[Marxism] The Battle for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela

[dave.walters at comcast.net]

A lengthy and detailed analysis of the PSUV and how it works, tendencies, politics, etc from 
a staff writer for venezuela.com is posted on their web site. Gives a good overview of 
the PSUV and what it all means.--David Walters
Abstract from the article:
"There are certainly pressures that act to obstruct the open articulation of differences within the
 PSUV. Central to this is the fact that politics in Venezuela is viewed largely through the
 dichotomy  of Chavistas vs. anti-Chavistas, hence the overwhelming emphasis on unity. There
 are also bureaucratic elements that exploit Chavez's popularity and immense political authority
 to consciously impede full democratic debate. 
 
"Chavez himself has often compounded these problems by declaring that all those who don't
 join the PSUV are "counter-revolutionary," as well as saying that the PSUV will be the party
 of government, meaning that bureaucrats and opportunists of all stripes have jumped on board
. And although he has called on "all currents of the Venezuelan left" to become part of the
 PSUV, he has said they cannot maintain themselves as separate organizations. 
 
"Similarly, the repeated assertions by officials on the PSUV promoters' commission, such as
 Jorge Rodriguez and Lina Ron, that there are "no currents and factions," and "only unity"
 behind Chavez, can only serve to obscure underlying differences. 
 
"However, despite this there are in reality a myriad of radical left groupings organizing within
 the PSUV. These include; the majority of the most class-conscious workers from all the union
 currents that organize in the National Union of Workers (UNT), including the majority of 
C-CURA (whose rank and file workers agitated for and voted to go into the PSUV, while 
a smaller section around Orlando Chirino stayed out), the Revolutionary Front of Workers 
in Occupied and Co-managed Factories (FRETECO), and the Ezequiel Zamora National Campesino Front (FNCEZ). 
"As well as a number of small parties, including the majority of the former Party of 
Revolution and Socialism, who organize around the paper Marea: clasista y socialista, 
 the Liga Socialista, the Revolutionary Marxist Current, and other groups such as 
the Tupermaros, radical Bolivarian currents, liberation theologians, individual workers, 
 intellectuals, students, community, indigenous and social movement activists, and numerous 
non-aligned Chavez supporters. Chavez has also reiterated his call for the Venezuelan
 Communist Party and Homeland for All to join the ranks of the PSUV. "
Full:  http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2939