island off the coast of Venezuela, with a land area of only 144 square miles and a population of just 110,000, making it one of the world's smallest countries. Yet in the four years since the 13 March 1979; the people of the island have made enormous gains under the : leadership of Maurice Bishop's People's Revolutionary Government.
But, in so doing, they have incurred the wrath of the United States governmen which directly threatens the revolution.
In these extracts from a speech he made at Kensington Town Hall Prime Minister Bishop explains these gains, the nature of the United States threat the links between developments in those elsewhere in the Caribbean and Central America. (Chris Palmer)
A LOT has happened since 1980, the last time I spoke at a London rally. There has been the world capitalist crisis and now the threats to peace. There have been invasions, most recently the invasion of the free sovereign soil Nicaragua. It has been a difficult challenging period but also in many ways.an exciting and successful period.
The crisis in the capitalist world has had very serious implications for the economies of developing countries. It meant higher interest rates, while even in the capitalist world, we have the phenomenon negative growth rates almost economic feature. Under this pressure, unemployment figures in now of has of the over 15 per cent.
In the same period we have seen a substantial increase in the public ex.
million in 1978, the last year before the revolution, to $101 million in production growth of 34 per cent las unemployment - from 49 per cent in year wages rose by an average of 10 per cent while the cost of living rose by only 7 per cent. This is accompanied by further growth in the social wage, the benefits which our people see but do not pay for. For example, health care is now complete. ly free as is education. So then Reagan says that we have no human rights in must co on the oriensive - we nave every five years. To us, it means five things, and if you lack one, then there is no democracy. It means accoun tability; it means responsibility; it means mechanisms for popular parbecome the rulers; it means bringing benefits to the people because you cannot talk of democracy if the needs of the people are not met but are stiffed; it means an elective component. work, Reagan claims that Grenada. the tiny island of Grenada, is a threat to the might of the United States. By chance, half the oil and 60 per cent of Valeile off the coast of Grenada. Maybe he would be satisfied if we were to move our island! But our people would not tional airport, which we hope to be completed by next fifth anniversary of our revolution, is really a military airport. On television, he shows spy plane photograph:
Why take spy plane photos? Go and take the pictures yourself. It is the most popular tourist project in Grenada. Just at the end of the runway is a medical school where 650 Americans are training to be doc-