Turkmenistan

[Whickerman]

Can I have Turkmenistan now that it's going spare?

Also, was the now-deceased president there the greatest leader ever? (Debate...)

[jno]

I'll have the revolving gold statue please, I can always add my face to it.

[mightywease]

Mmm - didn't he ban all rural libraries and close hospitals. Sounds depressingly familiar!

[Whickerman]

He also renamed the months of the year after himself and his mother, wrote a book of philosophy that was on their national curriculum (and you couldn't pass your driving test unless you could quote it), closed borders to reduce foreign influence, banned dogs, beards, make-up, gold teeth, car stereos, and foreign press, as well as circuses, theatre and cinema.

Sounds like some of our regulars on here would consider this a paradise...

[mightywease]

I'd heard about the banning of beards, make up, ballet, opera (the latter two being "unnecessary" aparantly) and gold teeth - but car stereos and dogs!

Awful as it is I had to smile at his comment that rural libraries were closed because "peasants can't read".

[jno]

There are some very good ideas there. I shall make a new year's resolution to start thinking about them next month, on Tonyuary 1.

[flip-flop]

They'll probably be in the EU this time next year.

[joko]

its already jnoary!!

you mean octonyber surely