DONA NOBIS PACEM 2024 - HOLD THE LIGHT

 

At times like these, when peace seems to be further away than ever, it can be very hard to write about it. Yet this is the time when it is most important to do so, to "hold the light", because we have to show that peace is possible, peace is desirable and that peace is essential, even and especially when we are being confronted with horrific images of war in our time every day and evening of our lives.

My generation, the "luckiest ever", some say, saw our first live images of combat and its effects during the dreadful conflict that was the Vietnam War and no one could say, from that period on, that they "didn't know" about it. Even at the time of the Kennedy assassinations, we had not been able to receive live reporting on them in Britain and most people there had not even gathered around a television set before the Coronation of Elizabeth II. The danger, once we were able to see those live images of horrifying events, was that we would lose our capacity to be shocked, become inured to it all. I don't think that most of my generation did, because from us sprang numerous peace movements; we wrote about peace, we studied peace, we campaigned for peace and we sang about peace.

What, then, can we do almost half a century after the fall of Saigon and all the conflicts in between, as we watch, day after day, shocking scenes of a population who are constantly being told to move on but have nowhere to go? A population with no adequate sanitation or access to healthcare, a population that is starving. No one is suggesting that the event that gave rise to all this was not also terrible, but when faced with human cruelty, do we also have to lose our humanity? 

We can protest, we can become part of a peace movement such as this and those of us who live in democracies can convey our concerns to those in power. In countries like the UK, where citizens have direct access to their elected representatives, we can write or speak to them and make our feelings known. Do you think they will not care? I assure you, they will care when they want your vote - which brings me to the matter we are all probably pondering, which is that so much will depend on what happens in the US tomorrow. Those of us in other countries can only hope that there will be light.

Light breaks where no sun shines, wrote the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. And to "hold the light" we have first to see it, so we must not look away from the harrowing scenes on our many devices or from the possibilities for doing something about them. We have to unite in peace, for peace and for the light.

With thanks as always to the wonderful, indefatigable Mimi Lenox, who continues to inspire us to blog for peace.

BlogBlast4Peace on X.

THE MORNING AFTER

If ever a country needed a morning-after pill, it was Italy this morning. As Italians went to bed last night - those who did bother to turn in, that is - there was no clear general election result and things weren't any better when they woke up this morning.  As I write, the number of seats allotted to each group in both parliamentary chambers is still changing and this is everybody's nightmare scenario here; an outcome so close that no one will be capable of governing, or at least, not for long.

You can see the results for yourself on the Ministero dell'Interno site and at the moment the centre-left coalition led by Pier Luigi Bersani has 340 seats in the Camera dei Deputati or lower chamber, Beppe Grillo's anti-corruption M5S [Five-Star Movement] has 108, Mr Berlusconi's centre-right coalition has 124 seats and Mario Monti's Scelta Civica coalition just 45 seats.  This makes Beppe Grillo's party - but not group because it is not part of one - the most popular in Italy.  In the Senate, the upper chamber, where seats are allocated according to regional voting, Mr Berlusconi's coalition has 116 seats, Mr Bersani's 113, Mr Grillo's party 54 and Mr Monti's group 18.  [I repeat - the situation is constantly changing and both the ANSA news agency and Corriere della Sera are now giving the figures as 119 for Mr Bersani and 117 for Mr Berlusconi in the Senate.]

In the Senate elections, Sicily went with the Berlusconi coalition, with Beppe Grillo's party coming a close second and Mr Bersani's coalition third.  In the Camera, however, Sicily favoured the Grillo Movement, with  the Berlusconi coalition coming second and the Bersani group third [with almost 50% less votes than the Berlusconi group]. The difference in this region's results for the two chambers may be explained by the fact that you have to be over 25 years of age to vote for the Senate.

In this election young people have had their say and what they have said is that they are fed up with corruption and do not want more of the same. They want jobs and hope and in my opinion it is the lack of hope offered by the undoubtedly sincere Mr Monti that has lost him the vote. You cannot tell people who were not even old enough to vote when the crisis began that, because of a situation which could not possibly have been their fault, they have to accept ever-increasing austerity measures with no end in sight and no dream to follow.  

