Thursday, January 24, 2008

Sperm Leaving The Viginia

a converted left the PRI. Interview with Luis González de Alba


A left
converted to PRI interview with Luis González de Alba

Ariel Ruiz Mondragón

As never before in its long existence, in 2006 the left was very close to winning the presidency of the Republic , in addition to a considerable force in the Congress. It was headed by a charismatic man who gave him a very controversial leadership, to say the least: at the speech and certain actions that sought social welfare from the government of the Federal District, also held traditions and customs from the old PRI regime.

Over recent years one of the harshest critics of the ideas and practices of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the left joint has been around Luis González de Alba, who in his weekly newspaper articles has faith of misprints, errors and trastupijes of that, results from the mixing of the PRI and communist traditions.

A good selection of these articles was recently published book titled AMLO. Building a fascinating leadership (Mexico, Cal y Arena, 2007), which held a virtual conversation with the author.

González Alba studied psychology at UNAM has been devoted to journalism and literature. He has collaborated on several publications and has authored more than ten books. He also won the National Journalism Award for his work as a popularizer of science.

Ariel Ruiz (AR) : Why publish now a book like yours?

Luis Gonzalez de Alba (LGA) : In principle, because the Cal y Arena publisher asked me to. I do not usually meet at my articles on politics book. The history of scientific and comprehensive and give it the form of essays. Once Cal y Arena suggested to me I thought it would be a good idea to see the rise, week to week that I called "leadership fascinating" in the sense of hypnotic, because we were very few who did not fall under the spell of seeing the beautiful dress of an emperor that has now engaged himself in check, always walked naked, made her career based on lies and budget target.

AR: The book is highly critical of the Mexican left, or at least in the red in the PRD, and its defects and democratic deficits. But what role he recognizes the Mexican left, the PRD in the Mexican democratic transit? LGA

: A crucial role: citizens groups with very different party affiliation created the conditions for this "velvet revolution" in Mexico, this departure from our "perfect dictatorship" was produced in an almost painless and bloodless. There were people from the PRI and PAN, the former PSUM and other parties who opened the breach through which overflowed the old electoral system in government hands and built the present, with more involvement of the PRI and PAN PRD, remember, because as is typical in that organization, is active and then passively opposed to the reforms of 1996, we had elections in the hands of citizens, and the votes are respected, counted, and counted. AR

: Throughout the book you point out the continuity between the PRI of the seventies and left of the PRD, which even comes knocking PRI 1 and PRID. But what do you find differences and developments between PRI and the PRD that ye?

LGA: Not exactly the entire PRD, but the current López Obrador, who eventually prevailed in the whole match is what I call PRID. I say this because I do not find differences between the theses of López Obrador and the old PRI, the former Salinas, that Bartlett's PRI, Echeverria and Lopez Portillo. If any difference is that the PRD or PRID is even more scandalous is more authoritative and deeply convinced of being the Way and the Life. Rather than the old PRI and so much more than today.

AR: Of course, you are very hard critic Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Instead, I asked you what you are looking bright at the character-if you find one, of course? LGA

: Meeting called an aspect not bright, but attractive, and its enormous capacity to repeat a lie a thousand times without ever wavering, without appearing soft. Now he says to "meetings" of 50 people that he did not believe her Chinese, when he reversed himself and of that incredible plot to ridicule. And he says without blushing. It always does. Hence the enormous power of persuasion, penetration as a voice crying in the Wilderness.

AR: How has left to the democratic process in our country? After reading your book, I think the new left PRD is not just an old PRI, right? LGA

: Unfortunately, the left does not seem to have changed. Has allowed all political climber and acrobat hide behind that term, "left" to turn it completely undefined. Are they left with their extortion Bejarano entrepreneurs, Flavio Sosa who campaigned by Fox after the incident was Murat people in Oaxaca and it turned out that he had always belonged to the address of the PRD? Well here's a good synonym: sinister means left. What you call "new left PRD" with boundless generosity, is chaired by Mr. Cota that his entire political career within the PRI and has that José Guadarrama senators who accused him of sending the PRD PRD and murdering peasants to be the author of the most obvious frauds against the PRD. Well, the sinister (left) character is now in the Senate companion of Mrs. Ibarra de Piedra. That says it all.

