SPOILERS Night Watch Discussion *spoilers*

[=Tamar]

Besides, nobody is expected to read every post ever made before mentioning anything. I don't even remember every post I ever made, and some of them I probably disagree with now, having changed my mind.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Sorry-not-sorry to resurrect this post from the dead, but ... since I'll be travelling to Venice later this year (as part of my Italian sojourn/adventure/misadventure/delete whichever is inappropriate), I was looking up some things to do in Venice. Annnnd... I found this about Venice's souternmost suburb. From wikipedia:

"Campo Santa Margherita was a hotbed of left-wing activism in Venice in the 19th and early 20th century, being the home of the local headquarters of the Italian Socialist Party as well as the Casa del Popolo (the People's House).

The osterie (places that serve wine and simple food -Ed.) in the square were frequented by radical activists. In one instance, in 1913–14, socialists gathered at the Osteria da Capon declared the "Republic of Santa Margherita", a tongue-in-cheek act whereby they appointed fishermen as dukes and port workers as avogadori (public prosecutors -Ed.)

So ... does "The Republic of Santa Margherita" remind you of anything?

"We're forming a government!"
"Oh, good," said Vimes wearily. "Another one. Just what we need."
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On a less jovial note, it also reminds me of Gabriele d'Annunzio and his Republic of Fiume. https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/fiume-escapade