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Monaco, a police state?

Monaco geographic and history

Visiting Monaco-the Palace-the Cathedral and princess Grace

A lot has been said and written in a joking and ironic way about Monaco, although there is really nothing funny about it. In May 1993 the princedom was even accepted as member of the United Nations. Deadly serious men in black suits work their butts out in this small country (195 ha) to make a lot, a huge amount of money. From the almost 30,000 inhabitants there are only 5,000 real Monegasques who have, and only they have, the fierce desired and coveted Monaco nationality. Those 5,00 don’t have any army duties, can have agreeable and not too expensive housing and benefit from a broad-minded and generous social security system. The other inhabitants better watch out that they do nothing wrong, because who doesn’t follow the Monegascian rules is kicked out right away from the princedom!

beach

If we look objectively to what’s really going on and how Monaco is organized, it is nothing more than a disguised police state, governed by the prince like a sort of dictator. But on the other hand it is kept under silence and very, very few people will complain about since there are so many advantages.
One of the most obvious advantages is the general security. Borders can be closed hermetically in a few seconds, traffic lights with built-in TV cameras keep an eye on everything what happens on the streets. Graffiti covered walls are unthinkable in Monaco! Nobody will murder, rob or rape you in parking garages—where Beethoven string quartets are playing all day—and free elevators avoid the heavy task for the inhabitants to climb the slope to the rock. Police officers will write you traffic tickets with a smile and a polite salute helping you to the right direction. 
But criticizing the prince is a crime and strictly forbidden. If there is a complaint to make, the discord is shifted upon the “Ministre d’Etat” who officially rules the government or upon city council of twelve members “advise” the prince. We rarely or never hear about the parliament of 18 members, elected by the 5,000 genuine Monaco citizens. Why should we, there are no “real” political parties in the princedom.
If you reconcile with all these rarities, you can accept Monaco as the indolent, easy-going place of a family that got wealthy thanks to its ardour and skill. And the head figure of this family is the housefather, Rainier Louis Maxence Bernard GRIMALDI, prince of Monaco. And everybody who is aware that the fun would be over at the moment the Grimaldi house would not produce a heir to the throne and that France would take over according to the treaties between the two countries, has decided to walk on the tip of his toes and pick the advantages of this mini-state, as long as there will be something to pluck. The princedom is the impossible and inaccessible dream, a modern fairy tale, and a live "soap opera". YOU LIKE OR YOU DON'T LIKE!

Bibliography:  Mary Blume, "Cote d'Azur. Inventing the French Riviera" (Thames and Hudson, London 1982) Stephen Liegeard, "La Cote d'Azur (Ed.Serre, Nice 1988), Patrick Howarth, “When the Riviera was ours” (Century, London 1977), Michel de la Torre, Alpes-Maritimes 06 (ed.Nathan, later  Deslogis-Lacoste)

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