Missed last Saturday's Cuba discussion?

Have a watch at the introductory presentations...

In the first video, Brian Pollitt, drawing on experience inside Cuba and involvement in academic study of the Americas over the past 50 years, speaks about the challenges and successes of the Cuban Revolution. Brian is an SSP member and Secretary of Scottish Medical Aid for Cuba.



Dorothy Sharkey of Scottish Cuba Solidarity on the US. blockade, the Miami 5 and Solidarity Brigades. More information HERE



Kevin Carroll, from the Scottish Socialist Party and Scottish Cuba Solidarity, explains how he became interested in, and describes some of his visits to, Cuba.



Brian on Cuba HERE
Brian on "Che, the People's Revolutionary" HERE
Article on Che HERE Brian Pollitt comments on it:

It is acutely frustrating to read Che's concluding thoughts which are quoted so approvingly:

"...the plan as an economic decision by the masses, conscious of the peoples' interests.... The masses must decide which share of production will be assigned respectively to accumulation and consumption. Economic technique must operate within the limits of this information and the consciousness of the masses must ensure its implementation."

As an implicit critique of the "top down" Soviet model of planning this sounds all very well. But the Soviets, the Chinese and the Cubans all claimed to have a "top-down-top" planning system whereby the planners framed a draft plan which was taken down to "the masses" via the Party and in discussion with the Trade Unions, and then, accompanied by their critique, went back up again to be reformulated by the central planners. Whether and how this happened in practice is quite another matter but the difficulty with Che's formulations is that absolutely nothing concrete is said about how "the masses" make their wishes known; through what organised and representative fora do they make their decisions on accumulation versus consumption in the plan; and how does the masses "consciousness" ensure the implementation of their democratically expressed will? It all sounds fine but doesn't withstand close inspection as to its organisational meaning, does it?

INVITE THIS SATURDAY!!

Discussion on the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.

Speakers

Brian Pollitt, Scottish Cuba Medical Aid
Kath Campbell, Scottish Cuba Solidarity
Kevin Carroll, Scottish Socialist Party
Details here

Cuba 50!

50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution - Campsie branch invite YOU to come discuss!

Scottish Socialist Party on 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution HERE
Details of the Saturday 12 Sept discussion HERE

Invite!

Everyone welcome! Click on the invites below to see larger versions.

Brian Pollitt on Che

Brian Pollitt first visited Cuba in December 1962 when, as President of the Cambridge Union Society, he was a member of the British delegation to celebrate the 4th anniversary of the Revolution on 1 January 1963.Brian was engaged in fieldwork in Cuba from 1963-65 as a research student of Cambridge University, evaluating Cuba's agrarian reforms by conducting a survey of agricultural workers and peasant families. He then trained a Cuban research team and directed a survey of 1,061 rural households in 1965-67. ARTICLE HERE