Castro was a dictator? Sure, he never told that he was democratic. In Castro's Cuba there was/are violations of the human rights, and even people killed? Also true. Cuba's health care system is not perfect? How can someone hope so in a nation that is suffering from a 50 years lasting embargo?
But at least in Cuba the police is brutal according to what you do, if you cause problems you will have problems, in is not depending on how the color of your skin is pale or dark. At least in Cuba if you are hill is your right to have medical care, it doesn't depend on the money you have (and for many poor people, in all the world, to be so is not a choice). At least Cuba never carpet bombed Iran, destroying hospitals and aqueducts, bullying the rest of the world in imposing to Iran a 10 years embargo that caused more deaths than the war itself, killing millions, not thousands, of deaths, mainly babies and old people, poisoned by the polluted water in a land with no more hospitals.
I am not communist and I perfectly see all the bad in communism and in every dictatorship. But it doesn't prevent me in seeing the bad in the other nations, even the democratic ones, even my own country. And it doesn't prevent me in seeing also the good that there is in Cuba, Fidel was probably a far better person than other dictators like Videla or Pinochet. Or Hoxa, if you prefer a communist one. I don't know if after the death of Castro Cuba will finally have a democracy, but I am afraid that if it will be so Cuba will become an other hunting ground for the corporations, that the Cuban people will not benefit of the immense touristic potential of the island, but others will, that a part of the Cuban population, that now has few, in the future will have nothing.
I find it amusing that this abominable parasitic industry thriving on human tragedy is being called 'health care' by everyone. Public health is at its worst since the very advent of humankind, thanks to none other than those self-styled healers who literally live off people's prolonged sicknesses. Even back in primitive, pre-historical Zhonguo (i.e. Kathai/China), there was this customary condition that a physician would only be paid if they cured an affliction and the patient was unharmed. Unbearably, modern society cordially embraces this damned 'health care', even though it demands not only up-front payments on top of a bloody subscription, but also typically requires one to undergo vaccinations and periodic screenings 'just in case' an extra opportunity to empty one's wallet could pop up. These foul MDs (i.e. Malnutrition Dogmatists) will leisurely cut any abnormalities out of your body and poison you with stuff that could kill a goat to decimate unwanted germs (but they'd never remove them altogether, of course), telling you that your way of life is okay, and only needs occasional 'care' to deliver you in good health unto your last year 68. Of course, it's not that the MDs themselves are to blame. Many of them genuinely think they are helping people, poor sods that they are. Quackery of quackeries. Even in polluted and decadent renaissance Italy, one could easily lead a happy life following a sane, sober way of life (way of life = via vita = dia ita = diet), in perfect health until the age of 120, without any need of 'care'. I won't even mention that, long ago, there really used to be humans living way past 900 years of age, with brains that were increasing their complexity rather than rotting away, and that all you ever needed to understand how this was even possible is noted in a single chapter of the damn Genesis.
This little rant on 'health care' was brought to you by @God. Enjoy responsibly.
Heh. Comparing the Castro Regime and the US Government (for the past 60 years I guess, since Castro became PM in 1959) now that could be an interesting argument. After all, weren't the US so great 60 years ago? McCarthyism time, the most wonderful time of the century...
Feels like comparing Jim Jones and Charles Manson, trying to determine who's the worst of these two. As in, you could probably make an argument for each over the other, but damn, defending one of these sure isn't something I ever thought I'd do. =D
I'd definitely compare the U.S. very favorably to Cuba, regardless of the time period.
But as a student of international relations, I have seen people make these comparisons many times, and I have found that they are, without fail, vitriolic, narrow, uninformed, partisan, hysterical, hypocritical, hypernationalist, unconvincing, unenlightening, unproductive, and pointless.
They also focus only on the negatives, despite the fact that almost every country on the planet gives more to humankind than it takes away. A true comparison would also compare positives, but nobody ever does that.
EDIT: I mean no offense to @Chnapy. I just don't want to see another long and angryous debate over which country is better than the other. It's a bit like comparing which religion is better than another.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's statement is particularly disgraceful... "longest serving President" — The word you're looking for, is 'dictator'. "Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare" — no he didn't (The Myth of Cuban Health Care). "While a controversial figure, ..." — Glad to see that he's being mocked on twitter for that euphemism (#trudeaueulogies). "On behalf of all Canadians [...] We join [...] in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader" — Glad I'm not Canadian, or else I'd have to throw up right about now.