As for Mr Berlusconi, as usual it is difficult to find anyone who will admit to having voted for him and some people will tell you that they are voting not for him, but for his coalition [which is technically true]. "I wouldn't vote for him but as a celebrity he's fantastic", remarked a friend of mine after one of Mr Berlusconi's recent  television interviews.  "That's just the trouble", I replied. "He's not a celebrity but your former Prime Minister" ["and", I might have added had the conversation taken place tonight, "possibly a future one."] I'm willing to bet that this friend did vote for Mr Berlusconi! Why?  Because "everybody's Silvio" represents Italians as some would like to see themselves, because they admire his business audacity and because, many would say, "Who else is there?"

"Grillo", we might answer. The Left's criticisms of Mr Grillo have been levelled at the fact that he and his party members do not have governmental experience and certainly, this makes many Italians doubt his ability to really carry through.  But who, among those elected previously, has done so?  Mr Grillo is so suspicious of Italy's political establishment and institutions that at one point on Sunday he was urging voters to "lick their pencils" in order to make it harder for an unscrupulous vote-counter to erase their mark.  If I might venture a personal opinion here I would like to tell Beppe that, much as I have always admired him, his scant attention to hygiene in this instance would not give me confidence in a member of his party as Minister of Health. But I always was a fussy soul and anyway, do not have the right to vote in Italian national elections [only local and EU ones].

As the night wears on, desperate attempts are being made to form a coalition capable of governing but I am not hopeful: this is a country in which getting to the point is not regarded as a virtue and anyone asking a question at a public meeting or conference embeds it in the middle of so much flowery rhetoric that often the addressee has no idea what is being asked; writers do not use paragraphs, a contract is treated much like a used bus ticket and an appointment is a vague arrangement which probably means, "I'll call you if I remember to think about it."  What we should be wondering at, then, is not that the political system doesn't work but that anything, ever, works at all. When it does, it works beautifully and stuns the rest of the world and I wish this could be the case with this election result.

As I close my post, there is still no clear winner but I fear that there is a clear loser; its name is Italy.

AFTERWORD

Well, Barack, of all the honours you've received today I'm sure you'll be glad to know that your book made our timely display at the school. 

Sorry, Mitt, but I don't have one of yours. That may be just as well because your remark six days ago about not wanting the USA to "end up like Italy" went down about as well here as your pre-Olympics gaffe in London, though it did have the unexpected effect of uniting politicians from two warring parties [Italy's Pd and Pdl] in indignation.  Minister Gianfranco Polillo, meanwhile, shrugged his shoulders as only an Italian can, concluding that you already have economic problems similar to those of Italy but lack the compensations of the Italian quality of life.

Everyone I've spoken to here seems pleased at the outcome in the US and Mr Monti sent amicable and  restrained congratulations to President Obama today, in marked contrast to those of his predecessor Mr Berlusconi four years ago when the gaffeur par excellence emphasised the then President-elect's "suntan".  Mr Monti added that President Obama is "nice" to work with.

I don't know about you, dear reader, but I feel worn out even though I haven't fought a campaign or cast a vote! Perhaps this is because just two weeks ago we had our own very exciting Sicilian regional elections, in which Beppe Grillo's new M5S party won 47% of the vote. So hold on to your hat, Barack, because we may have real change coming over here!

THE DANGERS OF COPY AND PASTE

As a teacher I am always warning students of the dangers and unethicality of copying and pasting the work of others with neither permission nor accreditation but next time I will have this cautionary tale from Catania to back up my admonitions:

A candidate in the municipal elections for the town of Paternò in Catania Province has promised, in his manifesto, to improve the city's finances by creating a port there - the only problem being that Paternò is inland, lying 43 kilometres from the Port of Catania and 142 km from that of Messina.  

It turns out that the unfortunate candidate copied the election manifesto of a candidate from Genova and the  "port" promise was left in by mistake.  Our undoubtedly now red-faced candidate noticed his error too late, for a group called "Paternò a Mare" [Paternò-on-Sea] has already appeared on facebook and members are enjoying themselves creating images of the city surrounded by water.  The "Maritime Republic of Paternò " has also been proclaimed on the page.

I understand that the US State Department proofreads press releases around 35 times before these are made public. Perhaps Sicilian electoral candidates should take note.

ITALY MAGAZINE ROUND-UP - 24

Here is my pick of last week's Italy Magazine articles.

Everyone is talking about the rubbish crisis in Naples but, in the run-up to Christmas, let us not forget a more positive claim to fame that the city has.  Everyone also continues to talk about Mr Berlusconi and you really would think that the Prime Minister's manhood had caused enough trouble;  then this story broke.  If, on the other hand, you are fed up with stories of the airheads who surround him, here is the perfect antidote.

