RIP Hugo Chavez

Hasta Siempre, Commandante.

 

Like all us Tarn fans know the President of Venezuela has died.
Cheers bud.

 

Bloody Hell thats a shock..got the impression from Cuba he was in recovery

 

Seemed that way but he's had breathing difficulties since last operation.

 

An anti -semitic Marxist. How's that work?

 

I wonder which one of his corrupt groupies will take over from him. The only reason he stayed in power so long, apart from changing the laws to keep himself in power (!), is the fact his party pays the poorer people to vote for him, I am told. A lot of the wealthier Venezuelans (including some of my friends here) have left the country because of the political corruption. During the last "election", members of my friend's family were offered $10 (equivalent) to appear in a televised rally supporting Chavez. They refused and were detained in a police station until the rally was over.

They certainly won't be mourning his death. Neither will I.

 

Or is it because they are getting taxed now?

 

I wouldn't bother mentioning it even if all that is true, Chavez was untouchable to too many on the left.

 

Make that far left. In fact so far left it is actually closer to the right. An anti-Semitic totalitarian has nothing to do with the the democratic left as we know it.

 

Agreed. No doubt done some great things but he can't be beyond criticism. Venezuela can't be used as an example to advocate his politics either, they've got oil growing on trees.

 

And who's profiting from it? I'll give you a clue. It's not the people. And it's not the oil workers.

 

soon the USA will be profiting on some of that oil, if reports are to be believed

 

Not the ones who have run away to the US?

 

"Profiting?". You mean importing from Venezuela? The oil companies are state-controlled in Venezuela. That's why most people qualified to work in oil and gas leave the country and move to places like Alberta.

 

Where does the anti Jew bit come from?

 

http://www.ibtimes.com/venezuela-hugo-chavez-anti-semitic-election-campaign-214136

 

Whoever is telling you that is an idiot. Not that there isn't much to critisize about Chavez.

Venezuela had one of the largest numbers of poor and destitute in Latin America thanks to years of the rich syphoning off oil money and paying it to their crony friends. Chavez didnt need to pay them off because there were so many of them wanting to vote for his policies.

Additionally he did change the laws that allowed him to stand for re-election, but it still required people to vote for him. Venezuela's elections by international organisations were given the green light by international organisations who monitered them and even the opposition had no complaints.

And the elite left Veneuela because the poor deedums were being taxed? Now, where have I heard that threat before? What good citizens eh?

non sibi, sed omnibus

 

What are you gibbering on about? Under Chavez:

Infant Mortality decreased.
Extreme Poverty - down 15%
Unemplyment - down 7%
Literacy & Education - big increase for the poorest sectors in Veneuelan society.

Ctitisize him for his ego, for some of his human rights record and for a certain cult of personality, but you're treading on dodgy ground if you look at most of his domestic policies.

 

Oil exports increased from $14.4bn in 1999 to $60bn in 2011

And fancy that, the rich got ****ed off and left the country along with the multi-nationals so Venezuela could control the profits from it's own oil.

Crazyness eh?

 

His biggest achievement was creating a progressive South American alliance which has allowed countries to stand up to the IMF and World Bank and refuse their blackmail loans that require the recipient to privatise all profitable industry in to the hands of multi-nationals (ie the west), a sure fire way to ensure that your people stay poor whilst rich foreign nationals get rich.