RIP Fidel Castro

hannible the cannible

smurfjed wrote: »

Went to visit Cuba last month, it was like stepping back into a 1950's time warp, RIP Fidel, but now I hope that your people can get the investment that they deserve and your country can start catching up with the rest of the world.

By that I take it you mean westernised with their Starbucks and McDonald's and obesity , for anyone wondering when would be a good time to visit Cuba it would be in the next 5 years before Washington get their claws in and turn Cuba with its old world ways and living heritage and history into a satellite state with a burger king and dominoes on every street

Badly Drunk Boy

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Western propaganda. No he isn't.

Western propaganda. He died 6 years ago.

I've always liked Fidel...

05eaftqbrs9jlh

Double thread pitfall. Maybe let's redeem the shorter, punnier one with personal snaps of cigar extravagance

To this day, I keep emergency cigars stashed. Needless to say, they've been on the go all morning.

I know he was more than that. I know he wasn't perfect. I just think it's a befitting metaphor, encompassing the trade embargo and incorporating how cool and carcinogenic the whole movement seems to teenagers.

Edit: killing this thread is my civic duty

Jawgap

Gerry must be a shoe-in now for "Best Beard in Politics" award now?

Fleawuss

Now if I had a bit of money to invest ....

smurfjed

I never said Westernised, but I felt sorry for the people when I walked into a supermarket and found the shelves half empty and discovered that the people are living on ration cards. I would like to see investment coming into the country which would allow the people to improve their standard of living.

Alf Stewart.

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Correction. A communist that saw Cubans live in poverty in to the 21st century.

D'ye think the trade embargoes from the yanks contributed in any way to that?

Permabear

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

That is if they're not kidnapping Cuban children from their fathers, holding them against their will, using corrupt Cuban-American judges to support their political games and generally being viewed as world-class dickheads by the rest of humanity.

Red Kev

Atoms for Peace wrote: »

"Condemn me, it does not matter: history will absolve me"
- Fidel Castro

" Amigos and Comrades of Free Cuba! Does anybody have a lighter? A match? Ah, for fcuks sakes Amigos, one of ye must have a light? Jesus fcuking Maria, I left me lighter in my other combat trousers. Que? What smoking ban? Ahh FFS!"
-Fidel Castro (drunken ramble in pub, 2005)

Wanderer78

smurfjed wrote:

I never said Westernised, but I felt sorry for the people when I walked into a supermarket and found the shelves half empty and discovered that the people are living on ration cards. I would like to see investment coming into the country which would allow the people to improve their standard of living.

Understandable opinion but unfortunately western investment has a tendency to become malignant and predatory over time

The_Valeyard

Interesting figure. Certainly left his mark on the 20th century.

Red Kev

https://twitter.com/LibyaLiberty/status/545272158843195392

Jawgap

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

D'ye think the trade embargoes from the yanks contributed in any way to that?

Should it have mattered....

......after all they had the support of the glorious Union of Soviet Socialist Republics backing them up?

I'm guessing spending 7% of your GDP on defence didn't help either

Chuchote

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Correction. A communist that saw Cubans live in poverty in to the 21st century.

Universal free healthcare, universal high-level education, and while people are poor because of the trade embargo, they are equally poor, nobody lives on the streets and nobody's super-rich.

Look at the neighbours: Jamaica with its blistering drugs problem and terrifying murder rate.

Cuba's poverty is as much to be sneered at as Ireland's poverty during the trade war when Britain (then our only real export market) withdrew from trade after De Valera ended payment of enormous compensation to British landlords for land that had originally been stolen in the 1600s to the 1800s.

smurfjed

They really do need some paint....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZUOjBWiuuc

retalivity

I too was in cuba last month, was great to see it before it turns into a disneyland. A man with some great ideas and rigidly stuck to them, took on the us for 40 years and did not lose, although it could also be argued he won

AndyBoBandy

Coming to CBS soon,

Castro: The funeral, sponsored by Budweiser: This Bud's for you.

Special Circumstances

Chuchote wrote: »

Universal free healthcare, universal high-level education, and while people are poor because of the trade embargo, they are equally poor, nobody lives on the streets and nobody's super-rich.

Look at the neighbours: Jamaica with its blistering drugs problem and terrifying murder rate.

Cuba's poverty is as much to be sneered at as Ireland's poverty during the trade war when Britain (then our only real export market) withdrew from trade after De Valera ended payment of enormous compensation to British landlords for land that had originally been stolen in the 1600s to the 1800s.

Health system is better than our own.
Really ireland should be able to look down on cuba but in lots of ways I don't think we can.

Was never there. Would like to have made it before things changed.

Alf Stewart.

Jawgap wrote: »

Should it have mattered....

Its pretty relevant alright.

......after all they had the support of the glorious Union of Soviet Socialist Republics backing them up?

All obviously correct too, however in comparison to many of its neighbouring countries(Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua are much poorer than the poorest 5-10% Cubans) many of whom receive support from wealthy western countries such USA/Spain/Netherlands/UK etc.

How many of the above mentioned provide:

1. A basic rationing system that provides every single citizen with enough food to survive on (but admittedly not enough to feast or get fat on).

2. Heavily subsidized basic living expenses such as cheap (to almost free): Housing, electricity, water.

3. Free health care and free education.?

So, whilst Cubans may be living in relatively poor conditions, even after said cost of education, housing, health etc, all provided for by the government.

Do you think the trade embargoes imposed by the USA is contributing to the poverty line?

I'm guessing spending 7% of your GDP on defence didn't help either

If you have a larger, threatening neighbour, repeatedly trying to overthrow your govts, thats a harsh inevitably.

Jawgap

Jawgap wrote: »

Should it have mattered....

