Yes, but no

When I was younger, politics was almost never discussed. I never knew my parents' or my girlfriends' political parties. And I never needed to know. Although I always suspected that left-leaning girls were better kissers. But right-leaning girls had better vacation homes.

It's very difficult to make out with someone these days without knowing if we share the same opinions on the State Budget. I think it used to be more romantic to discuss literature and music, but politics has become the new sign. Before, people would ask, "Are you a Sagittarius?"; now they ask, "Are you a member of the Left Bloc?"

I don't know what changed, but I suspect that Democracy, like an immune system, detected an infection and activated white blood cells. Which is us, the Portuguese (I'm not racist; blood cells are indeed white).

And judging by the results of the local elections, it seems to me that the body has already started to react with a slight fever, a blocked nose and a lack of patience for extreme right-wing ideas.

André Ventura said last week: "Chega always goes to win. The goal is to win. We have no other goal than to win." And the country responded: "We have different goals."

The fault, of course, is not André's, it's the Portuguese's, those irritating white blood cells (or of all colors), who insist on being democratic when the plan was to be big idiots.

Chega is the party of discontent. But, apparently, even discontent is unhappy with Chega.

The result of these elections is a "yes, but no." Yes, we want change. But not with you, you crazy people.

That said, André Ventura disagrees, because facts are for wimps. Ventura said, faced with the steamy results: "Chega becomes a winning team today." Apparently, my Portimonense has been winning the championship for 47 years.

Now, if André were the pilot of the Titanic, he'd insist they were just stopping at the bottom of the sea to look at the fish. And I sincerely hope he continues to reap victories like these. In fact, perhaps, victory after victory, Chega will find its way to King Sebastian.

Listening to André Ventura talk about this is like listening to that friend who goes on a date, the girl doesn't show up, and he says: "It was great, it made me think." And, at least for today, populism is still not popular.

And democracy, with a flu that's turning into a lung infection, seems to be still alive. Coughing, snotty, and with severe diarrhea, but alive.

Good news.