Immigrant workers in Brescia found a unique way of drawing attention to their plight but the day after this story appeared torrential rain forced them down from their crane.  

Tired of politics and protests?  Here you can learn why it will shortly be time for tea in Rome 

With an early genereal election in Italy looking increasingly likely, I wrote about my personal experience of participating in Italian elections for my Patti Chiari column.

Happy reading.

OF ELECTIONS AND PORCELAIN SQUASH

1st September and the south of Italy is beginning to get back to normal: people are returning from their long sojourn at the sea, the streets are busy again and the smaller shops are reopening after siesta [a lot of them don't bother during August]. My neighbour across the way has arrived back and is enthusiastically hosing everything - but everything- down as I write.

I saw the first fichi d'India [prickly pears] of the season on sale today so decided to personally declare autumn [although it was still 36 C at lunchtime] by displaying my porcelain squash and giving Leonardo the plantholder his autumn load.

Talking of prickly pears, I am quite pleased with the rate of growth of the one on my balcony, planted as a leaf a couple of years ago. And may I introduce you to Simonetta and Claude Cochon, who keep it company out there?

My voting card arrived today. Some of you may remember that I had quite a palaver getting registered to vote in the local elections and was finally issued with a piece of paper, which was torn up by the presiding officer as soon as I'd cast my vote! I couldn't be bothered going through the rigmarole again when we had the subsequent run-off for the position of Mayor so did not vote in that round. Anyway, now I have my permanent tessera [card], which was delivered to me by hand although there are no pending elections. [However, this is Italy so I probably won't have to wait long before using it!] Pazienza.

Blognote: I will probably be offline tomorrow as I have to have a non-serious [I hope!] medical procedure and may be even dopier than usual when I come back.

IN A SICILIAN COURTYARD ...

... this afternoon 15 or so fortunate people were served a sumptuous feast worthy of the Prince of Salina himself. James and I were lucky enough to have been invited by the hostess, my dear friend Annunziata.

Let me describe the atmosphere: as we arrive, at around 11.30 am., we see a table covered in white linen set up in a cool courtyard area. Grandchildren are there, crawling along the tablecloth towards us and demanding cuddles from these new visitors. We happily oblige and no one worries about the state of the tablecloth subsequently! Then our host offers us a walk around the outside of the property and off we go, grandchild insisting on holding the hands of her newly found zia and zio. Unfortunately I cannot complete the circuit due to my ankle problem, but no one minds when I amble back to the little courtyard on my own. Other guests have arrived during this interval and all greet me, and James, too, when he returns from his expedition; some wander straight outside again, where they enjoy the rolling countryside before us, whilst the women tend to gather in the kitchen, each offering advice about the dishes which are now being cooked in earnest. The aroma from these now makes us both so hungry that we nearly collapse!

Finally, at 1.30 pm., we are all gathered a tavola and the main dishes are triumphantly brought in: there is pollo ripieno [ a famous Sicilian dish of boned chicken stuffed with minced chicken, veal, pork, pecorino cheese and all sorts of other wonderful flavourings], a dish of beautifully cooked rice and a salad of home-grown, organic greens. Just as we feel replete, our hostess brings two dishes of bollito [boiled, mixed meats in a tomato sauce] "just to soak up the rest of the rice", she says. It tastes of lovingly prepared food, of long-ago days when you felt cherished and looked after, and, above all, of homeliness in the best sense of the word.

A little pause ensues whilst we sup the wine that tastes of Sicily and the sun and then out come the dolci [sweet dishes] that we have all brought, among them what I can best describe as Sicilian nut clusters, called brutte ma buone ["ugly but beautiful"]. I must say I found nothing ugly in them and they certainly had a beautiful taste!

Just as poor James was thinking, "This must be the end" [for we had had coffee by now] there appeared dishes of the sweetest apricots either of us had ever partaken of anywhere, a similar dish of plums and mounds of the juiciest watermelon you ever saw!

Even I was thinking, "This must be the end" at this point, but a final delight came in the form of "Giovanella's cake" and I have to tell you it was quite a cake; its deliciousness remains with me as I write.

Oh - I almost forgot! The dessert wine served was an excellent moscato di Noto, which partnered the lovely Sicilian almonds perfectly. James turned out to be very partial to both!

