An Electrical Moral Dilemma

Anyone who lives in Greece, by now has a very good idea about how badly Greece has been governed over the last few years. They know, because, despite promises to the contrary, each month every householder in Greece has to pay a hefty tax to the government, via their personal electricity bill.

Why am I complaining? Well, mainly it is because I wasn’t around in Greece when these four armed spendthrifts were cooking the books and generally misleading the Greek public about their national finances. No, I was in Bulgaria running my own business as efficiently as possible - under the prevailing circumstances - and oblivious to the fact that Greece PLC was living far above its means.





All that we outsiders could observe about Greece, at the time, were certain rather self satisfied and overweight individuals, spouting a load of misleading statistics; no doubt bathing in the largesse of a generous Greek banking industry. And whilst the Greek Government was causing a tidy - if somewhat hidden – hole in their national budget, so were the indigenous Greek citizens themselves.

However, none of this is news these days, because, not only has the media milked this story dry, it has also become the rallying cry for Greeks who want to express their personal contempt, for the sanctimonious - and somewhat parsimonious - German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. But I am not writing about the German Chancellor or the disgruntled and impecunious Greeks, I am actually writing about the way the Greek Government has sought to collect this additional tax.

When the penny dropped, and a team of so called technocrats appeared on the government front bench – please read accountants – it was a well televised and emotional point. They implied that in time they could fix the Greek economy, but that the Greeks themselves would have to pay the costs. Cliches about pain and gain were cast into the ether and these government stalwarts started banging the drum of patriotism. Tears and a welter of ‘Greek Brio’ fueled the issue and when it was announced that a charge would be levied on on householders electricity bills, it was generally accepted that it was a matter of expedience.

‘Well,’ said the citizens of Greece, ‘that’s okay, but only this once,’ and most people coughed up 500 EUR and thought that was it. One concerned politician also confirmed in parliament - to his fellow countrymen and women - that it was a one off and that in future, any additional tax would be charged separately in order not – I presume - to pauperize certain members of the community. Well, the months passed and of course this never happened. Today I had to pay an additional 70 EUR hidden within my electricity account, something I have continued to do over the past few years. Add it up!





I suppose you could say that people have become used to it, but judging by the queues at the "DEN" (sic) office in my local town, this is not very true. 50% of Greek workers are currently unemployed and any social benefits which they enjoy hardly cover the rising cost of food, let alone household accounts such as their electricity bill. Fuel oil is prohibitively priced and although householders are turning to wood to heat their homes during the winter months, these days there is only a marginal difference in cost. So how do you read this somewhat aggressive story? I suppose if you don’t pay your electricity bill, they will cut you off; notwithstanding your age or infirmity!

How Byzantine this story must seem to those who don’t live in the Balkans. Repleate in ones comfortable home in the northern climbs of Europe, or across the Atlantic ocean, you might spare a thought for the impoverished few, and those of us who are forced to pay for a Greek debt which was steadily growing, long before we came to live here!

Where are the Greek ATM machines?

Greece is a country full of as many dilemmas as the myths it has lived on for years. Having been diagnosed the bad boy of the EU, in its haste to rehash its benign image as the bastion of civilization in Europe, it has recently been responsible for some very nasty and - quite frankly - unnecessary actions, which are so much against 'their own,' that they almost seem spiteful! This is particularly evident with their banks. We know that most bankers - when they have finally got their hands on your cash - think that it is theirs, but has it ever occurred to them that without clients and customers, thier coffers would be empty?



It occurred to me that the sudden disappearance of an ATM in my village - previously called a bank - that it was the result of some ominous banking crash and that some thoughtful competitor would come to the rescue and replace it with an even better service. But no, it was just the beginning of the end. Now, along with the entire inhabitants of my village, I have to make a weekly visit to my nearest big town to get access to my British pension, there being no other choice. This is because all the other provincial ATM's have now been switched off. Apart from a few little old ladies and retirees who bravely scramble onto a weekly bus, Greece is going back to being a cash economy. But what is the main reason behind it, other than the Greek governments orders from Germany? I think that the main reason is misinformation. I believe that it is not true that Greece is in the hands of accountants. It is my opinion that the Greek economy has actually been abducted by some unfeeling robots. Clearly a close relation to your average ATM machine, these robots are only programmed to save money, at the expence of the people they are supposed to serve.



