Half A Million Strong

Some of you will of course be aware that I have had my moments of taking the rip out of elements of the local media. I have sort of taken a step back from this, partly because it could appear repetitious and rather petty and also because - in the case of "The Bulletin" - I have something akin to admiration for a daily newspaper that can be maintained for what is a pretty small market. Which is not to say it doesn't still have its moments, like today. In the leader, the editor refers to the growth in population in Mallorca and the Balearics. He describes the fact that there will be some 1.2 million people on the islands as an "outrageous situation". How can this be outrageous? The population growth may be creating a difficult or delicate situation, but outrageous? Are we outraged that there are, or will be, 1.2 million people in the Balearics? I'm not, but there again I'm one of the incomers who, along with so many others, has led to a population growth.

This is not the first time I have spoken about the population rise here. On 19 December last year ("Everyday People"), I said that the daily increase is around 80 people per day, many of them people moving to the islands. I also pointed out that, in the case of Mallorca, the island is roughly the size of Essex but with a significantly lower population, except that, at times in summer, the actual number of people on the island may be nearer to the numbers who reside in that county. Add on the transient workers and the tourists and, at a peak, it might be that there are some 1.5 million people knocking around. And they need medical services and roads, to which the editor refers. He goes on to say that there is a need for better planning to cope with the growth in population. But it is here that the problem arises. That more roads might be needed, that better rail systems might be needed, that more schools, hospitals and houses might be needed are all legitimate quests, but where do they go and how do the politicians cope with the competing demands of satisfying population growth and the environmental lobby? Politicians may also like the population increase as it can bring with it further wealth creation and demand. But there is a tipping point. Quite where that is, I wouldn't know. Any planning has to be a multi-faceted investigation of population studies, economic welfare, quality of life, environment, resources, infrastructure, innovation, employment - the list is extensive. For all I know, the current population may be inadequate.

The one thing of which there can be reasonable certainty is that the population will not decline (at least not until climate change makes the island too damn hot). Immigration, from the EU at any rate, is straightforward, and Mallorca is an attractive destination. The market does not place obstacles in front of such migration, nor does the market place constraints on factors such as car ownership (and therefore the demand for roads); it is worth bearing in mind that Mallorca has the highest per capita level of car ownership in Europe. But the market itself runs up against walls, such as the environmental one.

The situation is not outrageous, but it does require a planning and political approach that is rigorous and joined-up. And it is here one wonders about the political will or wherewithal, given the factional nature of a political system that requires a trade-off between what can seem to be mutually antagonistic philosophies - the Conservatives, the Socialists and the Nationalists.


QUIZ
Last time - Dido. Today's title - well, add the half a million at peak times. Who wrote it?

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