I am deeply disappointed in 'Vlad the Impaler', in fact more than that, I am insulted! According to Bloomberg News, Russian authorities are insisting that all popular bloggers must be registered. Well, that's fair enough if your country is led by a creepy, bisexual thug with deep insecurities who privately dissolves into tears at even a glimpse of criticism, but what I want to know is where is my demand for registration? I mean, let's be honest, there can be few blogs more popular than this one which is understandable given its erudite content and elegant prose to say nothing of its originality of thought and ... (that's enough puffery - Ed!) Also, of course, I do have readers in Russia, er, only two, I admit, and one of them is English, still from little acorns and all that sort of thing. Also my daily readership is equal to the minimum requirements of the Russian authorities who are "requiring those with at least 3,000 daily readers to register" . . . ooops! . . . sorry! . . . slight error . . . I thought it said 300 not 3,000, and 300 a day is my average. Not my fault, of course, it's you bloody readers not clicking on enough, honestly, you just can't rely on some people!
Mind you, that little snippet of news serves as a useful reminder. We, well, me, mostly, spend an inordinate amount of time moaning and groaning about our wretched politicians and the dire state our country has fallen into and yet . . . and yet . . . I simply cannot imagine living in a totalitarian dump like Russia or any of the other autocracies that constitute the majority of other countries. The thought of having to obey the orders of a jumped-up little ex-KGB apparat with delusions of grandeur makes me feel ill. I am not much given to flag waving but I will say this - thank God for England, and English common law and English liberty and genuinely free elections every five years.
