LABOUR MP John McDonnell demanded that the Brown government make "a choice between democracy or oligarchy" at the weekend.
At Saturday’s Hands Off Venezuela national conference in London, he
condemned new Labour’s ongoing hostility towards Venezuela and pledged
to make solidarity with the Bolivarian revolution an issue that "no MP
would be allowed to dodge."
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack roused the 200
activists present when he attacked the hypocrisy of the British
government in accusing Venezuela of corruption last week.
He recalled the recent privatisation of Ministry of Defence research
division QinetiQ, which saw senior managers pocketing some 20,000 per
cent profit.
Conference approved five motions, including one on the forthcoming
constitutional reform, which condemned international media smear
campaigns and "economic sabotage" by capitalist states.
Delegates also blasted the recent "biased and misleading" This World
programme on BBC2, presented by journalist John Sweeney, which quoted
claims by pressure group Transparency International that Venezuela is
the second most corrupt country in the Americas.
But new Venezuelan ambassador Samuel Moncada rubbished this smear,
pointing out that this index was based solely on the opinion of local
businessmen and that the group’s local board members included plotters
who were involved in the abortive 2002 coup.
National Union of Journalists general secretary Jeremy Dear announced
the launch of a new "mediawatch" action group which would span the
English-speaking world.
