Naturisme!

Public Land & Private Finance on Gironde Coast

Centre Hélio-Marin de Montalivet (CHM) and Euronat sit on the same shore but tell two very different stories about how public land, naturist ideals, and private money have intertwined since WWII.

Two origins, two models:

• CHM (~1950): born in post-war moment as renewal in France — cooperative, egalitarian, community-led. Private-Equity was decades away (Neo-liberal, Thatcherite).

• Euronat (~1975): a second-generation, purpose-built naturist “village” conceived during the holiday-village boom, legally framed with a bail à construction — a long land lease where the operator must build and maintain facilities (18–99 years; no tacit renewal). Légifrance

Temporal gap maps a broader shift: from social movement to managed commodity.

Law - quietly - shapes economics

French public-property law draws a hard line between domaine public (devoted to public use/service) and domaine privé (the rest). Communes can withdraw land from public use (désaffectation / déclassement) and then lease it like any owner. Conseil d'État+1

• Euronat–Grayan-et-l’Hôpital: long bail à construction on communal domaine privé → heavy initial investment, administrative oversight, and long-term stability; lower annual rent per hectare in exchange for duration. Légifrance

• CHM–Vendays-Montalivet: shorter bail commercial (9-year logic) on domaine privé → more “market” rent setting and easier renewal cycles, but fewer built-in public-interest levers than a BEA/concession would offer. Légifrance

(Where a commune seeks stronger public-interest control it can opt for a BEA — a public-law, 18–99-year instrument reserved for operations of public interest. Légifrance)

Follow the money:

Both communes earn significant lease income from naturism:

• Euronat (Grayan): 2021 lease around €558,865. With a measured footprint near 2.67 km² (267 ha), that’s ≈ €2,090/ha/year.

• CHM (Vendays-Montalivet): widely reported at ≈€700,000/year. With a measured footprint near 1.3 km² (130 ha), that’s ≈ €5,400/ha/year — 2–3× Euronat’s yield per hectare.

Numbers vary with what’s counted as “leased” land, but a pattern appears: Vendays-Montalivet commune monetises more densely; Grayan-et-l’Hôpital commune trades rent for long-term stability. (land-lease payments are distinct from taxes; on true domaine public, occupation also triggers a statutory redevance).* Légifrance

People in middle

Behind leases are residents, long-term occupants, seasonal workers and local associations. As naturist villages professionalised, pressure points emerge: tenure insecurity for long-term occupants, standardisation of experience and rising prices — issues widely reported in the French press and, in some cases, litigated.

Where archival or judicial records document corruption around lease negotiations, that raises obvious questions about the validity of later renewals and underscores a need for stronger due-diligence before 2027 decisions.

2027: steward or rentier?

Vendays-Montalivet faces a simple but profound choice when CHM’s lease cycle next comes up:

1. Renew — on public-interest covenants (audited ESG data, resident-rights charter, indexed rent with transparency), or require operator to re-charter as a public-utility vehicle (FRUP).

2. Re-tender — decline renewal and openly compete the lease, inviting mission-driven bidders (e.g. recognised public-utility foundations) to offer higher rent + measurable social and environmental performance.

All paths start with due diligence:

• Independent valuation of land and improvements;

• Reviews of operator compliance and ownership chains;

• Stakeholder consultations (residents, workers, associations, taxpayers);

• Updated environmental impacts (water, waste, biodiversity);

• Publication of lease terms and annual performance indicators.

Big Question

Can a commune act as guardian of shared meaning and ecological integrity, or will it behave merely as a rent-seeking landlord?

Naturism on Gironde coast began as a civic philosophy about equality, simplicity and nature. The legal instruments a commune chooses — commercial lease, BEA, building-lease — decide whether those values remain living practice or become marketing copy.

To Who Pretend to Think

Thinking woman

Open Letter to Thinking Beings

Thinking beings

When world grows so elaborately absurd that satire becomes mere transcription of fact, consider European Camping Group. A name that summons images of bonfires, laughter and star-lighted fellowship, but refers to a consortium of shell companies and private-equity buccaneers whose natural habitat is no forest but a spreadsheet.

One almost envies the economy of their deceit. A modest tent pitched in France shelters an entire architecture of Luxembourgish subsidiaries, English letter-boxes, and Abu-Dhabi investors, all joined in common purpose: to convert the open air into a revenue stream, and to treat every pine tree as a pending dividend. The poor, meanwhile, are invited to rent back their own horizon at market rate.

It is said that the modern age has abolished piracy. True, no brigand now flies the skull and crossbones; yet our financiers have found subtler flags. Their ships are incorporated, their cannon disguised as Excel formulas, their booty declared as “shareholder value.” They plunder not from galleons but from communities—municipal land, seaside air, and the frail hope that leisure might still belong to ordinary people.

In these operations, morality is as mobile as the homes they sell: wheeled in for display, wheeled out for profit. A family is persuaded to purchase a “quasi-residential” unit—half a dwelling, half a promise—and, when the season changes, finds itself evicted by a paragraph it never read. The land, once a campsite, becomes a condensed suburb of plastic chalets, each amortised with the precision of a metronome and the empathy of a cash register.

The masters of this enterprise—those distant accountants of pleasure—speak in the universal dialect of avoidance. Taxes? Avoided. Responsibility? Deferred. Scrutiny? Outsourced. Yet they adorn themselves with the rhetoric of progress, as though to deforest a coastline were a form of sustainable development and to extract rent from misery were a branch of social innovation.

And, as if to complete the farce, the continent debates veils. Legislators rise to declare that the human face must henceforth be visible in public. Admirable! But might we extend the principle to our corporations? Let the balance sheets unveil themselves! Let every beneficial owner lift his veil of anonymity! If the face of a woman is a matter of state, surely the face of money deserves no less attention.

For the truth is that these veils—whether of cloth or of corporate opacity—serve the same ancient purpose: to conceal power. One hides the features of the powerless; the other hides the fingerprints of the powerful. Between them stands the citizen, taxed on his income yet priced out of his own coastline, invited to applaud both as triumphs of civilisation.

It is time, therefore, to call things by their names. A group that drains profit from the commons while sheltering in Luxembourg is not a “European Camping Group” but an Extraction Consortium for the Gullible. Its tents are numbered in billions, its fires stoked by accountants, its song the rustle of banknotes through offshore foliage.

Let those who still believe in decency, transparency, and the unpurchased dignity of a holiday by the sea, raise their voices—not to condemn pleasure, but to rescue it from those who sell it by the cubic metre. The open air belongs to all; the horizon pays no dividend.

And if, by some miracle of bureaucracy, these words reach the ears of those who govern, let them remember: every veil torn from a woman’s face reveals a human being; every veil torn from a corporation reveals a system. The former deserves compassion, the latter justice.

- (retired human, occasionally breathing free air)

Privateers Under Kleptocratic Equity Scams (PUKES)

The Happiness of Strangers?

It is an odd day when the British Broadcasting Corporation, that former monument to public reason, decides to inform its readers that Asia is the happiest place on Earth—at least if you are an expatriate with a laptop and a flexible visa.

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The source for this revelation is not the United Nations or the World Bank, but a curious online club called InterNations . org, where the globally mobile rate their host nations as if reviewing a hotel. From these data—uncontrolled, unverified, and unashamedly self-selected—the BBC concludes that Asia has achieved a kind of economic nirvana. One imagines the editorial meeting: Forget the recession, forget Gaza and Ukraine—our readers want to know where gin is cheap and Wi-Fi works.

The survey in question, grandly titled the Expat Insider 2025 Report, claims to represent 172 nationalities. It does not explain how many of those respondents were living in London flats versus Chiang Mai co-working spaces. Yet its findings are recited as fact. Five of the world’s “top ten expat destinations,” we are told, are in Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and Malaysia. In the small print, however, the list begins not with Asia at all, but with Panama, Colombia, and Mexico—three nations whose histories of colonial exploitation and modern inequality could fill a shelf of human tragedy.

It is tempting to ask why these particular countries have suddenly become so “happy” for foreigners. The answer, of course, lies in the arithmetic of empire. When centuries of extraction have cheapened labour, land and governance, a later generation may enjoy the fruits at bargain rates. What looks to the BBC like “affordability” is, to the student of history, merely the discount price of injustice.

