Playing Silly Games - Santa Margalida Town Hall

Politics in Santa Margalida has gained a reputation for the playing of "silly buggers". Last year, we had, for example, the episode with the fake bank notes with the mayor's face on them, a joke designed to highlight the alleged frittering of council money. There is more than a slight element of the playground about the town's politics and relationships at the town hall. To coincide with the festive season and the day of the three kings, three "kings" took some presents for members of the ruling administration. These "kings" were leaders of the independent group in Santa Margalida, their presents aimed at exposing what they believe are town hall deficiencies. The mayor was duly presented with, among other things, a toy school, as this, so say the independents, is the only way that Can Picafort will get a new college. Other "ironic" gifts served to demonstrate the destruction of certain public areas, such as the Beata garden which is undergoing re-development, and the lack of street lighting in Son Serra de Marina.

This is all pretty harmless, knockabout stuff, but there is a more serious side to it; well, two sides. Firstly, there is what may be legitimate criticisms of the town hall administration, and as often, one doesn't really know quite how legitimate these are. And secondly, there is what seems to be a breakdown in the political process in Santa Margalida. While opposition jibes and barbs are to be expected anywhere, in Santa Margalida there appears to be an almost total absence of co-operation between the parties and an almost total absence of mutual respect. What this leads to, and has led to, is a bit juvenile, to be honest, even if it's also great sport to observe from the sidelines.

While Pollensa town hall has rightly also acquired a reputation for daftness, Santa Margalida's farce is superior. It is the full Monty, a Brian Rix with trousers around his ankles racing around the stage at the Whitehall or Garrick Theatre. In honour of this, therefore, I feel that I should grant a special annual award - for town hall of the year, the one that gives us most amusement. And it is of course Santa Margalida.


Elsewhere in Santa Margalida, the finca of Son Real to be exact, there has been an unwelcome visitor. No foxes in Mallorca? No, there aren't, or weren't. The body of a fox has been retrieved from the finca. It had been involved in a fight and would seem to have attacked dogs. How did it get there? Good question. Someone almost certainly let it out into the finca, possibly some months ago. It's doubtful that there are any more, but you never know.


SANT ANTONI 2010
Programmes for Sa Pobla and Pollensa town are now available on the WHAT'S ON BLOG - http://www.wotzupnorth.blogspot.com


QUIZ
Today's title - where's this from? Had it before many moons ago. "Dressing up in costumes, playing silly games." And maybe the politicos in Santa Margalida hide in the dunes by the seaside.

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