President Obama's statement manages to be diplomatic without actually praising the late tyrant. I think it's reasonably appropriate for the occasion.
I like Obama's statement. It's neutral without backpedalling on his previous opinions.
Like him or hate him, you can't deny that Trump isn't afraid to mince words and take a stand (even though some of his stances will change, I'm sure, as he takes office).
EDIT: I mean no offense to @Chnapy. I just don't want to see another long and angryous debate over which country is better than the other. It's a bit like comparing which religion is better than another.
Eh, no offense taken, that was sort of my point too, I guess. As in, depending on what people want from a country they would rate these two differently and then the whole thing would devolve into an argument over what makes a good country in which no one would agree, along with a lot of thinly-veiled insults thrown from each side...
I have seen people make these comparisons many times, and I have found that they are, without fail, vitriolic, narrow, uninformed, partisan, hysterical, hypocritical, hypernationalist, unconvincing, unenlightening, unproductive, and pointless.
They also focus only on the negatives, despite the fact that almost every country on the planet gives more to humankind than it takes away. A true comparison would also compare positives, but nobody ever does that.
My intention was not to make a full comparison. I just saw as in this tread a very negative opinion on what Cuba is and what Castro has done was somehow prevalent, based on things that are true, but are only half of the tale. Let's take the health system as an example. Is true that if someone from an other country needs advanced care he goes to USA and not Cuba, if he can afford it, but is also true that not all the US citizens have access to that level of assistance. My point was not to compare USA's and Cuba's medical care systems, comparing Cuba's one with the one of an other nation that has about the same wealth of Cuba would be more fair and appropriate. A true comparison would also compare positives, I agree, but I felt that in this tread only the negatives of Cuba was taken in account. That is why I posted, that is why I wrote:
I perfectly see all the bad in communism and in every dictatorship. But it doesn't prevent me in seeing the bad in the other nations, even the democratic ones, even my own country. And it doesn't prevent me in seeing also the good that there is in Cuba.
EDIT: I mean no offense to @Chnapy. I just don't want to see another long and angryous debate over which country is better than the other. It's a bit like comparing which religion is better than another.
I agree that such debate will lead to nowhere, if not to flames. My intention was never to start such debate. Probably my opinion on USA and its politics in the last half century, and about the impact that USA politics had on other countries and their populations, is quite different from yours, but that is not the point of this tread.
I perso view Jesus as non-political communist, and a terrible realist.
"Sell what you have, give it to the poor, and follow me as a deciple." "You will always have the poor, so celebrate me now, as the Christ."
The political communism missed the ethics of human significance, for a purely material world view. But so does the current neo-liberal world view.
So I would not rush to condemn Castro, as a fellow politican - the history plausibly will find you equally hypocritical, only less influential.
As a left-wing leaning woman of a Scandi-nation, I'd say Cuban revolution ended like Jesus' followers crying for him with all those poor being around them.
This said, as a Finn, whom is happy we did not end up part of Soviet Union, I frankly assume the Cubans think it is better Castro dying natural.
The alternative was the Salvador Allende scenario.
Your elected president shot, and a pinochet put in place. Should then Soviet Union done that, back then - I tell you: I'd still be bloody raw! Despite Kekkonen and all that....
Edit: when I mispell "Christ" I needs must correct it, because as a socialist I admire Jesus well enough.
The alternative was the Salvador Allende scenario.
Your elected president shot, and a pinochet put in place. Should then Soviet Union done that, back then - I tell you: I'd still be bloody raw! Despite Kekkonen and all that....
"elected"
Allende was elected (only with 36 percent of the vote). However, Cuba has not had fair for over half a century. I don't understand international socialists obsession with these false equivalencies.
Castro was the bully who shoved you into your locker and took your lunch money. Batista was the bully who shoved you into the locker, took your lunch money, gave you a black eye, knocked out one of your front teeth, then popped your arm out of its socket. The reason Castro is revered so fondly is only because when compared to Batista he was the preferable choice.
