COULD RIOTS IN NORTH AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST SPREAD TO BULGARIA

[Oscar]

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- one country is under a de facto dictatorship with basically sham elections,

Sadly,this is true for all of the countries in the European Union.

[fred]

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Hi Mat

I know how you feel, you make a a class joke and don't get a single laugh, pearls before swine.

[kazz]

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I'm laughing....in a 'I might as well laugh because crying won't get me anywhere' sort of way.

Oddly enough we had a conversation about Bulgaria and revolutions with some Bulgarian's before Christmas.
Their take on the situation was that it was claimed here that the transformation from Socialist to capitalists regime was portrayed as a 'bloodless revolution' but when the same people stay in power and just change their hats it's really not a revolution at all.

I don't see whats happening in Egypt as being likely to spread to Bulgaria as such.....but I did get the impression at times that there are people here who are desperate and angry enough that sooner or later things could blow up....

One thing that might mitigate against this is the fact that Bulgarians are by and large still too habitually passive in the face of injustice to revolt....

[Simonita]

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Hi Mat

I know how you feel, you make a a class joke and don't get a single laugh, pearls before swine.

[AngloBulgarian]

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I have a lot of business dealings with Bulgarian from the "Mafia" owners of 5 star hotels to record producers to the artists to garage mechanics and farmers and the one unifying factor about there complaining about the current economic situation here is i dont hear them blaming the government.

If anything they tend to blame "Bulgarians" as a generalization; as in "Were just not very good at promoting our selves" or "we have some of the best agricultural land in Europe but we do nothing with it". The people i know are incredibly frustrated about the situation but the target of there frustration is society and not a single Dictator whom they can pin the blame on.

The countries kicking off are moderate Muslim countries who see reform coming, they beleive it is the panacea for all there problems and want it quicker than the government are willing to give it - maybe they should ask some Ex - Communist nations if American style democracy and capitalism is really the panacea the poor hoped for 20 years ago!?!?!?!

[Seedy]

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maybe they should ask some Ex - Communist nations if American style democracy and capitalism is really the panacea the poor hoped for 20 years ago!?!?!?!

Or maybe they should ask the Iranians how THEIR overthrow of the Shah panned out for them?

The thing that amuses me (if that's the right word) is how the power in so many of these countries is basically in the hands of the military - the same military that put up such an impressive showing during the Six Day War in '67 and whose injured pride and overestimation of their own capabilities resulted in another embarrassing debacle in the Yom Kippur War six years later. It seems they're not much use apart from putting the wind up a few unarmed civilians

[Simonita]

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- maybe they should ask some Ex - Communist nations if American style democracy and capitalism is really the panacea the poor hoped for 20 years ago!?!?!?!

I don't get the impression that American style democracy is what people are after in the North African/Middle Eastern unrest. I also think that Obama's endorsement of the opposition in Egypt has probably hindered rather than helped it.

[AngloBulgarian]

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I have traveled quite a bit in North Africa and the impression the people get of the west is almost exclusively through American Films so no wonder there p*ssed off with there lot in life! Id like a Hummer, $2 a gallon petrol, 20% income tax, a 750sqm house - however Im fortunate enough to get a more balanced picture of America (through other sources) than there film industry portrays - hence living in Bulgaria NOT the good old US of A!

[gordonroy43]

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One of the reasons why the working class are down is the fact that there is a lot of corruption with the rich getting richer and the rest kept without much in life, the eu stopped money due to this, the airports was due to be up-graded at varna/bourgas, the bulgarian government needs to get to grips with building issues which are not legal, the rich thinking the eu is an endless source of money for them alone.

The good harding people should be able to better them selves.

[shebry]

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Hi all
First on all, do I think the riots could spread to Bulgaria, NO I DO NOT and if they did it would be for completely different reasons
As you all know I should be at the top of the class on the subject or criminals, fraud and organised crime in Bulgaria but let me say now that Corruption and crime in Tunisia over the last 20 years has been far greater than in Bulgaria
A little incite into my involvement with Tunisia, I worked out there for 10 years as a photographer for 3 travel companies covering all the new hotels being built I also worked for the Tunisian Ambassador in London and the British Ambassador in Tunis. I have met the ousted President Ben Ali and the Prime Minister Ghannouchi at the Queens Birthday Celebrations

I never thought I would ever say this but Bulgaria is far more democratic than Tunisia has been over the last 20 years. Tunisia's government was in fact Ben Ali his corrupt Wife and all the other 46 members of the family

I have social and business friends out there and have kept in touch with them since Ben Ali fled the Country and some of the things they have told me are beyond belief. The government (Ben Ali) owned all the banks, Tunis Airport, an airline, most of the luxury boats, most of the hotels and most of the larger businesses including Jaguar and Volvo factories, and I was amazed to learn that 80% of all income and takings went to the Government (Ben Ali) That is basically what all the rioting is about and the military who were made to defend Ben Ali turn sides and defended the protesters

Sanctions which came into force on 7th February concerns a list of 48 persons who are charged by the Tunisian authorities with embezzlement, opening bank accounts and holding financial assets in several countries as part of money laundering including the ousted President and his wife. Among all the properties owned by the Ben Ali family is one in France valued at $50 million
So until half the Bulgarian government disappear on a private jet plane
to Saudi Arabia we know that what has happened in Tunisia is very unlikely to happen in Bulgaria. Thank goodness