inb4 shitstorm

LOL, why didn't you send the North Koreans their condolences when Kim Jong-Il kicked off...

Oh. Right. No Internet in a "1984" state.

(Cry havoc and let slip the dogma of Marx, Putin...yes, a very, very bad adaptation, but, hey, I'm just so overwrought with sadness on this, the day of Chavez's continued regime!)

@ Santa

I couldn't care less what Putin thinks of Venezuela. I happan to know a lot of Venezuelans and as such have a certain affinity with the place. A lot of close friends are very upset that they have to put up with another six years of cack-handed government.

He won a democratic election - more people wanted him in than out... ¡Viva la revolución!

@ SD

He did, and they did, but it is nothing to celebrate. In a time in which Venezuela should be enjoying a golden age of prosperity and growth on the back of unparalled oil prices, Chavez has somehow managed to make Venezuela the worst economic performer in the region. The only thing he's got going for him is that he's marginally better than the truly insane bunch of nutcases that went before him.

Venezuela deserves better. A lot better.

Chavez is, in my opinion, a good leader that has helped the poor, not just in his own country, but throughout the world.

I love how people in western countries praise systems like the Cuban and Venezualan ones and then live happily ever after... in their own western nation. :-)

Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the USA, one of the best healthcares in the world, and was/is the only country to get a score of 0.8 or higher on the UN HDI whilst polluting at an environmentally sustainable rate. boom.

And yet you see so few Americans on little boats going to Cuba than vice versa. boom.

The Escualidos are pissed. Percentage of people living in poverty went from 48% in 2003 to 28% in 2012 (extreme poverty went from 30% to 12%). I'm sure those are the 'Venezuelans' austerity lovers like Octavious are talking too. It says something that Venezuela is so "bad" that even the rightwing opposition now campaigns on a platform of keeping the social programs, because they know damn well they are popular.

Keep on whining Escualidos. Your hatred for democracy when you lose is very telling. Maybe your imperialist buddies in London & Washington will try and orchestrate a bloody coup again. Wouldn't be the first time.

"And yet you see so few Americans on little boats going to Cuba than vice versa. boom."

Dutch neoliberals love Operation Peter Pan. Their idea of human rights.

Pat yourself on the back, neoliberals, people in your countries have to attend school in lowly Cuba in order to gain medical degrees used to help the poor. Your countries are such beacons of light.

http://www.alternet.org/story/145523/americans_are_learning_medicine_the_cuban_way

Throughout the world? You mean like when he decided to use Venezuela's wealth to subsidise London's public transport? The man craves publicity like a reality TV contestant and would rather use Venezuela's money to make himself look like a player on the world stage than to help his people.

Yeah, the conditions of the poor have improved somewhat, but nowhere near as much as they should have. Other left wing governments in South America, most without anything like Venezuela's oil revenue advantage, have made huge strides forward in recent years. Venezuela has limped along using its oil to prop up its poor economic choices, and the day the oil starts to run out they face disaster. The worst thing about Venezuela is the often violent polarisation of left and right politics, and under Hugo's leadership this has grown ever more vile and putrid.

And now they look forward to six more years of this... A sad day.

Thanks Putin, these are very interesting articles. I guess whereas their economic and political system is very bad, they managed to produce good doctors. Doctors being crucial to a healthy society, it's very well possible that we learn from the Cubans in this area.

Is there anything similar you'd recommend we learn from the Venezuelans?

*that's a very interesting article.

Right, extreme poverty and overall poverty is reduced by massive numbers, women's rights have never been more protected, health clinics in the barrios are expanding, and Octavious sits here with a straight face claiming Chavez hasn't invested in his own people. Proof that no amount of lies will be told to villify any government that dares stand up for ordinary Venezuelans.

And yes let's blame Chavez for the fact that your beloved opposition orchestrated a coup against Chavez in 2002 and blatantly shoots at pro-Chavez demonstrations. Obviously the polarization of the left and right has nothing to do with the rich being apoplectic at the idea that their days of lording over the impoverished masses of Venezuelans are over.

Are you even reading my posts today, Putin? You're arguing against points I never made again :p

Is there anything similar you'd recommend we learn from the Venezuelans?

Yes, we can learn from their having the most egalitarian and feminist constitution in the world, their barrio clinics, and their neighborhood councils.

http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/877
http://www.venezuelasolidarity.org/?q=node/294
http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/1715

It is a bit of a side issue, but it's amazing how such a feminist constitution exists in a country that is, culturally speaking, amazingly sexist. In fairness it could be that this is simply because the consitution hasn't yet had enough time to make much of an impact, but on the face of it it seems remarkably similar to the US's seperation of church and state and its addiction with mixing religion and politics.

Did you even read the article I posted about the advancements made by women under this 'terrible' government? Of course not.

http://bolivarianperspectives.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/womens-cooperatives-within-the-bolivarian-revolution/

Good God, no. It's huge. I skimmed as far as "Non sexist magna carta" and stopped to glance at the "About Us" section to see who writes on the site. A bit too much left wing bias for my tastes, I fear.

And does Octavious know the name of the rich plutocrat he wanted to win the election?

Does he know what he stands for?

http://venezuelanalysis.com/blog/tamara/6834

"A bit too much left wing bias for my tastes, I fear".

Of course, we can't let facts get in the way of your histrionics and rightwing propaganda.

Interesting, very interesting. We are dealing with exploding health costs in Holland, if the solution is to bring part of the medical sector back under government control I'm all open to that. And I'd be open to the idea of the VVD being completely wrong in that area. It's worth further study.

You've got me there, Putin, I don't like him either. But I'd rather he a chance than watch another six years of certain poor performance under Hugo.

You're article is pretty innacurate on the coverage of the election by Western media, by the way. You hardly hear a thing about it in Britain, be it pro or anti-Chavez. "the mainsteam Western media are like bees to honey" is quite possibly the biggest exaggeration I've heard this year.

Certainly not the first time they'd be wrong on anything by the way. Anyways, back to work.

Octavious, here ya go:
http://reason.com/archives/2012/10/07/what-has-hugo-chavez-done-for-venezuela
So who's right, reason.com or venezuelanalysis.com ? :-)

I have had far too much experience with the gross inaccuracies of random left wing articles on the internet to have any enthusiasm to pick through them in search of the occasional fact. Its just not worth it. At least with right wing propaganda the lies tend to be blatently obvious and easy to ignore.