Comunes: Old Farc wanna live like common people

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]
So Colombia's Farc has rebranded.

The old rebel group that for over five decades waged guerrilla warfare across the country until signing a peace agreement with the government in 2016 is looking to put further distance between its political party of today and its bloody past.

Old Farcs: The party is changing its name to Comunes. (Photo from Twitter.)

Long live Farc?

Thus, Farc is officially dead — bar for some dissidents — and it's long live the Comunes (roughly translated as 'Common folk' in English).

Considering the fact that an armed Farc never enjoyed anything close to widespread support in the country, except for a few remote pockets, the idea that a political party with the same name could do well at the polls was always far-fetched.

For a greater understanding for Irish/UK readers, imagine the IRA being listed on a ballot paper — it would, and no offence intended, bomb. OK, some will say IRA equals Sinn Féin, but at least the latter has a long-standing, even rich, political past.

Comunes has, on the face of it, a much more accepting ring to it than Farc, the Spanish acronym for the Alternative Revolutionary Force of the Common (people) [not to be confused with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the old military Farc]. Not exactly a title that warms the heart, is it?

Changing one's name, however, is one thing. Changing the negative opinion that others have of you, quite another.

It will take some time for a traditionally conservative Colombian electorate to disassociate this "new" party from Farc.

'Centro Democrático is, in many ways, simply the Conservative Party minus its sheep's clothing.'

Yes, it can be reasonably argued that Colombia has been far more accepting of new political movements since the turn of the millennium compared to the Conservative/Liberal duopoly of the 19th and 20th centuries which saw, amongst other acts of purging, the effective extermination of the Union Patriótica (UP, Patriotic Union) party. The election of Álvaro Uribe Vélez under the Primero Colombia (Colombia First) banner as president in 2002 and 2006 is a case in point.

Uribe and others would go on to found in 2013 Centro Democrático (Democratic Centre), the party of incumbent president, Iván Duque. It is, nonetheless, in many ways simply the Conservative Party minus its sheep's clothing. It fits in nicely with the Colombian psyche.

Bad branding

Comunes, in contrast, purely as a signifier before one even studies its actual politics, looks and sounds too much like Communist. 'Eh, don't call us guys, we'll call you.'

Come on, could Farc's powers that be not have come up with a name that wouldn't be so anathema to so many Colombians? How about the People's Party of Colombia, El Partido del Pueblo Colombiano? (I must get that registered forthwith, it's mine.)

As things stand, there's a greater chance that I'll have Colombian residency before the artists formerly known as Farc make any significant political inroads here. Yes, that long.

Nonetheless, if they need some additional rebranding help more in tune with the Colombian masses, they know where to find me. I come at a reasonable price.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

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Negative utilitarianism in coronavirus times

@wwaycorrigan
[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.] 

Only the very naïve believe that we live in a free world. Where you have a conflict of human interests, the concept of true individual freedom is unattainable.

Lockdown life: Do such measures cause more harm than good?

Delicate balance

My doing whatever I want has the potential to negatively impact somebody else. It's why, as an interconnected species in pursuit of both personal and collective goals — or happiness if you will — we have rules and regulations in place to act as checks and balances on individual and communal wants.

It could be thought of as a sort of negative utilitarianism: aiming to inflict the least harm on the greatest number of people.

In an imperfect, unfair world, it's perhaps the best we can aspire to. The perpetual problem inherent within it, for "freer" societies in any case, is finding that balance between allowing individuals to go about their business with as little interference as possible and protecting others' rights, as well as the environment we share.

Of course, at times one's personal goals merge nicely with the collective good. Everyone's a winner, to a certain extent.

When this isn't so, an arbiter, normally the state in its various forms, is needed to decide how much give and take is allowed in a particular situation.

'If the vaccine is not a success, we're going to have to seriously reappraise the damaging containment measures we've implemented.'

Thus, said arbiter must hold the respect of the parties in dispute in any given conflict. If this is lacking, the carrot-and-stick approach can bring the warring factions onside, provided there is a genuine effort to engage as fairly as possible by the arbiter.

If one or all of the disputing sides feel this fairness is absent, if favouritism or a lack of sincerity is perceived, then we have quite the tricky situation.

The wrong way?

This is a constant challenge for our leaders and decision-makers. We've seen it very much at play in dealing with the coronavirus where there is a not-insignificant minority, this writer included (see also my interview with the renowned British author and journalist, Peter Hitchens) who question the efficacy of the various measures introduced in a bid to contain the virus.