In the light of this absence of compassion and humanity, perhaps the future will lie in the field of telephony - as it does in deepest darkest Africa and in the UK as well - whereby with an absent minded click of your mobile phone, your PayPal account conveniently pays for your Brussle Sprouts or your oversized chunks of Feta Cheese and, in no time at all. The question is, which bright spark is going to get there first - past the punishing and no doubt inhibiting Greek banking laws - in order to bring Greece once more into the 21st century.

About Abduction: An Angel over Rimini (Detective Chief Inspector Michael Lambert) (Volume 3) by Patrick Brigham - Freado

About Abduction: An Angel over Rimini (Detective Chief Inspector Michael Lambert) (Volume 3) by Patrick Brigham - Freado

ABDUCTION An Angel over Rimini by Patrick Brigham -...

Child Abduction - LA Private Detective Allen Cardoza interviews author Patrick Brigham.

UPCOMING JULY 2014 “An angel Over Rimini – Abduction and Human Trafficking” | Patrick Brigham

LIVE:  July 21,  2014– 11 am PST
www.latalkradio.com
AUDIO REPLAY/DOWNLOAD

TITLE:  “Abduction: An angel Over Rimini," it is about Abduction and Human Trafficking.

SPECIAL GUEST: Patrick Brigham

www.aegus1.org

Once in a great while, a novel is written that dives deeply into a real and present danger to children, from the poorest to richest countries. Such is the case with Patrick Brigham’s new book, An Angel Over Rimini – Abduction, Human Trafficking, which revolves around the abduction investigation of a little British girl from a campsite in Rimini, Italy.
An interview that promises to rock your understanding on the topic, Brigham describes how he used his many years a journalist to research and weave into this masterful work of fiction, the true and sometimes terrifying facts about abduction and human trafficking that are rarely included in statistics, or covered by the mainstream media.

ABOUT PATRICK BRIGHAM

Patrick Brigham was born and raised in Berkshire, England and has been a writer and journalist for many years. He is the author of several mystery novels including: Herodotus, Judas Goat and his latest book, An Angel Over Rimini – the subject of today’s interview.
In 1993 he decided to leave London and moved to Sofia in Bulgaria, where he set up the first English Language News Magazine in the Balkans called the Sofia Western News. As a journalist, he witnessed the dramatic political, economical, and social changes in this once hard core communist country.
Patrick’s popular mysteries novels feature fictional police detective Chief Inspector Michael Lambert.  And, although his books are fiction-based, Patrick accomplishes a tremendous amount of research and analysis in order to accurately portray the process of how abduction and human trafficking cases are handled, and solved. A master of storytelling, Patrick brings hard facts, realism and a great deal of awareness to the important underlying themes in each of his books.
Patrick Brigham now lives in Northern Greece, writing mystery novels. here are some of the questions and answers:-

1.    Why did you choose the topic of Abduction and Human Trafficking for your book?
Answer: - The Greeks have recently built a fence next to the River Evros which is their border with Turkey. It is estimated that over 50,000 illegal immigrants have crossed this border in the past, the Turks making little effort to stop them. These days the numbers have dramatically decreased, but the costs of policing are a great burden to this little indebted Balkan country, despite the support of Frontex police and Brussels. I live close to the River Evros and in order for you to understand the extent of the problem that existed in the past and still does to some extent; I would like to present the following scenario to you. Can you imagine going to the shops where you live, only to be confronted by a group of Taliban tribes’ men and women? Can you imagine a trip down some isolated farm track in order to visit a little Greek church, only to be stopped by some polite Bangladeshi people and asked the way to the nearest train station? This was the reality up until quite recently, although these days the numbers are much fewer and the smugglers now use other well tried and tested routes, we still see quite a few of these unfortunates, roaming the streets.

2.     Please tell us about the research you did on human trafficking what you learned about these activities in western societies.
Answer: - I am surrounded by tired and depressed police men and women, who know the realities of people trafficking. They have had to dredge the river for corpses, those who have either drowned, died of hypothermia, the cold, or have even been shot by the Turkish traffickers with their hunting rifles. These gangsters see migrants as valuable contraband, and their smuggling routes – which have existed since 1923 and partition – are simply regarded as a business conduit, through which to traffic people, cigarettes or drugs. Take your pick.

