The unpleasant feeling of change within the special intelligence services

It is quite stupid that President Petar Stoyanov and the Minister of Interior Affairs should play a game of Chinese whispers about the changes in the intelligence services, as they did last week.

First of all, the Minister of Interior Affairs Georgi Petkanov said that he would replace two intelligence service heads. The next day the president ruled out the possibility that there would be any changes in the intelligence services before the end of his mandate. On the third day, the minister of the interior affairs again said that he would be making changes, no matter at what point in the future.

The problem stems from the fact that citizens consider national service to be a special service. In the Ministry of Interior Affairs there are six national services, and only one is special - the National Inquiry Service. The rest are police services.

Otherwise the position of the president seems to be based on principles. Now is the least appropriate time for making changes in the intelligence services. The situation in the Balkans and especially in Macedonia is such that the least they need is the settling of accounts with someone or staff changes. (Because the special services in Bulgaria are constantly plagued with backstage attacks by former police members).

At least not before the new ruling elite clarifies the country's foreign policy priorities. It is worth bearing in mind that the conflict in neighbouring Macedonia started only a few months after the special services there were thrown into chaos by a series of scandals and purges.

For this reason it is quite possible that there will be no bargaining between the president and the minister of interior affairs - chief secretary for the special services. Though some doubts remain in the public sphere.
-Kapital

The state to the statesmen, the church to the theologians

Is it possible to get over the split in the Bulgarian national church? This is a question traditionally directed at politicians. This confirms the fact that they instigated the split. Yesterday Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg put things in their place. In answer to a journalist's question about how the split in the church can be overcome, the prime minister said, "I am no theologian."

If the non-theologians, pseudotheologians, and the neo-marxists stop meddling in church matters, it is clear that the church will overcome not only the split, but also will take its dignified place as the spiritual support for Bulgarians in their hard everyday life. That was its role for the whole 130-year history from the creation of the Exarchate until today, as it was before and during the Turkish yoke.

Our church has proved that it has the historical and spiritual arguments for self-purification, and self-solidification. Like a river that purges itself from its source - slowly, but relentlessly.

But each time that politicians dump their garbage in the waters of the church, church affairs, together with the spiritual pillars of Bulgarians, suffer. And it still takes time, a lot of time, for the spiritual river to cleanse itself of the vandalism or the helplessness of politicians.

The river has a memory as well - of all the pieces of garbage that swam against the stream, starting with the clergyman Christophor, who was a famous activist from the Union of Democratic Forces, also known as Fori the Firefly, and ending with the Law for Communist-era files. That is why a time of calm is needed. A time in which the shores of the spiritual and the pure water of faith will remain.
-Monitor

Radiator feudalism

The first school bell will sound in a week. Lessons in history and social science will begin.

Who is going to explain to the children the type of social system that we are living in? It is not socialism. The illusion of human needs being increasingly satisfied burned down a long time before November 10, 1989.

Could it be capitalism? But the country does not bear any resemblance to developed Western countries, and is still building a market economy. What remains is to count on empirical knowledge - to think about our everyday experience.

Tough luck - the picture reminds us of radiator feudalism. Presumably Bulgarians are free people. Even the Schengen visa limitations do not apply to them any more. But if they start living in a building with central heating, they become dependent on the owners supplying central heating, just like feudal serfs. They need to make money and spend it on central heating even if they are not using it. They could run away from this measure, but only if they abandon their house. They are lucky if the heat-supplying owners do not ask for the right of prima nocte with tenants' brides.
-Trud