Bucharest falls from on low

Romania’s drastic means to secure IMF and EU loans has incensed its people: ‘why do we pay the government’s debts?’ The May 2010 protests – the ‘largest in 20 years’ – revived the revolutionary memory, but the threat of salaries chopped by 25% barely provoked civil unrest on a Grecian or French scale. Whilst relaxed anti-corruption laws protect politicians and their copii de bani gati - the ‘young rich kids’ who are the stars of society - a thriving blog scene works out its own ideas on its own terms. And whilst ‘green’ and ‘touristy’ don’t define Bucharest, ideas and passion do exist in the ‘petit Paris’ of the east. cafebabel.com journalists attempt to redefine the culture of the street. Penultimate in a monthly cities series, ‘EUcrisis on the ground’