It appears that the demonstrations are continuing, mainly in Sofia, but what have the protesters achieved and how long will they continue.
I think I am right in saying that this all kicked off over the electricity prices back in February, and here we are five months later and no further forward. At least the protests are reasonably controlled, not like in Egypt where many are being killed
This is an interesting read in Novinite
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The original protest was about the rise and rise of the electricity prices, which ultimately brought down the Government. Now the protest is about the new Government and corruption, already and within days of taking office, the new Government were upto their old tricks ie "
jobs for the boys"
(except they are not boys of course) I do in a way feel for the Bulgarian voter as the choice is between bad and very bad Politicians, whose only aim when in power is to rape the Country and it's people. I do applaud the protesters, i do think it's about time they stood up against corruption. I follow the politics here closely and disscuss this with my BG friends, they say it doesn't matter which party rules, the Communist control/pull the strings (behind the scenes). Oh and if you want to watch Youtube, search Volen Siderov, one serious nutter who held the most power in the latest elections, as it was a hung party he (Ataka party) had the power to decide (with their 10% votes) who formed the Government/coalition. Anyway i wont bore you with the rest, I'm sure you can work it out ;
-) but if you have an hour or so one rainy day (probably October then) watch [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for an example

I agree with what Mr 'One Beer' has said above and after living here, full time for over six years, I have to say that I'm on the side of the protesters, but and it's a big but, for any hope of ever getting this mob out of power, they have to come up with a viable alternative. New elections at this point is unlikely to achieve anything..either GERB will be put back in (not good) or the stasus quo will be maintained (also not good). IMHO their energy would be better spent on forming a brand new, squeeky clean party to present to the citizens of Bulgaria..a party with a sensible mandate, a solid, intelligent leader and a membership made up of folk with no connections to the parties of old, no criminal record, no shady past and a clear vision for the future.
Now. some of you are sitting back and thinking, "
Bazz, that is all 'pie in the sky' and you are probably right, in a way..but they have to start somewhere. Banging tins, blowing whistles and chanting will achieve very little without some positive action.



A well known person once said..'life was never meant to be easy'...but I said in reply 'let's try to make it easier'.





Getting off my soapbox now.

OK Bazz - up on my soapbox now. Although Bir Birra (Turkish) is correct, our politicians in the UK come out with the same old tricks as well. Jobs for the boys is always a good choice for them, friends from Eton and Oxford receiving positions in government, get a directorship on a company they push for contracts. Get their moats cleaned out and paid for by the electorate,fiddle their expenses, make the working class struggling to bring up families pay for the mistakes of the higher echelons.

Yes, they are all up for it, only difference is the UK has had more practice at it and can cover up their shady deals. Of course it goes on all over the world and BG and UK are not alone in what they do!!

Not quite sure where you got the Turkish thing from..Edna Bira is Bulgarian for 'one beer'..anyway, I realise that politicians all over the world are tainted in one way or another, so you'll get no argument there.

Remember the old saying..'there are no problems, only solutions'? My thoughts are that if the protesters could present a viable solution to the present situation things might move forward..as it stands at the moment, all they are providing is a noisy presence and little else. A bit like the sound of 'one hand clapping'..you know it's there, but you can't hear it!

bgbazz wrote:

Not quite sure where you got the Turkish thing from..Edna Bira is Bulgarian for 'one beer'..!

He was probably referring to Edna Biras' post.

As we all know that corruption in BG is a sore that has been inherited from the USSR when in power here and it will take some real good guy to stamp it out.But the question begs about the UK ? We seem as bad as the Bulgarian Goverments with the "
Bedroom tax"
which is just about as rip off as it can get. Like many of you I have lived abroad for many years at different times during my life and every time I go back to the UK I have this feeling of being ripped off all the while and more so than I ever do here in Bulgaria.I did write a blog in the Daily Mail suggesting that a Military Goverment should be installed for a couple of years whilst the jumped school boys of the likes of Cameron and Milliband get their acts together and behave like grown ups should( I loved Maggie Thatcher)! John Smith died bless him who should have been been Primeminister for Labour and out from no where came this Tony Blair person who proved to be the most corrupt Primeminister that Britain has ever had and between him and the hapless Gordon Brown brought the Nation to it's financial knees!I don't think that the Conservative Goverment are corrupt but are even worse than that as they are incompetant and have no clue what they are doing just trying to please the financial masters at the exspense of the poor and the needy.These wimps that that cow down to the Americans every time they smell oil and profit in these Middle Eastern countries and decide that they should interfere in the name of "
World Peace"
drag the poor old British forces into it to back them up for no good reason .I was in the Falklands and the Americans refused to have anything to do with it but expect us to come out fighting for them, and we do!!I read in the paper about the Sergeant who had three days to go for his pension having served in Iraq and Afghanistan with a pay out of some 260,000 pouds and what did this Goverment do? Made him redundant just before his retirement and now he has to wait until he is 60 years old and his pay out reduced to 90,000 pounds.If that is not wrong I don't know what is!! That's my rant over with and as normal we are left to only moan about these politicians who operate the "
Old Boys Net"
as they do in the UK and here and we can do nothing!

Phil-H wrote:

bgbazz wrote:

Not quite sure where you got the Turkish thing from..Edna Bira is Bulgarian for 'one beer'..!

He was probably referring to Edna Biras' post.

As was I, in the post just before his.