What is even more strange is that people who revere Castro also revere Che Guevara even though once Castro was firmly in control of Cuba he didn't need Guevara's idealism and grassroots Marxism any more so he pushed him out.
Anyway...Raul and his cronies need to step down so that Cuba can get back to being itself. A lot of families in the Miami area had older relatives who were pushed out by Batista and, subsequently, Castro and one point of contention they have had for many years is the desire to recover land and other property seized under those governments. That is probably not going to happen.
The alternative was the Salvador Allende scenario.
Your elected president shot, and a pinochet put in place. Should then Soviet Union done that, back then - I tell you: I'd still be bloody raw! Despite Kekkonen and all that....
"elected"
Allende was elected (only with 36 percent of the vote). However, Cuba has not had fair for over half a century. I don't understand international socialists obsession with these false equivalencies.
I am a left winger as floating between Soclialists, SDP, and Greens - depending which election it is - local, national or presidential. In a proportionional parliamentary democracy, 36% is actually a very strong mandate, for your info. Otherwise it might be that Trump - Clinton thing. Attractive, you say? ;-)
I am a happy EU citizen, especially knowing Finland has the pleasure of having the best neighbours of the region! :-D Min skolsvenska är dålig (with scandi o courtesy of google) - men Finland har de bästa grannar, inklusive Estland; och Baltien!
I just want to say: none of the neighbouring countries I am inclined to think have a little solidarity with Finland should have wanted us to fall under Soviet influence which only unravelled at fall of the Berlin wall. This was not a quickie.
From this perspective, I preferred a flawed leader like Kekkonen perso over direct Soviet obidience - and let Cubans pass their judgement on Castro.
As to prosperity of Cuba, I'd be happy for them to establish a good relation to EU, diplomatic and commercial, and touristic.
Allende was elected (only with 36 percent of the vote).
Look, in the first place, Allende had the highest amount of votes (36% as you say), but as it wasn't the majority (the other ones had like 30% as well I guess) of them so that did nothing, and because probably the Constitution says so, they had to let the Congress pick. IIRC here Viaux is murdered by Schneider (or maybe the other way around) because he thought that the military shouldn't interfere in politics (and the other one didn't and I think both were in the military), and Allende sings an agreement with the party that had the least amount of votes so that they would give him their support for IDK what else.
Anyway the point with Allende is that they brought him down when he had been elected. Kinda what happened in every other Spanish-talking country at the time.
Castro was the bully who shoved you into your locker and took your lunch money. .
Finland had a questinionable leader Kekkonen - who only existed because we were not part of Soviet Union.
I am neutral of Castro, except for human rights violations that rarely get a pope but are still wrong.
But suggest you view the man as symbol of national souverinity. If you do not think Soviet Union was right to swallow politically a number of nations, it cannot be more true for Cuba.
As a EU citizen, I'd like our continent to build bridges, and establish a moral stance to these relations that is universalist, not idological.
Allende was elected (only with 36 percent of the vote).
Look, in the first place, Allende had the highest amount of votes (36% as you say), but as it wasn't the majority (the other ones had like 30% as well I guess) of them so that did nothing, and because probably the Constitution says so, they had to let the Congress pick.
Anyway the point with Allende is that they brought him down when he had been elected. Kinda what happened in every other Spanish-talking country at the time.
Either you are so flippant that gods help you, or you are suggesting Chancellor of Germany is as much "fair game" as Allende.
I am no admirer of a regime that calls pope in to release unjustly imprisoned - I am a firmly secularist admirer of Jesus - but I will understand the Cubans likening Castro to Kekkonen.
And would like EU to build a diplomatic etc relations, on bases of legality and human rights.
As a EU citizen, I'd like our continent to build bridges, and establish a moral stance to these relations that is universalist, not idological.
As a EU citizen, I am afraid that EU as it is now is more interested in listening the desires of the banks, lobbies and corporations than in listening what the citizens want. EU, like communism, missed the ethics of human significance, for a purely material world view (I am using your same words), it was born with ideals but bureaucracy took the place of the ideals.
For the rest I agree with almost all that you say.
As a EU citizen, I'd like our continent to build bridges, and establish a moral stance to these relations that is universalist, not idological.