The most amusing part of the day for me - the antics of the grandchildren apart - was our host's demonstration of how votes are counted in Sicily [for the run-off vote between left and right mayoral candidates takes place in Modica today and tomorrow]: "Well", said he, throwing a slice of bread onto a plate, "that's 2 votes". [Another slice then landed on the plate.] "That's 6 and if you turn your back for a moment that's 8!" I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions, reader, but maybe there's veritas in the old Moscato!

WEEKEND DOINGS

The condominio water supply went off last night, causing me the usual frustration. Now, James and I are good friends but we still kind of creep around each other regarding - err - bathroom needs, so he very chivalrously went out twice this morning to find a bar with a decent loo [these establishments are not as rare as when I first visited Sicily in 1992 but seeking them out still takes some effort].

Anyway, it seems our hero had quite an exciting time, sitting on the terrace with the local pensioners, sipping his cappuccino and taking in the scene. He arrived back with these tasty Sicilian savoury pastries and lemon granita for us both - what a decadent and delightful breakfast!

Meanwhile, I had phoned Mr C.... the water lorry driver, explained that I had rung the office on Friday to order a refill but that we had run out, and he immediately agreed to deliver this afternoon, which he did. If you have never been without running water gushing from your tap when you need it, reader, you cannot imagine what a relief this was!

Now, how to help a man with a bad back: it was dottoressa Simi to James's rescue this afternoon!

Finally, for those of you interested in the election results: after all that, the mayoral vote was too close to call in Modica and there is to be a run-off ballot between left and right here next week!

CIVIS SUM

My boss arrived at 4pm to drive me to the polling station [she is a local candidate and is leaving nothing to chance!] I was whisked off, proudly clutching my gloriously stamped voting paper.

Did I expect things to be that simple? Well, no, not really, reader, so I was not totally surprised when the 4 members of staff manning the room looked perplexed and concluded that they could not allow me to vote because the paper did not have the "electoral code" imprinted upon it.

So off we dashed to the electoral office in Modica Bassa yet again, where the officers declared that of course the paper was valid and what was the matter with them in the polling station? They then printed yet another document, highlighting upon it all references to EU law which state that I have the right to vote. They also wrote their phone number upon this.

Back at the polling station, the poor staff still did not know what to do [probably they had never seen such an authorisation before] and so decided to call the Presidente [presiding officer] who arrived a few moments later carrying several impressive-looking tomes on electoral law. He sat himself down at a corner table, perused the new document and all the relevant sections in his scholarly books and we could see that this was likely to take some time. "Can't you call the office?" pleaded my boss. "This is my job", replied the gentleman. Pazienza!

After twenty endless minutes, suddenly he grinned at me and called over to the other staff, "Fa votare la signore" ["Let the lady vote"] and finally I exercised my democratic rights in my new country.

As we left, the two policemen on duty at the door, who had been watching our comings and goings with interest, asked us if everything was OK. We explained what had happened and then a smile of recognition crossed the face of one of them, who exclaimed, "But I know you! I came to your school last week to inform you that you had to take your electoral posters down." He seemed very proud of this achievement and neither of us felt inclined to spoil his day.

DAILY DOINGS - 12

Well, it all happened this morning: first the speedy-stair-and-landing cleaning duo arrived at around 8 am [the crack of dawn to me] driving Simi into a frenzy of barking and toy-shaking. No sooner had she and I settled down after this than the water lorry arrived - not before time, too, as the cisternful we bought 2 weeks ago was about to run out. I am assuming, therefore, that the new gara [competition] for the delivery contract has taken place and that it has been awarded to the same companies, as this refill was brought by the same driver who always came before. Then, about half an hour later the buzzer went and it was the man from the electoral office, bearing my smart electoral paper, duly stamped and signed by the all-important commissario straordinario.

Out and about later, I saw that our local greengrocer had cavagne [receptacles used to store ricotta cheese in times gone by] and traditional brooms hanging outside. I asked if I could take a photo and the kindly owner insisted on taking one of me holding some as well!

Our lovely mini pears and plums are back, a sure sign that the summer is under way.

The last two photos show today's complimentary nibbles at the Altro Posto and what I call a "real" ice lolly - a heavenly nero Perugina with tangerine sorbet in the middle.

What more could a girl want to start the weekend?

DON'T MENTION WALES!

