As the incidents in the UK have shown, neo-fascism can be not just an extreme political movement but equally a threat to a country’s internal security. Beyond considerations of how it can be contained politically, questions therefore necessarily arise regarding what should be done to counter the internal security threat.

In this area over the years we have been told a lot about measures taken to combat Islamic terrorism, much as in the previous decades, we used to be told about what was being done to roll back extreme left terrorism. What is odd is that apparently less attention was given till quite recently to enhance internal security provision against neo-fascism. Or is this an incorrect conclusion?

Still, what one can often note is how in a number of European countries, it has been discovered that extreme right elements had penetrated (sometimes in the most “natural” manner) their internal security services, and even managed to climb high in their hierarchies. This happened not just in European countries which had till quite “recently” been governed by fascist regimes (like Spain, Portugal and Greece), but as well in countries where fascist governments had been “terminated” long ago (as in Germany and Italy).

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SUCCESS

A method exists by which to understand better what should be done to promote more initiatives and projects that would be useful in our economy and society which, I think, could be adopted to a greater extent than is being done. It takes the form of identifying success stories that have actually happened and studying how they became so.

This does not mean that one should then go on to copy with eyes shut what has been done in any particular case. However one could consider whether the features that have driven the successes might have some general application.

Without any doubt, in this kind of exercise, what is also needed is a good understanding of what the criteria of success should be. Not for the first time, an initiative that was considered successful at a given point in time, came to be seen as a disaster not long after.

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FESTAS

Village festas are an integral part of the national heritage and should be encouraged and protected. The latter could be done especially by giving greater recognition to their most traditional aspects. This should be done not simply for the people to have more celebrations to enjoy and for tourists to have a nice holiday in this country. It should also aim to help reinforce the sense of a national identity which, as is also happening elsewhere, is often being dissolved in the waves of globalised behaviour patterns.

On the other hand, the encouragement and protection afforded to festas must respect the needs and interests of all citizens, plus the requirements of modern community life  as they are experienced today in the country. Petards given off without any attention to the hour of the day, firework displays assembled too close to where people reside or have property, the exagerrated clamour of street parties, the disruption of traffic, among other issues, must be regulated professionally and with a commitment that promotes civil behaviour towards the rest of society.