money eventually runs out and in the meantime, people who worked weren't rewarded and the system fell apart.
Like so many other countries that have an oil-windfall, it creates a feeding frenzy of greed and corruption and leaves behind a sick and failing economy and a political system controlled by a strongman who would otherwise never have been elected.
At least Corbyn won't harp on about it any more (but who knows, he is a real idealogue)
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Venezuela became the "cash cow" for Cuba. The whole repression system is under Cuban control and sadly Maduro is depending heavily on Havana's advise.
Cuba is not going to let it go so easy and I am afraid that a major bloodbath will be needed for the situation to be corrected. It surprises me that the Armed Forces are not taking control of the situation; once again there is strict Cuban control there.
I saw a recent letter from someone in Venezuela bethel. Even the bethelites only get bread once a week, there is no bread. People are basically starving, no medicines or any manufactured commodities are being made. International companies and airlines have left. Only Kellogs are still soldiering on. The cornflakes are being sold in plain cardboard boxes. The printed ones are not available. They are not selling many however because there is little milk.
Corbyn should go and live there.
Related:
Venezuela’s oil industry is collapsing and Cuba is scrambling
http://www.businessinsider.com/venezuelas-oil-industry-is-collapsing-and-cuba-is-scrambling-2017-6
