Venezuela-London oil deal helps 250,000 poor Londoners

[TankGirl]

San Diego Union Tribune

London mayor signs deal with fellow leftist Chavez for cheap Venezuelan oil

LONDON – London's socialist mayor signed an agreement Tuesday with Venezuela's state-owned oil company to provide discounted oil for the city's iconic red buses, praising the idea as the brainstorm of the country's leftist leader, Hugo Chavez.

Ken Livingstone – a committed socialist known locally as “Red Ken” – met with Chavez last year at City Hall to discuss the deal to provide cheap oil to London in exchange for advice on urban planning in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.

Venezuela has signed similar agreements with cities in several other countries, including the United States. Critics call it “oil diplomacy” – and say it is designed to embarrass President Bush, whom Chavez has repeatedly mocked.

“This arose out of the suggestion of President Hugo Chavez, and builds on the work he is doing around the world to tackle the problem of poverty,” Livingstone said.

The savings – which would cut fuel costs by 20 percent for the city and could amount to about $32 million – are to be directed toward cheaper bus travel for up to 250,000 Londoners living on income support. Those who qualify will get a half-price discount on bus fares.

[JackSpratts]

fairfield county connecticut, the richest county of the richest state in america, surprisingly has its share of poor people and towns. the mayor of one such city has also signed a deal with chavez for low-cost oil for the poor. ditto new haven, and thanks to a meeting a female staffer had with a venezuelan official the program expanded from 4000 local families to include 20,000 more in all of connecticut.

- js.

asked at the press conference whether new haven is helping an american enemy make america look bad, mayor destefano noted that the u.s. already imports 15 percent of its oil from venezuela.

"we make ourselves look bad," he added, "by not having an energy policy."

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/a...ugos_boss.html

[multi]

this is great
this on top of Blair pulling the British Forces out of Iraq..quite a slap on the face for the conservatives
and their multinational lapdogs
(especially nice that it throws egg in John Howard's face after his recent meddling in US affairs)

[albed]

Sure it's great. Chavez is taking oil income from his own very poor country and giving it to the rich countries for a little good PR. He's an idiot and a nut.





I remember how Bush saved that asshole from a military coup a few years ago.

[multi]

what in your tiny mind thinks that anyone will buy that bullshit..

he will only improve the economy of his 'poor' country in the long term from an economic strategy like this..

there's only a bit over a year until your team is defeated and out of action for another 10 years...it's about time you learned a little STFU and go crawl under the carpet like the good little conservative asswipe you consistently try to impress us as being...

the big changes you expected them(you know who I am talking about) to pull off is not going to happen now..in fact it is is all beginning go very much against everything you and your type have planned on since 2000AD.

so do the right thing and take the safety off before you fire..or smash the window before you jump... etc
(you get the idea)

[vernarial]

Holy Hell Albed. You really believe everything Ann Coulter tells you, don't you. hahahaha Bush saves Chavez from a coup. Thats just too funny.

[albed]

I remember a bit on the news back then where Bush refused requests for support from the coup leaders and told them to respect democracy.

It stuck in my mind because I thought it was a big mistake.

Meanwhile Chavez has maneuvered himself into absolute dictatorship while all the brainwashed liberals kiss his ass for cheap heating oil.

[pisser]

m-o-r-o-n

[Nicobie]

I think that the UK should suck up all the freebies that the dictator is willing to give.

[albed]

Liberal alert: Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez have declared biofuels bad. You have to protest them now.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/...rc=rss&feed=12

By diverting crops to feed cars rather than people, the price of food would rise and the world's poor would go hungry, Mr Castro wrote...3 billion people would die prematurely of hunger and thirst.

Mr Chávez also expressed dismay. "When you fill a vehicle's tank with ethanol, you are filling it with energy for which land and water enough to feed seven people have been used.

Until recently, Cuba and Venezuela were enthusiastic about the fuel and with Brazil's help planned to jointly build sugar mills and ethanol plants, hitching the Caribbean to the "green" fuel bandwagon.

That changed after the US president, George Bush, touted his support for ethanol during a tour of Latin America last month

Let's see how the greenies handle this little conundrum.