3.    I’ve seen a lot of different statistics about the scope of human trafficking.  Why don’t we have consistent numbers and more media coverage?
Answer: - The reason for these illegal immigrants being in Greece and Italy is simply a matter of war and political strife. The first to appear on the streets of Greece were the Albanian minorities from Serbia during the Milosevic years, closely followed by the Afghans or Iraqi’s and now the Syrians, Egyptians and even some Iranians. There have also been incidences of Al Qaeda terrorists using these smuggling channels and so until recently little Greece – itself a Christian bastion against the Islamic states – was suddenly the weak spot of Europe, alongside the immerging ex – Communist countries of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Clearly the result of war, it has been in the West’s interests to put the blame on economic migration; Messers Bush and Blair having neglected to calculate the true costs involved, when they enthusiastically went to war. So, it is only quite recently that the truth has leaked out – not only about the numbers involved – but the fatalities too. This indifference must be further underlined, when we hear our politicians blaming these poor unfortunates for taking away jobs from indigenous workers in their country of settlement. Nobody wanted to sweep the streets then, and suddenly they do today? This is why we have heard so little in the past.

4.    What kinds of cases did you research for your story development and why did you choose a young English girl?
Answer: - The ongoing investigation in Portugal concerning the whereabouts of Madi McCann has been my main inspiration. A botched investigation by the Portuguese police, unfounded accusations that her parents were responsible for her death, and finally, the intervention of the British authorities and news media, brought the whole matter once more back into the light. Clearly a question of xenophobia, prejudice, ignorance and indifference; a turf war between the two countries authorities seems to have occurred at some point and together with a shortage of police resources, meant that the fate of Madi McCann was practically forgotten. However, a new investigation is presently under way. I also decided to take the abduction to Italy because it fitted more easily into my route through Greece, Bulgaria and finally into northern Europe. In my opinion Italy seems to have some challenging problems with their justice system – the case of Amanda Knox comes to mind – and I could see a similar problems occurring with an investigation by the State Police in Rimini, a well known Italian holiday destination.

5.    What happens to the trafficker when he is captured and a victim is rescued?
Answer: - The traffickers are Turkish/Greek, Bulgarian/Turkish, German/Turks, German/Greeks, Greeks, Turks and Bulgarians. No longer a divided Europe, these are the people who make for a well organized smuggling operation. Once great enemy’s the Turks and the Greeks get together in places like Hamburg in Germany and with the Schengen cross border agreement in place, the whole of the EU is at their feet. DCI Michael Lambert, my protagonist, is a Europol Liaison Officer which is the EU equivalent of the FBI in the US. He arrives in Italy, only to find the previously mentioned chaos, and quietly unravels the events which encapsulate this cold case. Ignoring the Italian police’ investigation, he follows the evidence to Greece and thence to Bulgaria and back into Central Europe. In Greece he  tracks down some traffickers who are arrested by the Greek authorities and through them he finds he way into the crooked Bulgarian court system, only to discover who and how certain unprincipled lawyers have arranged illegal adoptions to childless couples in the West. Nearly all the traffickers and their cohorts end up in the overcrowded prisons in Greece or in Germany.

6.    Your book talks about illegal immigration – how are traffickers moving these children to other countries?
Answer: - In my fictional account you will see that the well tried holiday road routes through Europe are practically free of stop checks, most border crossings left open and with only the occasional check on ferries, rivers and canals, it is simple for these criminals to operate. Airports are the greatest threat to abductors and smugglers, and so generally they take their time and travel by road. In my book Abduction – An Angel over Rimini, I write of a ‘sorting house,’ in Greece, which is the hub for these operations and where various routes interlink and coalesce into the west.

 

Dying at the Gates of Europe

 

The level of ignorance concerning the unremitting arrival of illegal immigrants into the EU via Turkey is quite unbelievable.

The true reason has been largely ignored by the Northern Europeans, who tend to dwell on its impact on their own societies and particular circumstances.

Greece has had the impossible task of of policing the border with Turkey in order to stop these poor unfortunates from crossing the River Evros, its Delta and to nearby islands. Although Frontex has done its best, the problem is so big, that it is still vastly under resourced.

Should the moaning and groaning EU members stop and think for a moment, they would easily see that all their complaints are the result of either US led wars in the Middle East or due to well orchestrated political agitation.

