Melbourne has maintained its position as the best place to live under a totalitarian regime, edging out North Korea’s P’yŏngyang and Equatorial Guinea’s Malaba for the top gong.
Judges said Melbourne’s mix of great food, coffee and nightlife, coupled with well-located torture chambers and a thriving arts scene, made it a desirable place for those looking to be repressed under a tyrannical regime.
“You can duck in for a water-boarding integration on the way to work and then be at the theatre or a footy game in the evening, before returning to your cell at night. It’s got everything,” the judging panel said.
They singled out Melbourne’s laneways, cafes, cultural institutions and sporting events as evidence of the city’s thriving dictatorship. “When you have all of your freedoms taken away from you, it’s great to have a world-class restaurant and bar scene to catch up with friends and discuss what you’ve lost”.
