Orinoco obeisance...

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Multiple elections doesn't equal democracy

Any regular reader will know how I feel about 'mi segunda patria' but so often others put things so well all I need do is link: if you believe for a second that Venezuela is a democracy or that the many elections prove it is the people's will then read THIS from Anabella Abadi and Barbara Lira at the ever-excellent Caracas Chronicles.



"Busting the myth of democracy in Venezuela": "equating multiple elections with the existence of a democratic state has been a key message of the Central Government for the past 15 years. In fact, elections –an average of 1.3 per year since 1999- have been used to justify all of the Central Government’s acts, and to answer to criticism about its political model. But, are elections the only element of a democracy?" [aqui en español ].

Orinoco obeisance...

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Multiple elections doesn't equal democracy

Any regular reader will know how I feel about 'mi segunda patria' but so often others put things so well all I need do is link: if you believe for a second that Venezuela is a democracy or that the many elections prove it is the people's will then read THIS from Anabella Abadi and Barbara Lira at the ever-excellent Caracas Chronicles.

"Busting the myth of democracy in Venezuela": "equating multiple elections with the existence of a democratic state has been a key message of the Central Government for the past 15 years. In fact, elections –an average of 1.3 per year since 1999- have been used to justify all of the Central Government’s acts, and to answer to criticism about its political model. But, are elections the only element of a democracy?" [aqui en español ].

Odd Ows opposing oppositions...

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When is one 'revolting public' not the same as another? In every case I expect but two situations in the current news cause contrary and entirely different reactions in me: in burning Ukraine I am concerned that - once again - the whole story isn't being told - Raedwald says it better: "Wicked, cruel and corrupt President outed by righteous populace and beautiful princess rescued from prison; democracy reigns, prosperity arrives, the Sun shines and all the people are happy runs the myth. The truth is rather more grey, much murkier and full of those inconvenient moral dichotomies that intrude into real life." And, concurring again "And contrary to expectations, it's the Mail that carries the most prominent narrative counter to the fairy-tale being told by the BBC" about the 'political earthquake': Ukraine and especially Crimea is so much more than just an area between Russia and the West (NATO/EU/US). 



And as Europe and most of the world watches Ukraine, in Venezuela the situation takes a similar road for very different reasons. There are similarities: the burning scenes, the street protests, the deaths, the useless Insulza (and OAS) playing the part of the useless Ashton (and EU) but in Venezuela there is almost a communication hegemony, rampant crime, 'war-zone' murder rates, near zero Accountable Government and Delivery of Justice [PDF, 1 page], longer and bigger blackouts, queues for food staples, record bond yields (telling the tale and belying Krusty Lite's ridiculous blaming of anyone and everyone for propaganda and sabotage) and the ever-powerful local armed militias - now as ominous and obvious as they were then -to name a few of the major differences. The image from some of yesterday's demonstrations:  El pueblo se mueve...



In Venezuela the case is clear for a people's uprising, in Ukraine it is not...IMHO.



Update: interesting debate on HuffPost Live (in English), originally aired the night before the 22nd Feb protests (image); Ahmed Shihab-Eldin does a good job as mediator!



Update 2: Brendan making sense of the Ukraine situation HERE.

Odd Ows opposing oppositions...

---

When is one 'revolting public' not the same as another? In every case I expect but two situations in the current news cause contrary and entirely different reactions in me: in burning Ukraine I am concerned that - once again - the whole story isn't being told - Raedwald says it better: "Wicked, cruel and corrupt President outed by righteous populace and beautiful princess rescued from prison; democracy reigns, prosperity arrives, the Sun shines and all the people are happy runs the myth. The truth is rather more grey, much murkier and full of those inconvenient moral dichotomies that intrude into real life." And, concurring again "And contrary to expectations, it's the Mail that carries the most prominent narrative counter to the fairy-tale being told by the BBC" about the 'political earthquake': Ukraine and especially Crimea is so much more than just an area between Russia and the West (NATO/EU/US). 

And as Europe and most of the world watches Ukraine, in Venezuela the situation takes a similar road for very different reasons. There are similarities: the burning scenes, the street protests, the deaths, the useless Insulza (and OAS) playing the part of the useless Ashton (and EU) but in Venezuela there is almost a communication hegemony, rampant crime, 'war-zone' murder rates, near zero Accountable Government and Delivery of Justice [PDF, 1 page], longer and bigger blackouts, queues for food staples, record bond yields (telling the tale and belying Krusty Lite's ridiculous blaming of anyone and everyone for propaganda and sabotage) and the ever-powerful local armed militias - now as ominous and obvious as they were then -to name a few of the major differences. The image from some of yesterday's demonstrations:  El pueblo se mueve...

In Venezuela the case is clear for a people's uprising, in Ukraine it is not...IMHO.

Update: interesting debate on HuffPost Live (in English), originally aired the night before the 22nd Feb protests (image); Ahmed Shihab-Eldin does a good job as mediator!

Update 2: Brendan making sense of the Ukraine situation HERE.

Obnubilation obloquy: official...

