The widely read Caracas daily newspaper Ciudad CCS, published by the Caracas Municipal Council, interviewed Alan Woods, asking what are the tasks facing the Venezuelan revolution. Alan explained that the tasks are socialist, that involve expropriating the oligarchy and completing the revolution, otherwise the whole situation could unravel and reaction could eventually get the upper hand.

Ultimas Noticias asked a Alan Woods a series of key questions about the Venezuelan revolution and the dangers in the situation that flow from the lack of initiative in taking the revolution forward and finally completing it with the expropriation of key sectors in the economy.

The Bolivarian News Agency, ABN, interviewed Alan Woods about the setting up of US military bases in Colombia and what he thought their purpose was.

On November 21 the congress of the PSUV is scheduled to begin. While the reformist bureaucracy is hoping to have a congress that passes without too much opposition, around the country the left is standing candidates for delegates, among these the Marxists. The congress offers an opportunity to take the ideas of revolutionary socialism to a wider layer of the party ranks. What the PSUV needs to do is adopt a genuinely revolutionary programme to put an end to capitalism, landlordism and imperialism in Venezuela.

The PSUV congress has now been called and the Marxists will fight shoulder to shoulder with the left-wing delegates for a genuine socialist programme in the struggle against bureaucracy and against the right-wing in the party.

Chavez has called for the setting up of PSUV branches in the workplaces, known in Venezuela as “patrullas obreras” (workers’ patrols). At the massive SIDOR steelworks in Ciudad Guayana this has been taken up and already over 500 workers have signed up, with over 20 branches formed that will soon become 50. Here we publish an interview with one of the PSUV organisers at the plant.