A Geographical Expression

Following up the Pope's recent finger-wag at non-breeding couples who stand in mortal peril of having sex for fun, the Italian health minister has been worrying about the country's declining birthrate. The population is very selfishly living longer, in spite of all that has been done to starve it into efficiency; and such young people as still exist are emigrating at such a rate that there may soon be insufficient numbers to keep out the refugees and the Roma. Many developed countries are suffering from ageing populations, whose banker-supporting abilities are severely compromised by their demands for pensions and healthcare; but the crisis in Italy is such that the pure-bred Italian may soon go the way of the Castellieri, the Messapians and the Etruscans.