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As usual not much can be read into the Wythenshawe and Sale East by-election; UKIP did come second as most were predicting and are set to make many more headlines in the Euro elections in May...but what is so shocking and a dire reflection of the state of hoi polloi is their almost total lack of participation in how and who runs the country: it is woeful when you read the figures: yes turnout is low at by-elections but here less than 2 in 10 people turned up to vote (1.63).  Total turnout was a little over 28%, around 24,000 votes BUT postal votes accounted for over 10,000. 72% didn't vote: the winner got about 15% of the electorate. Classy.

Now, 42% of votes in this by-election being postal votes is nowhere near a record (58%!) but it does increase the worry: seven years ago it had already been going on too long (yet another New Labour shit-fest we are stuck with for over a decade) but was largely deemed to be a problem in certain cities and certain 'communities'; however, political campaigns and improving situations and 'events, dear boy, events' mean nothing if half the electorate are already hard-wired in having already voted. Corruption, 'Banana Republic', 'inherently unsatisfactory', gross manipulation, abuse of the system...end it now!

Obnubilation obloquy: official...

---

As usual not much can be read into the Wythenshawe and Sale East by-election; UKIP did come second as most were predicting and are set to make many more headlines in the Euro elections in May...but what is so shocking and a dire reflection of the state of hoi polloi is their almost total lack of participation in how and who runs the country: it is woeful when you read the figures: yes turnout is low at by-elections but here less than 2 in 10 people turned up to vote (1.63).  Total turnout was a little over 28%, around 24,000 votes BUT postal votes accounted for over 10,000. 72% didn't vote: the winner got about 15% of the electorate. Classy.

Now, 42% of votes in this by-election being postal votes is nowhere near a record (58%!) but it does increase the worry: seven years ago it had already been going on too long (yet another New Labour shit-fest we are stuck with for over a decade) but was largely deemed to be a problem in certain cities and certain 'communities'; however, political campaigns and improving situations and 'events, dear boy, events' mean nothing if half the electorate are already hard-wired in having already voted. Corruption, 'Banana Republic', 'inherently unsatisfactory', gross manipulation, abuse of the system...end it now!

Orange oncology...

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Intravenous vitamin C produces millimolar ascorbate concentrations in blood and tissues killing cancer cells without harming normal tissues...so says new work published in the journal Science Translational Medcine on Sciencemag. This is another study that would seem to support Linus Pauling - the only person to be awarded two [unshared] Nobel Prizes and one of only two people to be awarded Nobel Prizes in different fields who also has the supreme plaudit of the fact that in 1931, when Albert Einstein was asked what he thought of Pauling's work "The Nature of the Chemical Bond", he apparently shrugged his shoulders and said "It was too complicated for me". Pauling reported that vitamin C given intravenously was effective in treating cancer, this was back in 1971 (of course this was not without its critics). The BBC reports. Now one would ask why not much has been done since but we're told 'pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to run trials, as vitamins cannot be patented'. Ah-ha, money. Cure cancer, sure, but not for free.

Orange oncology...

---

Intravenous vitamin C produces millimolar ascorbate concentrations in blood and tissues killing cancer cells without harming normal tissues...so says new work published in the journal Science Translational Medcine on Sciencemag. This is another study that would seem to support Linus Pauling - the only person to be awarded two [unshared] Nobel Prizes and one of only two people to be awarded Nobel Prizes in different fields who also has the supreme plaudit of the fact that in 1931, when Albert Einstein was asked what he thought of Pauling's work "The Nature of the Chemical Bond", he apparently shrugged his shoulders and said "It was too complicated for me". Pauling reported that vitamin C given intravenously was effective in treating cancer, this was back in 1971 (of course this was not without its critics). The BBC reports. Now one would ask why not much has been done since but we're told 'pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to run trials, as vitamins cannot be patented'. Ah-ha, money. Cure cancer, sure, but not for free.

Omnipresent opposition...

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Labour lies...[The Spectator]

More Labour lies...[Trending Central]

One thing has been pissing me of for over a decade and that is how Labour affiliates, partners, members, supporters and associates have filled almost the Civil Service and every quango, organisation, think-tank, public body, committee and fake charity. Even since the last General Election the Labour 'stay-behind-army' are omnipresent in the running of UK plc. Only 15 months ago it was suggested that this obvious opposition started with Crash Gordon's 'secret army' but the left hand graph shows how warped Blair made the 'balance'. This has to be sorted but it is now clear to one and all that the wet Coalition are not the ones to do it.

Omnipresent opposition...

---

Labour lies...[The Spectator]

More Labour lies...[Trending Central]

One thing has been pissing me of for over a decade and that is how Labour affiliates, partners, members, supporters and associates have filled almost the Civil Service and every quango, organisation, think-tank, public body, committee and fake charity. Even since the last General Election the Labour 'stay-behind-army' are omnipresent in the running of UK plc. Only 15 months ago it was suggested that this obvious opposition started with Crash Gordon's 'secret army' but the left hand graph shows how warped Blair made the 'balance'. This has to be sorted but it is now clear to one and all that the wet Coalition are not the ones to do it.