Either way Greece's problems are the result of war both in the Middle East and in the past the Balkans, which have targeted this peaceful Christian country - now blamed, along with the Italians - for the recent migration into the EU and the often mindless complaints of certain hapless voters.

It is clear that those directly involved in these recent conflicts did not budget in their war costs, for the problems surrounding political and economic migration into the EU and are also very reluctant to pay for their mistakes as well.

In the midst of a national economic catastrophe, Greece's fellow members have proved to be only casual supporters of Frontex, and have virtually ignored the huge cost of housing and managing these unfortunate migrants, who are all destined to travel to Northern Europe, at some point.

Perhaps the winging EU politicians might address the real problems for a change, and to lean on the Turks - who have contemptuously let many of these illegal immigrants into Greece in the first place - in order to create a clearer and fairer picture.

Why is Greece the new destination and how have the Greeks, turned their country around?

The very north of Greece might well be ‘The Yardstick’ by which we can measure the veracity of living in a significantly indebted nation, because Greece has been enjoying a severe reality check of late, together with a boringly repetitious ticking off from the Germans.  

Perched in their ivory towers, most of the verbiage about Greece seems to have come from the many postprandial hacks who occupy their litter strewn desks, in and about the capitals of the world. These well distanced diagnosticians - who no doubt think Greece to be mainly about Diogenes, Euripides or even Feta Cheese - generally believe that a country can be described in terms of cartoon clichés from the past and perhaps the sound of smashing dinner plates - in some hardly remembered Greek restaurant in London’s Notting Hill Gate.  A country traditionally visited by seasoned travelers - other than those who visit for a two week hedonistic break in Mykonos - Greece seems to be turning a corner and getting back on course. Not only according to the all-knowing Brussels pundits, but also by Greeks themselves.

The pain started six years ago in Orestiada, the second city of Evros. Evros is also the name of the river that separates Greece from Turkey to the south and to the north, The Republic of Bulgaria.

As you travel south from the Bulgarian border on the E85 towards Orestiada, you can see the busy Turkish City of Edirne on your left hand side, across the River Evros, with its many Minarets. With four remarkable Ottoman Mosques and many sprawling historical buildings - pink and shining in the sun – it immediately confirms that the vital contrast between the two countries is immense. And it is here that the differences also begin to show and the story starts to open our eyes, to some sort of reality, far away from a cloying media dominated world.

Sunday in Edirne (their Monday) is lively and alive with activity everywhere. Amongst the many shops there are mountains of affordable well designed clothes stores, stuffed with all manner of electrical goods and kitchen ware, and with so many restaurants; it appears to be like a holiday town. It also seems that you can eat anything you like in Edirne, provided of course it is a Kebab!

By contrast, across the river in Orestiada it is practically dead, with rows of empty shops and very few people about, despite the fact that Sunday is traditionally a day for the many Greek Orthodox Churches, for people to promenade in the streets and for Greek café life to flourish. These days talk in Orestiada is generally about the price of logs and the almost doubling in price of heating oil from the previous year. The increase in VAT on food stuffs and the attendant hike in prices - generally unreasonably so – obviously leaves some unscrupulous food shops with a nice little earner and this too is also a major source of gossip. 

Stuck to the telly, Greeks are served up a daily diet of waffle – there are about ten TV stations to choose from – from a bunch of wind bags whose only wish is simply to be seen on the box. With impossible ideas and multiple choice alternatives; little of it makes any sense, under the present difficult circumstances.

 

 

Spike Milligan once said – apropos the then Irish question –that the best solution was to put a large post in the middle of Ireland, and to tow it out to sea. This now appears to be one of the ‘flat earth’ political alternatives these wind bags now suggest; but how I wish they would stop talking!

The historic philosophy behind the EEC, EC, and finally the EU now seems to have been blotted out by us all, and these days only appears to be about money and dodgy economics. Once it was all about war, domination and political intrigue, and of course the Germans. However, like the Bulgarians and to some extent the Romanians, the lure of EU money has always been a great imperative in the Balkans – along with being in NATO – and this was surely so for Greece in 1981, when it became the 10^th member of the European Community.

