After a week’s worth of protests against the closing of RCTV, Hugo’s PR campaign kicks in: Chavez supporters back TV closure by marching in Caracas, and the The Guardian has a letter signed by prominent Brits who say that,
What is truly amazing is that it has taken five years for the Chavez administration to take action in any way against media that helped carry out this coup
Belmont Club notices how this line is echoed by many,
You would have thought they were singing from the same scoresheet, but maybe they just see things the same way.
My own personal opinion is that anyone would have to be a fool or on the Left not to recognize an incipient tyrant in Hugo Chavez. That does not necessarily mean that his opponents, like the owners of RCTV are honest or upstanding men. They may very well be thugs. That doesn’t change the fact that Hugo Chavez is a thug as well. But it seems clear to me that the Left’s criteria for judging fascisms is entirely partisan. Although they use such words as “democratically elected” or “legitimate” to justify Chavez, none of these words are really operative, except as protective coloration. What matters is that he is “their guy”. He is their thug. Principle, clearly on the Left and possibly among conservatives too, runs a far second to belief.
Meanwhile, Daniel in Venezuela aks, Fiasco at the Chavista march? Take a look at the picture
The one on the left is from Globovision, which Chavez is now suing, and the one on the right is from the new TVes, which replaced RCTV.
Here, the Chavéz TV.
Look at the signatories of the Guardian Letter: those are not prominent Brits, those are silly lefties. Not even lefties, silly lefties. A true blue lefty, so to speak can get my respect if they hold a certain coherent line, but those in the Guardian are just quite the bunch, you know…
Let’s start with Julia Buxton who is now a paid for “researcher” for Chavez. Look at her latest text in Open Democracy and se how easily ti got trashed by the comment section.
Look at Rod Stoneman whose movie “the revolution will not be televised” has been exposed as a twisting and outright manipulation that tries to pass for a documentary. We are still waiting for any correction or explanation of the historical propagandist distortions.
And therer are 16 others whose name are not published. Well, considering that we also find Tony Benn in the first tier, nbo wonder they are not published.
Btu the worst of it is that Julia Buxton, a “researcher” signs a letter that says that 90% of the media in Venezuela is owned by the private sector. This is simply a lie, a deliberate lie. Unless of course she considers that VTV, ViVe, ANTV and Telesur are privately owned by Chavez……