Pagliacci e Danegeld

Segundo o Jornal de Negócios, a ministra Cristas terá afirmado que o Governo está a trabalhar "intensamente" para limitar subida do IMI.

Ora esta é uma notícia extraordinária! Primeiro anuncia-se a eliminação da "cláusula travão" para, depois, se ir ver o que é possível fazer para a repor (parcialmente?). Influenciado pela ida ontem ao cinema, para ir ver o mais recente (e divertido) filme de Woody Allen, é-me impossível não pensar em Pagliacci.

Mas o mais adequado ainda será, devedor ficando a James Delingpole por mo recordar aqui, lembrar um famoso imposto que os vikings impuseram em terras de Inglaterra e França (entre os séculos IX e XI) em troca do qual se abstinham de invadir as suas terras com as consequências que se advinham. Rudyard Kipling escreveu mesmo um poema sobre o Dane-Geld. Ei-lo:

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
To call upon a neighbour and to say: --
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away."

And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld
And then you'll get rid of the Dane!

It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say: --
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."

And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say: --

"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that pays it is lost!"