The Venezuela Information Centre (VIC) held a packed fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth on Monday 24 September 2007. Its theme was ‘Venezuela: Democracy and Social Progress’.

Speakers at the meeting were: Temir Porras, Chief of Staff in the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, Ken Livingstone, Colin Burgon MP (Chair of the Labour Friends of Venezuela), Julia Buxton (academic and leading expert on Venezuela), Gemma Tumelty (President of the National Union of Students) and Tony Benn. The meeting was chaired by Graham Goddard, Deputy General Secretary of Unite-Amicus.

Ken Livingstone referred to the London-Caracas oil deal, which had so far benefited 30,000 Londoners. He said that it was a further example of Venezuela’s recognition of the need to adopt an international approach to resolving problems. He reminded the audience that accusations of President Chavez being a dictator were a tissue of lies; Hugo Chavez had won a series of elections with increasing majorities and this was the result of his achievements over 10 years and not the product of spin doctors. “What Venezuela has done with its oil is a lesson for the rest of the world and the global style lies in the media must be challenged” he said. He was “proud of the oil deal and proud that President Chavez chooses to work with us”.  His staff had returned from visits to Venezuela energised at the enthusiasm and commitment they encountered at all levels of society. President Chavez, he continued, was an example of a leader who recognised that their first duty was not the preservation of their own position but how they use the wealth of their nation to benefit all their people.

Temir Porras thanked the Venezuela Information Centre for giving him the opportunity to address the meeting and said that he wanted to stress that the Bolivarian revolution was unusual in being a constitutional revolution. This had arisen from a new constitutional framework which provided the means for achieving social justice. Every fundamental step since 1999 had been approved at the ballot box. He said that he was convinced that it was only through a constitutional and democratic revolution, with a deepening of democracy that gave power to the people, that you could achieve true socialism. He outlined some of the proposed constitutional changes and said that they were aimed at deepening social and democratic changes in Venezuela. They would be submitted to a national referendum  in December. He said that he was amazed at what was being said about Venezuela in the international media, particularly accusations that Hugo Chavez was aiming to establish a lifelong dictatorship. The constitutional reforms, if approved, would strengthen participatory democracy and invest community councils with real powers and finance. Social and democratic rights would be further guaranteed and the working day would be reduced to 6 hours to allow workers more time with their families, for education and to participate in society through the newly created democratic structures. Temir said that solidarity with its’ neighbours was also very important to Venezuela. He asked how a socialist oriented government such as his own could challenge war elsewhere in the world without addressing problems existing in its’ own continent. It was for this reason that President Chavez had agreed to act as an intermediary in attempting to resolve the long-standing civil war in Colombia.

Gemma Tumelty commended VIC for its role in informing NUS members about the inspiring changes taking place in Venezuela. She reported that on her recent trip to Venezuela she had seen at first hand the social progress being made. She observed that the Venezuelan constitution guaranteed equality between men and women and, uniquely, recognised that housework was work thus qualifying many women for benefits and pensions for the first time. These changes had “massively transformed the lives of women”. She referred to the formation of the ‘National Institute for Women’ (Inamujer) whose work ensured that gender was a mainstream part of all Venezuelan society. The Women’s Development Bank (Banmujer) was also the only one of its kind in the World.

Colin Burgon said that in Latin America, but particularly in Venezuela, we were seeing a challenge to neo-liberalism. He observed that the turnout at the meeting, where there was standing room only, was testimony to the inspirational nature of the alternatives being formed in Venezuela. It was heart-warming to see that neo-liberalism was being so effectively challenged in Venezuela. Colin reported that he had recently returned from a visit to Venezuela and said that he had witnessed an active participatory democracy of the type we should be seeking in the U.K . He was anxious that we should not be wringing our hands in a few years time over a defeat of socialism in Latin America and quoted Salvador Allende’s speech on the day of the coup; “I have faith in Chile and it’s destiny, and one day other men will overcome this grey and bitter moment when treason tries to impose itself. May you always know that, much sooner than later, the broad avenues along which free men walk to build a better society will be open again”. Colin said that “ Cuba has held that avenue open and down that road now go the masses of Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela. Long may it continue”.

