Independents 4 Change TD Clare Daly tweetz:

Fake News is alive & well about #Venezuela. Don’t believe the lies. Come to the public meeting on Thursday 7.30 Pearse Centre…

Meanwhile…

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43 thoughts on “Fact-Finding

  1. Jake38

    Come hear how the country with the largest oil reserves in the world was turned into an economic basket case and its population reduced to penury by corruption and socialism.

    1. eoin

      Come along tomorrow Jake, and you’ll hear about how US sanctions on the Venezuelans (who’ve had the cheek to democratically elect socialist leaders for two decades) are hammering the country into the ground. Maybe also learn about Goldman Sach’s $2bn bet on overthrowing Maduro and having a Washington-backed stooge like Guaido installed to govern in the interests of the US.

      https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-goldman/amid-venezuela-default-goldman-receives-hunger-bond-payment-sources-idUSKBN1HH36H

    2. andy

      PDVSA was milked by the govt for social projects etc.
      Much of its oil is heavy crude (needs more refining) and difficult to extract.
      Lack of funds left over for reinvestment in assets.
      Capital equipment deteriorated – extraction & refining capabilities limited.
      Oil price collapsed partly due to US shale.

      There was corruption well before the socialists took over. In fact, its part of why & how the socialists took over. Problem is they were no better.

        1. andy

          Care to list any of these sanctions which have brought PDVSA/Venezuela to where it is today?
          Up until recently nearly all sanctions were aimed at the foreign wealth & assets of top officials and blocking their access to Visas.

      1. eoin

        Even if that were true, is the answer a US invasion supported by the likes of Ireland.

        If this was about morals, then the US would have invaded Saudi Arabia long ago (9/11, the torture and killing of Jimmy Khashoggi in Turkey by agents acting for the Saudi leader, etc, etc).

        If this was about humanitarian issues, then the US would have deployed in Libya long ago to clean up the mess that the USA made when it toppled Gaddafi; instead US oil companies are making out like bandits in the south of the country while the ordinary people are literally sold in slavery. Also, the US would withhold weapons and support for Saudi in the atrocities carried out right now in Yemen.

        We only have to look at Haiti where the US toppled the democratically elected Aristride in the 2000s and replaced him with an array of world-class corruption.

        1. johnny

          Smurfit-one FG’s favorite “irish” companies has Michael been canonized yet….
          They just took a 1.2 Billlion hit or write off…

          “Tony Smurfit, chief executive of Smurfit Kappa, told Sky News: “We are furious what happened in Venezuela.”

          Think of the children, who does this remind you off…

          “One of the saddest parts of it all was that we had a school where we were looking after 180 kids, which we’ve had to abandon, it’s terrible.”

          https://news.sky.com/story/ftse-100-packaging-giants-anger-over-venezuela-seizure-11636524

          1. eoin

            “The Group has initiated international arbitration proceedings to protect the interests of its stakeholders and seek compensation from the Government of Venezuela for its unlawful actions.”

            https://www.smurfitkappa.com/newsroom/2019/smurfit-kappa-full-year-2018-results

            Love to see the breakdown of the $1bn Venezuela hit when the accounts are published in a couple of months . Was it goodwill? Forward booking of profits on contracts? Hope not, the Venezuelan govt accuses SK of price fixing.

            But it’s not about the $1bn compo though, it’s truly ’bout the 180 kids.

  2. Rep

    MSM is totally biased! Here is an article from totally unbiased John Pilger showing the complete opposite!

    Any reports on Venezuela seem to have no middle ground. It all seems to be completely from the POF of either side. Very difficult to get an idea of what it is actually like on the ground.

  3. Lilly

    ‘When asked why she filmed only an opposition march, the BBC reporter Orla Guerin tweeted that it was “too difficult” to be on two marches in one day.

    ‘A war has been declared on Venezuela, of which the truth is “too difficult” to report.’

