One year after the
revolutionary events in Oaxaca, Mexico, the movement has erupted again. The
Mexican ruling class thought they had put an end to the movement with a wave of
repression, but they were wrong. The underlying problems that provoked the
movement have not gone again. See also in Spanish.
The ruling class of El Salvador is gearing up
for major class battles. Feeling the heat of the Latin American revolution, and
finding itself in a weak position, the state has moved to intrigues to launch a
dirty war against the left of the FMLN.
In September last year the
Conservative party came to power in Sweden. Now Swedish workers have a tough
fight ahead of them to defend the remnants of the Swedish welfare
state. Should the next general election return a Conservative
government, British workers would do well to study the Swedish
experience.
Alan Woods was recently interviewed by the Humania del Sur magazine, published by the Universidad
de Los Andes, in Mérida, Venezuela. They asked him his opinions about the Bolivarian revolution
unfolding in Venezuela
today, touching on questions such as freedom of the media, the stage the
revolution is at, and the need to complete the revolution.
Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State last week launched another frontal attack against the Venezuelan Revolution by criticising Venezuelan government’s decision not to renew the broadcast license of RCTV, the television channel that was involved up to its neck in the Washington-backed coup of April 2002.
Hands off Venezuela recently interviewed CMR (Revolutionary
Marxist Current) activist Yonie Moreno about the current situation in
Venezuela. Yonie discusses a range of issues, from the question of the PSUV to
the question of workers' control and the struggle at Sanitarios Maracay.
The non-renewal of the broadcasting licence to private TV
station RCTV in Venezuela
has been used by the oligarchy and imperialism to unleash the coup-plotting
campaign they were unable to launch at the time of the December 3rd elections.
Despite all the hue and cry over "freedom of expression" the real aim of the
oligarchy in Venezuela
is to create a situation of chaos, violence and confusion.
In
the advanced capitalist countries people take water almost for granted, or at
least they did until recently. Now more and more of us have to pay huge bills
for our water. In the underdeveloped countries, however it is much worse, with
over one billion having no access to safe water. Water will become a source of
class conflict, as the experience of Bolivia has confirmed.
John Pilgers first outing as a documentary film-maker covers the revolution which is taking place in Latin America, despite US imperialisms attempts to wreck a process that is bringing hope to countless ordinary peoples everyday lives.
Chavez has announced sweeping measures of nationalisation. This represents a big step forward for the Venezuelan revolution and would be a serious blow against capitalism and imperialism. Big enemies are lining up to stop this process, the most dangerous being inside the Bolivarian movement itself. It is now time to go all the way and put an end to capitalism in Venezuela and spread the revolution to the rest of Latin America.
In his weekly TV programme Aló Presidente, broadcast on Sunday April 22 from Urachiche in Yaracuy, president Chávez advised all Venezuelans to read and study the writings of Leon Trotsky, and commented favourably on The Transitional Programme, which was written by Trotsky for the founding congress of the Fourth International in 1938.
In January, Chavez said he defended the line of Leon Trotsky's theory of the Permanent Revolution. But how does this theory, developed in 1905, relate to what's happening in Latin America at the present time? Yesterday 40 people packed the NUJ Headquarters in London to find out. Alan Woods, author and editor of the In Defence of Marxism website was invited to speak at the Hands Off Venezuela meeting to explain the theory and it's relevance today.