Not only are we sceptical that they actually work, but we also highlight the consequences they are having and could have for years to come across society. Coming back to our negative utilitarianism, we are potentially inflicting great harm on a great number. It needn't be this way.

Alas, this perspective is given scant serious thought as the majority stance of doing all we can to stop this coronavirus dominates the discourse.

Perhaps the majority will be proven right — history will be the judge of that.

For now, we must hope that the vaccine is a success for those who most need protection. (I personally won't be rushing to get jabbed and I don't think it should be compulsory — more on that another day.)

If it's not a success, we're going to have to seriously reappraise the containment measures we've implemented. This is because asking people to stop living in a bid to, potentially, save some lives is not a strategy that can go on indefinitely.
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Trumpism: Why it won't go gentle into that good night

 @wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]
Much of the world appeared to breathe a collective sigh of relief when Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States of America.

Swamp men? Barack Obama & Joe Biden. (Photo from Facebook.)

After four crazy years of Donald J. Trump, calm has been restored. A comforting normality has returned to the self-proclaimed greatest democracy on the planet. Certainly, Biden will conform to many people's view of what it means to be "presidential".

Long live Trump

However, while Trump's presidency may be dead, Trumpism lives on. To ignore it, to hope it will just peter out as a force would be foolish in the extreme.

To this end, President Biden has talked the language of reconciliation, of unity. Therefore, we must assume that his administration isn't about to completely discard the almost 75 million US citizens who voted for Trump.

Biden only needs to look at his own inauguration day to be reminded of why Trump won the 2016 election. While the outgoing commander-in-chief decided, as has been his wont, to go against 150 years of tradition and not attend the peaceful handover of power, three former establishment presidents were present: namely Clinton, Bush and Obama.

"Untruths can be forgiven as long as one is acting in good faith, saying what one thinks. 'Trump may be a liar, but he's an honest liar.'"

The bonhomie on display, especially the banter between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Michelle Obama, will lead some to believe that common ground between two deeply divided factions can be found in the years to come. There is room for bipartisanship.

However, another way to look at it is as the personification of what Trump referred to as the 'swamp', a swamp he promised to drain which, depending on who you ask, he either made a decent fist of doing so or failed miserably.

Where lies truth?

This Washington swamp is a political elite out of touch with the needs and wants of America. It's an enemy that needs to be dismantled for those who espouse Trumpism.

Then there's language, what's said and what isn't said. The BBC's Washington correspondent, Jon Sopel, when asked of Trump's positives, referred to his transparency.

Now, while we all know of the many untruths Trump spouted and tweeted during his term in office, what Sopel refers to is the idea that you knew how he was feeling at any given time. To use the old expression, Trump wears his heart on his sleeve — or at least he constantly posted it on Twitter when he had access to that medium.

This is another important element of Trumpism. Untruths can be forgiven as long as one is acting in good faith, saying what one thinks. 'Trump may be a liar, but he's an honest liar.'

Contrast this with the politically correct language of Biden and his ilk. Experience leads Trumpists to view with great suspicion all these carefully worded speeches. They've heard it all before.

What's more, in such language they tend to hear not the equality of opportunity they associate with their USA but rather an equality of outcome. What they believe made the US great — the individualism, the freedom, a "non-interfering" government — is being eroded before their very eyes under the guise of progressive politics.

President Biden is only settling in at the White House. He may indeed turn out to be a president who can build bridges rather than walls. Convincing some in his own ranks to rein in their more ambitious ideas will surely prove key to that.
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The Great Reset

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

There's been much talk of the pandemic ushering in a Great Reset. Depending on your viewpoint, it's either a positive opportunity to change how we live or it's an attempt by the controlling elite to exert even more influence over us, to ensure our subservience to the overlords.

The use of mechanically propelled transport will be severely curtailed.

Whatever the case, on the individual level, many of us have been reappraising our lives throughout these hokey-cokey times (by hokey-cokey, I refer to the 'one foot in, one foot out, shake it all about' lockdowns and other such restrictive measures we've experienced of late).

With both a desire by some to live a more virtuous life and a potentially enforced Great Reset in mind — heavy on grand rhetoric but light on specifics as the latter appears to be — here I suggest changes to a few key areas that, if implemented, will surely have us within touching distance of salvation. Until the rules of engagement change again, that is.