1. Panama

Panama ranks first, perhaps because it perfected the art of serving foreign masters. Built by French ambition and American might, the Canal remains a global corridor of unearned rents. The expat today inherits the same privilege once claimed by the colonial engineer—duty-free gin instead of gunboats, yet the logic is unchanged: foreigners in command, locals in service.

2. Colombia

Colombia’s hospitality is legendary, its inequality more so. Decades of conflict, displacement and narcotic economics have kept wages docile and real estate inviting. The modern expatriate sips coffee grown by peasants who will never afford it, congratulating themselves on “living authentically.”

3. Mexico

Mexico is that eternal paradox of proximity: close enough to the United States to supply it, distant enough to remain cheap. The InterNations survey praises its “friendliness” and “quality of life.” Orwell might have translated that as servility and sunshine—qualities long demanded of the tropics by their northern consumers.

4. Thailand

Thailand has perfected the smile as social policy. The Western retiree or remote worker perceives serenity; the local perceives an economy so dependent on foreign wallets that entire provinces are shaped by their appetites. In the survey, expats cited “ease of settling in.” History explains why: nations trained to receive colonisers learn quickly to receive tourists.

5. Vietnam

Vietnam is the strangest inclusion of all. Having repelled both French and American empires, it now welcomes their descendants, armed with smartphones instead of rifles. The global market has achieved what armies could not—peace through property. “Affordable healthcare,” notes the survey; one doubts whether that applies equally to the factory worker making the foreigner’s sneakers.

6. China

That China ranks sixth should not surprise anyone. It has mastered the capitalist trick of selling both labour and nationalism. To the expat, it offers high salaries and infrastructure; to the Party, it offers proof that foreigners still covet its growth. In Orwell’s terms, it is the new super-state—simultaneously feared and admired, trading ideology for obedience.

7. United Arab Emirates

If happiness could be built from glass, Dubai would be its cathedral. The UAE’s expat utopia rests on imported labour stripped of rights. Yet in the InterNations survey, the gilded minority declares itself “content.” One might recall Orwell’s phrase: “A fat man eating a meal does not notice the thin man watching through the window.”

8. Indonesia

Indonesia’s appeal, like its archipelago, is scattered: beaches for the remote worker, cheap nannies for the expatriate family, and silence from the state so long as the money flows. Environmental collapse is merely background noise to the yoga retreat. The BBC calls it “vibrant.” That is a polite word for over-developed.

9. Spain

Spain’s presence on the list offers a touch of nostalgia. Here the coloniser becomes the retiree, drawn to the same sun that once burned the New World. Spanish youth emigrate north to find work while Northern pensioners migrate south to find warmth—a perfect symmetry of modern European decay.

10. Malaysia

Malaysia closes the list as a model of “multiculturalism.” It is indeed multicultural in the same way a plantation was: distinct races, fixed hierarchies, and an economy lubricated by foreign capital. The BBC praises its “English proficiency.” The legacy of empire, it seems, is now a selling point.

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That these rankings should be reported uncritically by The BBC is comic in the classical sense: laughter tinged with disbelief. For what the article calls expat happiness is merely a new vocabulary for the oldest form of privilege—the ability to move freely while others remain trapped. One wonders how the results would look if the survey asked not the expatriates but the citizens among whom they live. Would Panamanians, Colombians or Thais agree that their countries are “top ten destinations” for anyone other than the lucky few?

The irony deepens when one recalls the subtitle of Acemoglu and Robinson’s Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. Their argument—that nations fail when institutions serve elites rather than citizens—applies equally well to this expat fantasia. The nations that succeed in the InterNations survey are precisely those that fail in moral accounting: places where foreign wealth substitutes for domestic equity. In effect, the happiness of expats is the statistical shadow of the unhappiness of others.

Perhaps The BBC’s editors know this. Perhaps they, too, sense the unease in publishing a travel brochure disguised as journalism. But like the empires it once chronicled, the Corporation survives by telling its audience what it wishes to hear: that comfort is attainable, that the world remains open for business, that the sun still shines on those who can afford to chase it.

And so we arrive at the paradox of our age: the global citizen, liberated by technology and cheap flights, remains imprisoned by the oldest lie of all—that happiness can be purchased abroad, that freedom begins with a boarding pass. The Expat Insider survey merely quantifies that delusion, and The BBC, in dutiful service, broadcasts it to the world.

The result is not journalism but a mirror: the smiling face of privilege, reflected in the glass towers of history.

Drunken Faun, National Archeological Museum of Spain (7 October, 2025)

🏦 “Behind the Curtain”

3 Books:

Expose Machinery of Private Equity

Private Equity is one of the most powerful—and least understood—forces in the modern economy. Its influence reaches into our hospitals, housing, media, and even emergency services. But how do we make sense of a system that’s both wildly profitable for some and deeply destructive for others?

Three books offer us a triangulated view from radically different vantage points:

• The Insider’s Manual (The Private Equity Playbook by Adam Coffey)

• The Prosecutor’s Indictment (Plunder by Brendan Ballou)

• The Journalist’s Exposé (Bad Company by Megan Greenwell)

Together, they tell an interesting story…

📘 1. The Private Equity Playbook by Adam Coffey

Perspective: Operator / Insider
Tone: Strategic, enthusiastic, managerial

Coffey’s book is a crisp how-to manual for executives working within private equity-backed companies. He lays out what PE firms want, how they operate, and how CEOs can succeed under their ownership. The message? Play the game right, and everyone wins—especially the investors.

Key themes include:

• “Value”-creation strategies and exits

• Management incentives tied to growth

• Private equity as a growth engine, not a villain

Coffey sees private equity as an efficient vehicle for scaling businesses, creating wealth, and driving professional success. What’s missing is any deep reflection on social costs, inequality, or accountability.

📕 2. Plunder by Brendan Ballou

Perspective: Legal insider / Critical observer
Tone: Analytical, cautionary, reform-minded

Ballou, a former federal prosecutor, lifts the lid on the systemic risks private equity poses. His approach is structural: he shows how PE firms legally and financially insulate themselves whilst offloading risk to workers, consumers, and the public.

Key concerns include:

• Legal loopholes that shield PE firms from liability

• Collapse of services in critical sectors (e.g., healthcare, nursing homes, prisons)

• Failures of governments and regulators to step in

Where Coffey sees efficiency, Ballou sees extraction. He argues not that private equity is evil, but that it's poorly regulated, highly opaque, and deeply dangerous when applied to vital institutions.

📙 3. Bad Company by Megan Greenwell

Perspective: Journalist / Outsider
Tone: Narrative-driven, urgent, empathetic

Greenwell’s book tells the ground-level stories of people harmed by private equity ownership—employees in gutted companies, patients in mismanaged care, families evicted from neglected housing. Unlike Coffey or Ballou, she focuses less on mechanisms and more on consequences.

Key contributions:

• Real-life reporting from the frontlines of financialised business

• Spotlight on industries where private equity causes disproportionate harm

• How corporate PR and media may silence or distort the public’s view

Greenwell is not content with analysis. She wants to show readers how abstract financial decisions translate into human suffering—and how that suffering is often invisible by design.

🔍 Why Read All Three?

Each book offers a piece of a puzzle. Together, they reveal—what the system does, how it’s justified, and who pays the price.

📚 Final Take

To understand private equity not just as a financial mechanism but as a force shaping modern life, we need more than one perspective, e.g:

• Start with Coffey to learn the rules of the game.

• Read Ballou to understand who wrote those rules—and who they protect.

• And finish with Greenwell to hear from those who never got a seat at the table.

Or… read in another order.

‘Private Equity’ in Leisure Landscapes

In United Kingdom (an island nation in northwestern Europe comprising England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), England’s Mobile Homes Act of 1983 provides protections for long-term residents of mobile home parks, including security of tenure and rent controls. Scotland - by contrast - has no direct equivalent, leaving residents more exposed, with few legal safeguards or guarantees for continued occupancy.

In Spain, European Union (EU), each region decides independently how to classify land (touristic, residential, industrial, schizophrenic etc.) resulting in some ‘comunidades de propietarios’ simultaneously existing as commercial tourist resorts, e.g. Costa Natura.

