LETTER FROM CORFU:Some Corfiots have been calling for some level of separation from the state of Greece
IMAGINE CAVAN- MONAGHAN declaring unilateral independence from the Republic on the basis of inadequate government investment in infrastructure – roads, hospitals, schools.
The idea is laughable. Secession? No! Autonomy? No! But, as we well know, “pothole” candidates at local elections can become independent county councillors and the lack of a hospital can see the election of a TD, sometimes even holding the balance of power.
Much the same phenomenon can be observed in Corfu, where for the last two years some articulate citizens have been calling for some level of independence from the state of Greece. There has always been a sense of separatism and superiority in the Ionian islands, of which Corfu is the capital. The cliche is: Corfu was a cosmopolitan city when Athens was merely a village (and this is true). One is proud to live in Corfu because of its history, its vibrant culture and, yes, its difference. The principal sense of difference of Corfu from modern Greece is that unlike mainland and Aegean Greece, Corfu successfully resisted the Ottoman power and, up to 1797, under Venetian rule, developed a strongly Italianate culture reflected today not only in its architecture but also in cuisine, vocabulary and social customs.
At the beginning, the so-called “Renaissance Party” demanded separation from Corfu, reverting to the situation when the “United States of the Ionian Islands” was recognised by international law under British “protection” up to 1864, when they joined with the fledgling Greek state (which finally wrested freedom from Ottoman rule in the early 1830s).
Greeted with howls of derisive laughter, Renaissance has scaled down its demands and now asks simply for local control of local finance: taxes raised in Corfu should be spent in Corfu, where the roads are not the best and the new hospital, begun more than 10 years ago, has yet to be completed. The existing hospital is a severe argument in favour of staying fit and healthy – sick people who want to get better are well advised to go to Ioannina, across the straits on the mainland, or even to Athens, for medical attention, expensive though that may be.
However debatable the current demands for independence, there is a historical dimension that will not go away. In 1864 the permanent neutrality of Corfu (and neighbouring Paxos) was guaranteed by an international treaty which suggested that the islands were only part of the state of Greece at arm’s length.
The neutrality was tested by the League of Nations in 1923 and found to be still in force, but was obviously superseded by force majeure in the second World War. This conundrum in international law has never been resolved, and other European examples such as the Channel Islands, Catalonia or the Alto-Adige in the south Tyrol, come to mind as possible alternative solutions.
Renaissance has successfully courted the international media, chiefly because the local press doesn’t want to know. Coverage by the BBC’s Malcolm Brabant gained international sympathy but did not lead to action. Why should it? There is no point appealing to the international media or to the foreign residents in Corfu, most of whom regard their houses here merely as holiday homes. This is a local issue which must be addressed locally. Those of us who come to live in Greece may bring much knowledge and expertise but it is not Greek knowledge and it is not local wisdom. It would be best if the Corfiot conundrum was solved by Corfiots who have a strong personal appeal within their own community.
There is no doubt that the lack of an adequate hospital is a serious problem, especially in the summer when Corfu provides more than a million bed-nights, many of them to lager louts whose nocturnal behaviour requires daytime medical care. So, too, is the construction of a marina in the old port, which appears to be under way without local consultation or long-term planning: it will place unsustainable burdens on local facilities and may well transform the immediate environment, not necessarily for the better.
Corfu, like many top tourist spots, is a net contributor to the national exchequer, and when, as in Greece, politicians of all parties seem to be out of touch with citizens’ needs and aspirations, there is a strong case for looking at reinvestment by whatever means, to ensure that facilities remain state of the art.
In Corfu, this is particularly sensitive, with Croatian marinas and resorts just up the Adriatic coast vigorously competing with, and undercutting, Greek attractions.
Corfu has twin problems, which the pro-independence or pro-autonomy party has to address: the first is indelible local pride (think of Kerry as “the Kingdom”). The second is embarrassment caused by central government’s neglect, which the three MPs elected by Corfu and Paxos – a government minister, a communist and a former film star – seem unable or unwilling to address.
Richard Pine is director emeritus of the Durrell School of Corfu, where he lives.