By Arthur Shaw

Over 60 percent of the Venezuelan people support socialism as a system that guarantees economic development, said Juan Scorza, director of the International Consulting Services (ICS).

The ICS carried out an opinion poll on the preferred economic system on January 23 among 1,200 people in major Venezuelan cities. ICS is a well-known liberal bourgeois research firm which often finds in favor of the revolutionary government and Pres. Hugo Chavez. Since there have been 15 major elections during the 14-year existence of the revolutionary government headed by Hugo Chavez, ICS is usually correct in its research findings, given the fact that the revolutionary forces and Hugo Chavez have won all but one of the 15 major electoral contests.

The ICS study also found only 21% of the Venezuelan people prefer capitalism. The Venezuelan reactionaries… who like to call themselves the “opposition” … may feel uneasy about this 21% popularity of capitalism, because this 21% implies that about half of Venezuelan reactionaries now have qualms about capitalism since reactionaries traditionally own about 40% of the Venezuelan electorate. The revolutionary forces should make “socialism or capitalism” a key issue in the October presidential election this year. That is, whether Venezuela will continue on its socialist path or will the country veer off course toward capitalism.

The ICS study found that an astonishing 80% of the Venezuelan people support “the missions.” The “missions” are social programs in health care, nutrition, education, housing, etc. that by-pass the government bureaucracy in their administration. Much of the government bureaucracy is infested with treacherous, corrupt, and incompetent middle class and bourgeois elements. In the main, competent left wing political forces … namely, anarchists, liberals, populists, progressives, and socialists, etc. … administer “the missions.”

Given the 20 point difference in popularity between socialism (at 60%) and “the missions” (80%), the Venezuelan people may believe the more popular “missions” are entities relatively independent of socialism. If so, the revolutionary forces must make the preservation or the destruction of “the missions” another key issue in the October presidential election. That is, whether Venezuela will keep or lose “the missions.”

Check out this link to a study guide for Marx’ Capital from the UK:

http://www.northdevoncommunists.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32:karl-marx-capital-any-edition&catid=2:book-reviews&Itemid=4

Check out this link for an interesting article about the worker’s struggle in South Africa:

http://www.wftucentral.org/wp-content/2012_12_14_announcement_secretariat_new-africa-regional-office.pdf

If you cannot open this link, go to:

WWW.WFTUCENTRAL.ORG

CGTP-IN/PORTUGAL INFORMS
GIGANTIC DEMONSTRATION
GREAT CONGRESS OF UNITY AND ASSERTION OF THE NECESSARY STRUGGLE

1- On the past Saturday, 11th Feburary, we held in Lisbon a gigantic demonstration in which more than 300 thousands workers from the entire country participated, under the motto “No to exploitation, inequalities and impoverishment”. This powerful demonstration was a magnificent response of the Portuguese workers to the policies of austerity, economic recession, social and civilisational regression and attack on the Portuguese workers’ rights and gains, which are contained in the measures of the Troika’s aggression and interference programme, aided and abetted by the ultraliberal proposals of the Portuguese government.

Meanwhile, the struggle will be stepped up and already on 29th February, the CGTP-IN will be promoting, in the framework of the European day of action, events in all our country’s regions, under the motto “Against austerity, exploitation and poverty – for jobs, salaries, rights and public services”.

In March, we already have on our agenda several protest and struggle actions, namely on 8 March (International Women’s Day), 28 March (National Youth Day), with initiatives taking place in companies and enterprises. On 31st March there will be a big national youth demonstration.

2- We recently held the International Trade Union Conference and CGTP-IN’s 12th Congress, from 26 to 28 January 2012.
More than 110 international trade union organisations from all continents replied positively to CGTP-IN’ invitation, by directly attending or sending solidarity messages to these important events. Presence and messages that were a strong expression of internationalist solidarity, giving an extremely important contribution to the success attained by these initiatives.

