Onasagoras
They came, they saw, they departed. They talked, they ate, they left. In the end, everyone was satisfied, just like in the old days when both winners and losers would claim victory after elections. We’ll continue, they say, to discuss. Now, whether that’s good or bad, I honestly couldn’t tell you, but it certainly suits journalists and professional Cyprus Problem analysts just fine. They’ll have something to keep them busy. After all, while there’s life, there’s hope. Dum spiro, spero.
To borrow a football metaphor, I now have carte blanche, and anyway, I never said I wouldn’t run for office again. So said Eirini of our hearts, while subtracting a bit of the peace that once prevailed in AKEL. Stefanos politely pointed her toward the exit, for various reasons, more serious than her support of APOEL.
And since we’re speaking in football terms, let me keep the theme going. The “termination of cooperation” came through mutual consent (more or less), with Eirini stating she’ll keep the good memories and the celebrations (at party congresses), and AKEL wishing her a successful career at whichever team she decides to join; preferably one from the former Soviet Union, say Siberia.
And speaking of AKEL, here's a question worth pondering: It’s understandable that the coalition parties are slipping (there have been, thank God, quite a few... blunders). It’s understandable that DISY is slipping too (they had the Anastasiades presidency, followed by internal warfare). But how is it possible that a party in opposition for so many years, instead of capitalizing on others’ missteps, continues its downward spiral? This is the issue, the red that fades to pink, that the general secretary of our hearts will try to solve, while gazing out at the crystal-clear waters of Protaras during his summer vacation. On the golden beaches he’ll read and re-read the slogan of the century: “The Party and your eyes.” Workers of the world, unite, and people of Protaras, swim.
If you thought the Avvakoum Monastery scandal was the wildest monk-related headline we’d see, I’ve got news for you: A woman has been accused of having sex with Buddhist monks (the ones in orange robes, APOEL fan colors, basically), and then blackmailing them with videos (caught in 4K, as we say), managing to extort an outrageous 10 million. Turns out Buddhist monks are richer than the Avvakoum ones. Nektarios, eat their dust.
The other thing that shook me this past week, aside from the feasts and dinners of New York, was the news that in the Larnaca district, specifically in the bicommunal village of Pyla, they’ve named a park after Notis Sfakianakis. I don’t know who’ll do the ribbon-cutting, but if the President is busy, I suggest Christou from ELAM. And here’s another idea: let’s name the small park next to the Presidential Palace after Dua Lipa and write at the entrance: “The most beautiful park in the world, baby, is youuuu.” We never get bored on this crazy rock. Never.
The financial crisis is forcing tough decisions in France, with drastic cuts to the public sector and, get this, a reduction in public holidays! Don’t you dare get any ideas about cutting holidays here. I’m warning you. I mean, can you imagine removing the Archbishop’s nameday from the holiday calendar? How will the kids play Fortnite in peace and the teachers go to church to honor the feast? I have a friend, though, who says he wants a solution to include Muslim holidays too! Now that, that’s a real incentive for a solution.
