A. A Spanish one who used to be prime minister, once upon a time:
That’s Felipe González, right of centre, plus a whole lotta unsavory Venezuelans. None of whom, incidentally, are socialists themselves. Not even in name only, as Felipillo is. And the president of Venezuela was not impressed by the company his former counterpart from Spain chose to keep while he was there:
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, appeared Wednesday night on the VTV program, Con el Mazo Dando, and reiterated his criticisms of the visit of Spanish ex-president Felipe González to Venezuela to meet with the opposition.
“Whoever messes with Venezuela hangs himself out to dry. Felipe, you’re going to dry up. Your first step toward infinite dryness is having fled like a coward from Venezuela,” said the head of state, adding that the permanent battle is against capitalism.
In that sense, he told the opposition that every time they make an attack on the dignity of Venezuelans, the people reject them.
“The opposition wastes its time dragging foreign ex-presidents in to govern our country…Felipe González will never govern Venezuela.”
Translation mine.
And Madurito’s buddy from Bolivia, who also hasn’t exactly been on the receiving end of any “socialist” solidarity from Spain? Well, he was even more to the point:
Bolivian president Evo Morales criticized politicians who join the right-wing campaign against Venezuela.
The head of state, in a televised interview with Russia Today, emphasized that “the age of military dictators is part of the past”, but recalled that some European politicians have arrived in Venezuela to visit with right-wing politicos, those who tried to destabilize a constitutionally elected government.
“I can’t understand how Felipe González, who comes from a socialist party, could meet in Venezuela with right-wingers…We respect our differences, but there are politicians and parties who use ‘socialism’ to serve capitalism,” Morales remarked.
Again, translation mine.
Oh, that Evo. Isn’t he the sly one, pointing out the inconsistencies between Felipillo’s party name and the company he chose to keep? And the fact that those same oppo leaders who appeared in Felipillo’s photo-op there are the very ones who have tried, repeatedly, to oust first Chavecito, then Madurito, with (among other things) military coups and failed attempts at dictatorship?
Well, who can blame them for trying to burnish their badly tarnished image with a “socialist” has-been from Spain? After all, democratic socialism is very popular in Venezuela. And they…are not.
And neither, I suspect, is Felipillo. Especially with all those real socialist upstarts making inroads in Spain right about now, following the good example for their Venezuelan counterparts. Ha, ha.
