This Is What It Was All For

Many thanks for their kind words about me both to Martin Meenagh and to Martin Kelly, which latter writes:

One is grateful to Private Eye's 'Funny Old World' section for pointing out something which is neither worldly not funny.

Eye 1232 contains an item from The Serbia Observer of January 19, 2009, spotted by 'Mark Baillie'. It reports that the IMF has insisted that the equipment of Serbia's police must be made available for private rental.

A police uniform can be hired for 1, 440 dinars per day, a police horse for 2, 880 dinars per day, a police dog for 2, 160 dinars per day, individual officers for 360 dinars per hour and police helicopters and aeroplanes for between 54,000 and 168,000 dinars per hours. A Serbian politico named Dragan Todorovic is quoted as saying, "Everything is up for sale or rental...We are walking the path of economic slavery..."

He is quite right. If true, this is a disgusting and shameful business. For all the faults of the police, they are public servants - they should never be for hire. It says little for the IMF's understanding of the rule of law that it should have demanded such a stupid course of action.

And in response, a voice can be heard emanating from the belly of the beast - 'Yeah, dude, whatever. They're just Serbs'.