Don't rain on my bow

With my daughter turning 13 recently, I am now the proud father of two teenagers, old and interested enough to recognise their version of rights and wrongs in the wider grey yet colourful world, too lazy to research the plausible historic causes and too young to visualise the many roads ahead.

They no longer care how not that long ago I spent too much time in supermarkets trying to understand the difference between diapers for girls and boys.  Every day I often silently enjoy to see the woman and man they are becoming, each at their own rhythm, changing or holding on to their own individual stubbornness or determination.  Pretty normal kids, highly special to me, normal to the outside world.  I am sure we occasionally comment amongst each other when we cross with someone ugly, clumsy, strange, cool, sharp, selfish, noisy, etc, especially if momentarily we are that someone, but we let people be what they are or choose to be and are attentive to those who do not have the privilege of choice.

If my family was a country, it's governance would probably be categorised as liberal with a conservative undertone.  Everything goes, which does not mean everything needs to be out in the open for opinions.

My boy is evolving wonderfully in the world of martial arts and for quite some years his Sensei and other athletes often refer to him as X-Man corresponding to his name and  favourite shirt.  Lately, we occasionally laugh about the expression since due to what is being extensively debated in the wider world, it could be read or heard as ex-man.  Apparently there are many and even more wannabe's.

My girl is still in a chapter of colours, the more the merrier.  Rainbow unicorns, colour runs, and now to make sure she is equipped in the best possible manner for volleyball,  the search for quality sportive and fun socks brought us to a variety including rainbow socks.  But, just before I clicked to order, she got second thoughts.  All of a sudden, rainbow hints homosexuality above all and that is not what is or should be the predominant thought when parading on and off the volleyball courts.  

Lately, there are rainbows everywhere and not due to natural phenomena combining rain and sunshine but man-made (human being made) from plastic and paint.  Rainbow seems the new black.  It almost appears to have become compulsory to wear or bear something rainbowish to avoid being questioned about one's values towards inclusiveness and anti-discrimination.  Football stadia, leading politicians, publicity .. if you are not with us, you probably are against us.  

Nooo!  

The organising and increasingly more loud LGBTetc community claiming to represent all individuals that match at least one letter in their acronym is making so much noise it may soon want to add deaf and blind as well.

Do your thing, go your own precious way, socialise and organise, share your struggles if it gives you a sense of pride, but pretty please, for everyone's sake, do not assume the rest of the world is ignorant just because it is busy elsewhere.  If you insist with the type of noisy and opportunistic persistence as we inevatibly had to see recently, your one way path may very well become hurdled by more than one or the other national government or their future electorate.

The silent majority does not share your sense of priority,  It does not mean we do not care.  It just shows we are confident in your ability to surpass your struggles just like everybody else in a somewhat tormented world.  After rain comes sunshine and wherever they come together, I will have my short moment of zen, sit back and continue to enjoy the mystery of nature, nothing else.

Another brick in the wall

The European Council of Heads of State tele-met again yesterday,  presided by the Portuguese Prime Minister, giving those that understand the Portuguese and the Portuguese language, the privilege of being one of the first to hear what the council wants to make known.  

Maybe my mental health is trying to send me signals, but I believe I did hear that we can expect a "lessons learned" report from the EU sometime in June 2021.

On a positive note, it certainly is welcoming and original to hear that political leaders have time in a foreseeable future to look back on 12 months of data on deaths and despair, hinting a turning point beyond the widely perceived new normal many of us thought we had to acostume to.

Unlike many other EU Member States, the Portuguese like professional politicians.  People complain and protest in private circles but overall the vast majority - half of which makes the effort to vote in elections -will peacefully allow politicians to pursue their usual busyness without asking any particular questions, leaving constructive or destructive commentary to ex- or future politicians who equally professionally populate media, also without being contested.

A long time ago I once heard the now widely re-elected President of the Republic pinpoint to a group of foreign investors that the Portuguese people are very easy to govern.  To this day it strikes me how right his vision was.  

The only day-to-day obstacle politicians encounter in Portugal are other (former) politicians and that's why traditionally parties only can govern if the party itself secures a majority of seats so that any challenging questions that may pop up can be avoided or archived and void.  And that is why Parliamentary debates are generally always a mere series of individual speeches without any meanigful discussion, conversation or real negotiation.  And that is also why the younger electorate who already lived through two severe crises and are arguably the most affected by the present one, is not making itself heard.  There just seems to be no point.  The older patrons in politics insist they know better and they are the boss.  They appear more another brick in a wall to me.

There is irony in that Mr Costa recently felt he had to counter attack critics whom after all "had no clue of what is is like to be in the driver's seat" (especially because unlike the President of the Republic he choses to be chauffeured around).  