  4. Rufty

    All foreign journo that have reported any negative stories have been kicked out of the country. Scores of local journos have been imprisoned.

    Yet our hard left continue with the lie that there’s “nothing to see here…… all’s great in the wonderful socialist paradise of Venezuela.”

    Get real!

  5. eoin

    Fair play to Click to organising this. Thanks to a Washington-beholden RTE and government, we’re not getting independent reporting on Venezuela. Remember Coveney’s announcement recognising Guaido as president.

    “I join other EU Member States in acknowledging and supporting Mr. Juan Guaidó, President of the democratically elected National Assembly, as President ad interim of Venezuela, in order for him to call for free, fair and democratic presidential elections.”

    It took Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan to expose the reality of what Guaido is. He didn’t even contest the presidential elections last year, elections which were certified as fair by the Carter Centre (nobel prize winner, Jimmy Carter’s organisation). Guaido is just the speaker of the Venezuelan parliament, like Sean O’Fearghail in Ireland. How would Sean feel if other countries demanded he be installed as president? Last month, Deputy O’Sullivan actually asked him!

    “Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan: A Cheann Comhairle, perhaps you as speaker here would like to proclaim yourself President at some point and expect the rest of Europe to recognise you.

    Ceann Comhairle: I am okay where I am.”

  6. Junkface

    I’ve lots of John Pilger reporting to read later. I think everyone needs to know exactly what is going on in Venezuela. People are dying now, thousands even died under Chavez, I don’t think everything was as rosey as the left thought, but under the incompetence of Maduro it has gotten 10 times worse. I just don’t understand why any leader would nationalize the food industry. Its disastrous!

      1. Junkface

        Go watch Chavisimo! That documentary was made by the people of Venezuela who lost brothers, sisters, children, parents to military murders, snipers at opposition marches all during the Chavez years. Thousands went into exile long ago for a reason. It was never a socialist utopia.

        You sound like Jeremy Corbyn by the way.

        1. f_lawless

          The full title of that documentary is “Chavismo: the scourge of the 21st Century”. Do you really believe that, with such a hyperbolic title, its going to present the viewer with an honest and balanced representation of what’s been happening in Venezuela? I’ve yet to watch it, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I suspect it doesn’t cover the millions lifted out of extreme poverty; illiteracy eradicated; millions of subsidised homes built for the poor;etc. These are undisputed facts.
          And it wasn’t made by “the people of Venezuela”. It was made by Gustavo Torrar, who according to journalist Max Blumental, has been directly involved in the molding of Guaido – in 2010 he was part funder of a seminar (which Guaido attended) on violent destabilisation techniques. Torrar also has family connections to the oil industry in Venezuela, according to the article.
          https://thegrayzone.com/2019/01/29/the-making-of-juan-guaido-how-the-us-regime-change-laboratory-created-venezuelas-coup-leader/

  7. b

    that john pilger article is some dose, cheerfully reporting staged managed events, pictures of him happily meeting Chavez – that’s not journalism

    this is line is nonsense too “It is too difficult to report the collapse of oil prices since 2014 as largely the result of criminal machinations by Wall Street” – only a fool would believe there ‘wall st’ has the power to keep oil prices down against the wishes of the OPEC nations. If Venezuela can’t function at 60 dollars a barrel it’s economy was fupped in the first place

  8. Zaccone

    Maduro’s government isn’t a socialist government, its a corrupt government. Its bizarre that our local socialists still stand by him, when doing so only damages the socialist brand massively.

    Whatever about media coverage in the West, how do they explain the millions of refugees who’ve left Venezuela to escape to the rest of South America? They aren’t leaving because they disagree with the glorious socialist economic revolution, they’re leaving because the economy has been run into the ground. And they’re easy to find yourself, if you spend any time in Colombia, Peru or countless other countries – no need to rely on the mainstream media’s opinions.

