As in Greece with its "new socialists," the Bolivarian "revolutonaries" in Venezuela have decided it's better to starve the people than to repudiate the international debt.
Chavez's "socialism" was nothing other than an iteration of the oft-repeated and always failing strategy of "sowing the oil" to create a dynamic economy. Didn't work then, doesn't work now. Oil production for export is simply the pre-formation of a tourist-driven economy-- the product, producers, and reproduction of non-development. The economic footprint of the industry is so huge that the level of support it requires exhausts the rest of the economy, deprives the society of any basis, of sufficient resources to enhance productivity in other sectors. "Black gold," my ass. Tar pits, sucking down flesh, bone, and blood is more like it.
So while the "left" salutes, or bemoans, Syriza's loyalty, or betrayal, in its allegiance to the EU and paying its debt; and while the "left" repeats the salutes, with fingers crossed, for a Britain led by its government of the posh + punters + toffs + tossers to remain in that international association for the advancement of capital, it should keep one hand free for applauding the righteousness of the Bolivarian revolutionaries.
Meanwhile, I've seen the Bolivarian future, and it looks a lot like Greece dancing to the music of the gaitas and guacharacas. The shelves are empty, pero bailar mis queridos. Cumbia, Cumbia!
Chicha, mis queridos! It won't be long until the tanks are rolling, your rich dig up a new Pinochet, and the light at the end of the tunnel is just a white phosphorous round coming your way,
S.Artesian
June 21, 2016
Salud companero!
ReplyDeleteWhat size post-its do you use? Because with my handwriting this would barely fit on an A4 page!
In any case, since you bring up Pinochet, I'd like to ask whether you know anything about the more interesting aspect of the parallel: revolutionary proletarian response to the crisis.
I just read this
http://dialectical-delinquents.com/articles/uncategorised/hidden/chile-1960s-to-1973/
which, alongside 'The Battle of Chile' (especially the 3rd film) really gives a vivid flavour of how rich a moment in the global revolutionary movement this situation really was.
As far as the crisis is concerned there are certainly similarities between the Allende years in Chile and Venezuela today -- the revolt of the bourgeoisie and its role in imposing shortages, the leftist government, and the massive drop in state income from a fall in commodity prices (now oil, then copper).
What I'd like to know is whether anything like the autonomous self-organised response to the crisis is developing in Venezuela as was the case in Chile? Leftist press like Counter-punch mention a small amount of urban farming and that type of thing but nothing else, bourgeois press mentions massive looting but nothing else. What are the famous grass-roots proletarian organisations that supposedly swept Chavez into power doing now? From what I gather most of them are now more like paramilitary rackets in a mafioso system of patronage than anything else...
Hasta la victoria
S
Saludos,
ReplyDeleteI don't know of anything that's functioning in Venezuela as the cordones functioned in Chile, against the bourgeoisie's lock-out/strike.