Peter K (Fionn), you really should take the advice given by Greg above. With regard to your post of 30 Jun 04 - 06:05 AM:

I'll ask you where you get your facts from - The Gilligan School of Journalism?

Case in point:
"Yes, we live longer, for which there are various reasons, LIKE THE FACT THAT we take grain from destitute countries and feed it to our cattle."

UK Wheat Imports 2000/2001:
From the EU we imported 546,000 tonnes
From Canada we imported 466,000 tonnes
From the USA we imported 173,000 tonnes
From others we imported 9,000 tonnes

UK Maize Imports 2000/2001:
From the EU we imported 1,110,000 tonnes
From Argentina we imported 231,000 tonnes
From the USA we imported 6,000 tonnes
From others we imported 1,000 tonnes

UK Barley Imports 2000/2001:
From the EU we imported 55,000 tonnes
From the USA we imported 19,000 tonnes
From others we imported 2,000 tonnes

Bloody convincing arguement you've got there Fionn - THE FACTS state otherwise.

My datum point Peter? Was the one given to me by Akenaton - We poor slaves IN THE WEST currently struggling under the onerous burden of westernised democracy.

"When was that great experiment to liberate us via Communism?" Started in 1917, I believe, the experiment lasted a bare sixty years, during which time the USSR never once managed to feed it's own population - you can look up the level of Russian grain imports before and after the 1917 revolution - it might just tell you something. After the Kulak purges in Soviet Russia they faced years of famine purely in the interests of pursuing political dogma.

And please if you are going to paint Cuba's glorious record, at least get it right and paint the full picture - Cuba was also subsidised to the hilt by Soviet Russia, again for political reasons. While you are at it maybe you could explain to us all why all those Cubans throughout the reign of Fidel the Great father have been fleeing in droves.

The examples you have given round the world have one thing in common - none have known or practiced a truly democractic system of government. In Africa the system and apparatus of democratic government was left in place but pretty soon discarded to ape the "Soviet Model" - their mistake and they were completely at liberty to make that choice - they backed the wrong horse, it doesn't work, even with massive state repression.