I've never been to Cuba; however, my father went for a vacation about twenty years ago. He was not a leftie, by any means - a skeptic is what he was. Now, I wish I could remember his exact words, but to paraphrase: "The Cubans don't feel oppressed. You can tell when the people feel oppressed - it's not like that in Cuba." No reason that should mean anything to you, I suppose, but it made an impression on me.