May edition

Recent events have caused me to recall what was a fixture of this time of year when I was growing up, the annual May Day Parade, sometimes broadcast live from Moscow.

The event itself divided me in that as spectacular, it never failed to deliver from the marching of the military, the split second synchronization of the young adults  who did gymnastic events and procession of armoury to Red Square. On the other hand the political repression, the subverting of much of Eastern Europe  to it's economic and military requirements  and so on was something I found disagreeable as much as the general idea of treating people as equals and providing free education, health and social care is something I supported strongly.