Since then the whole ethos of ‘Poor little Greece’ has changed, and now we see a cabal of political elite – mostly devoid of shame – who have sucked the Greek banks dry, with a look of total innocence that completely baffles even me! Asked to define the difference between Bulgarians and Greeks, I was surprised to find more things in common than differences.

 

Finally it occurred to me that the difference was that Bulgarians wanted to do things, but couldn’t, and that Greeks could, but didn’t want to! Maybe it is once more about that old stereotype bon mot; the one about a Greek going into a revolving door last, but managing to come out first! And this may well have been how Greeks defined themselves in 2008, but unfortunately the door has recently become a little stuck, and is in need of some WD 40.

In this part of Greece, Greek attitudes have changed dramatically since then and now in 2014, everyone is more than aware that the good old days are over and that Greece’s claim to being universally middle class has gone. No more easy loans – from an abnormally friendly and amenable bank manager – just blank looks and a firm demand for prompt payment, business is now consciously improving customer service and reducing hotel prices and property costs too.

So where does this leave our erstwhile or would be intrepid visitor to Greece? Is Greece getting better and why am I banging on about the northern part of Greece which is called Thrace or Thraki to the natives? The answer to that question is very simple, I live here.

 

Throughout modern history, the River Evros was always regarded as a secret place. It was next to Turkey after all – the Greeks old enemy – but it also teemed with the most spectacular flora and fauna. A naturalist’s paradise - and where you are more likely to see a Kestrel sitting on a gatepost, than a crow - Evros Region is full of wonders. It is also farming country and where you can find the fabulous Greek National Park near Tychero. Hard core Greek - Alexander the Great came from Greek Macedonia and his mother was born on the mystical island of Samothraki – this part of Eastern Thrace is hardly known by foreign travelers at all, but remains full of wonder.

 

When you arrive at the Aegean, Greece once more becomes the ubiquitous family holiday destination of yore. With its deserted beaches and its striking scenery – not forgetting the first rate campsites - the Thracian coast has a lot to offer its visitors at very reasonable prices. You can, if you wish, lie on a beach like a sardine in a tin - getting bronzed to the sound of rap music - but considering the many hundreds of kilometers of deserted sandy beaches on offer, many of us would rather not and of course, they are all free.

Greece also has a lot of little airports and the internal flight costs from Athens are very small, especially if you order your tickets in advance, and Thrace is no exception. With airports in Alexandropoulis, Kavala and Thessaloniki many are regularly visited by cut price carriers from different parts of Europe.

Finally, what is really good in Thrace are the Greek language skills. In Thrace, English and German is widely spoken, even in my little village corner shop, close to where I live and a place which is very easy to live in! 

Copyright © Patrick Brigham – May 2014 Rizia Evros Greece

A Journalists Life in The EU - 25 years in the wilderness of The Balkans

 

I have lived and worked in South Eastern Europe for 25 years and was for some time the chief editor of the first English Language news magazine in Sofia Bulgaria. As a journalist, I have written a number of articles for various periodicals, but these days I am mainly working as an author and write murder mystery novels, with a certain Balkan flavor.

 

Living in the Balkans, I have kept in touch with the politics and the indiscretions of most governments in this part of Europe and carried out many in depth interviews with various politicians including a memorable occasion with the last Bulgarian Communist Dictator Todor Zhivkov. According to him, I was the first Englishman to interview him since the death of the BBC journalist, Georgi Markov in 1978, on London Bridge – is there any wonder!

But recently there has been a certain reemergence of nostalgia for these enigmatic and once much hated characters, mainly by younger generations in the Balkans – who were either kept completely in the dark by their parents, or were totally disinterested after the political changes – and who now want to know more about their parents shady ex masters and the accurate modern history of not only their country, but the ex Communist world in general.

Living in Greece for seven years, amid their well publicized crisis, I have kept a close eye on the somewhat cloudy issues surrounding Greek finances and I personally enjoy the dubious privilege of helping to pay off Greek debts, by a surreptitious addition to my electricity account, which brooks no refusal to pay, or the threat of no electricity at all! The Byzantine approach to taxing Greeks – and foreigners as well – is a course study in devious government financing. In a country where everyone is accused of not paying their tax, believe me, the authorities have maintained a system of tax collection for years, which has allowed them many happy hours of sitting in blissful ignominy, whilst sipping the odd Tsipouro and a little Greek (Turkish?) coffee! 