There I was, sitting innocently at work doing some preparation before class this morning when the phone went and it was my boss: "I am coming to get you right now and you have to come down to the electoral office in Modica Bassa to register to vote!" [My boss, being a candidate in the municipal elections, will not accept my British indolence as an excuse.] It was 11.20 by this time and I had to sign the papers by midday! In the background I could hear electoral officers asking, "Is England in the EU?" [I didn't think it appropriate to shout out "Britain, if you don't mind!"] and then someone said, "They can't be - they've got sterling and not the euro!" Without losing my pazienza I explained that the euro was nothing to do with EU membership. Then I was asked if I had residenza [permission to live here], I answered in the affirmative and, lo and behold, they "found" me on the computer!

Seven minutes later, boss arrived, said we'd have to pick up my ID documents from home - lord knows why, as it is fairly obvious that if you have residenza here you have had to show these to get it in the first place - but again, I didn't argue and dashed into my bedroom to retrieve these, confusing both James and Simi in my haste.

11.59 and we arrive at the office. My documents are whisked off to be photocopied yet again, all the papers are ready, I am treated like a Queen, sign them and by 12.01 we are done. "When the papers are stamped", said the kindly lady clerk [for everything has to be literally rubber-stamped in triplicate] "the voting papers will be brought to your house". All smiles, handshakes and grazie then, and now I await the courier in the morning. I almost exist in this city!

"If they weren't sure about England being in the EU, it's a good thing neither of us mentioned Wales", I remarked to my dear boss on the way back.

THE DAY AFTER

You'll all have read or heard about Italy's General Election results, so I won't bore you with statistics other than to mention that in Sicily projected figures are that 62% of deputies from the centre right, as opposed to 28% from the centre left, will gain representation in the Regional Assembly. Even I have to hand it to Berlusconi, for his come-back ability, sheer nerve and showmanship [though his running mates in the Northern League are another matter] . Italians are incredibly pragmatic, you see, and when times are hard, they will vote for whoever they think will get them back to work, clear the streets of Naples of rubbish and generally make them look like a world player again. [Sometimes I think this often chaotic nation just craves order.] And if this new government doesn't work, so what? - We just chuck it out, sooner rather than later!

It may all seem very strange from outside the country, but I can understand exactly why Italians have voted as they have [though I am not condoning their decision]. The rest of the world may laugh at Italy all it likes, reader: the country still eats arguably better than any other, its design and workmanship still inspire admiration everywhere and young people do not feel that the be all and end all of life is to get as far away as possible from their families. So surely we have to concede that the Italians are doing quite a lot of things right?

ONLY IN ITALY

Mobile phones are to be banned from voting booths in the upcoming General Election but the reason is not, as you might imagine, to stop people calling their acquaintances from the booths for advice on how to vote; rather, it is feared that voters might use their phones to take a picture of the ballot paper so that they could later prove they had voted in the "right" way and then claim a reward in the form of money, a favour or even a job offer!

Voters will have to leave their camera-phones in a special "basket" outside the booths and the mind boggles as to how they are each going to retrieve their own phone. How the situation is going to be monitored has not yet been revealed but those who ignore this new ruling could face up to three months' imprisonment and / or a fine of up to €1,000.

FATTI DI CRONACA - 9

Madeleine

UPDATE: 15.5.07 - The printed edition of "Corriere" has devoted an entire page to the story today. With developments in the case today, it is, again, Sky's top story. We wait and hope.

There has been little media coverage here and my neighbour who is a policeman did not even know about the disappearance of Madeleine. Earlier today the Corriere della Sera site had the new poster of her as one of their Foto del Giorno but now it has been replaced. You may care to have a look - perhaps they are alternating it. La Repubblica's site also has the new poster, a fair way down on the right-hand side. I am doing my best to spread the word here, particularly among people who travel.

UPDATE: I note that the world-shaking news that a British TV presenter has had an altercation in a provincial curry house has replaced the above as Sky's "top story".

Elezioni

The polls closed at 1500 and all the indications are that Berlusconi's cdl coalition [centre-right] has won in Sicily. This would retain the status quo.

Lampedusa

Seven more boats carrying clandestini [would-be illegal immigrants] have been intercepted in Sicily's waters within the past 24 hours. The ironically named "welcome centre" on Lampedusa, built to accommodate 190, is now overwhelmed again as it struggles to cope with 400 desperate people. The authorities do their best and the coastguard have saved many lives, for there have been several tragedies when the inadequate, overcrowded boats have capsized and I fear that we shall witness more this summer. Several of the people traffickers involved have been brought to justice.

