Suspicious Minds

Is there any aspect of public life that is not under suspicion? To add to the various politicians hauled up in front of the local beak and under investigation, we now have a colonel from the Guardia Civil in the dock and, to cap it all, the police are now taking an interest in the affairs of the local television station - IB3.

IB3 started in 2005. It is basically funded with public money, and it has received its fair share of criticism, not least because of its cost. And costs might now be a thing of possible corrupt practice. Here we go again, and what do you know, there is another connection with the islands' last administration of the Partido Popular, as contracts awarded during its time are the subject of the investigation. According to "The Diario", this all has to do with payments made for studio sets, the value of which were some twenty per cent higher than tenders from companies other than that which was awarded the contracts, while the sets themselves were, allegedly, of low quality. Maybe it was just a poor decision by management, and it would be wrong to pre-judge, but the case is symptomatic of what has all the appearances of a society out of control, or of one that was maybe never under control. And that is part of the problem. So much here is a nudge and a wink, as it has long been. One really doesn't know who can be trusted. The police have got their hands full with various investigations, and it doesn't help when some of their ranks occasionally get caught with their fingers in the till.

IB3 may not be the channel of choice for most expats, but one, at least, watches the station. There was a letter to the "Majorca Daily Bulletin" a few days ago which expressed disbelief at the broadcasting of an expensive party for champagne-swilling usual local suspects of politicos and business figures to celebrate a change to the logo. The writer was not wrong to do so. How can such self-congratulatory nonsense be sanctioned when it is public money that is paying for it and at a time of economic hardship? It beggars belief. And it beggars even more belief when one realises that the contractor that provides news services is to cut the number of employees by around a half as of the beginning of January.


Confusion reigns as to whether Freddy Shepherd is going to bid for Real Mallorca or not, but there is a huge doubt hanging over any prospective deal, and that is the huge debt. It amounts to some 51 million euros when outstanding payments to the club are factored in. This is a club not only edging towards relegation but also edging towards oblivion. Rumours have it that players are not being paid and that transfer payment schedules are not being adhered to. Even if Shepherd, or anyone else, were to pay only a nominal amount, the clearance of the debts would, in all likelihood, be a step too far, especially as the team is sinking fast. Maybe Paul Davidson got wind of the full scale of the problem and this was what made him back off.

It's not as though new owners don't come along to pay off debts. Ashley did so at Newcastle. Ken Bates bought Chelsea for a quid, removed the debt and then saddled the club with more. Abramovic didn't exactly break the bank to buy Bates out, but he had deep pockets for clearing debts of the Bates era and for further investment, and times were different. Both English clubs, moreover, were and are more of a proposition than Mallorca in terms of potential success and return.

If the worse came to the worse and no buyer were to be found and the club actually went out of business, it would be a shame, but just how much of a shame? This is a team that cannot fill its 25,000 seater stadium. It may have ardent fans, but it does not appear to hold a place that is dear to most Mallorcans, many of whom support mainland teams. I'm afraid that I cannot concur with a comment in The Bulletin that the team being in La Liga "keeps the name of Mallorca on the lips of people all over the world". Mallorca keeps the name of Mallorca on people's lips, not its largely anonymous (in global terms) football club. There are, after all, plenty of people who know about Tenerife, and its team doesn't play in the top division.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - The Velvet Underground (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVIklyZNSMY). Today's title - Elvis of course, Gareth bloody Gates and Will Young, but the one from the '80s?

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