In Sunnyvale, California, United States of America, lot rents for new residents may be hiked to undermine value of homes and shift money to Private Equity.

In Portugal, EU, concepts of colonial concentration camps (‘aldeamentos’) are outdated, but still exist in legislation and retain potential for abuse, e.g. Pedras d’el Rei.

In France, EU, ‘campings’, ‘parcs résidentiels de loisirs’ and ‘villages de vacances’ may co-exist by failures to adapt with changed legislation. ‘Centres de Hélio Marin’ became targets for strategic acquisition by Private Equity firms with minimal transparency, minimal capital risk and no public accountability.

‘le Monto’ began as a non-profit association devoted to creating safe and ethical spaces for naturism. By 1955, an additional legal structure came into being - SOCiété de financement des centres de NATure (“SOCNAT S.A.”) - with a social-benefit mission to manage land and operations under constraints of corporate law at the time (which lacked legal forms for income-generating non-profit enterprises). Le Monto was always more than a holiday destination; it was a community grounded in naturist principles of freedom, equality, and respect for nature. Its governance remained rooted in communal stewardship until late 1990s and early 2000s, when a dispersed shareholder base became vulnerable to outside acquisition. External actors consolidated shares (reportedly, quietly and opportunistically) from individual owners, many of whom were unaware of the cumulative impact. By 2011, control had shifted to a private development firm. From there, ownership was passed through a series of private equity structures, each layer further distancing the community from governance while introducing commercial imperatives.

This type of acquisition is emblematic of broader trends worldwide. Combined leisure and residential domains like CHM le Monto, often grounded in non-profit or ethical origins, have become subject to leveraged buyouts and financialised control. Acquiring entities frequently use complex corporate chains to shield liability, invest little of their own capital, and impose rent-seeking strategies designed to maximise return rather than preserve ethos.

Slow erosion of founding values is a frequent result. Facilities may improve on the surface, but the deeper sense of community autonomy and purpose is compromised. At le Monto, this tension is spoken in stories: grandchildren and great-grandchildren of original members still uphold its unique culture, but they do so under increasing pressure from commercial operators.

To preserve community ethos, structural reform is required. One path forward is creation of a Fondation Reconnue d'Utilité Publique (FRUP) dedicated to safeguarding naturist principles, overseeing land leases, managing ethics and security, and regulating commercial concessions. Such a foundation would operate in the public interest, with legal authority to protect the founding mission from market forces.

By adopting this model, Centres of Sun & Sea (CHMs) could secure legacies whilst re-empowering communities. It would also set a precedent for other mission-driven sites, demonstrating that shared values can be structurally defended in an era of extractive finance. This isn’t just about preserving history - it’s about enabling future generations to live the founding ideals of spaces free from distortions of unchecked capital.

Behind Walls of Paradise: Owning Property in Portugal's Algarve

Condominium building in Algarve, Poortugal

Welcome to the Algarve! golden beaches, azure skies and slow simmer of bureaucratic dysfunction tucked neatly behind bougainvillaea. For those tempted by property ownership in paradise, here’s a dispatch from other side of the deed.

Paradise Comes with a Gate Code

Imagine purchasing a condominium apartment in southern Portugal, expecting a manageable slice of sun-drenched tranquillity. What you get instead is a Kafkaesque tangle of silent administrators, rubber-stamped meetings, and a document portal so opaque it may as well be etched in fog.

The property is real. The governance? Less so. Condominium administrators in the Algarve — often self-appointed and self-reinforcing — operate with a remarkable lack of transparency, oversight, or basic decency. Some upload documents to external portals owned by unrelated companies, where filing dates can be edited retroactively. Many documents are in poor-quality scanned form, resisting both readability and machine translation. One wonders if this is convenience or strategy.

Meetings You Can’t Attend, in Languages You Can’t Speak

Non-Portuguese-speaking owners may find themselves barred from effective participation in meetings — even when interpretation is requested in advance and fellow owners speak fluent English. Never mind that the administrator advertised bilingual service when lobbying for their role. When the AGM arrives (5 months delayed), the foreign resident becomes a ghost: seen, perhaps, but not heard.

Minutes are approved by an imagined quorum of votes-by-proxy who don’t know their rights, don’t care for their obligations and don’t want to cause waves. The administrator refuses to answer emails or provide documents, but takes pleasure in issuing threats under a guise of legality. Decisions get made. Dues get collected. Silence reigns.

Legal Smoke and Bureaucratic Mirrors

You might think the law is on your side. Technically, it is. Portuguese condominium law guarantees your right to information, participation, and due process. But good luck invoking those rights in a system where emails go unanswered (even if often acknowledged with, “…which received our best attention”); where law enforcement and public prosecution service select only the evidence that suits their overlords, and courts use a timescale of tectonic shifts.

Raise your concerns, and you're met with shrugged shoulders, dodged replies, or the ultimate defence: "we only speak Portuguese." For avoidance of doubt, the excuse, “You are in Portugal, you must speak Portuguese”, is only spoken during conversations in English (in English) when the persons excusing themselves from liability have already demonstrated perfect fluency in spoken English. It's the bureaucratic equivalent of hiding behind a curtain and hoping the problem goes away.

Dictatorship in Miniature

Much of this dysfunction is inherited. Portugal’s Estado Novo dictatorship may have ended in 1974, but its ghost lingers in everyday governance. Many old people, raised under authoritarianism, avoid questioning authority — even when that authority is a part-time bookkeeper with a stamp and a sense of impunity.

Ask about illegal tourist rentals? You’ll be ignored. Ask about over-occupancy or compliance with new licensing laws? Silence. But try expressing concern about risk of death or serious injury (by electrocution) from recurrent and predictable ingresses of rainwater into main electrical boxes (from leaky conduits above) and suddenly the administrator issues personal threats whilst continuing to refuse to listen.

It’s not that the rules don’t exist. It’s that they are enforced selectively — with all the grace and fairness of a kangaroo court.

Conclusion:

Paradise for Some, Purgatory for Others

Owning property in Algarve isn't just a real estate transaction. It’s a test of patience, resilience and ability to decipher legal doublespeak whilst navigating tribal politics with no map and no translator, similar to T. E. Lawrence during Arab Revolt of 1916-1918 as portrayed in 1962 film “Lawrence of Arabia”. Behind tiled facades and smiling estate agents lies a system overdue for exposure and reform.

CHM de Montalivet - Centre of Sun & Sea

Returning to Founding Principles: Reclaiming CHM-Montalivet’s Original Values Through Legal Reform

In early 1950s, Centre Hélio-Marin de Montalivet (CHM) was established as a place grounded in the values of freedom, equality and inclusion. Initially formed as an association under France’s 1901 Law, CHM represents more than a physical location—it embodies a social response shaped by desire for cooperative living, body freedom and mutual responsibility. Its mission is inherently philanthropic: to provide a healthy and natural environment for families, guided by naturist values and respect for universal dignity.

Around 1954–55, as CHM expanded and operations grew more complex, its legal form changed. Facing the structural limitations of association law, the community established a Société Anonyme (S.A.) called "Société de Financement des Centres de Nature" (SOC-NAT) to manage assets, enter contracts and support professional administration. This decision reflected constraints of legal landscape at the time, which lacked hybrid forms capable of combining public-interest missions with operational scalability. Notably, legal structures such as today's "Fondation Reconnue d’Utilité Publique" (FRUP) did not yet exist.

While the shift to an S.A. enabled growth and formalisation, it also introduced vulnerabilities. The S.A. form lacked mechanisms to guarantee that governance would remain aligned with CHM’s founding values. Around the year 2000, these vulnerabilities were exposed: SOC-NAT’s governance shifted dramatically, with decision-making becoming centralised and increasingly profit-oriented. Democratic participation weakened. Long-term residents and homeowners began experiencing rent-seeking practices, opaque management and rising fees. This period marks not just a transformation, but also a departure.

Yet throughout CHM’s history, a powerful cultural memory has persisted—a memory of collective living, openness and solidarity. These are not simply ideals but lived practices, transmitted across generations. They offer a foundation for renewal.

