On this fine Easter morning, just a wonderful nugget that I saw this morning (thanks to the Times’ excellent @DJack_Journo): Nicolas Maduro, Chávez’ vice-president and, let’s face it, likely successor, is turning out to have succeeded in a very difficult challenge: being more bonkers than his predecessor.
Frustrated with their inability to embalm the Great Leader’s corpse (very likely on account of, er, some confusion in the actual date of death), they are persisting with the cult of personality via a kind of quasi-beatification; promoting the idea that, rather than a brutal demagogue, he was a holy man close to God. People collect Chávez-related artefacts, posters of him alongside religious quotes, and so on.
It gets better. A few weeks ago, according to AP:
“Maduro said Chavez had advised Jesus Christ in heaven that it was time for a South American pope.”
Of course – Pope Francis was down to was Saint Hugo, advising God. Doh! Well, I’m glad we’re all in such safe hands.
Would be delighted to see how all Chávez’ fans on the British left, supporting Maduro for president, are now going to explain how this man is the key to Venezuela’s future.