Black Christmas

The Son Oms case has led to calls for an election in the Balearics. The argument goes that, with two members of the government (Nadal and Grimalt) implicated, it - the government - cannot continue. A point to bear in mind, however, is that Nadal was already implicated and has indeed made an appearance before a judge. Does one more member of the same party and government necessitate an election, therefore?

An election might clear the air, for a while, but that air has a distinct stench to it. It is rancid, the smell of a rotten core. Who's next? Name a new government and who might be caught up in some future case, whether they are guilty of anything or not? At every political level in Mallorca, there is some misdeed - town halls, Council of Mallorca, government. The biggest shock of this latest case is that Maria Munar is again being cited, and she's not even a member of the government, just the speaker of the parliament. One other of those named, Vicens, was suspended some while ago from the UM party; he's implicated in another scandal as well.

Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the fact that no-one has been formally charged with anything, the fetid whiff that hangs over Mallorcan politics does probably demand some sort of public action. If that's to be an election, then so be it. The alternative is that those implicated should all resign, pending any investigation. One does wonder quite how credible Nadal is. Tourism minister, it is he who deals with the TUIs of this world. One can imagine what might go through their minds. "Isn't he the bloke who's ... ?"

The case has moved on, evidence seemingly growing against Munar and Flaquer, the current leader of the Unió Mallorquina. The police and the tax authority are investigating, as "The Diario" puts it, offences of misappropriation, trafficking of influence, bribery and fraud. The sums involved have risen as well; nearly five million euros are now being mentioned. The tax authority speaks of "possible connivance", and fingers in particular the tourism minister. He seems also to be wrapped up in some real-estate dealings which involve Munar's husband, and is said to have handled over 600,000 euros of "questionable origin". The environment minister, Grimalt, is, meantime, denying any involvement and protesting his innocence, while the UM leadership - stripped of its more prominent members - has come out by saying that the socialist-controlled government has pushed the prosecutors into trying to "finish off" the nationalist party. The main spokesperson for the UM at a press conference yesterday was Francesc Buils who had to be removed from the post of tourism minister and who was replaced by ... Miquel Nadal. Buils was not involved with a scandal; he sacked some staff that he wasn't meant to. Nadal has been minister for just over a year. At a time when tourism is a matter that needs a minister fully concentrating on the job, one has to ask whether he is capable of doing so. This said, his name has been in the scandal frame for some nine months or so, but his continuing in the post has now become pretty much untenable. He should resign.

Where's all this going to lead? If it leads where it might, there should be more than just an election. Far more. Even if it does not lead where it might, there needs to be a fundamental appraisal of the system of government, a fundamental appraisal of control systems and of checks and balances to try and put an end to these cases. There may even be some element of truth in what the UM is saying about the socialist government. It is a fact that the proliferation of regional parties, across Spain, does weaken the stronger main parties, the PSOE and the PP. Perhaps it is in their interests to see regional parties "finished off". But don't let them get self-righteous. Remember those corruption cases pending? The ones across Spain? Over 450 involve the two major parties.

A fundamental appraisal, yes. Because the system is rotten to the core. There again, let me not get too serious. It is all pretty daft, after all.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - The Twelve Days of Christmas. Today's title - now, you've got to figure this out: think of one of those named above and what he may or may not have been up to, and how do you get to "black Christmas".

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