Mille gracie, Mr Draghi

Appeasement politics weren’t that successful in the past. Think of Hitler and Munich 1938 or Stalin in the thirties and fourties. Therefore I appreciate very much that Mr Draghi called Erdogan a “dictator” on Thursday. That’s clearly his main feature as you can see in his behaviour. Want some samples?

• Everyone who can menace his power is called “terrorist”, even if nice and peaceful people are concerned like Mr Kavala who is only fighting for human rights.
• Elections like that for the mayor of Istanbul are repeated if the outcome is unpleasant for Erdogan.
• To butter up the ultra nationalists Erdogan left the Istanbul Convention recently. This Convention was meant to blame violence against women. The need of protecting women rights can be clearly seen when you consider the hundreds of Turkish women murdered (470 in 2019) or hurt each year.
• Despite having a number of elected MPs the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is effectively detained from exercising its rights of participation.

That’s what sensible people call a dictatorship and Erdogan therefore a “dictator”. Well done, Mr Draghi.

A letter to pope Francis

Cologne, St. Patrick’s Day 2021 [3/17/2021]

Dear Holy Father, dear pope Francis,
I’m a 65 year old former teacher, married to my wife B. and father to our three adult children M., M. and M. I’m doing a minor course of study of Theology at the KHKT (Koelner Hochschule fuer katholische Theologie). At first, I want to express that I very much appreciated your recent visit in Iraq and your support and encouragement of the remaining Christians there. I moreover am very thankful that you showed for years a way for a humbler church close to the people instead of a vain and self-satisfied church.

I’m writing to you since the Catholic church in Germany and even more in the diocese Cologne is on a steep decline. Some severe problems make people leave the church by hundreds per week. The people exiting the Catholic church are not those who want to spare their taxation money, these people have been gone a long time ago. In most cases at present the people leaving were faithful believers or even engaged as servers or occupied honorary posts. But now they can’t stand the neglecting of some problems by the leading persons in this diocese any more.

Continue reading A letter to pope Francis

One more thing: Fungie is gone

For 37 years, Dingle had a renowned and reliable attraction: A dolphin named Fungie remained in the harbour area of this amiable town. Thousands of people could watch this very special animal from close distance. Dozens of boats made it possible to experience Fungie. This  source of income has vanished now as the dophin.

Even if the Fungie hype was sometimes annoying, it was nice to go to the lighthouse and have Fungie quite regularly near by. There were even people who swam together with this animal and reported exciting experiences.

Perhaps Fungie missed the action around him during the lockdown. The races with the boats weren’t possible any more. There is one relief for people who want to get in touch with dolphins: There is a group of several dolphins in the Moray Firth near Inverness. We could watch dolphins at the Ventry / Ceann Trá strand too. Even big media noticed the disappearing of the dophin like the New York Times, the BBC and the Irish Post.

Do something about the obstruction politics of Poland and Hungary, EU!

Since years Poland and Hungary try to block any attempt of the European Union to sanction politics adversary to the rule of law. It’s well known that Poland for example undermines the independence of its judges. Hungary in comparison is going straight in direction to an authoritarian state. Mr Orbán is supported by an entourage that receives much money in reverse, some of it being of EU origin. Other steps of Hungarian government look strange as well. So this year 16,000 ventilators were bought from China at fourfold the prices the EU pays. This number of ventilators, however, can’t be used by skilled operators in an adequate number of high care units. Actually Poland and Hungary together with Slovenia are blocking a Covid-19 relief fond of 750 billion Euros. Some parts of it are coupled with complying to rule of law standards.

It’s clear that the EU can’t be a super state controlling everything, but it can’t be fooled by authoritarian countries either. First step to comment on that: Throw out the Hungarian Fidesz party of Mr Orbán of the EPP / EVP (Europaeische Volkspartei). If all fails there could be a very radical remedy: dissolve the EU and reestablish it afterwards without those countries that don’t comply with certain standards of democracy and human rights.

Colm Tóibín: House of Names

Toíbín who? you might ask – as far as I can see he has not yet gathered the attention he definitely deserves. Perhaps his novel “House of Names” can change that. What’s it about?

Nearly all the figures and a great part of the plot is taken from Greek mythology. There is a stalemate before Troy. Agamemnon’s fleet stucks and the sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia is meant to bring favourable winds. His wife Clytemnestra can’t prevent the murder of her daughter and thinks of revenge. That brings Aegisthus on the stage. To prevent the youngest of this very special family, Orestes, from interfering in this revenge plot he his abducted together with some other young men from powerful families.

It’s absolutely thrilling how Toíbín tells how Orestes and his friend Leander try to escape and come back to their home town. Toíbín uses an unadorned prose where you can’t eliminate a single word. Nevertheless, every very detail of his account is very clear and imaginative. In most parts this novel is a real pageturner, you can’t put it down. All in all: 260 pages of fine literary art with much suspense.

Colm Tóibín, House of Names, Penguin / Random House, ~ 9 € / £