2 weeks Ago
THE PICTURE of House president Annita Demetriou squatting in a saintly pose by the grave of an Eoka hero on April 1 and staring forlornly ahead was iconic political kitsch. It reminded us that you can take the girl out of Troulli, but you can’t take Troulli out of the girl – even when her stylist turns her into a melancholic blonde for the national day. Annita is fast turning into the Princess Di of Kyproulla, pictures of her in a wide range of moods, styles and settings are now appearing everywhere.
The only difference is that the photos are not taken by marauding paparazzi looking to make a quick buck by selling them to the highest bidder, but by a personal photographer who accompanies her everywhere. These pictures cannot be the rushed work of news photographers as they all seem staged, always showing her perfectly posed and with the appropriate look for each occasion. It is so contrived, you suspect that before she goes to an event she has consultations with a stylist and photographer.
All these lovely pictures, including the one at the Eoka fighters’ graveside, adorn her Facebook page, suggesting that she would much rather be a glamorous film star than a boring politician. Who wouldn’t? HER FANS would probably prefer her to be more of a Thatcher than a Princess Di, but even as Barbie she is doing pretty well as Disy leader, even though many of her comrades want her to fail – not to mention the presidential palace, which sees her as a threat – and are waiting for the chance to rip her apart. In the last week there were endless reports about a split party because some loser member, Evegnios Hamboullas, decided to leave and make a big fuss about it accusing Disy of abandoning its principle and values.
Hamboullas entered parliament as a runner-up candidate, when Preznikone decided, as a favour to him, to make the man occupying the parliamentary seat a minister. He failed to retake his seat in the next elections, even though he posted pictures of himself eating ambelopoulia. He is now expected to join Elam, which is closer to the principles and values of Disy than Disy.
But the media, in order to undermine Annita’s leadership, presented the departure of this loser as a sign of a split party. ACCORDING to the latest opinion poll, however, our Barbie Doll is Kyproulla’s most popular politician. Her approval rating is 10 percentage points above that of Prezniktwo whose shallow politics of blandness she is copying very successfully.
Odysseas is the most popular of the lot according to the same poll, but he is not a politician – yet. He could announce his entry into politics next month he told Politis Radio. Using the royal plural he said: “About the middle of May we hope to finalise our decisions.
.. announce in May exactly what we have decided.
” He added: “We will tell the people in May whether we will establish a party, which with the passing of time is become a more likely scenario.” Even if they do not set up a party “there will be an announcement of a movement.” The decision of Odysseas and his associates will be determined by whether people believe there is a need for a new party and not by divine decree.
THE FIRST post-Geneva meeting was held by the two leaders on Wednesday and confirmed what was suspected all along. That the two will be working together in harmony not to agree on anything that would threaten the status quo and suggest a hint of progress, even though Prezniktwo is slightly happier with its maintenance than Tatar. They both adhered to their trademark, insincere, positive outlook, reporting that progress had been made after the meeting, because neither wanted to be viewed as being uncooperative, while avoiding to agree on anything substantial such as the crossings and the PV park in the buffer zone.
A UN statement said they had agreed to set up a technical committee on youth, the existing technical committee on environment would work on climate change initiatives, the cultural heritage committee would deal with the restoration of cemeteries while the negotiators would exchange information regarding demining. “We are positive, we want to achieve things and in time I hope we will be able to,” said Tatar, whose insincerely constructive rhetoric must have been what Ankara ordered. TO OUR PREZ, the insincerely constructive rhetoric is second nature, so on the four crossings and energy on which no agreement is possible he said, “there was progress but no outcome.
” They have been discussing the opening of these crossings since last year with no outcome, but as long as there is progress, the outcome becomes irrelevant. The big disagreement was on the PVs in the buffer zone, because Tatar wanted the north’s section of the power produced to go directly to the north’s grid, but the Prez could not possibly agree to this as it would be an acknowledgment of two states. He found another childish excuse.
Tatar’s demand “could not be accepted by our side as it was outside the framework set by the EU, which has expressed an interest in supporting the effort financially”. If he agreed for the power produced to go directly to the north’s grid, was there really a chance in a million the EU would object? The EU supported Annan plan, for God’s sake. Progress without outcomes is the new Cyprob process, a process which finds the two leaders in full agreement for once and competing over who will be seen as the more progressive.
Even the UN will regard this as progress. THERE was bitter disappointment among some Turkish Cypriots when they found out that the ‘TRNC’ was not included in President Trump’s list of countries on which he would impose tariffs. The TRNC might not be recognised, but it has people living on it.
And when you consider that the Heard and McDonald Islands, two remote Antarctic outposts belonging to Australia, inhabited only by penguins and seals were on Trump’s tariff list, there is really no excuse for leaving the ‘TRNC’ off the list. It must have been extremely embarrassing to be considered less worthy of a 10 per cent tariff than an island of penguins. SINCE 2021, when legal action was taken against him Yiannakis Yiannaki, the goofy-looking former commissioner of volunteerism, he has been collecting 50 per cent of his salary, which amounted to €76,000 for doing nothing.
This was why he kept getting postponements for his case. He finally pleaded guilty to three charges earlier this week. When public parasites are suspended pending an investigation, they are paid 50 or 75 per cent of their salary until the case is heard in court.
Politis gave the example of the former head of the pharmaceutical services Louis Panayi who was suspended in 2005, facing criminal charges. The court case was completed after eight years during which Panayi received 50 per cent of his salary (€400,000) for doing absolutely nothing. He was eventually acquitted and returned to his post in 2014 and was then paid the remaining 50 per cent of his salaries plus interest.
SPEAKING to Philenews, about the IMF report advising against pay increases and CoLA for public parasites, the head of Pasydy, Stratis Mattheou, who is a great improvement on his insufferable predecessor Hadjiklamouris – he is almost likeable – had this to say: “Public servants have significantly contributed during times of crisis and should not be targeted again.” How did they contribute? Did the parasites not take the state to court in 2013, claiming that the wage cuts imposed on them during the crisis were unconstitutional and were fully reimbursed? What kind of contribution was that? APPARENTLY, there is no longer a need to block the highway to get an appointment with Prez. Our MEP Fidias Panayiotou found a much less disruptive way to get a meeting.
He filmed himself explaining his technique, like Odysseas using the royal plural. “We made a video and said that we had been trying to get an appointment with the president for eight months and were not able to do so and after that video, the next day he agreed to meet us.” The meeting will take place on April 14.
Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos should also make a video because he has also been waiting for eight months for an appointment with the prez. PROMOTING gender equality in all areas of activity was a horizontal priority of Prezniktwo, said Commissioner for Gender Equality, Josie Christodoulou at the Gender Leadership in Academia conference on Friday. She made no mention of his vertical priority but outlined the main aims of the government’s strategy.
She said it was equal participation and representation of both women and men at all levels, including in decision making, adding that “to achieve the aim we follow a holistic and horizontal approach to create a gendered environment using the tool of gender mainstreaming in our strategy.” Gendered mainstreaming must be the new thing..