As a EU citizen, I am afraid that EU as it is now is more interested in listening the desires of the banks, lobbies and corporations than in listening what the citizens want. EU, like communism, missed the ethics of human significance, for a purely material world view (I am using your same words), it was born with ideals but bureaucracy took the place of the ideals.
For the rest I agree with almost all that you say.
I am positively biased, perso, because I went for a university exchange in Paris, which was beyond lovely, even if I was quite prole to do it - only my predecessors told had found out how to get 300 francs more per month for rent which was about treble to Helsinki.
I still remember a smile from social services person there in Paris, whom thought it was a pretty OK i was there.
So please!
I appreciate my experience was an exceptionally good one, but it was for EU students - not some abstract buraucracy. Come to Finland for later studies, and you'll see.
I just hate it when people lash out to "EU bureaucracy" without enjoying that mostly EU citizens are kind towards each other.
Allende was elected (only with 36 percent of the vote).
Look, in the first place, Allende had the highest amount of votes (36% as you say), but as it wasn't the majority (the other ones had like 30% as well I guess) of them so that did nothing, and because probably the Constitution says so, they had to let the Congress pick.
Anyway the point with Allende is that they brought him down when he had been elected. Kinda what happened in every other Spanish-talking country at the time.
Either you are so flippant that gods help you, or you are suggesting Chancellor of Germany is as much "fair game" as Allende.
I am no admirer of a regime that calls pope in to release unjustly imprisoned - I am a firmly secularist admirer of Jesus - but I will understand the Cubans likening Castro to Kekkonen.
And would like EU to build a diplomatic etc relations, on bases of legality and human rights.
I'm sorry, but I didn't get a single word of your post. All I was saying was that Allende was elected as honestly as possible one can be elected in a democracy (the type of government where the guy with the coolest speech and most influence wins). I was just clarifying. Nothing else.
PS. gorgonzola - in case you missed it, I think love of us Europeans for each other elevates EU, and makes it an organisation that is not void.
Denmark at the moment is posturing to break unto hard emancipation, when us scandis have had mini-Schengen for years and years, between the five Northern nations.
As to DK, I'll always want them to do well indeed - but as a Finn I'll think it'll be down to Icelandres to enable English in Scandi-meetings, at that eventuality. ;-)
Besides this, I just cannot imagine that SE, DK, NO, IS, FI would not be a unity that is pretty kind towards each other. But if DK must break away, it must.
History will judge Castro, which will be easier to do flippantly than were he a EU leader. That just adds gravitas, does it not? ;-)
As for the "left wing hypocrisy" , I must say that it is also quite ironic that the right wing does exactly the same, doesn't it? I mean , I have seen lots of people who consider themselves "christians" to praise his death and add "hopefully the next socialists will join him soon". Most people who criticised Castro's human rights' transgressions when asked about it in theor own countries would actually go the other way and demand radical solutions such as death penalty and ban gay rights, support extreme violence by the police force... Also, let's not forget the greatest hypocrisy which is "socialism doesn't work while capitalism does" . In a world ruled by bankers we can only expect constant economic crysis and privileges for the wealthy. It's actually silly to say that government intervention is unecessary , if it were we wouldn't have social benefits such as aid for the unemployed or welfare. It's a fact that to remove people from extreme poverty you need be very "social" . Socialism is also about the government controling natural resources. The owner of Nestlé said last year that it's alright for him to own water reserves and charge as much as he want. Water! That's some capitalism.
I'm no Fidel's fan, but treating him as worse than most other leaders is far from the truth.
@TStael maybe our perspective is different because you look at EU from the north side and I from the south one I am happy to be a EU citizen. And I see all the good of EU you talk about, but I see also other things, like the majority of EU population against the introduction of GMOs and the European Commission allowing them, as probably they rate more corporations opinion than citizens opinion. I also see countries taking a huge amount of refugees and others putting barbed wire at their borders. We are not still one people, one real union, ideals can make us so, not politics and economics. In the beginning ideals where strong, after the disaster of WW2, now, imo, ideals are weaker and politics and economics weight more. But I agree that ideals are still present. Maybe we continue on a dedicated topic or on the "Politics. The feel in your country" one, we are getting far OT.
