Iâve been in Cuba twice. Travelled around both times, wonderful country and people, never felt safer. Outside of Havana there is just complete admiration for Fidel, in Havana not as much but probably more to do with $ they could earn without him.
I noticed a huge change in the second time I was there about 5 years ago. Lots of $$$ going around, a lot of JVâs with Canadian and British developers. First time I saw bouncers on a shop selling trainers too. People still great but definitely getting wideâŚor wider!
Dominican Republic is a shit hole. Craziest coke ever though. Pots and Pans for days and days⌠CrazyâŚ
Mexico is a shit hole too. Took a handful of George Washington to get me out of the police car. Kinda worrying.
Barbados is like the Maldives. A waste of money bar the sun.
as someone slightly right of centre myself i donât find myself agreeing with you on this issue, thankfully we can disagree on this and not end up with one of us executed.
the issue here is not the slightly right of centre chaps like ourselves, its the slightly left of centre chaps like @Watch_The_Break who act absolutely appalled at the little naunces in western europes human rights standards yet mark down their hero castro locking anyone who looks sideways up before torturing them and executing them as âcastro wasnât perfectâ
I can comfortably be against gay marriage and still be allowed guffaw at lefty socialists who see some murdering dictator who killed thousands of gays as someone worthy of their bedroom wall.
People tend to think of Castro as a hated dictator because of the platform given to the exiles in Miami. People who visited Cuba tend to have a different perspective. You see it a lot in boxing. The defectors are seen as representing the âtrueâ Cuban spirit, repressed under Castro and fleeing to the âfreeâ United States to pursue their destiny. Yet countless Cuban greats like Stevenson or Savon have offered the totally opposite perspective, seeing the pursuit of professional careers as a betrayal of the system they benefited from.
Not saying either is right or wrong but the media narrative on this point is ridiculously one-sided.
Lara Pawson wrote a recent book about Cubaâs military presence in Angola. Much of the Cuban military presence was about murdering civilian regime opponents. 25,000 died.
In Ethopia they enabled Mengistu to conduct full scale genocide with their intervention.
Castro interned without trial and murdered his opponents.
He forced hundreds of thousands of his citizens into exile. Easy to declare all of these Batista loyalists as they vote en masse for the wrong team.
Yet we must have balance because he was a socialist.
Cubaâs role in defeating apartheid is a particular sore spot for the bootlickers.
"I was still in prison when I first heard of the massive help which the Cuban international forces were giving to the people of Angola. The help was of such a scale that it was difficult for us to believe it, when the Angolans were under attack by the combined forces of South Africa, the FALA [Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola] who were financed by the CIA, mercenaries, UNITA [National Union for the Total Independence of Angola], and Zaire in 1975.
In Africa we are used to being victims of countries that want to take from us our territory or overthrow our sovereignty. In African history there is not another instance where another people has stood up for one of ours. We also acknowledge that the action was carried out by the masses in Cuba and that those who fought and died in Angola are only a small portion of those who volunteered to go. To the Cuban people internationalism is not only a word but something which they have put into practice for the benefit of large sectors of mankind. We know that the Cuban forces were ready to retreat after driving back the invasion in 1975 but the continued aggressions of Pretoria did not allow them to do so. Your presence there and the reinforcements sent for the battle of Cuito Cuanavale has a historical meaning.
The decisive defeat of the racist army in Cuito Cuanavale was a victory for all Africa. This victory in Cuito Cuanavale is what made it possible for Angola to enjoy peace and establish its own sovereignty. The defeat of the racist army made it possible for the people of Namibia to achieve their independence.
The decisive defeat of the aggressive apartheid forces destroyed the myth of the invincibility of the white oppressor. The defeat of the apartheid army served as an inspiration to the struggling people of South Africa. Without the defeat of Cuito Cuanavale our organizations would not have been legalized. The defeat of the racist army in Cuito Cuanavale made it possible for me to be here with you today. Cuito Cuanavale marks the divide in the struggle for the liberation of southern Africa. Cuito Cuanavale marksd an important step in the struggle to free the continent and our country of the scourge of apartheid."
The bauld Gerry the only Irish man to be asked to attend both funerals. Wasnât Gerry a guard of honour for Nelsonâs funeral? Wouldnt be a shock if he carried Fidelâs coffin.
