Ominous overtones III...

It's been a while since I last posted on Venezuela but I thought with Hugo's outburst today about the Falklands (not for the first time), which are in the news again - Kirchner's games earlier this week meeting with a cool reception, not the birthday present she wanted - merited a mention, not that Hugo the Clown's speech was all about the UK but he does tend to lurch from one thing to another when he starts waffling: during a cabinet meeting today he burst out with:

"Hasta cuándo Inglaterra pretenderá, rompiendo con todo el derecho internacional, violar los principios básicos de la geografía. Vayánse de ahí"..."A los ingleses se les agota el petróleo del Mar del Norte y están desesperados. Los yanquis también están desesperados"

[my translation] "How long does England [sic] aim - breaking all international Law - to violate the basic principles of geography. Get out of there!"... ... "North Sea Oil is running out for the English and they're desperate. The Yankees also are desperate"

Interesting that both in the article from El Universal, and Chavez, use 'England' and not 'Britain'...Update: although in later reports, i.e. HERE they are using Reino Unido (United Kingdom)

Anyway, that wasn't why I was posting; the reason was that the article is about military excercises taking place with the "peasant militias" (Something I've touched on before, when they were springing up in every city a few years ago) and Hugo stating that 'we will not attack anyone, we are only preparing more and more - and better - for the overall defense of the Republic.'...Yep. Or maybe there's another reason: by coincidence the Venezuelan government has vociferously decried the military coup in Niger; getting a little nervous Hugo?

Update: the Chavez/Falklands thing now being reported as a story in its own right with the militia story secondary.