Fact finding in Portugal

+Here's some words I doubt Trump would disagree with, five principles it seems which need no debate:
 
"We do not question God and virtue; We do not question our Homeland and its History; We do not question authority and its prestige; We do not question family and its morality; We do not question the glory of work and its duty."
 
In the last regard, 'work' means working in the interests of capitalism, which means as one consequence the evisceration of independent trade unions and the establishment of officially recognized patsy TUs. A bit like China today, but not yet in the US.
 
These were the words of António de Oliveira Salazar, the long-term fascist dictator of Portugal. I came across them in an exhibition in Lisbon's Aljube Museum of Resistance and Freedom. There aren't that many museums of this sort in the world. The place was relatively quiet on my visit, not full of American tourists decamping off the huge cruise ships moored in the Tagus River. Would this museum ever be on their itinerary? All the countries the U.S. has liberated! In Portugal's case, the CIA were happy to work with the Portuguese secret police, PIDE, e.g. training them in interrogation techniques. It would not be a good idea for Trump to visit this museum, should he ever visit Portugal (does he know where it is?). He might pick up a few tips about how to run a police state.
 
+Lisbon's airport is named after General Humberto Delgado, who stood against Salazar in the fixed election of 1958. Delgado, head of the air force at the time was tipped to get a top job at NATO but was apparently not appointed because he upset some British admiral with his sense of humour. He was assassinated a few years later by the regime, which saw him as a continuing threat at a time when the opposition was growing in strength. The regime was toppled in 1974. Delgado's fate reminded me that any talk of NATO defending freedom and democracy must be taken (ahem) with a pinch of salt. Even in Europe.
 
+I paid a visit to Coimbra, a city north of Lisbon, no, not to visit the old HQ of the dreaded PIDE political police which was based there, but to see the Santa Clara-a-Nova monastery, which contains possibly one of the world's most over the top altars (pictured), made in honour of Saint Queen Elizabeth (d.1336). It took a lot of tithes or taxes (same thing) to pay for this. Part of the monastery is now a museum, and the rest of its extensive site is vacant and falling into decrepitude. It would take another enormous pot of gold to do this place up. The buildings reminded me of an abandoned factory, although in this case one turning women into a faithful breed of nuns - it was a convent. Where do they go now, if there are any women left who want to follow this path? Their absence here speaks for itself.

---