AR: The PRD expriistas today, as you say, grew and reproduced the habits, values \u200b\u200band cunning of his former party. In that sense, certainly one of the most fascinating aspects of the phenomenon AMLO is the way that intellectuals and academics and independent critics were seduced by López Obrador, and have been so complacent and even advocates (somewhat embarrassing) of the old customs of PRI ruling from the Federal District government. The same has happened with many politicians (Alejandro Encinas is one of the clearest examples you mentioned). Today more than ever seems to be true that old poem by Jose Emilio Pacheco: "You're all that / what we are fighting for twenty years." Why should this change? LGA

: It's true: that's the most fascinating aspect of AMLO phenomenon: the enormous intellectual gratification to him. I do not understand and I could not figure out this couple of years how they became "everything against that fought twenty years, starting by José Emilio Pacheco, who, surprisingly, did not see the draft tyrant López Obrador was always on. I do not understand.

AR: You mentioned some of the causes of the Old Left: protecting the citizen against abuse of power (in favor of and against the jurisdiction under the accountability. Among other things), the promotion of transport public about the private automobile, rejection the works of glitz, limit economic functions and powers of presidentialism, among others. What survives of that old left who fought for an expansion of civil liberties, democracy, justice and equality? LGA

: Survive ... memory. Now defend the city debt, abuse of power that has left label, prevent accountability when you call one of their leaders, applaud acts of arrogance and pride when committed by governments of the PRD, as that " judges do what I wind Juarez "with Lopez Obrador refused to respect citizens' constitutional protection against high his despotism. Now Ebrard expropriation where the mob seeks refuge. Well. Tackling crime is correct, but it starts to not be as effective a method that opens the door to corruption, and Bejarano and Padierna are rubbing their hands in view of urban land expropriated and sold in the future.

AR: Another extraordinary phenomenon you point out is that the PRI, even shameful and tacitly accepted their corruption. At the old PRI, the PRD has added an element: the pretensions of moral authority, the certainty of having "historical reason" and who do not share is "right." In that way, "left" seems to be, in certain areas, patent privateering. Where did this come from?, What are the consequences? LGA

: That pride comes from the left was always free from sin. And it was ... powerless because he could not corrupted. Governments now have seats in Congress, and "before the open ark, the just sins." We have a fair convinced of its moral superiority. So the PRD has become a kind of Jordan: there is baptized PRI, PRD PRI emerging sinless. The consequences are seen in the disappearance of the PRD in elections in Baja California, in his shipwreck off the APPO and the EPR in Oaxaca, at rallies to 100, with 50 attendees around López Obrador. The PRD is on its way to the numbers that were peculiar to PSUM, the PMT, the PC: the loneliness of dogs which seemed to have escaped. AR

: Theirs is a vision of the left very disappointed, or rather, as I prefer to call it, left dominant. Also taking into account the unsuccessful experience of, say, Social Democracy, Mexico Possible and Social Democratic and Peasant Alternative, what chance have the other leftist development at the present time? LGA

: The country has urgent need for a democratic left, liberal, open to all investments in all areas of the economy, a left like Lula in Brazil, Zapatero in Spain, Bachelet in Chile. But I think it is in the PRD, but bands of PAN, the PRI, Alternative until the PRD, horizontal stripes that run all the games and having in common the democratic impulse in politics and liberal economics, liberal as they were Juárez and men of the Reformation a century and a half.

AR: Finally, do you consider yourself left now? LGA

: Always ask me first define what it is. Then respond. For example, if Bejarano, Ebrard, López Obrador, Camacho, Guadarrama and other for which Manuel Bartlett called to vote are left, I'm not in any way. If Felipe González, Lagos, are left, I am because I am related to them.

* Interview published in Replicante , No. 13, November 2007 - January, 2008. Reproduced with permission of the publisher.