Alive and well

Forty nine years ago, Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba with the support of a majority of the population, promising to bring democracy, prosperity and justice to the largest of the West Indies.

It didn't take long for the promises about democracy and justice to be ditched - about 18 months, in fact.

As for prosperity ...

In 1962, as Castro formally turned Cuba into a Communist outpost of the old Soviet Union, he introduced Russian-style food rationing – the dreaded rationing libreta.

But it was OK, folk, because he promised the measure would last just 12 months.

Well, see that Reuters photograph at the top of this post? It was taken yesterday. And yes, that’s the libreta. Alive and well after all this time.