When is a Brit not a Brit?
Sep 15th 2021, 10:43 am
#16
Resident Cynic
Joined: Aug 2013
Location: Suffolk,UK; Alentejo, Portugal
Posts: 14,970
Re: When is a Brit not a Brit?
.... and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) still exists, within a multi-party democracy. On the other hand, power has largely been divided between right-of-centre and left-of-centre parties, with the more extreme elements in the fringes. This seems far healthier than artificially maintained two or three party systems, where other views are effectively suppressed. For this reason, I see no suppressed demand fuelling radical change in the near future.
Sep 15th 2021, 2:09 pm
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 207
Re: When is a Brit not a Brit?
Interesting. I was there when the Carnation Revolution happened (25 April, 1974). I was an engineering cadet with the British Merchant Navy at Lisnave (shipyard). I was later in South Africa and saw the aftermath of what happened in Angola and Mozambique, the colonial war in Africa no doubt drained them. I don't think future generations will want to go down that route again but the history is interesting to read. I also found out that Mozambuiqan Portuguese food is some of the best I had ever tasted which was a rare treat after being brought up on bland 'English' food.
Last edited by Johnboyuk; Sep 15th 2021 at 2:21 pm.
Sep 16th 2021, 12:06 am
#19
Resident Cynic
Joined: Aug 2013
Location: Suffolk,UK; Alentejo, Portugal
Posts: 14,970
Re: When is a Brit not a Brit?
Interesting. I was there when the Carnation Revolution happened (25 April, 1974). I was an engineering cadet with the British Merchant Navy at Lisnave (shipyard). I was later in South Africa and saw the aftermath of what happened in Angola and Mozambique, the colonial war in Africa no doubt drained them. I don't think future generations will want to go down that route again but the history is interesting to read. I also found out that Mozambuiqan Portuguese food is some of the best I had ever tasted which was a rare treat after being brought up on bland 'English' food.
SWMBO worked for Philips,who were happy to manufacture in Portugal under the dictatorship..... but ran away after the revolution, like many other companies from the "Free World". The "West" seemed happy to have a fascist dictatorship in place.... rather than risk anything left-wing gaining power. The Portuguese who learned about the "ancient alliance" with England could not understand how their ally had abandoned them for so long - or why the Queen had chosen to be feted by Salazar when his police were murdering poor farm girls. For SWMBO, it was an odd time - one day it was frowned upon to be in a trade union, the next it was expected....
If you worked at Lisnave, did you see the frigate "Gago Coutinho" that sailed up the Tagus with orders to shell the rebels in the Terreiro do Paço? (the crew disobeyed!). The timeline for the coup reads like an action movie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeli...ion_Revolution) and, were it not for the secret police opening fire on civilians, it would all have been achieved without bloodshed. In 24 hours the dictatorship was toppled and the fascist organizations abolished...... in the only military coup d'etat where the military did not seek power.
As the recently deceased ex-President, Jorge Sampaio, said "25 April......Always!"
