Venezuela
I wish to address Ray Fulcher's concerns ("Write On", GLW #629) regarding my article in Socialist Worker detailing my all too brief stay in Venezuela. For the record, the article described an all too brief visit to Venezuela I made recently which also included the awesome experience of May Day in Caracas. Now, while I am an unashamed admirer of Chavez and supporter of his political project, I still feel the need to offer criticism.
While socialism is very popular in Venezuela at the moment, there is no political movement actively fighting for it. Chavez himself has categorically stated that he and his movement are not striving for proletarian revolution or a classless society.
Chavez will always be guaranteed my solidarity while he is continuing his fight against US imperialism and the sadistic levels of poverty in Venezuela. However, I will continue to call for the creation of a political movement with a serious commitment to socialist revolution to challenge Chavez and the MVR for the support of the Venezuelan working class.
Oh, and "these people" do get very excited by seven-figure attendances at May Day marches, but not so excited that sober and realistic analysis of the situation is bypassed.
Adrian Wright
Kogarah, NSW
CPSU picket
Twelve months ago (June 9, 2004) there was an unprecedented action by a number of Newcastle-based Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) members — a picket of the union's office in Sydney protesting the removal of a Hunter-based organiser and office. This action was a result of a campaign to save a unionist's job, in opposition to the CPSU national management. This action was a result of the local membership not being consulted or listened to despite the intervention of three local MPs and the collection of 500 signatures on a petition.
Twelve months later, the Newcastle CPSU membership can reflect on the arrogance and ignorance displayed to them by the CPSU in the lead-up to the leadership elections. We can only hope that a new leadership team will display the true strengths of unionism — such as accountability to and support of members — rather than behaving like just another corporate body. Who would have thought that a union would completely restructure itself in isolation of its membership?
The challenge is there for a new CPSU leadership team to come forward and lead us out of the current mess.
Steve Tonks
CPSU member and Newcastle delegate's committee secretary
Newcastle, NSW
Respect coalition
The discussion on "What next for the Socialist Alliance" in GLW #629 revealed a misplaced conception on the character of the British Respect coalition. It seems there is a general consensus that Respect is a united electoral front. It is easy to understand why this may be the perception, but it conceals the fact that Respect is a work in progress that has taken on a new dynamic since May 5.
Respect was formed 18 months ago to transform the historic successes of the Stop the War Coalition into an electoral breakthrough for the left.
The founding convention and first national conference established the program on which Respect would fight first the European and local elections in June 2004, and then the general election in May 2005. A program essentially the same as that of the now defunct Socialist Alliance. During this phase, Respect was a unity coalition focused on these two key elections. The fantastic results last month have changed everything.
At the victory rally both John Rees and George Galloway, straight off the plane from Washington, called for Respect to become a fighting, campaigning, militant mass membership organisation that leads local struggles.
For Respect to achieve the post-election vision outlined by the leadership it must develop the democratic structures and internal political life necessary to involve thousands of people in militant political struggle. This perspective has started to be implemented with ward meetings beginning to elect officers and discuss local campaigns. This will transform Respect into much more than a united electoral front, regardless of how it is characterised by those inside or outside of it.
If it wasn't clear before it is blindingly obvious now, the task for socialists in England is to build Respect into a mass working-class party that unites all the militants to the left of Labour.
Julian Coppens
Hackney Respect and Socialist Resistance
London, England
BHP
The time for concessions on royalties for BHP is long past its used by date. Yes, we sandgropers are grateful that BHP built the roads, rail and ports to exploit our iron. Now it is time to return the royalties to those to whom they belong, we the Western Australian people and particularly the first owners of our land. As long as we have appalling rates of infant mortality, babies born with foetal alcohol syndrome and brain damage caused by glue and petrol sniffing, Aboriginal unemployment and gross inequality we cannot let a minority of shareholders benefit from what belongs to us all.
The Venezuelan people's revolution under Hugo Chavez, which raised their country's oil royalties from an appalling 1% to a more respectable 30%, has shown the world what can be done with good government. These royalties now pay for health and education for all rather than a privileged few. BHP cannot be trusted to introduce the ante natal care, nutrition and training and employment required to lift the Aboriginal people from their disadvantage. The mines have been operating for over 50 years yet the disadvantage faced by Aboriginal communities has got worse, not better.
I call on the Western Australian government to publish the royalties paid by all those exploiting our mineral and oil wealth so the people can have a say in how they are spent. Legitimate profits are to be made from downstream processing of resources, not by giving away our dirt.
Dr Colin Hughes
Glen Forrest, WA
From Green Left Weekly, June 22, 2005.
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