At the Institute of Art History, party education sessions were often run by Gabriel Liiceanu and Andrei Plesu. They?d always start with Greek democracy, debated the matter at length, and never seemed to have the time to get to Marx. (A. M., 6)

Party members were all recipients of political education. During the last years only one theme was discussed: ?The Party ? a vital center?. There were 4 sessions every month. A party session, a syndicate session, a political education session and a labor collective session. His works and hers. Theirs were the only names featuring in the bibliography. It was somehow easier for us, at the faculty, since we could, as they said, pick up themes. But all in all, it came down to the same thing. We chose topics of philosophy or whatever else, but ultimately the basic bibliography was still Scanteia.

At the beginning of each legislature ? the name was ?mandate? back then ? our task for these sessions was to draw up a program. It was called ?project for measures scheme?. At the General Assembly sessions (or party sessions) various issues had to be proposed for debate. Of course, everyone chose themes relating to the work place. At the Institute, for instance, they discussed the labs, the production activity, the research activity, things like that.

Everything depended a good deal on the people working in that particular institution. We, for instance, were spared such stuff. There was the party session, the political up-dating, the theme for debate, and possibly some other points. But not always. The materials for the political up-dating were the latest Scanteia articles. Comrade Barbulescu, the Grand lady?s friend, came in and said: ?This is the latest news. The comrade who said that ? is in the wrong. I will tell him what the party line is.? (S. R.-B., D. R.-B., 137, 138)

POLITICAL TRAINING

1986, the morning of a hard winter. (Winters have become harder and harder lately.) At half past eight, in the Institute for Folklore there are exactly 8 degrees Celsius. But since Carmen Betea fled to America and Cornel Georgescu was sacked because of his sister who lives in the FRG, I?ve been alone in the office and invented a remedy: I lock the door, put the electric stove near my feet, and with a bit of luck there will be 12 degrees before I leave. (That is, of course, if I don?t catch fire in the meanwhile and burn together with my long coat and plastic boots.) The lock on the door keeps me safe from the big mouths in the other offices, I can?t imagine what it is that they always have to tell to one another, it must be very tiring. Whenever someone knocks on the door, I answer with a sulky voice. After I hear the voice of the potential intruder, I change the tone and pretend to be pleasantly surprised. But the message gets through: they all know that in principle I?m not in the mood of receiving guests. Today the potential intruder is the party propagandist, who lets me know we have the political training session this afternoon. I?d better prepare to take the floor ? that is, to stand up and read the paragraph he has marked in the newspaper he is now sliding in under the door ? a newspaper he himself has bought with syndicate money.