There is no serious dispute that the Venezuelan government shifted to some degree towards economic liberalism under President Maduro. The question is to what extent this was an unavoidable response to crippling economic and financial sanctions, and whether there is still a socialist trajectory.

There are several more videos from my time in Venezuela still in production, which embody much of what I learnt, and after publishing them over the next few days I shall publish an article giving my considered reflections on the country.

Compare that to the western “elite”.

In Caracas I joined a rally of his fellow Metro workers, many of whom know him personally, demanding his release after kidnap by the US.

I intend to return to Venezuela shortly but my period there cost more than the amount we raised for it. As ever we need to spread the load and we are looking primarily to those who have never donated or contributed before. Our Gofundme link for the Venezuelan operation is here:

This is the same crowdfunding account we used for Lebanon so discount the first £35,000 raised as it was spent in Lebanon.

Anybody is welcome to republish and reuse, including in translation.

Because some people wish an alternative to PayPal, I have set up new methods of subscription payment including a Patreon account and a Substack account if you wish to subscribe that way. The content will be the same as you get on this blog. Substack has the advantage of overcoming social media suppression by emailing you direct every time I post. You can if you wish subscribe free to Substack and use the email notifications as a trigger to come for this blog and read the articles for free. I am determined to maintain free access for those who cannot afford a subscription.

Subscriptions to keep this blog going are gratefully received.

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Venezuela GoFundMe

Almost everything you are told about Venezuela is a lie

On 26 January, 26 unarmed civilians were shot dead by Israel and 147 wounded in a massacre observed by heavily armed UN Peacekeepers who did not intervene. I asked the UN the very hard questions which nobody else is asking them.

The civilians were simply attempting to return to their homes in accordance with both UNSCR 1701 and the current ceasefire agre…

We drove a 20 mile circuit around Shama and found a heartbreaking 90% of all buildings destroyed by Israel. But here I talk about just one particular building, and what it has to tell us.

On the day that Israel was supposed to leave Lebanon at the end of the ceasefire deal, the IDF gunned down over 130 Lebanese civilians attempting to return to their homes, killing 24.

I am very proud of this, the sixth mini-documentary produced by our team here. I believe this is truly remarkable work, and I am confident you will think so too.

Lebanon is a country with the area and population of Yorkshire or Connecticut, only ten times poorer.

Why is the USA building the world’s second largest Embassy there?

You can look through my Substack to see what we have produced.

We hope to be able to go into Syria shortly, where CNN, BBC and their like have reported the new HTS regime with incredible sycophancy. Massacres are ignored while the return of Pringles to the stores in hailed as a triumph.

Unfortunately our attempt to pioneer a model of new, on the ground, citizen foreign correspondent reporting is failing financially and we may have to give up and return to Europe. I will then in any event continue to report from around the world, but cheifly from my Edinburgh base. But I would love to be able to raise enough funds to work in the Middle East at this crucial time.

If you can, please do support by subscribing via Substack or by donating to our Gofundme appeal.

Crypto donations are also most welcome

Bitcoin: bc1q3sdm60rshynxtvfnkhhqjn83vk3e3nyw78cjx9

Ethereum/ERC-20: 0x764a6054783e86C321Cb8208442477d24834861a

While I am taking a festive break with my children I thought you might enjoy it, and it is a good introduction for those who have found my work since I joined substack. It is entirely a true story, in minute detail. Even much of the dialogue is accurate.

I should warn you it is very much a warts and all portrait.