DEMOCRACY BECOMES ENDEMIC ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN.

Following the recent anti-Brussels polls in the Italian General Election, the Cypriot Parliament has rejected calls for a raid on individuals' bank accounts.

To the unaware, Cyprus, not unlike Greece and other southern European states, have been living far too 'high on the hog'. In actual fact, much of Europe, including the United Kingdom during the Blair/Brown years, were masters of this profligacy; around the Mediterranean, however, it ran amok. The author is mindful of an ancient TV documentary regarding the nationalisation of the British steel industry during the years following the second world war. The workers were just leaning on their shovels, extolling the fact that they were now the bosses, having no intention of putting themselves about, this being the epitome of socialism.

The situation in Cyprus arose because of the deplorable state of the Cypriot economy, and it was, therefore, decided by the dictators in Brussels that, to ensure the granting of billions of euros in loans, the Cypriot people had to subscribe to having a percentage of their bank accounts skimmed to assist in this bail out. This very act naturally would penalise the thrifty, as the folk who overspend have little or nothing in the bank.

Should this practise appear to be acceptable, heaven only knows what would happen around the region. Many a run on the banks perhaps.

WE COULD BE SEEING A COLLAPSE IN EURO ECONOMICS.