 

I have also had firsthand knowledge of the Greek problems with illegal immigrants and the so called political asylum seekers. I live right next to the River Evros and know the reality, the deprivation and squalor these poor unfortunates have had to suffer in the hands of the Turkish traffickers. Overwhelmed in just about every conceivable way, the Greek authorities themselves have not always been as sympathetic as has been suggested in the past. Now the new security fence is in operation, few of these unfortunates cross over the northern reaches of the River Evros but the Frontex Police still maintains that – in one way or another – Greece accounts for about 70% of the illegal’s who make their way into the EU from the Middle East.

 

At least I am no longer able to be shamed into handing out baksheesh to certain of these poor unfortunates who have been duped by a Greek taxi driver into taking the scenic route to the nearest Police Station!

If what I have said is of interest, you can find out more about me on my website www.patrickbrigham.co.uk where you will find further evidence of my continued existence and so I look forward to hearing your comments in due course. 
Patrick Brigham

SMASHWORDS - An Interview with Patrick Brigham

                             

What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?

Just about everything is, or has been tried and tested. Firstly, I have a good publicist in Authors PR that seems to understand the geometry of the internet far better than me. But secondly, I still have the usual outlets including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Goodreads Amazon and of course Google Blogger, which I try to keep up to date on a weekly basis. However, my blog is not exclusively about me or my writing, has published articles interviews and stories from the past, together with present day comments concerning the state of the world which surrounds my books and their genre, which is Murder Mystery.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?

I grew up in the Home Counties in England on a farm in Berkshire UK. As a solitary child, it was there that I learned to amuse myself and consequently I used my imagination to invent a world which could captivate and entertain me. Most of my relatives were distant as people - both geographically and personally - and so as a little boy I roamed the gardens and orchards of my country home, together with my dog Polly and my cat Tommy, on an adventure which was finally interrupted by reality, when it was time to go to school.

When did you first start writing?

I have always written, from the time that my first essay was read in class at school, to this very moment. The problem as I saw it in the past, was the subject matter! One day in my late teens, I was busy trying to describe my allegedly full and exciting social life, when it occurred to me that the people I was describing were so two dimensional, that they were practically a waste of paper and ink. You see, nothing important had really happened in my life by then, only the symptoms, the growing pains and the realization, that there was more to life than watching people. I had to go out into the world and find my true path, in order to be me. Was this a successful journey? Well, you tell me.

What's the story behind your latest book?

I like to write about subject matters which are important and largely overlooked by people, who want to live an uncomplicated life. But the reality facing our society is often hard to disguise and so I surround the subject matter with murder, mystery and political intrigue.
My last book, Judas Goat - The Kennet Narrow Boat Mystery, is about international arms dealing, money laundering, mystery and murder. It is also about the character of our erstwhile detective, Chief Inspector Michael Lambert, who manages to unravel a particularly gruesome murder; one which carry's him into the remnants of the Cold War, and Communism.
My newest book - awaiting publication - is about child abduction, people trafficking, organ harvesting and illegal immigration, but is also once more about DCI Michael Lambert, now working for Europol the European FBI.
In search of a little English girl abducted in Italy, An Angel over Rimini, once more takes the reader into another world, one of people trafficking and the murky waters which Al Qaeda also inhabits in order to get into Europe. A story which exposes police incompetence and racial prejudice, it also describes the hidden horrors of illegal immigration. But there is also romance in the air for Michael Lambert.

What motivated you to become an indie author?

Speed and control of my work, and the knowledge that my words can be in front of a lot people, in just a moment.

How has Smashwords contributed to your success?

I think it would be true to say that it is in the process of helping me to meet a greater audience - particularly in the US where eBooks are more popular than in Europe - which will I hope, become faithful followers of DCI Michael Lambert, as he continues to thoughtfully solve the many criminal cases which confront him in Europe.

What is the greatest joy of writing for you?

A good cook always knows when the meal is a great success, by the silence. The writer shares the same process. The silence I perceive when a reader is finally at one with the author - in some tranquil and private place known only to them - is my greatest joy. Don't get me wrong, I like selling books too, but a good book review by a reader, confirming that my stories are well received and entertaining, is the most heartening part of our private conspiracy!

What do your fans mean to you?

They mean everything and more.

What are you working on next?