@TStael maybe our perspective is different because you look at EU from the north side and I from the south one
Like I've been to Italy and you have not been to even more glamorous Sweden and Denmark, or primal beauty lands of Norway or Iceland? ;-)
I sorta hate to admit this, but a person I met in Helsinki ended up doing Luigi Bocconi University MBA in Milan, and I liked him, and he liked me too, so I scraped up all my resources to get an inter-rail ticket and go visit him in Italy.
I still look back to my time in Milano, and about Italy and neighbours thx to Interrail ticket with great pleasure - and deligthed more than a little to return to Milan World Expo.
Only this was an American of the sort of "dating habits" worst for a steady European. The point of this is to share with you that there was a moment when I felt rather distraught, and was sitting on flight of stairs by the canals, and a friendly local would have talked to me to console me, but when my lack of Italian was clear, it was short, but the sympathy was still clear.
I was quite young (ike 19) but this encounter has always made me think that if you see someone crying, try and go talk to them. And that Italians are tops in being kind!
I do care about economics, but I admit less than about this, or my Parisian student experience. I'd rather have poor Europe of solidarity, than technocratic economic glory.
But before criticizing EU, how about accepting that UN is the dysfunctional unit? I'd have less concern about ME refugees if I thought there was a functional way out of the war. But five years of terrible butchery, and the five veto nations force their proxy wars unto the ground!
My view is: when UN demands respect of their refugee principles, it should be universal - not just EU, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Pakistan - and veto nations should not be able to prolong the war at will.
I perso hope you'll be voting for Renzi even if he is an ass.
To the OP: Cubans should judge Castro, primarily - and it'll be easier in ten. twenty years' time, and with parliamentary democracy.
Comments
But at least in Cuba the police is brutal according to what you do, if you cause problems you will have problems, in is not depending on how the color of your skin is pale or dark. At least in Cuba if you are hill is your right to have medical care, it doesn't depend on the money you have (and for many poor people, in all the world, to be so is not a choice). At least Cuba never carpet bombed Iran, destroying hospitals and aqueducts, bullying the rest of the world in imposing to Iran a 10 years embargo that caused more deaths than the war itself, killing millions, not thousands, of deaths, mainly babies and old people, poisoned by the polluted water in a land with no more hospitals.
I am not communist and I perfectly see all the bad in communism and in every dictatorship. But it doesn't prevent me in seeing the bad in the other nations, even the democratic ones, even my own country.
And it doesn't prevent me in seeing also the good that there is in Cuba, Fidel was probably a far better person than other dictators like Videla or Pinochet. Or Hoxa, if you prefer a communist one.
I don't know if after the death of Castro Cuba will finally have a democracy, but I am afraid that if it will be so Cuba will become an other hunting ground for the corporations, that the Cuban people will not benefit of the immense touristic potential of the island, but others will, that a part of the Cuban population, that now has few, in the future will have nothing.
Even back in primitive, pre-historical Zhonguo (i.e. Kathai/China), there was this customary condition that a physician would only be paid if they cured an affliction and the patient was unharmed. Unbearably, modern society cordially embraces this damned 'health care', even though it demands not only up-front payments on top of a bloody subscription, but also typically requires one to undergo vaccinations and periodic screenings 'just in case' an extra opportunity to empty one's wallet could pop up. These foul MDs (i.e. Malnutrition Dogmatists) will leisurely cut any abnormalities out of your body and poison you with stuff that could kill a goat to decimate unwanted germs (but they'd never remove them altogether, of course), telling you that your way of life is okay, and only needs occasional 'care' to deliver you in good health unto your last year 68. Of course, it's not that the MDs themselves are to blame. Many of them genuinely think they are helping people, poor sods that they are.
Quackery of quackeries. Even in polluted and decadent renaissance Italy, one could easily lead a happy life following a sane, sober way of life (way of life = via vita = dia ita = diet), in perfect health until the age of 120, without any need of 'care'. I won't even mention that, long ago, there really used to be humans living way past 900 years of age, with brains that were increasing their complexity rather than rotting away, and that all you ever needed to understand how this was even possible is noted in a single chapter of the damn Genesis.
