Bloody Hell what happened there.....................! The new Berlin wall.
Those of us who remember the Berlin Wall coming down, will also remember both the shock of the event, but also the hope that it conveyed. The shock stemmed from the belief that the post war, cold war certainties would last for ever. That the tensions between the Eastern block and Nato would not disappear. We didn't really expect to see the end of it. But we did. And this brought hope for the whole continent of Europe. Hope that we wouldn't blow each other up. Hope that the citizens of the eastern block would be able to live a free life, where they could express their views as boldly and as loudly they want, as part of the ongoing discussion all democratic societies have with themselves. Without the fear of the knock on the door at night, to be dragged and beaten and if you were lucky, returned bruised, bloodied and scarred. Of a new world order, gentler, less fearful of each other. Negotiating solutions to problems, not threatening them. Ronald Reagan was the American President...
