LATIN AMERICA 2010 THIS WEEKEND - REGISTER NOW AT WWW.LATINAMERICACONFERENCE.ORG.UK

From VSC:

Unite is amongst supporters of the annual Latin America Conference taking place this Saturday (December 4) at Congress House from 9.30am - 5.00pm.

Keynote speakers from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolviia, Honduras and Ecuador will address this must-attend event.

Please find below an article by former MP Colin Burgon - Vice-Chair of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign - on why at this time of economic crisis, our solidarity with progressives in Latin America is more important than ever.

Mass movements show the alternative to failed neo-liberalism

The recent election in Brazil of Dilma Rousseff of the Workers’ Party in the second round of the presidential elections was welcomed by those on the left all over the world
by Colin Burgon

Friday, November 26th, 2010 - http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2010/11/mass-movements-show-the-alternative-to-failed-neo-liberalism/

The recent election in Brazil of Dilma Rousseff of the Workers’ Party in the second round of the presidential elections was welcomed by those on the left all over the world.
Ms Rousseff won by 56 per cent to 44 per cent, with 55,752,483 votes, and will take office on January 1 as the first woman president of the country. Elections to Congress – and state legislatures – also produced welcome outcomes for the PT which, along with coalition allies, increased their representation and for the first time took control of the Senate.
This is the case not only in Brazil but elsewhere in the continent. There has been a steadying of support for the progressive coalition in Argentina.
In Bolivia, the governing Movement Towards Socialism led by Evo Morales won again in April’s regional elections.
And in Venezuela’s National Assembly elections while – against a backdrop of 12 years in power, worldwide economic recession and emboldened opposition – President Hugo Chávez’ PSUV did not poll as well as in some previous elections, it remained the party with the biggest support and a majority of seats.
Indeed, it was with the election of Hugo Chávez in 1998 that the response to neo-liberalism was unleashed, subsequently creating a “pink tide” of governments throughout the region.
Around the world, the Washington consensus experiment failed the majority of people and this was especially clear in Latin America, where millions were thrown into poverty.
First, the Chávez government, and then others, put forward a different model, combining economic interventionism, control of natural resources and redistribution to improve people’s lives.
These changes were deeply resented by the previous ruling elites in those countries and by those forces internationally that support, and benefit from, neo-liberalism.
In 2009 and 2010, there have been signs that such forces are fighting back. In particular, the successful military coup against Honduras’ elected President Manuel Zelaya was a stark warning that social progress should not be taken for granted.
Forces hostile to the progressive government of Rafael Correa in Ecuador kidnapped and tried to oust (and kill) the president through a “police revolt” in September.
However, this time – as in Venezuela in 2002 – the plotters were not successful, with the people going onto the streets to demand the return of their president and sections of the army ensuring his safe release.
Although, when elected, Barack Obama professed the need for “a new start” to relations the United States has with Latin America, the actions of the US military indicate no clear break from the policies of the George W Bush years, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in particular hostile to the Chávez government.
The danger to progress in the region is therefore very real. The aforementioned coups also need to be seen against the backdrop of a new US militarisation of the region, including the resurrection of the US military Fourth Fleet.
In a time of global economic crisis, we should learn from the mass movements in Latin America that there is an alternative to neo-liberalism and develop practical ways of supporting them.

* Colin Burgon is chair of Labour Friends of Venezuela and vice-chair of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign. He is speaking at the Latin America 2010 conference at Congress House on December 4, which Tribune is supporting. For more information and online registration: www.latinamericaconference.org.uk