Jim,

Medical data on Cuba is highly suspect since the WHO merely report the statistics supplied by the Castro regime. They rely on the honesty of the reporting party since no checks are done on the data's validity.

If you go to any free cuban website you will see that the regimes claims are flatly denied. Indeed you can see pictures of their two tiered medical establishments.

There are facilities for party memebers and foreigners which are quite modern and up to date. But the majority of the people are forced to endure a thouroughly third world medical system.

Plantagenet,

So the cuban mafia controls cuban policy, the Israeli lobby controls Israeli policy and the oil companies oversee everything? I thought you said you were a centerist.

Well Paul

If you'd watched The Good Shepherd, which you've paraphrased old chap, you'd know that its us WASPS who (think we) control everything.

People who are guided by principles rather than by predictable political affiliations are a threat to some, like you? ;)

BTW economic determinism (eg. oil) is central to capitalist thinking. Why not admit the obvious?

Pete

Sapper, you seem to miss the point entirely.

So Fidel did a better job then Batista, when you compare
the results 50 years later. Who is to say that Joe Bloggs
could not have done much better then Fidel?

If you are honest, you would have to admit that Fidel
screwed up a whole lot of stuff too.

The problem really is all these controlling types, who
think that they know what is best for others and try to
enforce it. Why not let those others decide what is
best for themselves?

Fact is that if people had been allowed to decide, they
may well have kicked Fidel out and voted for Joe Bloggs.
Joe Bloggs might well have done a far better job then
Fidel ever did.

The real problem is Fidel. As a control freak he clearly
could not handle that kind of outcome, as few politicians
can. But its the only way for people to have more say
about their lives. I don't like control freaks telling
me what to do and and I don't see why the Cuban people
don't have a choice as to who governs them. So far all
we have heard is excuses, excuses, excuses.

Robert Hill, Robert Hill Robert Hill!

The hypocrisy of this individual and his plastic haired chest is manifest in his history.

Called up in 1965, deferred to complete his law degree to 1966, the again deferred to get his Masters in the UK, completed in 1968, and he had until 1972 to complete his obligation to nation, which he did not, becomes the icon of the right as Minister for Defence in Australia?

Actions speak louder than words, his political positioning sees him as a GWBist, yet his life action see him as a leftist!

Pure bloody hypocritical opportunist, and yellow striped back, whichever political position one takes.

Cojones, not on this little XY chromosome. At least Che had balls!