Travel and general movement

Good news first. There will be absolutely no restrictions on moving around for those on foot or push-bike (we're not sure about rollerblading and skateboarding — they seem a bit too radical). In other words, self-propelled movement, as in using your own energy to get around, is limitless. No interfering state here (but it will be tracking you, all the same).

For those who feel the need to use transport whose motion is propelled by means other than one's own energy, there will be a daily limit of 20 kilometres. While this may seem quite tight, you will be allowed to accumulate unused kilometres. So, for example, if you didn't use mechanically powered transport for two years straight, in the third year you'd have built up 14,600 kilometres to use. What more could you want?

Needless to say, billionaires and world leaders are excluded from this — and all the following measures — due to the fact that civilisation would end should their ability to operate be curtailed in any way.

Food and drink

Similar to travel, there will be no restrictions on what you can consume provided it is sourced within a — give us a number — OK, 50-kilometre radius of where you live.

To be clear, by sourced I mean grown or reared within that catchment area.

'As we're nearing the end of history, references to the past will be removed from the internet. It's time to look forward guys, not back.'

All other foodstuffs will be subject to very punitive taxes, the exact details of which have yet to be finalised.

Clothing

In line with the previous — can you guess what's coming? — there will be no limit on the purchase of clothing whose raw materials come from inside a 50-kilometre radius and whose fabrication also occurs within that area.

Outside of that, the restrictions are as follows:
- No more than five units of each officially recognised undergarment per person per year, i.e. five pairs of socks, five boxers, five vests, five knickers, five pairs of tights, five bras.
- No more than two upper-body items of clothing per person per year.
- One lower-body item of clothing per person per year.
- One suit per person per year.
- No more than two footwear items per person per year (there will be an associated campaign to get people to walk barefoot more often — think of it as bottom-up toughening up).

Technology

All citizens of the world will be provided with a smartphone that must be kept switched on during one's active hours.

What's more, everyone must have a Facebook account and spend at least two hours per day on it — no problem for many, that.

People can publish whatever material they wish, provided it meets the approval of the moderators. In addition, material can be removed with no prior warning and no reason needs to be given. 

Moreover, users can be banned from posting material should these faceless, answerable-to-nobody moderators see fit to do so. (Please note, the identity of moderators is not revealed in order to protect all of humankind.)

Finally, as we're nearing the end of history, references to the past will be removed from the internet. It's time to look forward guys, not back.

That's enough to take in for now. I'll be back with more later. In any case, it's an impressive blueprint for a better future, isn't it?
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Where's Archie? The curious case of Bogotá's Cuban cardiologist and the phantom smartphones

 @wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

After more than nine years based in Colombia, I've learnt, slowly albeit, not to be so trustworthy of anybody, at any time, in any situation. The default mode is to think somebody's trying to swindle you until you have concrete proof he/she is not. Guilty until proven innocent, basically.

O Archie, Archie! Wherefore art thou Archie?

Every now and again, however, one drops the guard. Or better said, somebody comes along who sounds so believable, comes across as so genuine, that you effectively buy his/her horse manure.

Now, I must say that in this particular fraud it wasn't that my friends and I were completely naïve. We didn't just dive in head first without initially testing the murky waters.

A rat in a cardiologist's clothing

We did weigh up the pros and cons of what was on offer. Suffice to say my partners, nay main players, in the deal were Colombians — they can generally smell a rat before it's even born.

It just didn't make sense to us that a seemingly respected Cuban cardiologist working at Bogotá's Cardio Infantil — he, Archie Silva, has a LinkedIn profile "confirming" this (see photo above) — would feel the need to rob a few pobrecitos (poor folk, that is) of what is, in the great scheme of things, an insignificant sum of money. (350,000 pesos in case you're wondering, about 84 euros.)

What's more, when I first met Archie in late November 2020 through a mutual contact, he wined me — well, Poker-beered me to be precise — all day while he, stereotypically enough, downed rum and another substance which shall remain unnamed. 

He even put credit in my phone as I had none and I needed to send a few emails explaining away this impromptu session.

So I had few reasons to doubt him when he told me he could source factory-price smartphones in Germany, a country in which he studied, through a friend there. 

Whatever the case, it didn't pique my interest at the time as I was, and remain, happy with the phone I have.

"He told me he couldn't ask for new phones regularly as 'it would be a breach of trust' with this German friend. That made sense to me."

About a month later, however, a couple of good friends in "my" Barrio Santandercito were in the market for new phones. The Cuban entered my head.

