READERS WRITE
ABOUT YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
No, we are not in the best of the world sin Argentina rightnow!And there is, very comprehensibly, a lot of grumbling going on around the place. Optimism has become rare commodity. Yet, if you allow me to gi vea no pin ion, I do not think that the time has ye tarrived to contemplate suicide a san alterna ti ve. Person allyitismy intention to continue to hang on for the time being!
Our government is definitely operating on a trial-and-error system, which would probably be less enervating if its communication with the general public were much better undertaken. But we must understand that, after 70 years of virtually uninterrupted decadence, there are no precedents from other parts of the globe which could help us create a plan to get out of our mess in any other way. So a lot of patience is required. And beware: populists of all imaginable col ours are out to u set he mistakes the authorities make to create havoc with the idea of producing, no exageration here, a civilian coup d’état, i.e. to impede that Macri and company finish their term.
What we can call the “helicopterists” are all out to regain the power they lost through elections, and if you look at the pictures of those leading the street demonstrations you will easily observe that all these different populist groups are operating toward this objective as one unit. So here goes a recommendation: get angry and do whatever you wish to do to lower your blood pressure, but be careful not to give fuel to those who are only out to defeat the republic for their bastardly self interest. Harry Ingham City
ABOUT 70 “YEARS”
Dear editor, I have recently read statements by various politicians who attribute the current Argentine economic crisis to the administrations of the last 70 years. Well, 2018-70 = 1948; presumably, they believe that the origin of this fiscal problem has to do with the emergence of Peronism. In some cases, the criticism is limited to the issue of the deficit, but in others it extends to the political and social spheres. So, I guess these people believe, for example, that life during the “infamous decade” governments was better than the ones which followed since then. Héctor Horacio Otero Villa Luzuriaga, Buenos Aires Province
BATTLE OF THE BULGE: PART VIII
Dear Sirs, “They shall not pass...through... dollar costs to prices!!! Marshal Macri orders his generals to form a square and hold the line!!! We might beat Waterloo, all over again. ‘ Veremos!’ Bust wishes, David Parsons Via email ROYAL WEDDING GRIPS THE WORLD
I watched the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Megham Markle totally enthralled, along with my wife, who is Argentine. I wish I had beeninEnglandforthismomentous occasion. Of course, it brought back vivid memories of the wedding of Charles and Diana, and more recently William and Kate. But there were key differences last Saturday, not only the dress, the rings, the venue, and the carriage ride throughout Windsor.
This wedding ceremony dusted down royal tradition and injected gospel energy. The mood of the Monarchy and the public has changed dramatically since the abdication of Edward VIII, and his subsequent marriage to Wallis Simpson in 1937.
The UK went crazy, and for that matter, a number of cities in the US, and Canada too. Parts of Africa, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Russia, were fascinated. India, Australia and New Zealand were captivated.
After the ceremony, I turned to my wife and said that Argentina seemed to appear to be totally indi- fferent to the event. In fact, I noticed that your parent paper, Perfil, had taken a poll just before the wedding, which had confirmed my theory. But here was a member of the Royal Family marrying an actress with African-American roots, which were referred to throughout a service which put diversity at its heart. Gospel music, a black preacher delivering a memorable address on the power of love.
I am a staunch royalist, as are the majority of people in the UK. In a parliamentary system, you need a head of state, who is not the prime minister or president to serve as a disinterested arbiter when there are disputes about how to form a government. Monarchs are better, they are more effective than presidents precisely because they lack any semblance of legitimacy. They are above politics, and have no party connections.
Unlike the Spanish monarchy, which claims to cost in the region of US$15 million a year, the UK monarchy costs considerably more for the taxpayer. But it has an exceptionally powerful, and profitable, brand. Even conservative estimates put the tourism value of the monarchy at US$800 million a year, which suggests that the monarchy more than pays for itself.
Constitutional monarchy is the best system of government known to man. We are the envy of millions of people around the world.
Long live the Monarchy! Patrick Newton Capital Federal travellingpatrick@yahoo.co.uk
ROYAL SOAP OPERA
I’ve always wondered why we are so attracted to royal weddings. It’s a strange kind of voyeurism most of us practice, although we might not confess it openly. We all feel invited to the ceremony. Everyone becomes an expert on hats, tuxedos, gowns, bowties,hairdos,make-up;on what to wear, how to walk, what to say.
Actually, come to think of it, there’s very little difference between this and the Oscar’s red carpet parade, with all those celebrities walking by. And the Royal soap opera becomes even more catching if the bride doesn’t belong to the aristocracy, isn´t “one of them,” is an outsider, like Diana – Harry’s mum – and Meghan, his wife.
I wonder if Harry’s grandma approves wholeheartedly of her grandson marrying a bi-racial, divorced actress (of all people!) As Bob Dylan would put it: “For the times they are a-changin’
With due respect, Your Royal Highness... Irene Bianchi Ringuelet, La Plata