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When London welcomed Chavez
KEN LIVINGSTONE remembers Hugo Chavez coming to London as his guest in 2006, and his memorable appearance at a public rally
(L to R) Enthusiastic crowd at the Camden Centre, London welcomes Chavez before he addressed them; Mayor of London Ken Livingstone with President Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, at the GLA buliding, London
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A WWI hero, renowned ornithologist, medical doctor, trade union organiser and founder member of the Communist Party of Great Britain all rolled in one. MAT COWARD tells the story of a life so improbable it was once dismissed as fiction
ONE of the things I will always remember from my time as mayor of London was the close political relationship we managed to build with Hugo Chavez, the then president of Venezuela, who so tragically passed away 10 years ago last Sunday in March 2013.
Many Morning Star readers will no doubt remember when in 2006 Chavez visited London. During his visit he addressed the TUC, a packed meeting of MPs in Parliament and a huge public rally, where he gave an extensive outline of his views on how to create a better world.
Revisiting this speech recently, I was struck by how relevant so much of what he said then still was today, and how he was ahead of much of the European and British left in terms of looking at the big issues of the day.
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