Everybody knows what the expression 'Banana Republic' means, the difference nowadays, 2016, is that more and more countries are qualifying themselves for the description..... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic I have decided to put down some FACTS regarding the troubled planet Earth at this moment, and to start with I feel obliged to qualify certain descriptive nouns such as 'Politicians' - 'Businessmen' - and almost every other Public and many Private occupations that must now be qualified as more or less dishonest or only looking out for themselves in every aspect of our lives, at our expense. Politicians are the top of the bunch of bananas, strangely also - the most rotten. They are present to represent themselves and their Pension rights - at the peoples' expense. To a large extent they are simply not intelligent enough to do their job, or they like having 'friends' - as on Facebook - who they can support, and be supported by, in...

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/29/high-court-to-rule-on-right-to-civil-partnership We've got these  and now am I supposed to beleive that in the UK a 'straight' union, without marriage is not allowed? Here is a link to the general situation on the subject in Europe http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/family/couple/registered-partners/index_en.htm Now, as I recall, the last information I had was that boy meets girl or the reverse, they live together as a couple, not married....if they are organised they make wills and testaments, financial arrangements mutually or each for the other, and I did think there was the possibility to enter into a legal contract of 'Civil Union' where all these things were covered, without marriage! Personally I am obliged to do it all myself since the German Pensions do not accept re-marriages without cutting the 'Widows' pension I get! This doesn't seem right, but since I live in France where Civil U...