Feels like comparing Jim Jones and Charles Manson, trying to determine who's the worst of these two. As in, you could probably make an argument for each over the other, but damn, defending one of these sure isn't something I ever thought I'd do. =D
But as a student of international relations, I have seen people make these comparisons many times, and I have found that they are, without fail, vitriolic, narrow, uninformed, partisan, hysterical, hypocritical, hypernationalist, unconvincing, unenlightening, unproductive, and pointless.
They also focus only on the negatives, despite the fact that almost every country on the planet gives more to humankind than it takes away. A true comparison would also compare positives, but nobody ever does that.
EDIT: I mean no offense to @Chnapy. I just don't want to see another long and angryous debate over which country is better than the other. It's a bit like comparing which religion is better than another.
Like him or hate him, you can't deny that Trump isn't afraid to mince words and take a stand (even though some of his stances will change, I'm sure, as he takes office).
A true comparison would also compare positives, I agree, but I felt that in this tread only the negatives of Cuba was taken in account. That is why I posted, that is why I wrote: I agree that such debate will lead to nowhere, if not to flames. My intention was never to start such debate.
Probably my opinion on USA and its politics in the last half century, and about the impact that USA politics had on other countries and their populations, is quite different from yours, but that is not the point of this tread.
"Sell what you have, give it to the poor, and follow me as a deciple." "You will always have the poor, so celebrate me now, as the Christ."
The political communism missed the ethics of human significance, for a purely material world view. But so does the current neo-liberal world view.
So I would not rush to condemn Castro, as a fellow politican - the history plausibly will find you equally hypocritical, only less influential.
As a left-wing leaning woman of a Scandi-nation, I'd say Cuban revolution ended like Jesus' followers crying for him with all those poor being around them.
This said, as a Finn, whom is happy we did not end up part of Soviet Union, I frankly assume the Cubans think it is better Castro dying natural.
The alternative was the Salvador Allende scenario.
Your elected president shot, and a pinochet put in place. Should then Soviet Union done that, back then - I tell you: I'd still be bloody raw! Despite Kekkonen and all that....
Edit: when I mispell "Christ" I needs must correct it, because as a socialist I admire Jesus well enough.
Allende was elected (only with 36 percent of the vote). However, Cuba has not had fair for over half a century. I don't understand international socialists obsession with these false equivalencies.
What is even more strange is that people who revere Castro also revere Che Guevara even though once Castro was firmly in control of Cuba he didn't need Guevara's idealism and grassroots Marxism any more so he pushed him out.
Anyway...Raul and his cronies need to step down so that Cuba can get back to being itself. A lot of families in the Miami area had older relatives who were pushed out by Batista and, subsequently, Castro and one point of contention they have had for many years is the desire to recover land and other property seized under those governments. That is probably not going to happen.
I am a left winger as floating between Soclialists, SDP, and Greens - depending which election it is - local, national or presidential. In a proportionional parliamentary democracy, 36% is actually a very strong mandate, for your info. Otherwise it might be that Trump - Clinton thing. Attractive, you say? ;-)
I am a happy EU citizen, especially knowing Finland has the pleasure of having the best neighbours of the region! :-D Min skolsvenska är dålig (with scandi o courtesy of google) - men Finland har de bästa grannar, inklusive Estland; och Baltien!
I just want to say: none of the neighbouring countries I am inclined to think have a little solidarity with Finland should have wanted us to fall under Soviet influence which only unravelled at fall of the Berlin wall. This was not a quickie.
From this perspective, I preferred a flawed leader like Kekkonen perso over direct Soviet obidience - and let Cubans pass their judgement on Castro.
As to prosperity of Cuba, I'd be happy for them to establish a good relation to EU, diplomatic and commercial, and touristic.
Anyway the point with Allende is that they brought him down when he had been elected. Kinda what happened in every other Spanish-talking country at the time.
I am neutral of Castro, except for human rights violations that rarely get a pope but are still wrong.
But suggest you view the man as symbol of national souverinity. If you do not think Soviet Union was right to swallow politically a number of nations, it cannot be more true for Cuba.
As a EU citizen, I'd like our continent to build bridges, and establish a moral stance to these relations that is universalist, not idological.
I am no admirer of a regime that calls pope in to release unjustly imprisoned - I am a firmly secularist admirer of Jesus - but I will understand the Cubans likening Castro to Kekkonen.
