red pepper issue140 april 2006

contents

Cover image by Tom Lynton www.tomlynton.com

features

Venezuela’s new model army 17Hilary Wainwright had only a few days left in Caracas after the 2006 World Social Forum. Shewanted to understand for herself the rare radicalism of the Venezuelan military. How did they themselves understand the central role they played in civilian society? What were they like as people? She waws taken to meet the army commander to find out.

The torture line COVERSTORY 22There is mounting evidence that the Foreign Office, armed forces and intelligence services are complicit in rendition – the illegal removal of suspects from one country to another for questioning – exposing British citizens and residents to ‘coercive interrogation’ techniques and opening up British airspace to US ‘torture flights’. Naima Bouteldja and Robin Virgin report

Africa’s last colony 26This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Sarahawi Republic, established after Morocco invaded the Western Sahara. Thirty years on, the Moroccan occupation continues – and the Sarahawi people continue to fight it. Nick Dearden and Natalie Sharples report on their struggle

regulars 04Letters Agony Subcommandauntie

06Activision Around the left in 30 days: UK Asylum Watch: Closure threat to anti-deportation campaign Natural born rebel: Brig Oubridge Know your enemy: Cottonpicking bad Guerrilla guides: Shopping without cruelty

12World Around the left in 30 days: World Technology:Return of the terminator Italy: Losing the political consensus Temperature Gauge: Kicking the oil habit proves tough for Bush

38Infrared David Osler

39Rear view Picture This

review 34Book reviews Arts reviews

The SSP: is the party over? 28The 2007 Scottish elections are being billed as ‘make or break’ for the SSP, which has struggled to build on its electoral breakthrough in 2003. Gregor Gall argues that its success is crucial to the left both north and south of the border

The mark in the market 30With even McDonalds and Nestlé getting Fairtrade certification for some of their products, some campaigners are getting edgy. James O’Nions assesses the boom in fair trade retailing

By no means hotheads 32With a recent commission highlighting women’s continuing pay inequality, Jayne Sheridan draws on a series of oral history interviews to celebrate the struggle of the women workers whose actions won the Equal Pay Act

photo story 20The Zapatistas’ ‘Other Campaign’

Annual General Meeting

22 April Horse and Groom, Gt Portland Street,W1

2pm–2.45pm for AGM

3pm–5pm for discussion

This year’s Red Pepper AGM will be followed by a panel discussion on ‘New Labour’s marketisation and what is to be done to reverse it’ with Colin Leys, Catherine Needham and Dexter Whitfield.

coming soon Water special: Multinationals go home Participatory democracy Bolivian style Gary Younge’s America What future for Labour rebels? on the web The suspension of Ken Livingstone What’s left in the Lib-dems? Focus on the Philipines

april 2006 red pepper

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