This will have a knock on effect on the cost of oil worldwide - they sell mostly into the U.S. market, meaning the U.S. will be buying more from the Middle East. Oil wells are high maintenance, once they are neglected, it takes several years to get production up again. Like Obama, people who cheer Chavez on, may in time regret what they wished for.

lmao? What f*cking age are you? Jesus Christ.


@Thac, I've already stated that I don't agree with the nationalization of private Enterprize, except where it concerns national resources. I've already stated that I hope he is removed from power sooner rather than later and I've showed great concern in the past for the power granted to the role of President in Venezuela, less because of Chavez himself but because of what may come after. I'm not engaging in an idealogical debate, my post addressed three issues.

The use of the word 'evil'. It's a word which has no real meaning and is akin to the description of your enemy as a barbarian. It's use is lazy and those who use it to describe ANYONE are cretins.

The implication that the nationalization of private enterprize was dictatorial rather than simply idealogical.

That he isn't a dictator. I don't rule out that he may become one, I would say that there is in fact a great danger he will become one at some point, but as yet he is not.

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LULZ
The cake is a lie!

We still have time for some Chavez type action when it comes to our natural resources... there are 3 existing petroluem leases for areas off the Irish coast, the rest are exploration licences. If enough people become active on the 'giveaway' of our natural resources, we can put pressure on the goverment to change the terms and conditions to ensure that the Irish state actually benefits from its own oil and gas. Our natural resources can and must benefit our country, it's down to us to do something about the giveaway

Does 'evil' exist?
It is just hair splitting to suggest Chavez is a proto-Dictator. This is the same megalomaniac who ordered the clocks go forward by thirty minutes.

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Mass Immigration - Not in my name
You might be a liberal if you donate €50 to Haiti Relief but won't give 50 cents to homeless Irish

Sadly thats not true. Many socialists, active ones with a sense of realism and conscience, have already abandoned support for Chavez. Not out of any basic idiological differance, but because of the fatal flaws at the heart of his plan (as I outlined in my previous post). In short, the "Bolovarian revolution" will not come to pass under the stewardship of Chavez.

Cronyism and inequality are the hallmarks of Chavez. He has tied his own hands. He cannot knock heads together to increase production in vital economic areas, because all the people with their hands on the levers of economic power are his loyalists and appointees. He cannot afford to alienate them (yet).

As he increases centralised power, he is also running out of people to blame for his won goverments meriad failures.

You will note that a great many (nearly all) of Chavez cheerleaders cannot argue the merits of Chavez without invoking some sort of external relativism. Last year this got to the stage of excusing Chavez human rights record because GW Bush did something simular. So Chavez is no better than the most reviled US president in recent history? A shakey argument to say the least and not exactly a ringing endorsement of the man or his policies.

This is most common when seeking to have a debate about the nuts and bolts of the Venezuelan revolution, ie economics - that which Chavez has made central to his power grabbing. Chavez supporters simply cannot engage on the subject - the stark and darkening reality is just too much to bare.

From that link:
Wow, so should we factor this increased productivity due to the half hour into Venezuelas economic performance? Thats make it even worse! lol.

We do it here, pete2. Its called daylight saving.

The hysterical hatred of Chavez and Morales and the amount of bilge spouted about them is encouraging. Its a symptom of frustration, I think. The US has thrown every trick in the book at them without success.

I'm in no way unaware of Chavez's faults, and there are many. But I know too many people in Caracas who have been lifted out of unimaginable poverty, been given a chance of life, after decades of being oppressed by right-wing American-backed plutocrats who simply plundered the country, to fall for the 'he's an anti-democrat' schtick. Yes, it's possible that at some point in the future he could chance his arm to get such powers, but there's no evidence of that at all yet, and his own supporters would rise against him if he did. Yes also, he is in danger of over-reliance on oil, and needs to use oil revenue as a platform on which to build an alternative economic model. But none of that is the point. The point is that in Venezuela, as in Latin America generally, politics is polarised on a 'you're with us or against us' basis. And there is no viable sane and non-fascistic alternative to Chavez in Venezuela. Certain people here are very careful not to mention all the very good things he has done in health, education, and so on, and also not to mention that he has the backing of the people, democratically. The choice really is between him and a nasty junta of right-wing fanatics who would have the poor there, particularly the Amerindian and mestizzo poor, put back in the slime. Until something better comes along, Chavez is by far the best option.

Venezuela has daylight saving also. On a whim Chavez just decided to put the clocks forward.

This is how dictators act, on a whim. It caused massive confusion amongst the population caught up in the dictators power web.

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Mass Immigration - Not in my name
You might be a liberal if you donate €50 to Haiti Relief but won't give 50 cents to homeless Irish

How can a dictator be democratically elected and put himself up for re-election? What kind of dictator abides by the results of plebiscites that go against him? What a pile of right-wing sh1te.