We sent him a WhatsApp message. He could get us ridiculously cheap Samsung S20 Plus models. After much toing and froing of messages, getting clarification on everything, my friends were confident enough to go ahead with the deal. I figured if these working-class, streetwise Colombians were willing, then fair enough.

As the middleman and without work to go to on the following Monday, 28 December, it was up to me to meet Archie to give him the first payment to put in motion the purchase. It was half the overall price, the aforementioned 350,000 pesos, 200,000 of which was my own money.

I met him at the entrance of Barrio Santandercito on Calle 183 with Carrera 15. We grabbed a coffee in a nearby panadería, for which he paid.

Too good to be true

Before I handed over the money, I did ask him if he'd heard of the old expression, 'If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.' He assured me that this was legitimate, that it was a favour from his friend in Germany who worked for Samsung. Archie had apparently carried out life-saving surgery on this man's mother years ago.

As for the remarkably quick delivery time which I doubted could be realised — they were due on the Wednesday, just 48 hours later — he said they'd be sent by DHL that very Monday.

What's more, he told me he couldn't ask for new phones regularly as 'it would be a breach of trust' with this German friend. That made sense to me.  

So I handed over the money. A final step was for me to send Archie my friend's personal details 'for the guarantee', which I did later that day.

'See you Wednesday. It's also my day off, so we can have a few drinks', he suggested as we parted ways. I wasn't too enthusiastic for a mid-week session, I just wanted the phones.

I left it until the afternoon on Wednesday to reach out to Archie. 'They haven't arrived yet, hermano, but don't worry, they're on their way. I'll let you know.'

I had thought that it would be remarkable if they arrived in such a short period of time, especially over the Christmas period. My friends waiting for the phones weren't in a major panic either. We could wait.

The last messages I exchanged with Archie were on Saturday, 2 January. That day he told me the phones were already in Colombia, at DHL's office by the airport. He told me to contact him the following Monday and we'd take it from there.

Since then, nothing. WhatsApp messages remain unseen, phone calls go straight to voicemail.

Maybe, just maybe, something untoward has happened to him. Perhaps I'm wrong to think that we've been had.

After all, if you can't trust a Cuban cardiologist, who can you trust?
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2021: Reasons to be fearful

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

New year, new hope. And after the stagnation that was 2020 for many — save for the comfortable, virtue-signalling folk who have seen their lot actually improve — there appears to be more of a focus than usual on the positives that lie in store for us over the next 12 months.

Uribe, mi presidente. (Image from Facebook.)

Nonetheless, positivity is one thing, reality another — we'll leave to one side the postmodernist view on what is real and what isn't, only to say that when you're dead, you're dead. So while we'll do our best to carry on regardless, here are some reasons to be less than optimistic that 2021 will be brighter than 2020.

Covid chaos

Let's start with the most obvious. Regardless of where you stand on the efficacy of lockdowns and the true severity of coronavirus (in a recent interview, the historian Niall Ferguson noted how in terms of lethality the disease isn't even in the top 25 of global pandemics humanity has suffered), the closedown-to-suppress-the-virus approach has been adopted by many countries.

For sure, with vaccines now on the scene, hopes are high in richer nations that they'll be able to get on top of the situation in the first six months of this year or so.

However, considering the way our decision-makers and much of the media have become completely engrossed in every detail of this virus and its modus operandi to the detriment of pretty much all other areas of life, those who hope that by this time next year we'll be in AC (After Coronavirus) times need a reality check.

'Closer to Colombia, strong rhetoric against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has the potential to morph into something more than mere words.'

What's more, emerging-market countries, such as here in Colombia, look set to be well behind the curve in any vaccine bounce. 

By going along with the richer nations' moment of crisis in their otherwise comfortable existence, in following the lead of said richer nations and neglecting other, arguably more serious problems, developing countries will be cast further adrift. Inequality will widen, not only between nations but within them as well.

One final covid "fear" is the continuation of Colombian President Iván Duque's cringeworthy, quite condescending evening TV addresses. Mercifully, they are easily avoidable. I'm clearly not the only one who has had enough. The owner of one of my panadería offices changes channel as soon as El Presidente comes on.

Biden bombs

Much of the world will breathe a sigh of relief when US President Donald J. Trump vacates the White House on 20 January. In his place comes a veteran establishment figure, a man who many view as a safe pair of hands, Democrat Joe Biden.

The thing is, after four years of a president who put America (the United States part of it, that is) first, who largely preferred isolationism rather than internationalism, a Biden administration will look to reassert Washington's influence on the global stage. How that manifests itself over the next few years will be fascinating to watch, from a safe distance that is, if one can be found.

