With Special Guest: TEMIR PORRAS, Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Vice-Minister
A National conference on how Venezuela is Defending the Majority, not Punishing the Poorest
Saturday 16 April, 10.00–5.00pm
Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL
REGISTER TODAY! Online here
where you can also buy special offer tickets for the day and evening Celebration of Venezuela..
With special guests from Venezuela:
• Temir Porras, Venezuela’s Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
• Andreína Tarazón, youth & student leader of Hugo Chavez’s United Socialist Party
• Juana Garcia, Venezuelan Women’s Ministry and representative of INAMUJER (National Women’s Movement)
• Jacobo Torres, Trade union leader, Bolivarian Workers’ Force
• Samuel Moncada, Venezuelan Ambassador, former Minister of Higher Education in President Chávez’s government
• Henry Suarez, Venezuelan historian, author of US Interventions in Latin America
Other participants in numerous Q&As, seminars and workshops to include:
• Seumas Milne, Guardian columnist
• Jody Mcintyre, journalist & student activist
• Richard Gott, Author, Hugo Chávez & the Bolivarian Revolution
• Bernard Cassen, Le Monde Diplomatique former Director General & Memoire Des Luttes (French Solidarity NGO) General Secretary
• Hugh O’Shaughnessy, writer & journalist
• Rod Stoneman, Executive Producer, Revolution Will Not Be Televised
• Billy Hayes, CWU General Secretary
• Maria Beatriz Souviron, Bolivian Ambassdor
• Guisell Morales-Echaverry, Chargée d’Affaires,Nicaraguan Embassy
• Colin Burgon, Labour Friends of Venezuea
• Jeni Vine, Filmmaker, Venezuela – Land of Many Missions
• Jenny Jones, Green Party London Assembly Member
• Pablo Navarrete, journalist & filmmaker, Inside the Revolution
• Doreen Massey, Emeritus Professor of Geography at Open University
• Cat Goss, British student at the Bolivarian University in Caracas
• Gail Cartmail, TUC International Development Spokesperson
• Jennie Bremner, Venezuelan National Assembly elections observer
• Terry Hoad, UCU President-elect
• Michael Derham, Author, Politics in Venezuela – Explaining Chávez
• Francisco Dominguez, Latin American Studies, Middlesex University
• Barry Cannon, Author, Hugo Chávez & the Bolivarian Revolution: Populism & Democracy in a Globalised Age
• Kanja Sesay, NUS Black Students’ Officer
• Tony Burke (AGS), Erica Carotenuto & Tommy Murphy, Unite-GPM Sector, on the Building Links & Solidarity project
• Diana Raby, Author, Democracy & Revolution
• Enrico Tortolano, Tribune contributor & PCS researcher
• Sara Motta, Co-Editor, Social Movements in the Global South – Dispossession, Development and Resistance
• Lee Salter, Journalism Policy & Practice Research Group, UWE
• Linda Perks, UNISON Greater London Regional Secretary
• Richard Ascough, GMB Southern Regional Secretary
• Doug Nicholls & Marie Taylor, Unite – Community, Youth & Not for Profit Sector
• Cat Smith, Vice-Chair, London Young Labour
• Andy Bain, TSSA President
• Ken Cole, writer, The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas: the last putting themselves first
• Mike Cole, author, Racism & Education in the UK & US : Towards a Socialist Alternative
• Kelly Hockley, Secretary SERTUC Young Members’ Network
• Emily Morris, writer, Cuba (World In View)
• Maggie Bowden, Liberation
• Steve Hart, Regional Secretary, Unite London & Eastern Region
• David Winters, Organiser of Britain-Venezuela teacher exchanges
• Ed Spring, Caribbean Labour Solidarity
• Karen Mitchell, Thompsons Solicitors
• Jose Villa, Latin American Workers United
• Lindsey German, Coalition of Resistance
• John Haylett, Morning Star
• Dave Mathieson, Unite NEC/member of union delegation to Venezuela
• Michael Wayne & Deirdre O’Neill, Filmmakers, Listen to Venezuela
• Matthew Brown, Editor, Simon Bolivar: the Bolivarian Revolution
Topics to include:
• Saving lives through building a national health service
• Transforming lives through free education for all
• Youth & students at the heart of the revolution
• Venezuela’s economy – protecting living standards during recession & future challenges
• Social inclusion through music – the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra
• Women leading progressive change in Venezuela
• Latin America, the Caribbean, ALBA & the rise of the Left
• US Intervention – a bloody history & still a threat
• Telling the truth about Venezuela – Challenging media hostility
• Who is the Venezuelan Opposition? A record of repression & social exclusion
• Venezuela, Latin America & the challenge of climate change
• Venezuela & the struggle for global justice
• The challenges ahead in the run-up to the 2012 Presidential Election
• Plus film showings & eyewitness accounts of revolutionary social programmes
In Venezuela, Hugo Chávez leads one of the most progressive governments in the world, showing the tremendous difference to lives governments can make when they put people first. They are also exposing the lie that there is no alternative – choosing to protect public services and social inclusion despite being hit hard by global recession. The inspiring results of these policies can’t be overstated.
In just over a decade, free health care has been extended to 20 million people, saving 100,000s of lives. Infant mortality is down and life expectancy up. Government policies have seen extreme poverty and malnutrition both halved. By creating free education for all, millions have learnt to read and write for the first time and record numbers of students are now attending university.
These progressive policies have been endorsed in free and fair elections time and time again. But they face huge opposition from a tiny but powerful minority, who ran the oil-rich country into the ground in the decades they held power, as well as their allies in Washington. Come and hear in-depth and first-hand accounts of this inspiring social progress and what we can do to offer support.
This event is directly followed by a celebration of Venezuela with a 2 course Latin dinner, music, special guests & cocktails at Bolivar Hall, Grafton Way, London, W1T 5DL.
Conference attendees are entitled to buy a discounted ticket to this event – please add £15 to your payment. The cost is £20 if only attending the evening event and you can buy single and combined event tickets from the VSC website.
Prices include postage
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