Castro

Fidel Castro has died!

Those were the exact words of a tweet from Donald Trump. What has amazed me about the aftermath of the Cuban leader’s death is the way so many people have used it to try and make a political statement.

First, context. Fidel Castro was a Cuban revolutionary and dictator. He ruled the country from 1959-2008 when his brother Raul Castro took over. In the fifties Cuba’s government was corrupt but a revolution led to Castro turning the country into the only communist state in the West. This led to huge problems during the Cold War and nearly led to nuclear destruction in the Cuban Missile Crisis. He ruthlessly ruled the country but it’s now in a stronger place than it ever was.

That’s the thing about Castro. He was a dictator and did some really horrible things. But as dictator’s go he wasn’t that bad and took down a crime ridden government and I think most people would agree that Cuba has got a lot out of having him as leader. Basically, it’s complicated. The world isn’t black or white and I think that any sensible person has to accept that neither was Castro. There’s plenty of bad but a fair bit of good too.

Outgoing president Barack Obama got it right in my book:

At this time of Fidel Castro’s passing, we extend a hand of friendship to the Cuban people. We know that this moment fills Cubans – in Cuba and in the United States – with powerful emotions, recalling the countless ways in which Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives, families, and of the Cuban nation. History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him.

I think that’s the right way of saying it. History will record and judge. It’s not up to him and it’s too simplistic to decide either way. But hey, not everyone is as sensible and diplomatic as Obama. Especially president elect Donald Trump:

The world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights.

Now for once Trump isn’t entirely wrong here. Clearly Castro is responsible for those things. But is this Trump standing up for human rights? I don’t think so. This is Donald Trump saying pretty much the exact opposite of what Obama said. It feels like a statement designed to make himself look good, not to actually mean anything. It’s hardly the sort of diplomacy you would expect from a president either. Obama tries to build stronger bonds in his statement whilst Trump essentially says he doesn’t care about that.

Of course there’s another approach  Here’s Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s statement on Castro:

Fidel Castro’s death marks the passing of a huge figure of modern history, national independence and 20th century socialism.

“From building a world class health and education system, to Cuba’s record of international solidarity abroad, Castro’s achievements were many.

“For all his flaws, Castro’s support for Angola played a crucial role in bringing an end to Apartheid in South Africa and he will be remembered both as an internationalist and a champion of social justice.”

Like Trump, I suppose he isn’t technically wrong in what he says here. Again, Castro did do all those things. Like I said, it’s complicated. But Corbyn doesn’t even seem to consider the bad things. This seems to be Jeremy Corbyn saying “I like Castro because I’m like him” which is a worrying thought. I think Corbyn’s statement is worse than Trump’s. How can you not talk about Castro and consider the human rights issues?

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron’s statement gets it pretty much right in my opinion:

There is no doubt that Fidel Castro was a vastly significant 20th Century leader, but even as we respectfully acknowledge this on his passing, we must not overlook the appalling human rights abuses including brutal summary executions for which he was responsible.

Obviously people in politics are going to have an opinion on Fidel Castro. These statements really show just how complicated and divisive a figure he was. But I find it unpleasant that people have grabbed this as another pathetic attempt to improve their political career.

It’s this kind of thing which explains why Brexit and Trump were voted for. Most politicians seem to try and make everything black and white. Every policy is either terrible or brilliant and there’s no middle ground. It’s about time politicians respected the public and don’t tell us everything is black or white. Most things simply aren’t and we should be told this instead of being pushed in one direction or the other.