I am working on this! To be a successful writer these days, involves a lot of hard work. Not only must we control our writing, editing, proof reading and cover design, but we have to promote and get heavily involved with the media. That is my reality.

Who are your favorite authors?

I am a very eclectic reader and favorite means, 'at the time.' I love John Le Carre because of his Cold War dialog, and Robert Ludlum for his action and intrigue. I love Laurie lee because he is the most descriptive writer I know, and understands the passage of time and its value. When I was younger I liked JD Salinger, Saul Beloff and Philip Roth. Nowadays, in common with many writers, I read recommendations from the web. I like Dan Brown, Alan Bennett, Ian McEwan and many of the mystery writers who have now migrated into film or TV, such as Colin Dexter and PD James.

What inspires you to get out of bed each day?

Appetite.

When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?

I like classic cars, cooking, modern jazz and playing the piano.

How do you discover the ebooks you read?

Recommendation via the web.

Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?

No, thank God!

What is your writing process?

I have a daily routine which revolves round my computer and my environment. Each day is much the same for me in Greece - there are few distractions and I have a nice home and wife - and so an early start, punctuated by the usual interruptions, is followed by a siesta. That seems to work for me.

Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?

Mr Bun the Baker. Very little!

How do you approach cover design?

Very carefully. It is important that you like the cover as well as your publisher. The cover designers rarely read any books and so they generally rely on the story synopsis, if they get that far. So, it pays to keep and eye on the cover - you cant judge a book by its cover? - most people do.

What do you read for pleasure?

Murder Mystery!

Describe your desk

Tidy.

 

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/PatrickBrigham

              

Published 2014-05-21.

Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author, publisher or reader.

Hellenic Observatory on Security, Border Security and Ιllegal Ιmmigration

 

One of the most important aspects of EU security is finding members of Al Qaeda. They regularly follow the same traditional smuggling routes over the River Evros and the Greek islands, as other illegal immigrants have frequently done in the past. Greece recons that 90% of European illegal immigration, comes across the Greek and Bulgarian borders from Turkey, so this is no longer an economic or geopolitical issue, but a front line security problem too.

In my new book 'An Angel over Rimini,' I explore the routes taken through Greece and Bulgaria by these illegal migrants in order to discover the whereabouts of a little English girl, who has been abducted in Italy.

 

Greece and Bulgaria have been lumbered with the task of stopping all sorts of illegal immigrants, terrorists and the victims of people trafficking, with only a small financial inducement from Brussels and no noticeable support directly from the UK. Since a border fence and various electronic gadgets have been installed, including CCTV cameras, the traffic through the border area via Turkey has decreased significantly and the Frontex Immigration Police have scored many successes. But Greece and Bulgaria still have to house these desperate people and do so with limited resources.

 

As two of the poorest nations in Europe they are expected to house an ever increasing population of illegal immigrants on a limited budget. Since the great majority of them are destined for Northern Europe and in particular Great Britain, it would be nice to see some positive interest coming from the British Government, instead of a media diet, of people winging about job losses and Islamic colonization.

 

Perhaps a visit to the region by a senior British Cabinet Minister would be a good start to solving this burgeoning problem which has recently been clouded, by the wittering of certain members of UKIP and their startling ongoing misinformation program.

 

 

The Jewel in the Crown - WW1: India 65 years on and counting.

by Patrick Brigham

                 ‘Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,

Till Earth and Sky stand presently, at God’s great Judgment Seat.’

Rudyard Kipling - The Ballad of East & West. 

 

Sixty-five years on, and the great continent of India no longer has that taste of colonialism lingering in the palette, except for those very few who can still remember, and then most likely their palette is residing in a glass of water beside their bed.

As we recount the events of WW1, a bloodbath which involved far too many virtually ignored, unremarked and brave colonial soldiers - many from the then Indian sub-continent - the TV is resounding with nostalgia while great emphasis is put on the Western forces - Australians, South Africans, Canadians and new Zealanders - who died during the Great War. The hero's of the Verdun and other horrific WW1 battle scenes, are always presented as being white and European, although this is far from the truth.
 

