well joining us now from Manchester is
the respect party MP George Galloway who
has met uh Fidel Castro you're a
Democrat does that pose any problems in
terms of how you viewed Fidel
Castro well if people believe the
package they've just heard which could
have come from Fox News you would think
that Fidel Castro was some kind of
tyrant well I'm sure I can assure you
that's what your viewers will be
concluding that was the most biased
package I've heard today and I've been
on the media all day let's go over the
package let's not go over theage I'm
asking you a simple question your well
the question is this are the Cuban
people liberated from the misery that
afflicts most of the people of the third
world and the answer is yes they can all
read and write they live longer than
they do in Washington DC their children
are more likely to survive than the
children of Washington DC they can't
vote 50 years just well you know Health
and Longevity and education free at that
these are human rights too but does that
not POS you a problem as a Democrat that
they can't vote let if you will if you
will let me finish I'll come on to that
point if it were not for the 50 years of
Siege blockade assassination Invasion
subversion by the most powerful country
in the world just 75 miles away then
these other rights would have been
achieved too you bet you'd be better
addressing your questions to the United
States of America which for nine
administrations in a row has done
everything it could to destroy the Cuban
Revolution precisely because it's an
example to the PE the people of the
third world not least Latin America
where more and more of them are
following it in you can't blame
Washington for the lack of democracy can
you in in in in Cuba and there's no
doubt that some people in Cuba want
democracy and want a say in their
Affairs well we all want democracy
but the facts are that in Latin America
the only way to get elected now is to
profess friendship with Fidel Castro and
opposition to George Bush none of which
was reflected in your package Fidel
Castro Hugo Chavez seem like the men of
the hour don't they rather than Milton
Freedman why don't they go to the
electorate then in Cuba if if if Fidel
Castro is so fundamentally popular why
not make the transition to democracy now
well well when the United States lifts
the state of war and Siege on Cuba
that's irr normal life can no it's
absolutely irrelevant when Hitler was at
the channel ports threatening to invade
us there wasn't much democracy and if
you'd wandered around the East End tring
for Hitler you wouldn't have lasted long
there's every there's every threat
they've tried to kill Fidel Castro
hundreds of times they've invaded
countries all over the world thousands
of miles from their Hitler didn't stop
democracy in Britain what makes yes he
did as a matter of fact many Democratic
freedoms were suspended in Britain
especially for those who were prizing
for Hitler and that's the comparison
that you have to make we Ling that Siege
no you did actually if you if you knew
anything about British history you'd
know there were no elections you say un
suff was ended by what by by Hitler in
the 30s the parties the parties didn't
fight each other throughout the course
of the second world
war young was on our door well let's
talk about for a minute can we when when
Hitler was on our doorstep Democratic
freedoms were ciled in Britain the
United States is on the doorstep of Cuba
and has tried to destroy it for nearly
50 years and so some democratic freedoms
are Su where do you see the future I
mean do you see the revolution
continuing post Fidel or or do you think
there will be some sort of
transition despite your propaganda
socialism Will Survive it's not
propaganda these are simple questions
it's Fox News propaganda which I've come
to get used to from Channel 4 News all
right fine we put aside we will put
aside the abuse I'm asking you a simple
question about how you see the future of
Cuba do you think there will be some
transition socialism will survive I know
that makes you sad but it will survive
the Free Health Service Will Survive
free education Will Survive Cuba will
continue to be an icon for people around
the world who want to see Liberation and
want to see the escape from the
domination of globalized capitalism and
United States domination George Galloway
thank you for joining us