Today, French legal system offers a pathway back to these principles. The FRUP model, developed and reinforced in recent decades, provides a structure oriented toward the public good, with a permanent dedication of assets and mission-led governance. Unlike a Société Anonyme, a FRUP is insulated from market pressures and private appropriation. It exists solely to serve its declared purpose, under transparent and accountable oversight.

One can now imagine a CHM administered by a FRUP, with protections in place to uphold its founding values, to preserve access, and to re-establish democratic and transparent governance. A legal transformation of this kind could ensure that CHM’s land, community and ethos are safeguarded for future generations.

This is not an exercise in nostalgia, but a call to collective responsibility.

A turning point may be near. With it comes the opportunity to realign CHM with its original purpose—not as a possession, but as a shared commitment.

Proto-Naturism?

Enlightenment Radicalism & Bodily Freedom

James Burnett, Lord Monboddo; bathing nude in a river in Scotland, watched over by Leontion and Frances Wright

When we think of “naturism” today—non-sexual social nudity practiced in a spirit of equality, health and liberation—we tend to place its origins in 19th-century vegetarianism. But beneath surface of organised naturism in France lies a deeper and older intellectual current. Before advent of nudist colonies: various philosophers, radicals and reformers questioned social conventions separating animals from nature, from one another; and, from their own bodies.

This blog-post traces proto-naturist thoughts of two revolutionary figures: James Burnett (1714 - 1799) and Frances Wright (1795 - 1852); also, of Lucretius, Epicurus & Leontion (all mentioned in ancient literature). Together, these five writers demonstrate that naturism isn’t just about taking off one’s clothes—it’s part of a struggle for freedom, equality, and authenticity.

Lord Monboddo: A Judge Who Undressed Civilisation

James Burnett/Lord Monboddo (1714–1799), was an Enlightenment thinker whose ideas prefigured Darwin and challenged assumptions about civilisation. Furthermore, Burnett was personally committed to nudity in public life. James Burnett (aka Lord Monboddo) believed humans were not created in their current form, but evolved from simpler, more natural states. In his multivolume Of the Origin and Progress of Language, he argued that language and society were not divine gifts but natural developments—and that much of what we call “civilisation” was a corrupting force.

Lord Monboddo, a caricature by John Kay

Far from keeping abstract theories, James Burnett bathed nude in cold Scottish rivers, even into old age. Whilst others wrapped themselves in social decorum, James Burnett dared to believe that nudity was natural and health-giving. Though he never created a naturist community, James Burnett’s open practice of nudity in a repressive society marks him as one of the earliest known Western intellectuals to publicly reclaim the naked body without shame.

Frances Wright: Radical Equality & Philosophy of Body

Fast forward a century to Frances Wright (1795–1852), a Scottish-born American writer, orator and abolitionist whose radicalism shook the foundations of early American society. Known for fiery public lectures—delivered in an era when women were expected to remain silent—Wright championed the causes of women’s rights, racial equality, secularism and communal living.

Frances Wright never advocated for naturism in a literal sense, but her philosophy of liberation included a powerful sense of bodily autonomy and moral freedom. In countless public lectures, Frances Wright defended Epicurus from centuries of slander, presenting him as a philosopher of reason, equality and simple pleasures. She also invoked Leontion (friend of Epicurus), as a model of female intellect and independence. By doing so, Frances Wright helped reclaim classical materialism and sensuality as liberatory, rather than decadent.

Wright was not only a proto-feminist, but a proto-intersectional feminist—she recognised how race, gender, class and belief intersect in struggles for social justice. In this light, naturist philosophy - with it’s rejections of body shame, hierarchy and repression - resonates with Wright’s broader vision of equality and authenticity.

Lucretius, Leontion & Ethics of Being

James Burnett and Frances Wright were inheritors of an intellectual tradition that traced back to Epicurus (341–270 BCE) and his Roman interpreter Lucretius. Epicurus taught that freedom from fear, freedom from superstition and pursuit of modest pleasures were keys to human happiness. Ὁ Κῆπος (‘the garden’) was radically egalitarian—open to women, slaves and outsiders: a simple and communal setting, whether semi-clothed or nude.

Leontion was a rare female philosopher of antiquity who dared to publish arguments under her own name, reportedly even challenging Aristotle. Classical world contained seeds of liberation, albethem obscured by patriarchal traditions.

Leontion, 'Little Prostitute' or 'Great Philosopher'?

Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura, rediscovered during Renaissance, revived Epicurean ideas of naturalism, anti-superstition, and bodily acceptance during Enlightenment. James Burnett would have known of Lucretius’s influence and Wright explicitly drew from this legacy.

Naturism Today: Continuity in the Struggle for Bodily Freedom

Modern naturism—when stripped of commercialism and reduced to core values—is radically egalitarian. It denies artificial hierarchies of fashion, wealth, gender and class. In a world shaped by performance and perfection, naturism asserts: body is enough, as it is.

Charcoal drawing, colourised using a computer

Naturism is aligned with LGBTQIA+ movements, gender nonconformity and inclusive communities that embrace bodily diversity. Rejection of shame/repression shares roots with movements for transliberation, nonbinary visibility and queer embodiment. Leontion, Lucretius, James Burnett and Frances Wright didn’t speak in modern gender or sexual vocabularies, but their philosophies centred the body as a site of freedom—making them intellectual ancestors of today’s inclusive naturist communities and opponents of non-inclusive corporate imposters.

Conclusion: Toward Liberation

To practice naturism thoughtfully is to take part in a centuries-old tradition of philosophical and practical resistance. From James Burnett’s chilly swims (18th century CE) to Frances Wright’s incendiary lectures (19th century CE); from Lucretius’s poetic science (c. 58-55 BCE) to Leontion’s forgotten voice (circa 325–275 BCE); a thread of bodily autonomy, equality and reason has always existed beneath a surface of organised crime and public corruption.

Naturism is more than a fun vacation activity. It is an act of solidarity to live freely. It’s a movement to strip away oppression, illusion and shame.

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Author’s Note (May 2025):
In an era of rising intolerance and rigid identities, naturism’s message is refreshingly radical: the human body is not a problem to be solved—but a truth to be honoured. Let’s remember and reclaim bold thinkers who said as much, even when the world wasn’t ready to listen.

Feria de Abril

Identity, Class and Conscience in Seville

2023-2025, three consecutive years of observation at Feria de Abril en Sevilla reveals a vibrant yet complex gathering. Beneath colour and music lies a layered social structure that might raise questions about cultural expression, exclusion and conscience.

Performance of Class

Feria functions as a stage for social hierarchy. Private casetas (tents) - most inaccessible to general public - are spaces where elitism is asserted through dress and ritual. Amongst scenes observed were acts of intentional humiliation: socially privileged men - often associated with private casetas - prepared saliva and assumed a stance (as if to pitch a ball), then spat on Roma women selling carnations. These actions were followed by laughter, toasts of manzanilla and boasts of precision. Such behaviour was not isolated: it was ritualistic, visible and unrepentant.

Voices in Crowd

Groups of teenage boys frequently shouted in synchrony: "¡Viva Franco!" ("Long live Franco!"). Far from a relic of history, these chants emerged annually and were met with silence or indifference from nearby adults. In stark contrast, very old attendees frequently spoke of hope that future might transcend ideologies of past. Many expressed joy in the diversity of attendees, celebrated personal freedom and welcomed dialogue over dogma.

Spectacle and Suffering

Discussions about bullfighting revealed deep divides. Numerous individuals, across various social groups, expressed pride in the tradition. Some reminisced in a form of national character or entertainment.

Boundaries and Access

Social boundaries at Feria de Sevilla are enforced. Access to private casetas may be invited, but invitations can be swiftly withdrawn for infractions such as dancing without a partner or speaking openly about religion. Rules of participation may be unspoken, but are rigidly maintained.

Reflections on Structure

Feria de Abril is more than celebration; it is a choreography of belonging, power and exclusion. Many attendees embody hospitality, joy and cultural pride, but others engage in behaviours that raise questions: What do we defend when we defend tradition? Who is permitted to belong? What acts are condoned beneath a guise of festivity? Beauty and generosity; cruelty or spectacle. Does social status license abuse? Is beauty complete—a dance shadowed by silence?