- We shoot forward in time and it is suddenly the 17th August 1947. Now we see sepia films showing the final salutes of men and women - often in rather baggy and dated military uniforms - who wonder if leaving India is the right thing to do, and worry about what life has in store for them, back in a war torn Britain that is also trying to re-emerge into an equally uncertain future, together with the rest of a decimated Europe - 
 

For over three hundred years Britain had been the policeman of India, what was soon to become the State of Pakistan and ultimately, an emerging Bangladesh. Did the politicians of the day eulogize over the brave and ignominiously forgotten Indian soldiers, who fought for a foreign country thirty years before? We shall never know it was all too long ago!

Most of us see the post war years in rather theatrical terms, and in the shires and the home counties of England - in the 50's and 60's - one often came across slightly dotty relatives who talked about their time in India as the best time of their life. Surrounded by the reminders of years spent on the equator - the pith helmets, the Indian swords and engraved matchlocks - the many sided tables inlaid with ivory and mother of pearl. Then there were the photographs of ferocious looking Colonels - their foot on the head of an equally ferocious looking but dead tiger - as a child, I was introduced to cold curry, tales of the Berkshire Regiment and Uncle John.

And, back then in the sometimes jaded reality of back street Brighton, in a world of seaside boarding houses - the subject of plays by Terrence Rattigan or John Osborne - the fifties and sixties seemed to be populated by hopeless people; old majors or retired district commissioners, all of whom found it difficult to adapt to their new home environment. Dear old Col. Hillary Hook couldn't even boil a kettle.

Often born to parents who had lived all their lives in India - there had been families who'd lived and survived for generations in India – some lives were only interdispersed with the odd visit to an English public school, a university, or perhaps to Sandhurst. And then, it was back to India in some colonial capacity.

In their mind India came to be as much theirs as the indigenous population, because British blood had been spilt on the ground of their chosen home. It was as simple as that. But they were also obnoxious, they were snobs, they were xenophobic and they were unquestionably spoilt by their Indian hosts; but never the less they were also severely misunderstood.

Emanating from the newly found and emerging middle classes of the early nineteenth century, the sons and daughters of successful traders and manufacturers, they had often been precluded from aristocratic society an their British homeland - trade was a nasty word up until the 1950's - and India proved to be and acceptable alternative.

Surrounded by the trappings of wealth, the Maharajas paid lip service to their so called protectors but they also indulged in the imported social snobbery by Anglicizing their views and often adopting the public school and elitist attitudes of their colonial cousins, into the bargain. Eton, Harrow and smart Indian Regiments were all the rage and a kind of effete Indian aristocracy emerged on the racecourses of Ascot and Epsom and the polo-grounds of Hurlingham and Sandringham; but not for long and forward in time once more we now know why.

The sepia film only shows the lines of people, and not their thoughts. Tears and smiles must have mingled with nostalgia and although some were sorry that they were leaving, others were not. Gandhi’s salt march had done the trick, Mountbatten had handed India back with as much dignity as he could muster and India was left to denude its own reality, and make the railways run on time. Back in the UK sports masters were called Major this, the school bursar was called Colonel that, and the grounds man was called Sergeant something or other too. This was when I first went to school.

As I write in the present day, and as my recollections fade of aging aunts and uncles - of small ivory elephants in glass cases - the aroma and sounds of India still linger in the photograph album, the nameless dogs sitting on the veranda of some relatives forgotten bungalow. And, although the shadow of a much loved past still lingers behind the glossy brochure of a now modern and thriving India, I am afraid that what I remember really doesn’t matter anymore.

Today the talk is of computer technology, and the highly connected nuclear tests, none of which are approved by the great powers. Rockets that wobble on their launching pads and die with disappointed looks, from ambitious Indian faces. Young people, once the scourge of immigration officers at Dover, are now the invited guests of a burgeoning electronics industry; short of manpower. No longer destined for the sweat shops of Huddersfield or Leeds, nor selling assorted silks from a market stall in Brick Lane or Southall, but a new well educated middle class, destined for the wine bars of Dover Street and trendy Covent Garden.

The India of today simultaneously seethes with the extremes of poverty and great wealth, with - one must admit - an occasional European demeanour. Gone are the cliches of the past; the Star of India Restaurant and the Bombay Brasserie, are now in the Michelin Guide, pandering to the spoilt and overpaid, the trenchermen of an over colestralized London; those who have completely forgotten, how it all began. And how do the Indians feel about their past? Well, they seem to have forgotten about it too!