Ancient reflections on the modern world
I’m writing this while sitting by Lake Ohrid in Macedonia.
The lake is bathed in sunshine and Albania can be clearly seen across the water. Lake Ohrid isn’t immediately recognised in Wales as a tourist hotspot, although some of us know of Alexander the Great, who created one of the largest empires in the ancient world. Most people would shy away from venturing to Lake Ohrid, a route less travelled, but “there is nothing impossible to him who will try”, as Alexander said.
A three-hour flight from London Luton Airport to Ohrid brought me here to the lake. It is principally a Dutch resort – one of its famous visitors was Dutch author Cornelius Johannes George Spoelstra, who wrote The Orient Express.
On the shore of Lake Ohrid, medieval churches, monasteries and open-air ruins are to be admired. An ancient fortress dominates the skyline. Lake Ohrid was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1979. Under the red-tiled roofs of Ohrid, old folk customs are still practised. Yet this is not a folk museum. One such custom was displayed by an old man roasting red peppers in his garden. People grow vegetables in their gardens and enjoy the shade under their grapevines.
I’m fortunately staying in an apartment with its balcony overlooking the lake and the mountain hills of Albania. In the distance, the sublime silhouette of Albania’s mountains provides a feast for the eyes from dawn till dusk.
While walking into the town centre I was fascinated to see the European Union flag waving proudly alongside the national flag of Macedonia. Yet Macedonia isn’t a member of the EU.
During this time of rising Euroscepticism, it is interesting to come across a country that apparently would relish being a member of the EU. Indeed, the people who I have spoken to here don’t understand why the UK voted for Brexit.
As an individual with a special interest in politics, I can’t help but mentioning a little more about this subject. Please bear with me!
The people of Macedonia are fed up with a government that may seem to them out of touch with the expectations of the modern age. This is indeed the complete opposite of the beliefs of the people in Wales.
The wish of the people of Wales is to “bring back control” to improve their lot in life, whereas in Macedonia to improve their lot in life is to join the EU. But would it be presumptuous of me to suggest that the grass is always greener and both countries are living in a fool’s paradise?
It is ironic how two small countries, Wales and Macedonia, can have such differing political views. It is also interesting that 21% of the population of Macedonia live below the poverty line while 23% of the population of Wales live below the poverty line.
But with Brexit in mind, the people of Wales voted to leave the EU and, to quote Alexander the Great, “Remember the fate of each depends on the conduct of all”.
Aled Thomas
Penarth
The Welsh language is flourishing today
I don’t want to get involved in Mr Brookside’s tedious remonstrations against our language.
All I will say is that my wife and I spent last week in Porthmadog and its environs, and what a joy it was to hear our language being spoken so fluently and freely by so many people of all ages, including children.
I look forward to the time when the Welsh Assembly’s targets are met and Welsh can be heard more frequently all over our country (and, hopefully, fewer contributions from Mr Brookside on this matter – although I don’t suppose we have heard the last from him).
B Jones
Neath
Brexit will diminish UK’s global standing
Brexiteers continue to moan about the frustrating Brexit negotiations.
Having won the referendum, they now complain because the EU is not rolling over and giving them what they want. They are beginning to realise that they can’t have their cake and eat it.
So they now take every opportunity to criticise the EU negotiators and, in particular, Jean-Claude Juncker for outlining measures designed to create a US of Europe. But why should we criticise Juncker for his understandable vision of the EU’s future? After all the EU can no longer take for granted that the US will come to its aid in an increasingly dangerous world. So it makes sense in the long term to create a US of Europe with its own army.
In any case, because of Brexit we will have little or no influence on the EU’s future direction, nor for that matter events on the geopolitical stage. We will become ever more dependant on the Americans for our economic wellbeing and our safety. They might even give us a rebate on the fighter jets for our two aircraft carriers once Dr Fox agrees a trade deal!
It’s a bit rich of the Brexiteers to blame the EU for the debt problems of Greece, Italy and Portugal when the UK itself has public and private debt levels higher than in 2008, which combined with Brexit could plunge the UK into a disastrous recession.
But no matter what the future holds, there is little doubt that Brexit will diminish the UK’s role as a major player on the world stage and its status as a gateway to the world’s largest free market for foreign investors.
Bryan D Prescott
Caerphilly
Plaid Cymru never supported fascism
To answer one of your correspondents’ claim that Plaid Cymru aided the Nazis during World War II, the claim is utterly without foundation.
In fact, Saunders Lewis denounced fascism as a “pagan philosophy” and in a speech at a “noson lawen” on St David’s Day in 1934 , he called on all who opposed fascism in Wales to join Plaid Cymru in opposing it. Whilst he did not call for the use of armed force, his use of language strongly implied it.
It is possible to disagree with Saunders Lewis and Plaid Cymru, but the charges of fascism are totally untrue.
Patrick Powell
Abertawe
Criticising politicians from a safe distance
Recent letters have slammed politicians for their policies, or lack of same, and for taking actions, or not acting – without the critics seemingly having a clue as to the details involved or the way in which our country is governed.
It’s so easy to sit at a safe distance and criticise what others do when you are uninformed and have no responsibilities in whatever matter is at issue.
The growing chaos over Brexit betrays just how little the British public understood what they were voting for and just how complex it would be to retire gracefully and painlessly from the “new Europe” everyone sought so eagerly to build amid fears of WWIII and trade domination by the US and China.
But my real dilemma about the flood of criticism is that it’s against politicians that we voted for, presumably believing that we could trust them to get things right because they were the professionals with all the relevant info to hand and the system in place to be able to work through the myriad of issues.
My blood curdles when I hear so-called expert analysists, straining on TV to make a politician answer questions or respond to criticism that he or she cannot do adequately on air for many different and valid reasons.
Having been around a bit for a long time, I’m forced to admit the UK in 2017 is not the country I grew up in and is far from being the once-proud seat of true democracy.
Kel Palmer
Mountain Ash
The Tory money tree just keeps on giving
Theresa May blew £140m of taxpayers’ cash on her disastrous snap election.
The sum included more than £42m on sending leaflets that the Tory money tree provided, along with at least £1bn of public money to seal a “grubby deal” with the DUP.
Mrs May has put the UK in a more disadvantaged position for Brexit talks with the EU.
Andrew Nutt
Bargoed
