Just by way of diversion...
We once spent a weekend in Havana, in the last days of Castro. It truly was a Socialist paradise: once-beautiful buildings with floorboards ripped up to use as firewood, ancient rust bucket cars held together with tape and string, locals willing to sell you anything for an American dollar. The older ones whispered wistfully of the "life BC": Before Castro. The younger ones whispered hopefully of "life AC".
It didn't feel safe to wander too far from the hotel for a place for dinner - the pester rate from people wanting to sell cigars, girls, boys, anything really, was just too much - so we walked 500 metres to the next hotel, the country's finest, the Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
There were armed guards around the perimeter of the hotel grounds, presumably to keep out the locals because the pester power disappeared as soon as we crossed the boundary. The guards let us in, though, because we were so obviously tourists. For a start, neither of us was wearing unmatched shoes.
The restaurant was nice but had faded grandeur and the wallpaper was peeling. The food was limited but well-cooked, right at our table. The attention from waiting staff was overwhelming. The only other customers were fellow tourists and men, lots of men, in cheap ill-fitting suits. "Very important people, Party officials" murmured the waiter. There were no other locals but hardly a surprise: our bill came to $80, US dollars accepted only, and the average local salary was the Cuban equivalent of $10. Per month. Only very important Party officials could afford to eat there.
The live band, who were excellent, tried to flog us copies of their original music...on cassette tapes. I explained as tactfully as I could that no one at home used cassette tapes anymore. They knew. They knew Cuba was out of step with the rest of the world but it was their world, the one they were living in. They also spoke hopefully of "life AC". DH gave them a $10 bill anyway.
When we disembarked from the short flight back to Cancun, DH kissed the tarmac because he was so grateful to be back in the real world.
That is a true story. It's not even the half of it. The whole weekend was an eye-opener. And you know what?
I'm still voting Conservative!!!!