I wonder if in the Portuguese chapter of the announced lessons learned report there will be mention of the fairly individual stubbornness to keep schools flowing, to only then abruptly order them closed blaming the non-compliance of the population or vaccine manufacturers, circumventing any inquiries on the lack of readiness of the national healthcare system or on-line schooling facilities to name a few examples.  

With a bit of homework, I can imagine plausible motives why a Prime Minister resists in introducing or opening some form of debate on a potential plan or roadmap on what all layers of a society can or should reflect upon to allow ending lockdown measures, even if that may effectively commence in less than 15 days.  

What then does seriously trouble me is that the same Mr Costa publicly claims an ability to showcase and defend a €14 billion 350 page draft plan to socially and economically boost that same society for the next 10 years.  I do not think the EU is that ignorant and neither are the Portuguese people. 

Would it have occurred to Mr Costa that the quality of the lessons learned report will become a condition for the EU funds ?  After all both are scheduled to be liberated in June.  It would seem that the free youngsters of this country are not the only ones in need for some additional schooling.

L' État, c'est moi .... sommes nous ....

Once upon a time ...  the manner by which a King or Queen would transform an impulse into a royal decree was via a well voiced spokesman (the herald) who would cry out the written decision from a scroll in the capital’s nearby central square, thereby proclaiming the ruling deemed as known and legally binding for all.

The nearby population could booooh!!!  or hoorayyyy !!! the outspoken rules, but essentially it was expected to overhear the decree and from thereon disperse the new law amongst their professional class, around their shops and markets and into their homes and nearby villages.  As far as the King's courts were concerned the law was made known and thus enforceable nationwide setting the stage for any perpetrator to be penalised.

This image comes to my mind each time the Portuguese PM comes to announce COVID contention measures.   In Portugal this happens at least every two weeks because somewhere in the 345 page constitution it says that a state of emergency shall not last longer than 14 days upon declaration, but apparently at the time of writing it, no one remembered to restrict the number of times such a state of emergency may be invoked.   

The only two differences I can identify is that in medieval kingdoms, the King's herald would carry a trumpet while now he grasps a microphone and whereas people then were individually referred to as subjects, today we are civilians.  Whether penalties were more severe, is debatable ...

Presumably a whole range of rigorous public institutions have been construed to safeguard the development of individual rights and duties for a common good, but above all, in modern times, a wide number of popular elected delegates empowered to audit, dispute and even overthrow government representatives would ascertain that any new law would be consistent with what a population wants and can.  On top of that, we would have the benefit of journalists and other private parties to question and challenge acts of governments, so that eventually we can accept the new law for the greater good and remember to be patient in search for change.

Portugal is going into the ninth consecutive 14 day term state of emergency.  Officially this is decreed by the President and accepted by the PM on behalf of the Government which subsequently must get approval from Parliament.  

What happens in practice though is that the PM lobbies and insists on maintaining/renewing a state of emergency, selecting and silencing experts as convenient, blaming a population for not complying in a manner that should not cost too many votes. Only then, the President signs off and thereafter Members in Parliament get to booooh or hoorayyy a bit,  but repeatedly swallow the legal formality and only as a final act in this fortnightly circus, the government convenes behind its castle walls to decide upon which actual measures to take, usually with effect in a matter of 24 hours.  (All this financed by taxpaying civilians by the way).  Media and journalists limit themselves to reproduce press releases and allow TV time so that politicians can render their lip service.  The civilian population, or subjects, can sit, wait and gossip in the meantime.

I fully understand that any responsible government which envisages a severe state for a nation, seeks prior clearance so that in order when shit does hit the fan, measures can be taken and withdrawn instantly for the greater good.  That would be good governance.

However, silly legal formalities aside, Portugal has been in a (near) state of emergency for nearly a year and I am troubled a government is unable to outweigh the pros and cons of how to proceed the very next following day.  An entire country is now on stand-by, awaiting whether a government will or will not (partially) close down schools the next day.

Even my school going children can figure out that a government ihas been lacking to resolve issues identified nearly a year ago and failed to keep its promise to equip schools and students with the necessary in order to allow for a reasonable smooth continuance of schooling albeit, on-line.  My kids do not need to consult an expert or scientist to briefly set out how, why and when people enter into non-compliance in terms of wearing masks and washing hands or ventilating closed spaces when temperatures approximate 0ºC.

Oh well, I guess I should be grateful to this government for stimulating a sense of "modern" politics amongst my children and learn whom not to vote for years ahead of an eligible age thereto, or maybe they will make dad really proud and create their own version of Robin Hood once upon a time.....