ASoviet-era joke had someone visiting the part of the commu- nist bureaucracy which issued permission to move your place of res- idence. The official barked: ‘place of birth’? ‘St Petersburg’. ‘Current place of residence?’ ‘Leningrad’. ‘Proposed new place of residence’? ‘St Peters- burg’.
Many post-colonial countries have shared with the com- munists an enthusiasm for renaming places.
Already a subscriber?Log in
Mark Higgie is The Spectator Australia’s Europe Correspondent
You might disagree with half of it, but you’ll enjoy reading all of it.Try your first month for free, then just $2 a week for the remainder of your first year.