......after all they had the support of the glorious Union of Soviet Socialist Republics backing them up?

I'm guessing spending 7% of your GDP on defence didn't help either

Maybe if your neighbouring country didn't try to invade you and reinstall their preferred puppet dictator in the name of US democracy you wouldn't have to spend so much?

Or did the Bay of Pigs, Batista and all the rest of the glory from Uncle Sam not get a telling in your history book?

brickmauser

Anyone who isn't glad this odious dictator is dead and can no longer inflict more suffering on any human being is either willfully ignorant or mentally ill or both.

Cuba is a prison island run by a thuggish military junta and one party state. Its prisons are full of dissidents and intellectuals and anyone else unfortunate enough not to be overjoyed to live in a crumbling impoverished Communist Utopia.

Daily life is monitored and controlled by sinister secret police and overseen by corrupt officials who enrich themselves while the country's poor rot in dire poverty.

The entire population is forced whether they like it or not to take party in the cult of Castro or else.

Cuba is Orwell's surreal 1984 brought to life.

Anyone with sense tries to escape across the sea to Florida. Miami's exile Cuban community would have strong words for the Castro lovers on this thread.

Castro was a sick evil.psychopathic murderer and the world is a better place with this monster dead and gone.

brickmauser

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Health system is better than our own.
Really ireland should be able to look down on cuba but in lots of ways I don't think we can.

Was never there. Would like to have made it before things changed.

You want Ireland to be run by a dictator and a single party state?

You have zero credibility.

Zero

FortySeven

NIMAN wrote: »

McDonalds and Burger King can finally get into Cuba.

All those perfectly preserved American pre 60 classic cars can get out now too.

Jawgap

retalivity wrote: »

I too was in cuba last month, was great to see it before it turns into a disneyland. A man with some great ideas and rigidly stuck to them, took on the us for 40 years and did not lose, although it could also be argued he won

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Health system is better than our own.
Really ireland should be able to look down on cuba but in lots of ways I don't think we can.

Was never there. Would like to have made it before things changed.

Was there a few years ago (in Havana and Santiago) and it is an amazing place. The myth of the health system needs to be addressed though - yes, they have much better, quicker and freer access to doctors and a basic level of medical treatment than we have, but outside the cities health provision is patchy in terms of access to facilities. Their preventative and community care schemes were superb (and we could learn truckloads from them), but I wouldn't want to have a road traffic collision and scooped up for a trip to their hospitals.

Outside the cities the living conditions weren't great but 'poverty' would be the wrong word to describe them - people seemed to have enough, from what I saw, to meet their 'needs,' but their needs were defined by the state (if that makes sense).

I sincerely hope the place doesn't become Disneyland, but at the same time people should be afforded greater opportunities to progress.

brickmauser

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

Its pretty relevant alright.

All obviously correct too, however in comparison to many of its neighbouring countries(Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua are much poorer than the poorest 5-10% Cubans) many of whom receive support from wealthy western countries such USA/Spain/Netherlands/UK etc.

How many of the above mentioned provide:

1. A basic rationing system that provides every single citizen with enough food to survive on (but admittedly not enough to feast or get fat on).

2. Heavily subsidized basic living expenses such as cheap (to almost free): Housing, electricity, water.

3. Free health care and free education.?

So, whilst Cubans may be living in relatively poor conditions, even after said cost of education, housing, health etc, all provided for by the government.

Do you think the trade embargoes imposed by the USA is contributing to the poverty line?


If you have a larger, threatening neighbour, repeatedly trying to overthrow your govts, thats a harsh inevitably.

I notice that you are well fed and free to use the internet. Luxuries denied to the denizens of Castro's workers utopia.

You are utterly deluded if you actually believe Cuba's brutal regime has anything to offer.

Alf Stewart.

brickmauser wrote: »

You want Ireland to be run by a dictator and a single party state?

He literally never said any such thing!

You have zero credibility.

Zero

Hi kettle. Have you met my friend pot?

Oodoov

A very sad day as one of the last true great leaders in history passes on. Sleep well Mr. President.

yo soy carlos

When Inda and the leprechaun send their sincere condolances on behalf of the Irish people to Raul will Mick Barry.Mulally and all the other leftists be up in arms at the thoughts of sympathy for this vile dictator who tried to suppress the church for half a century.The Donald elected by the people but power to the people an unelected nezt of fools with the half baker economics of a German emigre who couldnt feed himself.

andekwarhola

I predict this thread will be like a cup final between two rival teams you don't really support.

Jawgap

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

Its pretty relevant alright.

All obviously correct too, however in comparison to many of its neighbouring countries(Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua are much poorer than the poorest 5-10% Cubans) many of whom receive support from wealthy western countries such USA/Spain/Netherlands/UK etc.

How many of the above mentioned provide:

1. A basic rationing system that provides every single citizen with enough food to survive on (but admittedly not enough to feast or get fat on).

2. Heavily subsidized basic living expenses such as cheap (to almost free): Housing, electricity, water.

3. Free health care and free education.?

So, whilst Cubans may be living in relatively poor conditions, even after said cost of education, housing, health etc, all provided for by the government.

Do you think the trade embargoes imposed by the USA is contributing to the poverty line?


If you have a larger, threatening neighbour, repeatedly trying to overthrow your govts, thats a harsh inevitably.

Yes, I know. I've been there. You are correct about 1, your are correct about 2 insofar as people live in the cities and larger towns.

Healthcare is indeed free, widely available but only to a certain level, for example they have less than 1 MRI scanner for every million of population (the corresponding figure for Ireland is 2.01).

.....and why should the US be bound to trade with anyone - Cuba made its choice, the US made theirs......

......and yes, absolutely the US should have stayed out of Cuban affairs and let them get on with it.