Julia Buxton said that the Venezuelan government was seeking to consolidate and advance its’ programme of radical social transformation, deepening the initiatives introduced between 2002 and 2006 which have created participatory democracy.  She thought it important to keep sight of the impact that these changes were having within Venezuela and across Latin America. In particular, the U.K government (DFID and the FCO) could learn many lessons from the poverty eradication impacts of the Venezuelan social agenda. The Missiones demonstrated a cradle to grave welfare model. Poverty had been reduced from 60% to 30% and this represented a radical transformation in a tremendously short period by a government that had inherited “corrupt and sclerotic institutions that did not function”. There was such abundant independent evidence of the improvements in the human development indicators that even the World Bank had acknowledged it.  The Venezuelan government had done a remarkable job of transforming social and economic opportunities and of delivering meaningful change to the people. 20% of Venezuela’s GDP was dedicated to welfare provision. Julia said that the success of the Missions “ is that they have been delivered through communities”.  Community Councils were transforming the lives of Venezuelans. They represented a completely different model of democracy; one that was radical and participatory. This was not popular with the US and the UK and their media coverage had been appalling. Accusations about Hugo Chavez changing the constitution to enable his re-election made no reference to the recall referendum which allows for the removal of any elected representative at any time. Venezuela was uniquely positioned to craft a neo-liberal alternative and was advancing very rapidly in building that alternative. Julia felt that we all had a lot to learn from Venezuela and should do everything possible to persuade the UK government of the need to engage with it.

Tony Benn said “What excites me about Venezuela, apart from what they are doing for themselves, is what they are doing for me. It opens up hope at a time when we are told it’s all hopeless, that it’s all over and it’s hopeless. Then you (indicating Temir) do it”.  He referred to how inspired he had been by the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra and said that they had demonstrated that classical music was now by the majority for the majority. He concluded by saying “ I feel that in Venezuela something is happening that will have an impact on all our lives. I am grateful to the Venezuelan people and to Hugo Chavez for the best news I shall have all week”.

Graham Goddard, speaking on behalf of VIC, said that he hoped the meeting would inspire people to continue building links with Venezuela and would encourage the Labour Party to discuss Venezuela. He urged individuals to demonstrate their solidarity with Venezuela by joining VIC and hoped that more unions would affiliate their local and regional branches to VIC to ensure that the message of the progressive nature of socialism and democracy in Venezuela would reach every workplace. 

The meeting was kindly sponsored by UNITE.

A delegation from Venezuela organised by VIC made a successful visit to the TUC Congress in Brighton in September, at which  the British trade union movement re-affirmed its support for the advances in democracy and social progress taking place in Venezuela.

Félix Antillano and Ronald Ramos, Executive Committee members of the SINTRALCASA (Aluminium Workers’ Union) addressed a well-attended fringe meeting and held bilateral meetings with Labour MPs, representatives of numerous trade unions, the National Union of Students and others. They  explained the latest developments in Venezuela and the need to  build on the positive links  that have been established with the British trade union movement..

Speaking at Monday’s fringe meeting Venezuela: Advancing Democracy and Social Progress, organised by VIC and supported by Thompson’s Solicitors, Félix Antillano explained that the reality of Venezuela today was very different from that portrayed in much of the Western media. For example, whilst much press coverage in Britain has sought to portray President Hugo Chavez as authoritarian or even a ‘dictator,’ democratic participation has greatly increased in recent years. Venezuela is now a real, participative democracy; with  locally-based community councils to be given more powers and rights for women, lesbian and gay people, indigenous communities and others being enshrined in the constitution for the first time.

The Venezuelan government is combining this strengthening of democracy with a continued pursuit of policies to increase social justice. Félix explained that since President Chavez’s re-election in December 2006, new policies have reversed privatisations of key utilities and services and further expanded the ‘social missions’ which are bringing free healthcare and education to all.

The meeting, chaired by Karen Mitchell of Thompsons, was also addressed by Colin Burgon MP (Chair, Labour Friends of Venezuela) and Steve Davison (Joint Chair, Joint Executive Committee, Unite)  who both reported on their recent visits to Venezuela. Other speakers were Joni McDougall (International Solidarity Officer, GMB) and Graham Goddard (Deputy General Secretary, Unite – Amicus Section), representing the breadth of support for Venezuela in the British labour movement. Gordon Hutchison, VIC Secretary, concluded the meeting by emphasising the importance of continuing to challenge media misrepresentations and the need to encourage the Labour government to adopt an independent and positive policy towards Venezuela.

On Thursday, Congress passed Motion 76 proposed by the Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU).  Mick Shaw, FBU president, moving the resolution, spoke about the leadership role that Venezuela is playing internationally, particularly among Latin America nations, through pursuing different policies which offer an alternative to neo-liberalism -- promoting equality and social inclusion and strengthening workers’ rights and conditions. The profits from its oil revenues were now being used to benefit the majority of its people.  

Speaking to the part of the motion that read “Congress deplores the attempts of the US administration to meddle in the internal affairs of the Venezuelan people, National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) General Secretary Steve Kemp noted that the current “propaganda war” against Chávez was part of international efforts led by the Bush administration against Venezuela’s democratically elected government, as most starkly illustrated by the April 2002 failed coup attempt.

As Felix and Ronald explained  to TUC delegates and others throughout their visit, it is vital that we continue to offer our solidarity to Venezuela, raising awareness of the significant social transformation taking place in that country, rebutting media misrepresentations and working to  strengthen   links  between Britain and Venezuela.