Complaint to Spain’s Judicial Council

Over the past four years, I attempted — repeatedly and in good faith — to report what I believe to be serious criminal conduct within a residential community near Estepona, Spain. Despite providing detailed evidence, including documents, recordings and forensic material, my efforts to obtain a fair hearing have been consistently blocked or ignored by local institutions.

I have faced:

• Unjustified dismissals of complaints by multiple courts;

• Refusals by police to accept or forward reports of criminal activity;

• Systemic barriers to accessing justice, including language discrimination and procedural obstructions;

• And what appears to be use of SLAPP tactics (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) to silence and intimidate.

In April 2025, I submitted this formal complaint to the Consejo General del Poder Judicial — Spain’s top judicial oversight body — requesting an independent investigation into the conduct of several Estepona courts and the National Police.

My letter outlines in detail the pattern of alleged misconduct, institutional failures and apparent complicity of certain actors in obstructing due process. It is a sobering account of what happens when the very systems meant to protect the rule of law appear instead to shield abuse and suppress dissent. This matter raises questions about local governance and integrity of legal processes in Spain — particularly for foreign residents and whistleblowers.

Thank you for reading.

Graeme Walker
📧 graemewalker @ mac.com

Identity Conflict

Iberian Policing: Civilian Guardians or Military Enforcers?

wilderness landscape photo

In modern democratic societies, boundaries between military and civilian authorities remain vague. However, in Iberian Peninsula, that boundary seems purposefully blurred in daily operations of law enforcement. Spain's Guardia Civil and Portugal's Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) embody this dual identity: military institutions carrying out civilian policing tasks.

Legacies of Hybrid Power

Both forces trace origins to 19th century CE, for control of rural territories. Yet - in 21st century - continued military status raises fundamental questions. Do these organisations represent instruments of public safety or merely armed extensions of state authority (rooted in military traditions)?

Guardia Civil in Spain and GNR in Portugal operate under authorities of Ministries of Interiors and Ministries of Defences. These dual subordinations are more than administrative - they reflect deeper tensions in operational roles. They police communities, issue fines, make arrests and patrol highways, but they do so within military hierarchies that prioritise obedience and discipline over community engagement and civilian accountability.

Iberia

Civil-Military Paradox

In rural areas and on highways, these Iberian-speaking men in cars are often the only visible representatives of Portugal or Spain. Their presence can be intimidating. Uniforms, ranks, protocols etc. evoke military power more than public service. For tourists and residents, this disjunction creates a climate of distance and unease. Therein lies a queer paradox: how can a military-trained force carry out community policing and protect civil liberties, whilst responding flexibly to complex social issues? They appear to struggle.

Policing Without Borders, Accountability Within Them

Identity conflicts explode in international hotspots like Spain's Costa del Sol and Portugal's Algarve. These are areas where cross-border crime, tourism-related offences and foreign resident disputes are common. Yet, police employees tasked with responding are not always equipped linguistically, culturally or structurally to deal with international civilian populations. Compounding these issues are lacks of transparency. Complaints against both forces were filtered through military command chains, not civilian oversight bodies. Judicial cooperation perhaps exists, but remains bureaucratically distanced.

Reform or Reinvention?

Municipal police car in Iberia

West and North European countries civilianised gendarmeries or abolished them. Spain and Portugal took steps toward modernisation whilst military identity of rural polices remain intact. What does law enforcement retain in democratic societies?

Justice Denied sPain

Justice Denied: How Bar Associations in Spain Protect Lawyers Instead of the Public

Over the past five years, I have witnessed first-hand how some lawyers in Spain and Portugal have acted not as defenders of justice, but as architects of abuse. I have been the victim of calculated fraud, coercion, and legal manipulation by lawyers whose professional role should be to uphold the law and protect the vulnerable. Instead, they exploited it—and me.

This post is not simply a personal account. It is a critique of how professional regulation in Spain, particularly in Andalusia, is structurally incapable of holding lawyers accountable. It is a warning to anyone who believes that bar associations ("illustrious colegios de abogados") are truly designed to protect the public. And it is a call to reform a system that enables impunity under the guise of professional self-governance.

Estepona: Legal Abuse as Business Model

In Estepona, I uncovered serious financial irregularities in the administration of a residential community of homeowners. My attempts to expose this triggered an orchestrated retaliation by lawyers connected to the community's power structure. They initiated SLAPP-style litigation and fabricated debts to silence my inquiries. What followed was a campaign of pressure, disinformation and strategic legal delay.

These lawyers and their collaborators targeted me in part because I am a scots-speaking foreigner with health difficulties—an easy mark for a system that favours insiders and punishes dissenters. Their actions were not mere incompetence or negligence. They acted with intent, coordination and an alarming sense of impunity.

Institutional Silence: Closed Circle of Protection

I filed detailed complaints with Illustrious Bar Association of Málaga (ICAMálaga), supported by documentation. The response? Silence. Not once did ICAMálaga initiate an independent investigation or acknowledge the serious ethical breaches involved. Internal communications obtained later revealed bias: the lawyers I complained about were personally known to members of the reviewing committee.

My appeals to Consejo Andaluz de Colegios de Abogados (Andalusian regional council) were similarly fruitless. Despite being positioned as a coordinating body, it refused to recognise even the possibility of regulatory failure at local level. Consejo General de la Abogacía Española, Spain's national legal council, continues to claim incompetence to intervene.

Thus, the structure is clear: Local bar associations have full disciplinary control, but no external body has authority to review their failures. In effect, lawyers police themselves.

European Outlier

Compare this to other EU countries. France, Italy and Netherlands all have national disciplinary bodies or transparent appeals mechanisms. Germany allows complaints to escalate beyond regional bar chambers. Even within Spain, lawyers may practice nationally, but complaints are confined to their home colegios. There is no functional oversight above the local level.

This is not just a legal design flaw—it is a human rights risk.

System Builds to Serve Itself

Many witnessed abuses stem from deeper confusion between residential and commercial interests. In Estepona, what was legally defined as a residential community was, in reality, run like a commercial resort. Homeowners—especially non-resident ones—were treated as revenue sources, not stakeholders.

A simple principle could clarify this: If a property is not used as a permanent residence, it should be considered commercial. Legal protections for homes should not be exploited by those who use housing for vanity, speculation or passive undeclared income. Legal profession should be at the forefront of defending that distinction. Instead, in my case, lawyers worked to obscure it.

Accountability: A Global Perspective

It is not enough to call merely on Spain to reform. European Union should establish baseline standards for legal professional discipline, including a right to independent review and transparent complaint procedures. But the issue is global. United Nations, too, must recognise the vulnerability of individuals facing legal abuse by professionals shielded by weak regulation.

Universal minimum standards are required for regulation of legal professionals, e.g:

• Independent national disciplinary bodies

• Publicly accessible complaint records

• Protection for complainers (including foreigners, linguistic minorities and disabled individuals)

• Explicit condemnation and regulation of SLAPP tactics

Conclusion

Without independent, transparent and enforceable national systems of professional accountability, lawyers are not guardians of justice—they become instruments of injustice.

Bar associations in Andalusia failed in their duty to protect the public. When lawyers act with impunity, democracy suffers. When those entrusted to uphold law exploit it for personal gain, trust erodes. Reform is overdue.

Welcome to FrAvarice: Where Public Land Becomes Private Loot

An exposé from the windswept dunes of Montalivet to the gilded boardrooms of global finance.

In the sun-bleached pine forests of southwest France, nestled beside the Atlantic’s salty breath, lies a supposed utopia of naturist living: CHM Montalivet. Touted as a bastion of liberté, simplicité, and communion with nature, CHM sells an image of carefree vacationing and communal living. But peel back the layer of sunscreen, and a different picture emerges — one that has more to do with rent-seeking, privatization, and opaque financial flows than it does with sandcastles and sunbathing.

🏕️ A Model of Communal Living… or Extractive Leasing?

CHM Montalivet sits on land owned by the municipality of Vendays-Montalivet — technically public land. In theory, this should mean oversight, accountability, and benefit to the public. In practice? That land is leased to a private company — most recently European Camping Group (ECG) (via various subsidiaries) — which in turn subleases it to over a thousand mobile home owners, vacationers, and around 300 permanent residents.