The International Trade Union Conference, with the motto “the international crisis – impacts on employment and on labour and social rights – trade union response”, was attended by 250 participants (around 90 international delegations and 160 Portuguese trade unionists). There were approximately 40 speeches, with important contributions on the theme and with expressions of solidarity with the struggle of the Portuguese workers and of other countries.

On the 27th and 28th we held CGTP-IN’s 12th Congress, which was a crucial moment of the Portuguese workers’ organisation and struggle, specially because of its fighting, determined and unity spirit.

The congress was attended by 870 delegates from all the country, including from non-affiliated unions.

The congress adopted constitutional amendments, the action programme, a Chart of Demands with immediate claims for the 2012-2016 term of office, as well as several resolutions and an international motion.

The congress carried out a profound renewal of the leadership – 54 new members out of 147 National Council members (the council was elected with around 95% of the cast votes). Having met at the end of the congress first day, the National Council elected a new General Secretary – Arménio Carlos – with more than 80% of the cast votes, as well as the Executive Board and the Secretariat. No alternative lists were presented for any of these bodies or for the position of General Secretary.

Already after the congress, the new executive bodies adopted their internal organisation structure for the next 4-year period (annex 1).
Fraternal trade union greetings,

Augusto Praça
International Secretary
CGTP-IN Executive Board

The new antilabour draft agreement of the IMF, the World Bank and the capitalists being thrown back to the government and the EU by the WFTU General Secretary and Greek Communist, Member of the Parliament, George Mavrikos (Greek Parliament, 12.02.2012, Published in the Guardian, New York Times, Deutsche Welle, El Periodico)

Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/12/greek-mps-bailout-deal

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/02/13/world/europe/13greece3.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/world/europe/greeks-pessimistic-in-anti-austerity-protests.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Deutsche Welle: http://www.deutsche-welle.com/dw/article/0,,15738494,00.html

El Periodico: http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/internacional/parlamento-griego-vota-hoy-acuerdo-con-troika-1408961

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El borrador del acuerdo antiobrero del FMI, el Banco Mundial y los capitalistas es lanzada a la cara del gobierno y la UE por el Secretario General de la FSM, Comunista griego Diputado del Parlamento, George Mavrikos (Parlamento Griego 12.02.2012, Publicado en The Guardian, New York Times, Deutsche Welle, El Periodico)

Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/12/greek-mps-bailout-deal

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/02/13/world/europe/13greece3.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/world/europe/greeks-pessimistic-in-anti-austerity-protests.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Deutsche Welle: http://www.deutsche-welle.com/dw/article/0,,15738494,00.html

El Periodico: http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/internacional/parlamento-griego-vota-hoy-acuerdo-con-troika-1408961

Athens, February 13th,2012

Dear comrades,

We send you the 2nd Issue of PAME’s magazine, “WORKERS COUNTERATTACK”, which is published by the Secretariat of International Relations of PAME in English and next week, we will also have it available in Spanish.

http://issuu.com/pamehellas/docs/counterattack2_english?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222

In this Issue you will find information to the heroic struggle of the steelworkers, who are on strike for more the 100 days. To support their struggle, PAME has called a campaign for financial support of the strikers and their families.

Furthermore, the very important meeting of trade unionists from Europe, that took place with the initiative of PAME, in Athens, on December 15th, for the coordination of the class forces in Europe.

Finally, comments on the logic of class collaboration, as expressed by the GSEE in Greece, but also by other organisations internationally, as well as the various activities of PAME in Greece and in international level.

The magazine’s contexts are from December 2011-January 2012.

Next week, we will have also available the magazine in Spanish.

The Secretariat of International Relations

Check out this link to a video of a speech by Sam Webb:

http://cpusa.org/making-change-by-looking-at-the-world-as-it-is-marxist-methodology-10/

Please send in your comments on this speech, positive, negative, indifferent. We will gladly post them. Let’s have a discussion.