For reference, where are you from? I'm Brazilian and Lula regularly gets "accused" of being a communist, we also have an openly communist Defense Minister. Lula implemented many communist policies like strong wealth redistribution, food and housing for the poor, etc etc etc.

Sadly, our country is still ran by the rich, it's a fake democracy and Lula is forced to give them gifts otherwise he can't govern. Just the other day we had a 'crisis' with our Congress President refusing to vote any government laws because the elites weren't getting enough money, he called "articulation". Lula started giving them money again and everything started to progress smoothly.

[–] novibe@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

I don’t want to say where I’m from, but I am very familiar with Brazilian politics so it shouldn’t matter.

None of those policies are communist. Communism is a future state of society after socialism, where there is no state, money or classes.

Those are social-democratic policies. Like there were in the US and Europe after WW2 up until the age of neoliberalism in the 70s-80s.

They are better than neoliberalism, don’t get me wrong. I much prefer Lula than a neoliberal like Temer or a fascist like Bolsonaro.

But that doesn’t change that Lula is a neoliberal, with some social-democratic policies.

It’s not entirely his fault (even though other politicians like Dilma are less neolib brained than Lula…) as Brazil is, like most other places in this planet, a province of the US Empire.

It’s an exploitation province, built to extract wealth into the central provinces. The elites that exist exist because they perpetuate this system. They benefit a little, but comparatively to the misery of the masses, they live as kings so it’s good enough for them.

Lula can keep doing what he does if he doesn’t stop the flow of wealth to the outside. If he stops it in any way, couped again.

We’re all second-class citizens of the Empire. Yes, even you workingperson from the US/Canada/Germany/UK etc etc.