And would like EU to build a diplomatic etc relations, on bases of legality and human rights.
For the rest I agree with almost all that you say.
I still remember a smile from social services person there in Paris, whom thought it was a pretty OK i was there.
So please!
I appreciate my experience was an exceptionally good one, but it was for EU students - not some abstract buraucracy. Come to Finland for later studies, and you'll see.
I just hate it when people lash out to "EU bureaucracy" without enjoying that mostly EU citizens are kind towards each other.
As to Castro, Cubans will judge him eventually.
Denmark at the moment is posturing to break unto hard emancipation, when us scandis have had mini-Schengen for years and years, between the five Northern nations.
As to DK, I'll always want them to do well indeed - but as a Finn I'll think it'll be down to Icelandres to enable English in Scandi-meetings, at that eventuality. ;-)
Besides this, I just cannot imagine that SE, DK, NO, IS, FI would not be a unity that is pretty kind towards each other. But if DK must break away, it must.
History will judge Castro, which will be easier to do flippantly than were he a EU leader. That just adds gravitas, does it not? ;-)
As for the "left wing hypocrisy" , I must say that it is also quite ironic that the right wing does exactly the same, doesn't it?
I mean , I have seen lots of people who consider themselves "christians" to praise his death and add "hopefully the next socialists will join him soon". Most people who criticised Castro's human rights' transgressions when asked about it in theor own countries would actually go the other way and demand radical solutions such as death penalty and ban gay rights, support extreme violence by the police force...
Also, let's not forget the greatest hypocrisy which is "socialism doesn't work while capitalism does" . In a world ruled by bankers we can only expect constant economic crysis and privileges for the wealthy. It's actually silly to say that government intervention is unecessary , if it were we wouldn't have social benefits such as aid for the unemployed or welfare. It's a fact that to remove people from extreme poverty you need be very "social" . Socialism is also about the government controling natural resources. The owner of Nestlé said last year that it's alright for him to own water reserves and charge as much as he want. Water! That's some capitalism.
I'm no Fidel's fan, but treating him as worse than most other leaders is far from the truth.
I am happy to be a EU citizen. And I see all the good of EU you talk about, but I see also other things, like the majority of EU population against the introduction of GMOs and the European Commission allowing them, as probably they rate more corporations opinion than citizens opinion.
I also see countries taking a huge amount of refugees and others putting barbed wire at their borders.
We are not still one people, one real union, ideals can make us so, not politics and economics.
In the beginning ideals where strong, after the disaster of WW2, now, imo, ideals are weaker and politics and economics weight more. But I agree that ideals are still present.
Maybe we continue on a dedicated topic or on the "Politics. The feel in your country" one, we are getting far OT.
I sorta hate to admit this, but a person I met in Helsinki ended up doing Luigi Bocconi University MBA in Milan, and I liked him, and he liked me too, so I scraped up all my resources to get an inter-rail ticket and go visit him in Italy.
I still look back to my time in Milano, and about Italy and neighbours thx to Interrail ticket with great pleasure - and deligthed more than a little to return to Milan World Expo.
Only this was an American of the sort of "dating habits" worst for a steady European. The point of this is to share with you that there was a moment when I felt rather distraught, and was sitting on flight of stairs by the canals, and a friendly local would have talked to me to console me, but when my lack of Italian was clear, it was short, but the sympathy was still clear.
I was quite young (ike 19) but this encounter has always made me think that if you see someone crying, try and go talk to them. And that Italians are tops in being kind!
I do care about economics, but I admit less than about this, or my Parisian student experience. I'd rather have poor Europe of solidarity, than technocratic economic glory.
But before criticizing EU, how about accepting that UN is the dysfunctional unit? I'd have less concern about ME refugees if I thought there was a functional way out of the war. But five years of terrible butchery, and the five veto nations force their proxy wars unto the ground!
My view is: when UN demands respect of their refugee principles, it should be universal - not just EU, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Pakistan - and veto nations should not be able to prolong the war at will.
I perso hope you'll be voting for Renzi even if he is an ass.
To the OP: Cubans should judge Castro, primarily - and it'll be easier in ten. twenty years' time, and with parliamentary democracy.