Dear Mr Cameron,

Dear Mr Harris,

Rumours have it that your government plans to run a series of ads discouraging Romanian (and Bulgarian) nationals from going to UK. While some fellow Romanians are slightly annoyed by this I welcome this opportunity and encourage you to go on with your plans. You see, we are a rather sarcastic lot. A famous literature critic put it this way: frustrated with his wife’s prolonged labour, Nae mocks and denies the entire Romanian civilization. We would be more than willing to mock your civilizations also, if a proper incentive is provided. And your plan does provide a fine incentive indeed.

Secondly, living in a post-communist country, even after 20 years, we still maintain a discreet occasional smugness regarding those in the West who have never experienced “true evil”. This is most likely shared with Bulgarians also; it is a regional thing. More…