Old habits die hard and getting used to new concepts in a new world can take a very long time. For some, even 20 years appears to be too short a notice.
In early December, several members of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) who saw their access to the popular BG Mamma forum cut off by forum moderators over alleged violations of forum rules, filed a discrimination complaint against the forum owners.

BSP member and now former BG Mamma user Ani Stoeva claimed she was discriminated against and her right to freedom of speech had been violated when she was booted off the forum.

No matter how much we consider freedom of speech a relatively new concept for Bulgarians, it seems hard to believe that Stoeva really does not understand that freedom of speech does not give you the right to say anything you want anywhere, anytime and without consequences.

Though it does protect you from Government attempts to stop you from expressing your opinion, it certainly does not protect you from being asked to leave a private space, especially not by those who actually foot the bill for the communication means you are using.

Stoeva could have easily set up her own website or forum for her political messages, but that would have meant she would not have had access to the vast audience that BG Mamma has. With most BSP party members well outside the demographics of internet users, her online audience would have probably been marginal at best.

Yet Stoeva seems to prefer to act in accordance with the old joke that described socialism as "what’s mine is mine, what’s yours is mine too," demanding that full and unrestricted access to the forum’s large audience be restored.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian media report that internet-wiretapping plans by the current Government are more intrusive than those proposed by the previous, BSP-led one.

Under the pretext of fighting serious crime, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov continues his demand for full, unrestricted access to the communication of anyone who uses a Bulgarian internet service provider. In a recent interview with Bulgarian National Television, Tsvetanov’s argument boiled down to providers already having this information, so what would be wrong if the ministry were to have real-time access to this same data.

What’s mine is mine, what’s yours is mine too. Whether the political parties they belong to are considered red or blue, it is all the same shade of purple in the end.