Venezuelan Marxist speaks in Glasgow

On the 31^st of May, Hands off Venezuela and our comrades at Scottish Socialist Youth organised a joint meeting in Glasgow to kick off the Venezuelan Marxist Jose Antonio Hernandez's speaking tour of Scotland. Jose is a member of both the International Marxist Tendency and the Revolutionary Socialist Youth in Venezuela. The packed room of 45 seemed eager to hear what he had to say, and there was a feeling of anticipation in the room as he prepared to speak. These numbers were especially good, considering there was an SSP meeting taking place in Glasgow at the same time. It was a fantastic opportunity for all attending to hear about exactly what was happening on the ground in Venezuela. 

Jack Ferguson (SSY national organizer) introduced the meeting, before Jose spoke about events in Venezuela. Jose opened by saying that "The Bolivarian Revolution is born out of the contradictions of capitalism in Venezuela." He was animated in describing life in Venezuela before the revolution, and talked of the inflation that caused the original uprisings there. He spoke of Chavez's rise to power, and about his moves towards socialism, and all he has done to help the Venezuelan working class. His speech finished rather aptly with the Karl Marx quote, "Workers of the World unite!"

A long question and answer session followed, with questions ranging from the general feel in Venezuela, to specific issues such as the wages for housewives initiative. People were very interested in hearing his answers to their questions, as it is a rare opportunity to be able to talk about Venezuela to someone who has been working within the revolution there.

After the meeting, the mood was positive, and I can't help but think this was more than just a meeting: it was a kick-starter for some action.