People in Portugal never stop making new friends. It's a curious aspect of Portuguese culture, very different from Norway, where most people stop making new friends in their early 20s. This makes Portugal a more welcoming place than Norway.
Additionally, Portugal offers good weather and a low cost of living. These are aspects that attract retirees from all over Europe. But people move to Portugal for other reasons as well.
Portugal is a peaceful country. It has the lowest crime rate in the Latin world. People from Brazil are attracted by this, as well as people from France and Belgium.
There's little anti-Semitism, which attracts Jews from all over Europe, and tourism from Israel.
Politicians are generally positive to this kind of immigration and tourism, because it brings a lot of capital with it.
There are all sorts of brotherhoods and societies pushing agendas to get even more people to relocate. Some of these societies are very old, with tentacles all over. The Knight Templars are still active in Portugal, and the town of Porto has one of Europe's biggest and most influential synagogue.
Every possible culture and business has its own brotherhood. Wines, olive oils, beef, kid, cod, and cork. There are brotherhoods for all industries. The same goes for every imaginable culture and religious faction, and they are all operating with expansion in mind. None of these organizations are too fond of measures that limit their ability to expand and make money.
Add to this that Portugal is Europe's arguably most successful colonial power ever, and we see the outline of a culture that is primed for expansion. Portugal, with its 10 million people, was not only the first European country to colonize the world. They kept it going for the longest time, primarily due to a policy of cultural assimilation and cooperation.
Japanese people are fond of Portugal for this reason. 500 years of special economic and political relations makes for lasting influence. Ethiopia was allied with Portugal against the Ottomans back in the 17th century. People from Ethiopia still speak fondly about this successful venture.
Ex-colonies are also positive towards Portugal, despite some of them having engaged in bloody colonial wars. The Portuguese language has been adapted, also in places with their own local languages. The same goes for local culture. Much is rooted in Portuguese language and culture.
The Portuguese speaking world numbers some 260 million people, and there are strong sympathies with Portuguese culture in far away places, as well as internally in Europe. That's no small feat for a small and relatively poor country of only 10 million people.
It can be argued that Portugal is a cultural super-power that's doing its own thing under the radar, as it has done for hundreds of years. The myth of the 5th Empire is based on this observation. Portugal is such a small country compared to its competitors that it could only succeed as a colonial power by making a lot of people either Portuguese in language and culture, or pro-Portuguese in sentiment.
As of late, I've noticed an uptick in immigration into Portugal, especially from Italy, France and Israel. People are presumably fleeing from vaccine mandates.
Portugal is not a haven when it comes to vaccine regulations, but things are less strict here. It's easier for a vaccine skeptic to live a normal life in Portugal than in other countries. Those who can afford to move are therefore attracted to Portugal.
This causes Portugal to tilt increasingly towards a lax implementation of vaccine related regulations. A myriad of brotherhoods and societies are pushing in this direction. Immigrants are pushing in this direction, and politicians are naturally reluctant to kill this golden goose. A dynamic has been created where Portugal is likely to drift farther and farther away from the centralized push towards a one world government.
This same dynamic appears to be in play in places like Texas and Florida as well. People flock to these places, not because they are havens of liberty, but because they are less terrible than other places. However, once this dynamic gains momentum, the polarization between regions and countries will become increasingly apparent.
The net result of this is likely to be similar to the Portuguese model where token tribute is made towards centralized power while practical politics are taken care of under a blanket of secrecy. The big guys never attack, because the small guys never provoke. Centralized power becomes in the end symbolic, as happened to Rome.
The Portuguese kept paying lip service to Rome for hundred of years after their de-facto secession. There was never an open rebellion against Rome. It was a silent secession that no-one openly recognized. Something similar is likely to happen with Texas and Florida in their relationship with Washington DC, and Portugal is likely to do the same in its relationship with the EU and the UN.
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| Liberty |
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