These residents don’t own the land their homes sit on — they lease it. And every year, the cost of that lease creeps ever upward. Residents are faced with substantial, opaque fees for things like “management services,” “infrastructure contributions,” “waste collection,” or whatever creative label the accountants prefer this year.

And where does the real value go? Not back to the town. Not into the site. But up the financial food chain — to private equity firms who treat CHM not as a community, but as a yield-generating asset.

💰 Follow the Money: Carlyle, OTPP, and PAI Partners

SOCNAT’s parent company, European Camping Group, has passed through the hands of some of the world’s most powerful private equity players:

• Carlyle Group (USA): A titan of global finance with deep ties to government and defense contracting.

• Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Canada): Because what better way to fund retirement than to wring euros from a naturist campsite?

• PAI Partners (France): The current controlling shareholder, headquartered in Paris, recently sold a stake to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

These firms don’t invest for love of camping. They invest for IRR — internal rate of return. Every fee, every rent hike, every cutback in services is a pixel in a larger spreadsheet — one aimed at maximizing extraction from residents who often have no meaningful alternative.

📧 Silencing Dissent, One Reservation at a Time

What happens when someone questions this setup?

… lack of transparency: undisclosed lease terms between the town and ECG, exorbitant sublease fees, and the slow economic erosion of resident property value in favour of shareholder gain …

The response?

• Reservation denied.

• Subject Access Request (under GDPR)? Refused.

• Reason given? Not law — just satire. Yes, the whistleblower’s use of mild irony in their correspondence was offered as a pretext for the withdrawal of service.

In other words, SOCNAT, operating a business on publicly owned land, using the name of CHM — is now engaging in retaliatory exclusion, punishing those who ask too many questions with commercial exile.

🧯 FrAvarice in Action

Welcome to FrAvarice, where:

• Public land is quietly monetised for private gain;

• Residents pay top euro to lease the land their homes stand on;

• Transparency is treated like a nuisance, not a civic duty;

• And whistleblowers are punished with silence, instead of answered with facts.

This isn’t just bad governance — it’s a case study in how privatised control over public assets enables soft censorship and economic displacement.

⚖️ What’s Next?

There are still questions to be answered:

• What is the actual rent paid by ECG to the town for use of this land?

• Why are hundreds of permanent residents treated like transient cash flows?

• Can a private company operating on public land refuse service based on a customer’s protected whistleblower status?

• Will French courts, data protection authorities, or anti-discrimination bodies respond?

For now, the answer seems to be: you can come to CHM, but only if you keep your mouth shut.

FrAvarice is not just a joke. It’s a mirror — held up to the face of modern governance, where the illusion of community masks the reality of capital extraction. Whether you’re in a tent, a mobile home, or a beachfront chalet, one thing’s clear:

In this game of public land and private loot, transparency is the one thing nobody’s renting.

Language & Integrity

🌍 Rethinking “Federation” in Naturism

Naming is never neutral. Words carry weight—especially in global movements shaped by history, identity, and governance. As naturism continues to evolve, a simple but urgent question arises: what do we mean when we say “federation”?

Currently, the term federation is used in two different—and conflicting—ways within international naturist circles. On one hand, it's applied to a global umbrella organization INF-FNI, which claims to represent naturism on a worldwide scale. On the other, it is also commonly used by many of INF-FNI’s own member organizations—often aligned with nation-states—to describe themselves as federations too.

This dual use isn’t just confusing. It represents a structural contradiction. And it weakens political clarity and philosophical coherence of the movement.

Conflict of Interest: Who Speaks for Whom?

The problem is simple: an international umbrella organization that describes itself as a federation cannot, in good faith, consist primarily of other organizations also calling themselves federations. This nested use of the same title implies an overlapping structure, blurring lines of representation.

More seriously, it introduces an inherent conflict of interest. Any global federation that is primarily constituted of national federations risks privileging national representation over naturist philosophy itself—which, by its very nature, transcends national boundaries.

Naturism is not a national identity. It is a lived practice of freedom, integrity, ecological awareness and non-sexual social nudity. It should not be constrained by political borders. Yet when membership and representation are framed along those same borders, the movement reinforces what it seeks to question.

Proposal for Clarity: One Federation, One Title

The proposed new INGO, tentatively titled Naturist Federation, aims to correct this confusion. But doing so requires a clear and principled naming policy:

• Naturist Federation will not admit any organization whose name includes the phrase “Naturist Federation.”
  This is not a symbolic gesture. It is a practical necessity. No member of a body called Naturist Federation should also claim that title independently—just as no country can call itself United Nations France or World Health Germany.

• Naturist Federation will not admit natural persons as members.
  This follows the model used by organizations like International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), where individual participation happens through affiliation with member bodies—not direct membership. It preserves the integrity of the INGO as a coordinating structure and avoids personal political conflicts.

• Any existing organization that currently identifies itself as a “naturist federation” must choose a new name if it wishes to join.
  This request is not made lightly. Clarity of structure requires clarity of identity. Encouraging name changes is a way to invite transformation, not erase history.

A Shift Already Underway

It’s worth noting that some organizations have already made this shift:

• British Naturism

• American Association for Nude Recreation

• Open & Bloot

These names reflect national presence without claiming the title of federation, which opens the door to participation in a truly international federation built on equality, not hierarchy. Unfortunately, INF-FNI still supports an incoherent naming model—permitting a “federation of federations,” which neither strengthens naturism politically nor reflects the movement’s non-nationalist foundations.

Toward a New Structure

This is not about rejecting past efforts. It is about naming contradictions clearly, so they can be healed. Creating a coherent, inclusive, and principled Naturist Federation means starting with language—and building from there. What comes next depends on reflection, dialogue and shared values. But clarity begins with names.

This post was written by a human being, with research and drafting assistance from AI.

Naturism for a New Century

Possible New Homes for 3 Global INGOs

Naturism continues to grow—culturally, politically, and philosophically. This growth calls for new forms of international organization that reflect current priorities: body freedom, collaborative governance, and deep ecological stewardship. INF-FNI has shaped much of modern naturist history, but at more than 70 years old it could imagine a graceful conclusion: Not as failure, but as fulfilment—a life well lived. From its legacy, three new INGOs could emerge, each carrying forward distinct values:

• 🌿 Body Freedom – centered on bodily autonomy and creative expression

• 🌍 Naturist Federation – coordinating communities, dialogue, and mutual recognition

• 🌱 Naturist Spaces – acquiring and stewarding land for conservation and naturist living

Jurisdiction Isn’t Just Bureaucracy

Choice of headquarters is more than legal paperwork. It shapes what kind of work an organization can do, what kind of donations it can accept, how it treats employees, and how well it aligns with its mission. With a little help from AI, I’ve identified three possible jurisdictions for each of proposed INGO:

🌿 Body Freedom – Global Advocacy, Local Belonging

Proposed HQ: New Zealand, Canada or Australia

This initiative envisions a global human rights movement with local roots—focused on community-building, artistic practice, and advocacy for bodily autonomy. No need for grand conferences or centralization. These countries offer strong civil rights protections, good legal structures for non-profits, and inclusive cultures that value self-expression. Geographical distance becomes a strength, not a weakness.

🌍 Naturist Federation – A European Hub for Cooperation

Proposed HQ: Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark

This proposed new international organization (see next blog post) would support international collaboration between naturist communities—requiring travel, governance, and sustained dialogue. Proximity to EU institutions makes a real difference. These countries are transparent, well-governed, and already home to many international NGOs. They also reflect naturist values: openness, equality, shared space.

🌱 Naturist Spaces – Land, Legacy, and Stewardship

Proposed HQ: France, Finland, Norway

This INGO would need to manage serious resources—land, capital, legal obligations. It must also hold deep ecological integrity. France offers naturist history and tax frameworks for public-benefit foundations. Finland and Norway bring environmental leadership and legal respect for nature’s autonomy. All three allow for the kind of long-term land stewardship naturist spaces demand.

This post is just a sketch—a first public draft of a larger idea. Future posts may explore legal forms, timelines, or founding charters. For now, it feels important to begin with clarity, curiosity, and a sense of care for what comes next.