SUNDAY

Local elections are taking place today and tomorrow and I heard all my neighbours rising early to go off and vote. Later, Simi and I saw many of them sitting outside the cafés, discussing the vote and the possible outcome [one of the advantages of holding elections on a Sunday being that you can take the time to do this]. There are literally hundreds of candidates, there is no voter apathy and there is quite a jovial atmosphere in the town. You would think that, with the voting upon us, the comune would have given up its fruitless efforts at concealing the illegally placed election posters on the famous poster wall, but last night, there was the town billsticker, happily covering them up yet again!

The summer heat arrived yesterday and, even though it has been expected, we are all [except Simi, who is totally unfazed] surprised and made lazier by it. It is not really "scorching", by Sicilian standards - only about 26 C this afternoon - but you could have heard a pin drop in the street between 2 and 4. We forget, during the winter, just how hot it gets!

POSTER FUN - 3

You may remember that on Friday some election posters had begun to reappear [illegally] on the wall down the street. Today some have been ripped down again and others covered by these notices stating that political billposting in this location contravenes Law 212 of 4.4.56. This will go on and on!

POSTER FUN - 2

Remember the election poster wall from which all the posters were torn down by the comune last week? Well, overnight, as you see, a few mysteriously reappeared. Simone and I just passed it on our evening walk [I didn't have my camera with me] and they have gone again! My question is, why do the candidates and / or their supporters bother, when they know this is going to happen?! [The saga keeps me smiling, though.]

MORE POSTER FUN

We have comune elections on 13th and 14th May. Everyone is interested and involved and there is no sign of the voter apathy or "They're all the same" cynicism that you find in the UK. Three people are standing for election from my little side street alone and this would be very unusual in Britain. [The ballot papers are as long as your arm and I don't know how people remember who they want to vote for!]

I took this photo of the various candidates' posters on a nearby wall yesterday morning, which was just as well, as by evening they had all been torn down! A stern comune notice says they have been removed because they had been placed there in contravention of law 212 of 4.4.56 [just as happened with the regional election posters last year]. Now, let's see how quickly they reappear!

ITALY - MUSINGS ON A DEMOCRACY

"So Italy reverts to type", a BBC World presenter commented disparagingly last night after announcing that the Prodi government had just resigned. Yes, it does seem that way sometimes to people outside Italy and I meet many Italians who are concerned about the image of their country abroad generated by the constant changes of government.

But reserve your judgement for a moment, as if you look at the parliamentary system it should be perfect: both Chambers in the Italian Parliament have equal rights , the Senate or upper Chamber is elected [apart from former Presidents and up to five members appointed by the Prime Minister sitting as life senators] and a proportional representation system which the British Lib-Dems might envy, on paper, operates. So why doesn't it work? Largely because the proportional system leads to the election of many smaller parties, which in itself gives rise to a need for coalitions. The Prodi Unione coalition included eleven parties when I last counted and these were as far apart, ideologically, as the Greens and the unreformed Communists. So it was always going to be a difficult group to hold together and few people here expected the government to last a year!

Another factor is that Italians are anything but apathetic politically [ with voter turnout at 83.6% in the 2006 general election]. If there is a burning issue, few here would profess themselves as an "I don't know" on it. Rather, they are out in the piazze demonstrating and making their feelings felt very quickly, so last week's protests at the planned expansion of the US base at Vicenza have had an impact. You see this political commitment in schools, too; perhaps because some of Italy's freedoms have been won relatively recently, people are not complacent about them, and young people are willing to make their voices heard, participate in a school strike or demonstrate in a way that would be unimaginable in the UK. All this, in my opinion, is healthy.

This is a country that elected Berlusconi in full knowledge, or almost full knowledge, of the former Premier's faults; yet someone like Blair would not last one, let alone ten years here. There would have been so many hard-hitting demonstrations against him by now, and certainly a vote of no confidence.

No one could pretend that these constant changes of government are good for the country or a recipe for stability, yet they do show democracy in action. And for all its faults, let us not forget that this country of very diverse regions, unified only since 1861 and ununited by a common language until the advent of television in most homes during the 1960s [ prior to this, the majority spoke dialect] has remained a democracy since the end of World War 11. That, I believe, is a proud achievement.

As I've said before, here it is accepted that politicians are fallible and governments are expected to fall - "pazienza", as they are saying in the cafés and out on the streets right now.