The Devil Wears Flip Flops

I don't know if it was Mary or not, but somebody had a little lamb which appeared on CyBC on Thursday Night to give Ioannis Kasoulides the third degree.

Yiannakis Kareklas went all coy and started nervously doing that hand-wringing thing that he does so well while meekly asking for Kasoulides' indulgence: "Yes... you see... I may well be playing the role of the Devil's Advocate tonight...," he blurbed, while still managing to cut a dashing figure before embarking on a stellar journalistic performance that made Ed Murrow look like a smurf.

His statement, however, does beg the question whether Kareklas was implying that Papadopoulos is, in fact, the devil? Just curious.

At any rate, the questions were nothing more than a rehashed digest of the day's rantings and ravings from the likes of Andros Kyprianou - although, in all fairness, it ought to be noted that not once did he mention what his daughter thought of the presidential candidate - and the rest of the loony fringe in power. I still don't get the 'neo-liberal' label, though. Is that some sort of anti-neo-con or is it something that makes the fascist left cringe in this rather large village where land is rapidly running out?

Kudos to Kasoulides for mentioning the state's biggest cash cow that brings home over a billion bananas: the odious Land Registry Department. Yep, that's why the state can say "screw tourism, we can make a billion a year by ripping off the suckers that voted us to absolute power."

Kareklas is happy, though, as he may not mind the prospect of the spanking he'd get if the neo liberal is voted president.

Yep, according to the scare-mongering brigades in this village-island state , Kasoulides will spank all those who voted NO during the mother of all refrenda if elected to office. Talk about flogging a dead plan, while at the same time proving that a village is, at times, merely a manifestation of mass psychosis. Whoa, dudes, your clocks seem to have stopped. Get winding and get moving.

Of course I'm sure the regime also plans to use the old 'flip flop' accusation which would be hillarious, in view of the fact that the biggest flip flopping was exercised by Jimmy the Sheftali, whose party props up the current regime. The difference here seems to be that Kasoulides does have a plan and that the nefarious neo-liberal label is contradicted by the wobbly 'far-right-backed' slogan. All this, in addition to some of the gems uttered today by the likes of Curious George who somehow implied that anyone who voted Yes during the evil referendum should be excluded from the race. Eeelaaaa Peppo mou! scream the frustrated punters as the dead plan is flogged once more.

I'm sure the mudslinging will get more interesting but I doubt whether the incumbent's troops will exhibit either the necessary patience or resourcefulness to dig up decent quality mud. They are, after all, standing in a mixture of the good stuff and unprocessed waste. Knee deep, with sticky fingers outstretched.

And, as the Republicans have so successfully managed in the United States, the current regime will do its best to captalise on the climate of fear, paranoia and denial.

The programme ended with Kareklas saying "Good night and good luck". Or at least I think that's what he said.