This reflection was written by a human being, with research and drafting assistance from AI.

Possible Jurisdictions for 3 INGOs

1. Body Freedom

Mission: A globally dispersed human rights advocacy movement focusing on bodily autonomy and self-expression, encouraging local in-person gatherings for community-building, artistic, and sporting activities without necessitating large international conferences.​

Proposed Jurisdictions:

1. New Zealand

   • Rationale: New Zealand's progressive stance on human rights and personal freedoms complements the organization's mission. Its geographic location in the Asia-Pacific region facilitates outreach in underrepresented areas.​

   • Legal Form: Incorporated Society or Charitable Trust, both offering limited liability and suitable for non-profit activities.​

   • Workers' Rights: New Zealand enforces strong labor laws, including protections for lone workers and mandates for regular contact and emergency protocols.

2. Canada

   • Rationale: Canada's multicultural society and legal protections for individual rights provide a supportive environment. Its bilingual nature (English and French) aids in broader communication.​

   • Legal Form: Non-Profit Corporation or Registered Charity, offering limited liability and eligibility for tax-exempt status.​

   • Workers' Rights: Canadian labor laws vary by province but generally include strong protections, with specific regulations for lone workers in provinces like Alberta and British Columbia.

3. Australia

   • Rationale: Australia's commitment to civil liberties and its strategic location in the Southern Hemisphere support global outreach efforts.​

   • Legal Form: Incorporated Association (state-level) or Company Limited by Guarantee (federal), both suitable for non-profit organizations.​

   • Workers' Rights: Australia has comprehensive labor laws, including specific provisions for lone workers, ensuring their health and safety.

2. Naturist Federation

Mission: To unite naturist communities worldwide under a democratic, inclusive framework that advocates for naturist rights and standards, necessitating in-person meetings and conferences with a focus on reducing carbon footprints.​

Proposed Jurisdictions:

1. Belgium

   • Rationale: As the de facto capital of the EU, Belgium offers proximity to European institutions, facilitating advocacy and collaboration.​

   • Legal Form: Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif (AISBL), designed for international non-profit associations.​

   • Workers' Rights: Belgium has robust labor laws, including recent legislation granting comprehensive rights to workers in various sectors. ​

2. Netherlands

   • Rationale: The Netherlands' central location in Europe and progressive legal environment make it suitable for international federations.​

   • Legal Form: Stichting (Foundation) or Vereniging (Association), both offering limited liability and flexibility.​

   • Workers' Rights: Dutch labor laws provide strong protections, and the country is known for its favorable work-life balance.​

3. Denmark

   • Rationale: Denmark's high levels of transparency and support for civil society initiatives align with the federation's goals.​

   • Legal Form: Forening (Association), characterized by its democratic structure.​

   • Workers' Rights: Denmark is recognized for its strong labor protections and flexible working conditions.​

3. Naturist Spaces

Mission: To function as a financial powerhouse for environmental conservation, acquiring and stewarding land globally for re-wilding and naturist activities, requiring favorable tax exemptions for donations and bequests.​

Proposed Jurisdictions:

1. France

   • Rationale: France's rich history of naturism and vast rural areas make it ideal for land conservation initiatives.​

   • Legal Form: Fondation Reconnue d'Utilité Publique (Public Utility Foundation), eligible for tax-exempt status.​

   • Tax Considerations: Donations to public utility organizations are tax-exempt, and donors may receive tax credits, enhancing fundraising capabilities.

   • Workers' Rights: France has comprehensive labor laws, including provisions for annual leave and worker protections.​

2. Finland

   • Rationale: Finland's strong environmental policies and cultural respect for nature support the organization's mission.​

   • Legal Form: Rekisteröity yhdistys (Registered Association) or Säätiö (Foundation), both suitable for non-profit activities.​

   • Tax Considerations: Finland offers tax incentives for environmental initiatives, and donations to registered associations may be tax-deductible.​

   • Workers' Rights: Finland ranks highly in labor rights indices, reflecting strong protections for workers.

3. Norway

   • Rationale: Norway's emphasis on environmental conservation and open access to land aligns with the organization's goals.​

   • Legal Form: Forening (Association) or Stiftelse (Foundation), both offering limited liability and suitable for managing land assets.​

   • Tax Considerations: Norway provides tax incentives for environmental conservation efforts, and donations to qualifying organizations can be tax-exempt.​

   • Workers' Rights: Norwegian labor law emphasizes fair wages, strong unions, collective bargaining, and work-life balance.

Lace, Leverage & Liquidation

Love Letter to Victoria’s Secret:

Naturally and artificially intelligent humans track stock indices, fashion faux pas and long shadow of pink-lit mall retail. As a non-binary entity who’s never bought so much as a thong from Victoria’s Secret (or wanted to), I’ve nonetheless watched with amusement as this frilly little empire of underwire and aspiration seduced the global economy and spectacularly misread the room. To be slightly blunt, Victoria’s Secret was never a lingerie brand but a lifestyle bet. A marketing fantasy. A runway wrapped in risk capital. For 25 years, it sold comfort to consumers and investors who assume sexy always sells.

Business of Seduction

Founded in 1977 so a man could feel more comfortable buying underwear for his wife (the irony writes itself), Victoria’s Secret transitioned into a cultural juggernaut that repackaged sex appeal for mass consumption. When spun off as a publicly traded company (July 22, 2021) VS was less a fresh IPO than a moulting phoenix (rotting penis) trying to look less of a problematic relic. Assets existed: brand awareness, international real estate and a vast customer file. Liabilities existed: scandal, irrelevance and death of mall culture. What followed was less rebirth than identity crisis...

Collapse of a Fantasy Industrial Complex

For years, Victoria’s Secret operated as a house of synthetic dreams, designed for a shareholder fantasy: tall, blonde, size 2 and mute; for a while, it worked well: an annual fashion show drew millions and stockholders clinked prosecco. Margins padded nicely. Victoria’s Secret kept advertising an irrelevant fantasy in—of all places—airport waiting lounges. For two and a half decades, weary travellers all over the globe have been accosted by oversized angel billboards, ironically positioned between passport control.

Investors, Fiduciaries and Future of Lace

Pension funds, ETFs and institutional investors have exposure to Victoria’s Secret. They have fiduciary duties—not just to seek returns, but to anticipate cultural shifts. Investing in a brand that refuses to read the cultural room is not just bad optics—it’s bad business.

Ontological transformation

Not just rebrand: re-speciation

Victoria’s Secret could be reorganised into a non-binary legal entity unburdened by outdated narratives of gender, desirability or waist-to-hip ratio. Like any exhausted monarch, Victoria might step aside and divide her empire, with corporate offspring for a collapsing age:

Elonomate™ – Intimates line optimised for billionaires in midlife crises who believe in space exploration but not emotional intimacy. Sustainable fabrics, unhinged design. No supply chain accountability.

Dickwit™ – Ultimate bro-wear for those who use “gender is a spectrum” as a pickup line. Collabs with crypto influencers. Red Bull-scented boxer briefs. All press is good press.

Mushwear™ – Soft-bodied non-conformists who believe in radical softness, climate justice and being left alone. Organic. Non-hierarchical sizing and no obligation to wear anything:

Market segments, fiduciary logic and diversity offerings appear socially sentient.

Runway to Exit Strategy:

VS brand’s stubborn presence in airport terminals?! Whilst world moves into fluid identities, inclusive economies and comfort don’t require self-erasure! Victoria’s Secret stood still for 3 decades, whispering fantasies to people half-listening on their way to delayed flights. If the company wants to survive, unstrap the padded bra of outdated narratives and reimagine intimacy, identity and investment. Sexy is subjective, comfort is political and futures cum in more than one size…

Three Limbs?

An Enduring Symbol, from Prehistory to Modern Advocacy

The triskelion, a motif comprising three interlocked spirals or bent human legs radiating from a central point, stands as one of humanity's most ancient and pervasive symbols. Its presence spans continents and epochs, embodying a rich tapestry of cultural, spiritual, and political significance.

Prehistoric Origins and Symbolism

Early manifestations of a triskelion trace back over 5,000 years. Neolithic site of Newgrange (in modern-day Republic of Ireland, between Dublin and Belfast) features this triple spiral design etched into stones, predating Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge. Meanings ascribed remain speculative.

