Adios Fidel

[Declan]

Well interesting times ahead in the caribbean now that Fidel has resigned. Any chance it will continue as is??

[Square Ball]

It all depends if the wee brother Juan takes over, he has stated that he is prepared to talk to the yanks, but not when Bush is in power, doesnt like McCann either by all accounts, so it would take a Clinton\Obama win for them to ger together.

If there do get some sort of dialog going will all the Cubans in America go back

[Gnevin]

It all depends if the wee brother Juan takes over, he has stated that he is prepared to talk to the yanks, but not when Bush is in power, doesnt like McCann either by all accounts, so it would take a Clinton\Obama win for them to ger together.

If there do get some sort of dialog going will all the Cubans in America go back

Some may but all not a chance

[AZOffaly]

It'll be great for baseball. Their best pitchers won't have to defect on a raft held together with baling twine.

[Zapatista]

Don't expect anything to move quickly. Castro's legacy is still quite powerful and difficult to turnaround. To think Cubans will automatically trust any US leader is madness but something the US will be saying is happening anyway.

Well interesting times ahead in the caribbean now that Fidel has resigned. Any chance it will continue as is??

Things got interesting when he came to power. A great leader who achieved great things for his people and people across the world.

[his holiness nb]

Things got interesting when he came to power. A great leader who achieved great things for his people and people across the world.

Despite what the Americans would have you beleive!

[lynchbhoy]

think this is a move by fidel to elongate the same kind of leadership and regieme long after he has departed.
By instilling his brother or another like minded successor, he will ensure that any change in policy etc will not happen as it might have if he had died at the helm.
this way he can be there to ensure the status quo remains.

Would like to see some softening of the relations between Cuba and america - the embargo is a disgrace to humanity.
Cuba is being kept poor and the people impoverished because of it.

[Bord na Mona man]

Would like to see some softening of the relations between Cuba and america - the embargo is a disgrace to humanity.
Cuba is being kept poor and the people impoverished because of it.

Even if there was no embargo, I don't think Cuba would be much better off.
A country when you can't realistically start your own business, or buy property etc is hardly going to start thriving in a hurry.

The American embargo is petty, but it is the certainly has helped the Castro regime. Cuban people have a cause to rally behind and are less questioning of their own less than ideal living standards.

[his holiness nb]

In fairness due to the geographical position, Cuba is never going to be wealthy.
I cant think of any carribean nations that are.

One thing that these other nations do have, and is the mainstay of most of these nations economies, is american tourism.

This alone will bring huge employment.

[Croí na hÉireann]

There'll be no changes overnight but in time I fully expect Cuba to become a capitalist economy, there's already a thriving black economy. Cubans today are what I imagine our ancestors were like back in the day when u could leave ur back door unlocked and they sure as hell don't deserve the embargo.

[balladmaker]

When in Cuba a few years back, I somehow went with the impression that Fidel would be revered by the people.  In public, this was the case.  But a few of the locals were less than complimentary when they felt safe to talk.  Whenever you brought up Fidel into conversation, you could see their eyes shifting in a bit of a panic and trying to avert the conversation as soon as possible.  One fella, who took us on a donkey and cart tour of Havana, just came out and said that he didn't want to talk about Fidel Castro. 

[Declan]

The American embargo is petty,

Indeed it is but what would you expect from a pig but a grunt as they say.

Remember this anyone
David Hickey won an All-Ireland Football medal in 1974 with the Dublin team. When this team was honoured at half-time in Croke Park. Each member of the team was called out, stepped forward and acknowledged the applause of the spectators. When Doctor David Hickey's name was called, he stepped forward, removed his jacket to display an "End Cuban Blockade" slogan on his white shirt.

[his holiness nb]

Its funny the different versions you hear. My brother was there and everyone he mentioned Castro to, in private or public, was complimentary to Castro.

I suppose like any political leader, he has supporters and people who oppose him.

One thing we can be sure of though is that the Cubans must be sick of people asking them about Castro!

[johnneycool]

In fairness due to the geographical position, Cuba is never going to be wealthy.
I cant think of any carribean nations that are.

One thing that these other nations do have, and is the mainstay of most of these nations economies, is american tourism.

This alone will bring huge employment.

Will the new bank of the america's set up by Chavez and Co not stimulate a lot of economies in Latin America as it's not as extortionate as the World bank?

[his holiness nb]

In fairness due to the geographical position, Cuba is never going to be wealthy.
I cant think of any carribean nations that are.

One thing that these other nations do have, and is the mainstay of most of these nations economies, is american tourism.

This alone will bring huge employment.

Will the new bank of the america's set up by Chavez and Co not stimulate a lot of economies in Latin America as it's not as extortionate as the World bank?

Possibly so, but I am referring to the island nations of the Carribbean.