FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS
GOOSESTEPPING TIME AGAIN – seeing as you are what you declare and 15 people can make a new political faction overnight, the next move inevitably is action. Choosing the right move is crucial; making the wrong one could be fatal.
No one really knows why a group of under 30-year-olds decided to ‘mass leaflet’ the recent official independence day parade with vitriolic discourse aimed squarely against any effort at a federal solution. It may have just been frustration on their part or perhaps someone was egging them on, saying ‘go on I dare you’.
Evroko stalwart and lawyer Rikkos Erotokritou came immediately to their defence proclaiming democratic rights had been violated by the police who rounded up the rabble rousers. In fact, he is now their lawyer, initially they tried to defend themselves but that seemed to flop.
Is it all just a front for something else – remember the attempted attack by a similar band of politicised extreme right vagabonds down Ledra Street – with Nazi salutes and all. Furthermore their hostile approach to the democratically elected president of Cyprus is laughable as it seems they wanted to create an uncomfortable scene at the independence parade, which is possibly the most policed event of the year.
What did they think, that the government was going to roll out a red carpet and let them give out their leaflets of hatred under police escort. Pontiki, the Cyprus based rag with some influential political ties, declared the foundation of a ‘Stalinist State’, presumably in defence of the youths and their confused messages. I wonder if under any previous president – including Tassos Papadopoulos – the police would not have done exactly the same thing!
NOW YOU KNOW – there, there, there Mr Koutsou, now you know how it feels to be witch-hunted by the media. The apparent links between Koutsou’s former party, New Horizons, and the ‘Vatopedi’ scandal in Greece were highlighted in the Greek and Cypriot media, seeing as the politician is brother to one father Ephrem – who is at the centre of the church/party/property scandal.
Koutsou responded to all this by saying he was not the accused as none of the evidence could be substantiated. There’s a certain uncanny resonance to all this. During the dark ages of ‘The Ambience Ethnarch’, all the accusations made against so-called lackeys and bribed ones were true because evidence had allegedly been provided by various people, including the then President of the Republic and Mr Koutsou.
It’s a little bit strange, however, as I know of at least two court cases which have been settled on this issue, which proved the complete opposite, with accusers paying for libel, damages, legal expenses and printing written apologies. Furthermore several cases remain in the courts in Cyprus as well as Greece and look set to be heading in similar directions. It is hoped Mr Koutsou will be able to tell us exactly the same thing in years to come, proudly declaring his innocence. Libel is such a messy, painful and time consuming thing…
ABUSE COSTS as Spurs fans will soon learn following last weekend’s pathetic defeat at Portsmouth. Out of anger and frustration with their team’s poor premiership performance, a group of Spurs yobs took it out on former player Sol Campbell, chanting extreme homophobic and racist abuse. A police enquiry has been launched and if Peter Storrie, Portsmouth’s chief executive, lodges a complaint to the FA, Spurs could be in for a tough penalty – adding more salt to their wounds for their worst league start in 53 years!
REAGANOMICS are largely to blame for the current Wall St crisis. Many people are hailing the end of ‘neo-liberal’ free market policies. The late Ronald Reagan deregulated Wall Street beyond belief and it’s ironic that now government itself is coming in with a $700billion bailout.
Republicanism and free market economics are totally to blame for the markets spiraling out of control. Re-regulation it seems is in the air but could it be too little too late? A recent UN report argues Africa needs $72 billion a year, one tenth of the current Wall St bailout, to fight poverty, improve health and ensure universal primary education. Eighty per cent of the people in Africa live on less than $2 a day and about one third of the population of the continent – a staggering 600 million people – are malnourished.
GO THERE COLONEL Anorthosis are standing tall after their easy 3-1 deconstruction work on Panathinaikos. Next stop though, San Siro Stadium, AC Milan and a certain Jose Mourinho! Omonoia endured a decent 2-1 defeat at Man City and Apoel drew 1-1 against Schalke. Many may have expected massacres in both these away games but the days when Cypriot teams lost in double figures seem to be behind us.
Ketsbaia, the Anorthosis coach, was described by President Demetris Christofias as ‘The Colonel’ – let’s hope he can carry marching on and on.
