tfl: The Flatiron Life

Today is the 17 anniversary of German Reunification.  In 1990, the states of the DDR were unified into the Bundesrepublik.  Again the German brothers stood together, not from the Meuse to the Neman and from the Adige to the Belt, but with Unity and justice and freedom for the German fatherland.

But today is an important day for the nation of Scotland.  Today marks the 10th anniversary of the successful passage of the Scottish devolution referendum.  This referendum asked the Scots 2 question: 1) if there should be a Scottish Parliament and 2) if that parliament should have the power to vary-taxes.  11 September 1997, the referendum passed ‘Yes-Yes’ and then next year the Scottish Parliament was created by act of the UK Parliament.

Today is Victory Day in the island nation of Malta.  This commemorates two events in Maltese history, neither involves falcons.

First, in 1565, Malta was under siege for nearly 4 months.  The siege began 18 May and “was the climax of an escalating contest between the Spanish and Ottoman empires for control of the Mediterranean.”  Although outnumbered, on 8 September the Knights Hospitaller’s forces of nine thousand forced out the 40,000 Turks.

Second, in 1943, Italy surrendered to the Allies.  Malta lies just south of Sicily and one can imagine the relief of this British colony, especially after there had been another siege.  Tomorrow is also a related anniversary from 1943 in Maltese and world histories because the Italian fleet surrendered to Ike on Malta.

Today in 1968 Swaziland received its independence from the United Kingdom, via an act of committee.  The committee picked constitutional monarch as the form of government and parliamentary elections were to be held after independence.  About 4 year later, in May 1972 they were held and things did not turn out very well if you are a fan of the republican and democratic forms of government.  The King’s party, the Imbokodvo National Movement (INM), won 75% of the vote.  The Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) one only 20% of the vote.  After that (as in the wikipedia)…

 In response to the NNLC’s showing, King Sobhuza repealed the 1968 constitution on April 12, 1973 and dissolved parliament. He assumed all powers of government and prohibited all political activities and trade unions from operating. He justified his actions as having removed alien and divisive political practices incompatible with the Swazi way of life. In January 1979, a new parliament was convened, chosen partly through indirect elections and partly through direct appointment by the king.

So maybe the king is a benevolent liberty loving king, right?  I don’t think so…

King Mswati III is often strongly criticized for living so lavishly in such a poor nation. He has a fleet of luxury cars, and has spent millions towards refurbishing his numerous wives’ luxury mansions.

Today does not appear to be a National Holiday anywhere. It is the day a nation was founded though. Today in 1870, Napoléon III was exiled as his empire collapsed as a result of the Franco-Prussian War. This inaugurated La Troisième République. As the name suggests the third republic of France and as the name does not suggest the longest lasting government since the 1789 French Revolution.  The Third Republic lasted 70 years until the Reich came marching in; The current Fifth Republic is the second longest and will only be 50 October next year.

In 301, a Christian stonemason named Marinus of Rad fed the religious persecution of the Roman Emperor. He had been working in the, now Italian, town of Rimini and fled nearby to Monte Titano. There he built a church and on 3 September founded a republic city-state. Today, the Most Serene Republic of San Marino is the oldest ongoing constitutional republic. Although it has seen many changes in its neighbors, San Marino has remained steadfast and holds tightly to its independence.

I did not start off my series on National Holidays very well. Turns out this month is September and not August. That means yesterday was not the Swiss National Holiday and missed the opportunity to commemorate the Uzbek Independence, I will get you next year.

Today the Vietnamese celebrate H? Chí Minh, aka Charlie, declaring North Vietnam, or Democratic Republic of Vietnam if you like, “free” from France in 1945. As is usually the case if you name includes both Democratic and Republic you are probably neither and likely to get in a war with these United States. We all know this happened and the US lost and North and South were married into modern Vietnam in 1976 as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. As often happens in unbalanced marriage, the South now only celebrates the Norths holidays and today we say “Happy Independence Day Vietnam; Get back to work on the collectivist farms. Papa needs some more cashews.” I hope strengthened trade and education will help the Vietnamese be able to strengthen their desire for liberty and one day be able to truly celebrate.

Today is the national holiday of the Swiss Confederation. It celebrates the Federal Charter of 1291 which formed League Of The Three Forest Cantons: Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden. These three cantons are now in the middle of Switzerland. Although the holiday is celebrated today, the Bundesbrief was not signs 1 August 1291. The Charter only refers to “Early August.”

Also, this is a relatively recent holiday to be celebrated in the neutral heart of Europe. Over the last century the Bundesfeier displaced Rütlischwur, marking the Oath of the Old Swiss Confederation on 8 November 1307. This displacement allowed the Swiss to celebrate their 600th anniversary in 1907 and their 650th in 1941, just 34 years apart. Of course being neutral, the Swiss had nothing else going on in 1941.

I find national holidays interesting. I am not going to turn this into the holiday talk blog. However, I wanted to warn you before I started posting about a national holiday everyday.