Oh but then this suggests that accommodation leads to more voters defecting to the radical right. But I haven't read it yet because I should probably go to sleep...

Oh, just found this, which suggests that in some contexts, accommodation can improve the political prospects of the mainstream left.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Bill Gates accuses Elon Musk of ‘killing’ children with USAID cuts

on.ft.com/4d4TguS

Legend

Oh, apparently I can’t quote tweet. It was Bush from the FT being confused about how people could possibly question the view “Labour are governing badly”.

8. Everyone I spoke to was excited about the prospect of joining the EU, and they all mentioned the goal of achieving this by 2030. I hope they succeed. I can't wait to see what EU membership does for living standards

7. Balkan hospitality never fails to amaze me. From hosts, to business owners, to just people on the street. People always go out of their way to help you. Here's one of the places we stayed at, House 1960 in the fishing village of Lin. Highly recommend.

6. Hoxha was obsessed with bunkers and had ~170k built around the country. Here's one overlooking lake Ohrid in the east of the country.

5. Hoxha was a real piece of work. I’ve lived in an ex-communist country, so I’m used to places shaped by long-term repression - but Albania is something else. The pyramid was originally built as a memorial to him. Glad it’s been repurposed.

4. Lots of interesting examples of contemporary architecture in Tirana, much of it done by Dutch firm MVRDV (famous for the Markthal in Rotterdam and infamous for the Marble Arch Mound in London). They also renovated the Pyramid of Tirana. Very fun. Even has a slide. I can confirm it is slideable.

3. They're obsessed with their national hero Skanderbeg, known for leading the resistance against Ottoman invadors. So much so, they're currently building a tower in the shape of his face.

2. The US looms large. Whilst driving through random towns north of Tirana we noticed (several!) bakeries named after George W. Bush. After googling a bit, we learnt he was the first US president to visit. One town had even erected a statue! Naturally, we had to visit.

1. There are incredible opportunities for spotting old Mercedes. Basically every third car is a Benz.

(youtu.be/Nf5l2Wgdgms?...)

Observations on Albania after my first visit.

This image from the World Happiness Report shows how many WELLBYs different charities create per $1,000 donated.

Pure Earth (lead exposure) creates over 100 WELLBYs

StrongMinds & Friendship Bench (mental health) also score highly

Some charities generate less than 1 WELLBY per $1,000 (6/8)