Re: Venezuelan Crisis

Originally Posted by
Richardbouvet
I imagine we are all noticing the same thing. 3 countries (Ukraine, Venezuela and Thailand) where elected governments are in the process of being swept out of power by mass street protest, but in none of these cases is it coming from the left.
I know least about Thailand, but in the other 2 instances, it is the neoliberal world order which seems to have the street power behind it.
Greece is a possible counter-example, but there the popular movement has fizzled out and austerity seems to have won the day.
This is not what was meant to happen. I despair.
It's not new. The idea that only the left and the working class go onto the street is not true. I posted this morning on the thread on the Ukraine on some examples. Hitlers thugs took to the streets and he relied on mass public events. The CIA used mass protest behind which they installed the Shah and deposed a democratic government in Iran. Colour revolutions were the same. The Egyptian protests agains the Muslim Brotherhood were full of Mubarak supporters, of the middle and wealthier classes, as well as others in a state of political confusion.
The left and the working class is numerically the strongest and if they take to the streets have a good chance of winning out. When they have no leadership or a leadership that is programmed to shoot itself in the foot, then the danger of the right as a fascist movement comes in. That is exactly what happened in Germany. The left is at a disadvantage as it appears that what they offer is a difficult road if a social revolution and transformation of society is to be achieved. The media daily works at rubbing in the message that the left is to be feared. The far right does not advertise itself as radical - it puts itself up as the saver of the nation, or some such, - while it prepares behind the scenes to end democractic rights, end press freedom, end trade union rights and crush opposition to market - led destruction of living standards.
“ We cannot withdraw our cards from the game. Were we as silent and mute as stones, our very passivity would be an act. ”
— Jean-Paul Sartre
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