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From Our Own Correspondent: Slovenia, Bulgaria and the UK

08/04/2013

Slovenia, Bulgaria and the UK

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, Slovenia, Bulgaria and the UK

Political and economic revolt in Ljubljana and Sofia; missing lambs in wintry Welsh hills

Nick Thorpe on why the economic destinies of the richest and poorest ex-Eastern Bloc states are converging; Ben Rawlence on a still-wintry Wales, missing the usual sounds of spring

Bulgaria is one of the poorest former Eastern Bloc states, while Slovenia's always been one of the most prosperous. But as Nick Thorpe explains, in both Sofia and Ljubljana - and beyond - there are signs of the same malaise and the same responses. While young people lose faith in their futures, the electorate loses its trust in politicians - resulting in new-minted governments and new ways to try and control them. And as the UK shivers its way through the tail end of a bitter winter, Ben Rawlence walks in the Black Mountains of Wales - and listens out for a missing sound of spring. Where is the bleating of lambs, traditionally such a feature of this time of year in the valleys?

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