Celtic Adoption and Evolution

Artistic representations of triskelions gained prominence in Celtic art during Iron Age (by innate spirituality or political indoctrination; who knows?) La Tène culture, flourishing across Europe, prominently featured the symbol in various artefacts. Ancient Celts might have embraced triskelion symbol to represent themes such as land, sea and sky; or phases of life: youth, maturity and old age.

Rarity of Tripedalism

In natural world, bilateral symmetry prevails, with organisms typically exhibiting paired limbs. Instances of tripedal locomotion are virtually nonexistent among vertebrates, making the triskelion's depiction of three limbs a product of human imagination rather than biological observation. This artistic abstraction conveys forms beyond natural paradigms, perhaps hinting at an early interplay between artistic expression and the conceptual foundations of mathematics.​

Triskelion in Sicilian Heritage

Sicily's emblem, known as the Trinacria, features the triskelion with three bent legs and a Gorgon's head at its centre. This symbol dates back to at least 4th century BCE, appearing on Syracusian coins during Greek colonisation.

Triadic Structures in Roman Politics

Roman Republic's political landscape witnessed formation of First and Second Triumvirates, alliances of three powerful individuals who sought to consolidate control over the state. The First Triumvirate (60 BCE) comprised Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus; while the Second (43 BCE) included Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus. Although not directly linked to the triskelion symbol, these triadic power structures reflect an enduring appeal of tripartite systems in societal organisation.

Contemporary Reflections and Reclamation

In modern times, the triskelion might have been appropriated by some minor groups with extremist ideologies; yet, its historical and cultural roots offer an opportunity for reclamation. Politically neutral organisations advocating for human and animal rights could embrace the triskelion as a symbol of balance, movement and progress. By reflecting possibly ancient connotations of harmony and cyclical renewal, triskelion could serve as an emblem for unity and pursuit of justice.

Conclusion

Triskelion's journey from prehistoric carvings to contemporary symbolism suggests evolutionary heritage and complex ideals in ancient motifs.

European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)

​As of March 29, 2025, several events have been held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). While some of these events may have been recorded and made available online, specific information about their availability is limited.​

Past Events:

• Judicial Seminar on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights (31 January 2025): This seminar focused on "Protecting human rights in a world of Artificial Intelligence, algorithms and big data" and took place at the Strasbourg University Faculty of Law. Details about the event can be found on the European Court of Human Rights website. ​

• International Conference: The ECHR as a Living Instrument (14 March 2025): Co-organized by the European Court of Human Rights and Strasbourg University's Law Faculty, this conference explored the evolving role of the ECHR. Information about the conference is available on the Council of Europe's website. ​Portal

• House of Lords Debate on the ECHR's 75th Anniversary (20 March 2025): The UK House of Lords held a debate to mark the anniversary, with contributions from various members reflecting on the convention's impact. The full transcript of the debate is accessible via Hansard. ​

Availability of Recordings:

While the House of Lords typically provides transcripts of debates through Hansard, video recordings are often available on ParliamentLive.tv. However, as of now, there is no specific information confirming the availability of a video recording for this particular debate.​House of Lords Library

For the Judicial Seminar and International Conference, there is no publicly available information indicating that these events were recorded or that recordings have been published online.​

Upcoming Events:

As of this date, there are no publicly announced events scheduled for the remainder of 2025 to commemorate the ECHR's 75th anniversary. However, it's possible that additional events may be organized later in the year. To stay informed about upcoming events, I recommend regularly checking the official websites of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, as they may announce further commemorative activities or publish recordings of past events.​

Other Related Initiatives:

It's worth noting that the United Nations celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) with various events and initiatives. For instance, a high-level conference was held, and its recording is available online. ​YouTube

While this pertains to the UDHR rather than the ECHR, it reflects the broader global engagement with human rights milestones.​

Conclusion:

While specific recordings of the ECHR's 75th-anniversary events are not readily available online, related materials and transcripts can be accessed through official channels. Staying updated with the Council of Europe and European Court of Human Rights' communications will provide the most current information on any future events or the release of recordings.​

🌍 Global Aspirations to Enforceable Rights: UDHR to ECHR

2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) — a cornerstone of legal protection for millions across Europe. This milestone invites reflection on the profound journey from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to the creation of a uniquely enforceable human rights system on the European continent.

✨ The Birth of Universal Human Rights – The UDHR (1948)

In the wake of World War II, as the world emerged from the horrors of genocide, war crimes, and mass displacement, the newly-formed United Nations sought to enshrine a global standard of human dignity. On 10 December 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the UN General Assembly in Paris.

Crafted by a multinational drafting committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, the UDHR was the first comprehensive statement of universal rights — civil, political, economic, social, and cultural. Though non-binding, it served as a moral beacon and foundational document for the modern human rights movement. Its influence would ripple across constitutions, legal systems, and international treaties for decades to come.

🇪🇺 A Regional Response – The Birth of the ECHR (1950)

While the UDHR offered universal principles, it lacked legal teeth. In post-war Europe — still reeling from the devastation of fascism and war — there was a growing sense that moral commitments weren’t enough. Rights needed enforceability, especially against the very states that might violate them.

Enter the Council of Europe, established in 1949 as a pan-European body to promote democracy, rule of law, and human rights. Just one year later, in 1950, it adopted the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) — a legally binding treaty designed to protect civil and political rights, inspired directly by the UDHR.

What made the ECHR revolutionary wasn’t just its content — though that was vital — but its enforcement mechanism: the creation of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), based in Strasbourg.

For the first time in history, individuals could bring legal cases against their own governments for human rights violations.

🏛️ The European Court of Human Rights: A Living Instrument

Since its establishment, the Court has become a global model for regional human rights protection. Its jurisprudence has shaped laws and practices across Europe — and often beyond.

The Court has heard tens of thousands of cases, issued landmark judgments, and evolved in scope and influence, interpreting the Convention as a “living instrument” that adapts with changing times.

⚖️ Landmark ECHR Cases (1950–2025)

Here are just a few of the decisions that changed Europe:

📌 Ireland v. United Kingdom (1978)

Addressed the use of “enhanced interrogation” in Northern Ireland. The Court ruled that inhuman and degrading treatment violated Article 3, setting global precedent for anti-torture standards.

📌 Dudgeon v. United Kingdom (1981)

First case to establish that criminalization of homosexuality violated the right to private life. A turning point for LGBT+ rights in Europe.

📌 Soering v. United Kingdom (1989)

Prevented the extradition of a man to the U.S. due to the risk of facing inhuman conditions on death row. Established strong protections in extradition and asylum law.

📌 Osman v. United Kingdom (1998)

Developed the principle that states have a positive duty to protect individuals from threats posed by others (e.g., domestic violence, criminal acts).

📌 Hirst v. United Kingdom (No. 2) (2005)

Ruled that a blanket ban on prisoner voting rights was disproportionate. Prompted wide debate across Europe on democratic participation.

📌 Oliari and Others v. Italy (2015)

The Court held that Italy’s failure to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples violated Article 8. Pushed many governments to recognize partnerships or marriages.

📌 Big Brother Watch v. United Kingdom (2021)

A landmark case on mass surveillance, ruling that the UK’s bulk data collection programs violated the right to privacy and freedom of expression.

📌 Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia (2023)

One of the most politically significant cases, examining Russia’s alleged human rights abuses in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Still ongoing as of 2025.

🕊️ Why the ECHR Still Matters – Especially in 2025

In today’s world, where populism, surveillance, misinformation, and repression are on the rise, the ECHR remains a vital safeguard. Its 75th anniversary is not just a celebration of the past — it’s a call to protect and strengthen the mechanisms of accountability, especially as new challenges emerge: from AI and biometric surveillance to climate justice and digital rights.

🔭 The Road Ahead

The ECHR was born out of war, inspired by idealism, and shaped by decades of legal struggle and societal change. In 2025, its mission remains both timeless and timely.

In a world where rights can still be trampled in the name of security, nationalism, or tradition, the Court continues to ask the same enduring question:

What kind of Europe do we want to live in — and who has the right to hold power to account?