I could of course be referring to the fact, as David Carr wrote that socialism far from being dead has just re-branded itself, and is stalking the night looking for victims. And certainly that is true. However the news is not all bad. The political culture in Croatia still has a woeful hangover from the communist era, but things have nevertheless has taken a turn for the better lately. The Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandic was involved in a minor auto accident and just drove off. As a result, his political career is in tatters and public opinion scandalised so much that he has been forced from office. However just a few short years ago he could have done so with impunity. That is real progress.
But I wasn’t really thinking about that sort of thing at all. In my usual self-centred way I was thinking about something much more important: after being laid low with the flu (or whatever it was) I am actually up and walking around at last, still coughing like I have the plague but at least I am moving again like the undead risen from a coffin. Ok, I know that I do not live in Transylvania, but I am probably a hell of a lot closer to it that most of the Samizdata’s readers (about 350 km/220 miles away).
And so off I go to the market this morning to stock up my depleted shelves (I had someone else shopping for me but he never gets the right things). There is still about half a metre of snow on the ground and so I am wrapped up like a yeti, but it is so nice to be outside. After filling up my car, I drive back and start unloading the car… and who should saunter through the open front door but Little Monster, my missing cat. I am amazed. I thought he must be run over by car or frozen under half metre of snow one week ago.
Far from it. He is fluffy and smells slightly of perfume. Someone had even tied a strange looking ribbon on his little collar. I should have just thrown him out and told him to go back to who ever has been looking after him the last week.
Well, at least I finished unloading my shopping from the car before I fed him. That showed him who is the boss.