OK, another flare-up in the Middle East doesn't exactly usher in Armageddon, but an outwardly bullish, confident China is sure to lay down the gauntlet to what it must perceive as a weak, disjointed rival.

Closer to Colombia, strong rhetoric against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — a China ally of sorts — has the potential to morph into something more than mere words. In fact, the centrist faction of the Democratic Party might see it as a way to show it's not being highjacked by the left, as well as adhering to its stated global clampdown on corruption.

In addition, "corrective" action against Caracas would do no harm at all in helping to boost support among certain Hispanic voters who loathe the socialist wing hovering in the USA's blue corner.

And attacking fellow human beings is more box office than fighting a microscopic, common enemy of mankind.

Uribe presente, es mi presidente

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. So while large swathes of the Colombian electorate will be thrilled with the prospect of an Uribe running for the presidency next year, many will be filled with dread.

Reports in late 2020 suggested that Tomás Uribe, son of former president, the divisive Álvaro Uribe, was being sounded out by Centro Democrático officials to run for the country's top job.

By all accounts, it's a long shot — he's reputedly not keen — but if Colombia was to put an Uribe back in Casa de Nariño, it would open the door for old scores to be settled, à la US President George W. Bush finishing off some of his father George H.'s business.

In such a scenario, we may not need the US to instigate war with the neighbours to the east. The Uribes are coming for Chavismo in all its manifestations, abroad and at home.

Whatever transpires over the course of the next 12 months, it promises to be an exciting ride.
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Bogotá's Fraudia López

 @wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

At the best of times, it's not easy being a politician. In today's social-media dominated world, our elected leaders are scrutinised like never before.

OK, they willingly sign up for a life in the public eye and benefit from this, so many will say they're fair game.

Yet, the attacks they receive regularly cross the line, entering into their private lives.

'Enjoy your lockdown, Bogotá! See you when we're back!' (Image from Twitter.)

López's lost it

Nonetheless, on occasions, our leaders do things completely out of touch with the people they claim to represent that it only seems right to call this out.

In these pandemic days, as many people's livelihoods have been mortgaged away due to questionable measures introduced to contain our relatively mild viral enemy, that some politicians fail to show sincere solidarity with those suffering the most is, as far as I'm concerned, unforgivable.

Take — and to use the old joke, do please take her — Bogotá Mayor Claudia López. On the 1st of January, she completed her first year in office.

What does she decide to do to mark the milestone? Why head off on a holiday to Costa Rica.

Now,  in a normal year, people would be justified to some extent to question a self-proclaimed mayor of the working classes in a city with deep inequality taking a holiday outside the country. With so many beauty spots in Colombia, why the need to go elsewhere?

'I do actually think López cares, at least as much if not more so than many of Colombia's other top politicians. Yet perception is key and she has netted a public-relations own goal here.'

Of course, we're not in normal times. Outside of the millions of Bogotanos who regularly struggle to find the resources to take a holiday from the city, over the last few months those who normally do get away have seen their movements curtailed.

A bad act

To add insult to injury to those most badly hit by coronavirus-containment measures, while Mayor López is nonchalantly trekking around the jungles of Costa Rica, a strict two-week lockdown is reintroduced in three sectors of Bogotá.

That this is announced by some fresh-faced acting mayor who most people hadn't heard of up until a few days ago just adds to the sense of anger felt amongst the working classes. (It also begs the more general question, why isn't there an office for vice-mayor, a position that is filled at the same time as the top job, preferably elected on the same ticket as the mayor?)

It would be stretching it to believe that López didn't know this lockdown was coming as she packed her bags for Costa Rica. Therefore, the shrewder move, to really show she is at one with "her people", would have been to cancel the holiday. But no, off she went. It smacks of a couldn't-care-less attitude.

I do actually think López does care, at least as much if not more so than many of Colombia's other top politicians. Yet perception is key and she has netted a public-relations own goal here.

In reality, however, it won't amount to much — and this she knows. For those most annoyed right now tend not to vote and her many supporters will most likely just brush it off.

On a broader scale, there's an old saying around these parts that what works in Dinamarca (Denmark) doesn't work in Cundinamarca (the department in which Bogotá is located).

Taking that as a guide, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders that may — although it's far from certain — be effective in more developed nations are highly unlikely to work in an emerging-market country such as Colombia.

President Duque, Mayor López and the acting guy, whatever your name is, you would do well to bear this in mind.
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