      1. Zaccone

        I’ve been to Colombia and Peru in the last year and met Venezuelan refugees personally, and heard some pretty awful stories. I place more faith in their first hand experience of the horrors of living under Maduro than I do in either Clare Daly’s blind ideological support, or the mainstream media’s coverage.

        1. jusayinlike

          Ive been to Venezuela twice and put more faith in what I’ve seen than any CIA talking points offered by war criminals John Bolton, Elliot Abram’s or Marco Rubio.

        2. Johnny Keenan

          I was talking to people from Longford and Athlone about the burning down of a hotel in Rooskey in relation to a racist attack or not.
          I’m not really getting the full story. I’m sure you see my point Z.

          1. Zaccone

            @Johnny Keenan The point being that you apparently lack reading comprehension? I was talking to Venezuelans in Peru and Colombia, as I mentioned.

            @jusayinlike when were you there? Where were you? How was the situation when you were there?

            To be clear here, I absolutely agree the mainstream media is pushing a certain narrative. In particular the “this is evidence that SOCIALISM=BAD” one, which is completely baseless. But the economic situation on the ground in Venezuela really is a catastrophe. Its possible to observe this for yourself by even visiting any neighbouring countries in the region and seeing the fallout. Nevermind the reports that are out there of independent observers actually going to Venezuela, or taking the risky decision to go yourself.

            Maduro’s faults are his corruption and incompetence, not his socialism. The only people arguing that everything is OK in Venezuela at this stage are pushing as biased a narrative as the Americans with their anti-socialism, just from the opposite end of the spectrum.

          2. jusayinlike

            I was in Caracas in 2005 and 2010, both were for leisure, and in conjunction with visits to many neighbouring countries in South America.

            The worst poverty I saw was in Columbia and northern Mexico. Mexico City was also a lot more dangerous than Caracas.

          3. b

            oh great. you were on holiday somewhere 10 years ago and now you’re an expert?

            let me tell you about US republicans cos I did my J1 during the Bush administration….

          4. jusayinlike

            I was there twice you moron, aswell many other latin countries, I saw firsthand how the people rallied around Chavez and how proud they were of him.

            Compare that to Mexico or Argentina or Columbia where corruption is properly rife.

            But your just sort because I called you an idiot for parroting CIA talking
            points and not having a clue what you’re talking about.

            Try harder.

          5. b

            yes you were there as a tourist twice, 9 & 14 years ago. also when its economy was swimming in 100 dollar oil price money. oh, and you’ve also watched some YouTube videos

            you don’t have any insight to start lecturing people. Please stop

          6. jusayinlike

            Venezuela has been under US sanctions since 2001 you moron. There has never been $100 bills floating around in the wind there.

            You clearly haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.

            Troll harder slack jaw

          7. jusayinlike

            How is Maduro incompetent?

            Both the military and the people support him over US stooge guido..

        3. f_lawless

          @Zaccone isn’t the danger that you’re letting your opinion be formed by listening only to the anecotal stories of middle class Venezuelans without having heard from the poorer classes who are in the majority and by and large support the Bolovarian revolution despite the hardships?
          You seem to be unaware that the US and its allies have been waging an economic war on Venezuela for the past two decades. How can any truly objective assessment of the government’s performance be made under those conditions?
          UN rapporteur, Prof. Alfred de Zayas, went there in 2017 and observed that
          “(apart from government policies, there are) multiple factors affecting the crisis one must also consider 1) the century-old dependence on the sale of petroleum and the devastating effect of the sharp fall of oil prices , 2) the cumulative effect of 19 years of economic war conducted against the socialist regime, comparable to the measures adopted 1970-73 against the government of Salvador Allende in Chile and in the 1980’s against the government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, 3) the financial blockade, comparable to that suffered by Cuba since 1960, and 4) the effects of the economic sanctions imposed since 2015, which have immensely aggravated the scarcity of foods and medicines, caused serious delays in distribution, and triggered the phenomenon of mass emigration to neighbouring countries.”
          https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/14044

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