Monthly Archives: April 2012

Vinales, Cuba

I am going backwards in writing about my stay in Cuba, which included a week meeting government officials and politicians. During the last few days I felt I had not seen any more of the country than when I first visited in 2008 to attend a conference in Havana. I took advice from the hotel agency and booked a trip to Pinar del Rio and Vinales, a tabacoo growing region.
The coach was filled with people from many different countries, and at first I didn’t pick up other English speakers. I later found my companions came for the UK (Shanklin in the Isle of Wight which I visited many times as a child), the US (Washington DC) and Canada. While I had met many coming from Canada in the previous three weeks, I was intrigued to know the reason for the visitors from the United States, given that direct flights are nor available and that US citizens can occur penalties for visiting Cuba, Otherwise their were Greeks and a young woman from Moscow who I found spoke excellent English. When I told her I visited Moscow in 1961 I felt she thought I was from a different world. I’d like to have found out a lot more about her reasons for visiting Cuba today. It appears that Russia maintains good relations with Cuba even though it is no longer a Socialist state,
Out of Havana, having done a round of hotels to pick up passengers we encountered a long range of mountains. The land was green and fertile with palm trees abounding. There were fields of rice. I was concerned about the availability of water in such an area. I knew that some places that introduced rice crops had wrecked the environment. The Indian Punjab is one such place where rice growing and fish farming is having a detrimental effect.
Our first break was to a small roadside shack where it turned out they were without a water supply. They had no coffee and no water, cans of beer was all that could be had, except for the young woman selling small sweet bananas. This meant we had to take a second break fairly soon.

Mordechai Vanunu. Time for his release is long overdue

When I was in the Palestinian territories and Israel in early 2004 we discussed Mordechai Vanunu who was still held in prison where he had served 18 years, much in solitary confinement. This after being lured to Rome where he was kidnapped (presumably illegally by Mossad who seem to be immune to international law) and smuggled back to Israel. He has spent 8 further years restricted to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. He is widely regarded as a spy and traitor and so continues to be harassed.
Now is the time for the Israeli government to show good will. I seriously wonder if it is capable of doing this. Any report you read on this bunch shows them laying into everybody and anybody, except that is the settlers to whom Netanahyu continues to give away Palestinian land and property. Extreme is not the word to describe these actions, but since the US appears powerless to deal with him it continues,
The following are letters published in the Guardian which coincide with a day of action called by the Free Mordechai Vanunu cause on Facebook, supported by 5,500 people.

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Education. The Verdict

Just as anyone with a background in health is the last to be asked about running a health service, anyone with the slightest understanding of education and learning will be swept aside. The Independent has published the verdict. Not that Gove at al will be the least bit interested since those giving the verdict either represent teachers or actually have to run the run down “system” that has emerged from the market- led views of running society. Class divide prevails.
There is no opposition to government because New Labour had already begun to introduce the Academy, which undermined local control of education. Underfunding always meant this was never to be perfect but at least local representatives who knew local needs could plan, Now anyone can go straight to the Secretary of State and day they want to open a school. Those who have applied in and around Birmingham seem the most unlikely educationists without any previous sign of interest or expertise. In one case it is a religious institution so a divide on religious/cultural lines is on the cards. Such schools have proved highly divisive in Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine.
Now that the state system of British education is well on the way to being dismantled, just how will it be reconstructed. The major parties appear to have little if any idea.

No Popery here? The Pope in Cuba.

Pope in Cuba
A few months back the Pope arrived here in Birmingham to take forward the process of creating Cardinal Newman a saint. He travelled close to home as he passed through Handsworth. As Rev Ian Paisley might feel there would be places on earth that you would be safe from the attentions of the mighty pontiff. Not so, just as I and my colleagues taking part in a Socialist Labour Party delegation were about to leave Cuba the Pope decided to leave at the very same time. Our way to the Jose Marti airport in Havana was blocked and we feared our travel plans home. Our taxi stopped at a point where many were lining the streets so we joined them to watch. When there was no sign of him we returned to our cab just in time before a tropical storm erupted drenching those who had not retreated. We heard that he had stopped to meet Fidel Castro.
Pope Visits Cuba
Why was the Pope in Cuba, and what messages were sent by both sides. Watching the “impartial” BBC World Service at our hotel in Havana we learned that the Pope has come to tell the Cubans to allow its people freedom? In our three weeks there we did not feel that the government was restricting the people and no on complained about that. The only restrictions we saw were those imposed by the US in their continuing blockade which seriously affects the economy. It also compromises the internet so that I was unable to achieve a daily blog as I had intended. The internet cables surrounding the island are US owned so there is control over the system and wi-fi is virtually nowhere to be found. Nothing that works that is. The Hotel Havana Libre indicated that there was a connection but it failed to work. We also learned from the Beeb that Cuba remained “isolated”. As we knew Cuba provides doctors and teachers to many needy places, so those who have received their help don’t regard Cuba in that way. Cuba is a leading light across Latin America with countries such as Brazil and Argentina recognising the achievements of the Cuban revolution which ended the corrupt Battista government supported by US gangsters. In maintaining sanctions against Cuba it is the US that has few friends and can only call on Israel and a few other discredited governments to give support.
As we waited to get to the airport the Pope made a final address at the airport. It is published in Granma, as is the welcoming speech of Raul Castro on behalf of Cuba.
The BBC World Service ducked the issue of sanctions raised by Raul Castro. The Pope did not. Raul outlined the concerns of the Cuban government which respond to world conditions which don’t affect Cuba alone. Food supply and environmental issues are central concerns which were also raised with our delegation. We found our hosts to be very clear, open and honest about their situation and they welcomed support for their efforts in bringing about a just and fair society. Support from the Pope and his predecessor was warmly welcomed but does not signal a departure from the Socialist society of 50 years standing. I heard there are an estimated 3 million Catholics out of a population of 11 million. How many of those are practicing. Most people I spoke to seemed indifferent to the visit, except they hoped he would speak up for the unjust economic blockade, which he did.
Pictures from NY Times coverage.