Prior to the regional election in 2007, Francesc Antich, the leader of PSOE, was asked about trilingual teaching in the Balearics. Antich responded by saying that all schools should have access to teaching in Catalan, Castellano and English, but he added that his party would not be issuing any laws or decrees on the matter.
The question about trilingual teaching had cropped up because a pilot system was in operation. Introduced by the Partido Popular government of Jaume Matas from 2003 to 2007, there were a total of 26 schools, mostly private, which were undertaking teaching in the three languages. The Matas government had toyed with trilingualism but only to an extent that other regions of Spain had - Catalonia and Valencia, for example, where there had been limited experimental systems for some years. The only region in Spain at that time which had anything like an established system was the Basque Country; it had started experimentation back in the early 1990s.
It is important to understand that these systems were voluntary ones started in these regions. There had never been any mandated requirement for there to be trilingual teaching, either from the central government or from Europe (the latter has no competence for directing what language or languages should be used for teaching in schools in the European Union). Nevertheless, they were a reflection of a growing desire to improve and widen language skills across Europe and of multi-lingual teaching systems in certain parts of Europe, mostly of a limited nature rather than nationwide or fully formalised.
The Matas scheme had run up against a couple of significant obstacles. One was the lack of English ability among teachers. The other was the cold reception the idea got from the STEI teachers' union, one that had long been dominated by a nationalist element (nationalist in terms of Mallorcan nationalism and so with a distinctively pro-Catalan bias). STEI was certainly not open to an expansion of the Matas pilot scheme.
Under this pilot, the schools which had dabbled in trilingualism had divided teaching hours up so that education was 40% Castellano, 40% Catalan and 20% English. Had he won the election in 2007, Matas (or someone else in the PP once Matas ran into his problems with the courts) had planned to extend the scheme to all schools. He lost and so he never did and was also unable to implement a training programme for teachers (part of which would have involved language training in the UK).
Antich won the 2007 election. Or rather, his party won sufficient seats in parliament to be able to cobble together a coalition that was known both as the "pact" and as the "hexagon" of six nationalist and leftist parties.
Even had Antich been in a stronger position in 2007, would he have been inclined to have continued with trilingualism in some form or another? When he said in answer to that question just before the election that there would be no decree, he was referring to a decree that the Matas government had issued in 2006 which had paved the way for trilingualism to have been introduced (possibly) for the school year starting in September 2007. He was not minded to accept a decree issued by the PP, but that didn't appear to mean that he wasn't open to some form of trilingualism, if only as a continuation of the pilot.
What happened though was that, having formed his hexagonal government, Antich scrapped the Matas project. He said, famously and vaguely, that there would be "English for all but without reducing the presence of Catalan". In 2008 his government went further. It issued its decree by which Catalan would be the only language in Balearics schools.
It is easy to overlook what happened during the Matas and Antich administrations when considering the fiasco with trilingual teaching (TIL) under the Bauzá government. The TIL battlelines had been drawn in 2007 and made wider by that 2008 decree. When it came to the 2011 election, Bauzá, despite what he claims, did not expressly say that a PP government would introduce TIL (the manifesto doesn't mention it as such). Had he made his intentions clearer and had he adopted a style that was more inclined to dialogue than diktat, there might not be the mess there now is. Bauzá can and should be blamed for the fiasco, but Antich and PSOE should also share the blame, as must the teachers. They were fully aware of what Matas had introduced and had intended. Bauzá was equivocal, but there was always the likelihood that trilingualism would come back onto the agenda, and it did.
PSOE could have been more broadminded in 2007, but driven by a determination to undo the Matas experiment and with its coalition partners in mind, it wasn't. It missed an opportunity. And if PSOE form the next government, history will no doubt repeat itself.
Index for September 2014
Alcanada - 20 September 2014
Almonds - 21 September 2014
Catalonia independence - 22 September 2014
Cristòfol Soler - 11 September 2014
Dishonourable Balearic Government - 27 September 2014
Formula One in Mallorca - 5 September 2014
Holiday lets - 6 September 2014, 12 September 2014
Hollywood greats in Mallorca - 16 September 2014, 17 September 2014, 18 September 2014
La Beata procession politicisation - 9 September 2014
Loryc and early years of Mallorcan motoring - 24 September 2014
Magalluf and police corruption allegations - 3 September 2014, 15 September 2014
Magalluf drugs operation - 14 September 2014
Mallorca Day and Day of Virgin of Lluc - 7 September 2014
Mateo Isern versus President Bauzá - 8 September 2014
Mayors and electoral reform - 1 September 2014
Moors and Christians fiestas and Unesco - 25 September 2014
Oktoberfests in Mallorca - 28 September 2014
Playa de Palma/Magalluf obsession - 2 September 2014
Resort regeneration - 13 September 2014
Sewage plants Playa de Muro/Son Bauló - 4 September 2014
Storms - 10 September 2011
Tourism volume reduction - 23 September 2014
Tourist spend fall - 26 September 2014
Trilingual teaching - 30 September 2014
Vita Delta closure - 19 September 2014
Unstable government under Bauzá - 29 September 2014
Showing posts with label Francesc Antich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Francesc Antich. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Persona Non Grata: Persona nonsensical
Can you name any well-known people who were declared persona non grata? If not, then let me offer you a few (well, three anyway): Kurt Waldheim (allegations of Nazi war crimes and so given persona non grata status in the US among other countries); Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain (the Italians booted her out in 1942 because she had sympathies with the Allies); Jörg Haider (the Israelis declared him non grata for fairly obvious reasons).
Persona non grata is used in diplomatic circles. The Vienna Convention says that a state may "at any time and without having to explain its decision" declare a member of diplomatic staff persona non grata, a declaration that usually leads to expulsion from a country. Persona non grata, by definition (diplomatic definition at any rate), has to apply to someone from another country. It cannot apply to someone from one's own country. Except in Spain, or specifically the Balearics, where it does.
When countries engage in a spot of non-grata-ing, there is usually a tit-for-tat response. You make our chap persona non grata, we'll make your chap persona non grata. So there. The Balearic Parliament has managed to introduce the same principle, substituting left and right for country X and country Y. Even by its pretty low standards, the parliament has plumbed even greater depths of stupidity by entering into a tit-for-tat non-grata-ing carry-on.
The background is of course oil, the subject which dare not speak its name with any modicum of measured debate, and the last place you will get any measured debate is the parliamentary playground. David Abril is the leader of the merged Iniciativa d'Esquerres (initiative of the lefts) and Els Verds de Mallorca (greens). This merged entity forms part of the Més per Mallorca coalition. Eco-socalism is an ideology to which David is partial and as such you would imagine - and you would be right - that he isn't overly keen on oil companies drilling ruddy great holes in the seabed near to the Balearics. As part of the parliamentary debate (if one can call it that) about oil exploration, David called for national energy minister José Manuel Soria to be declared persona non grata.
Having done so, the tit-for-tat started, the Partido Popular's spokesperson, Mabel Cabrer, calling for not one, not two, but three politicians from the left to also be declared persona non grata. They were, in descending order of importance, former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former president of the Balearics, Francesc Antich, and ex-minister for the environment in the Balearics, Gabriel Vicens. Why was she picking on this triumvirate? Because it's all their fault, this oil malarkey. Nasty, horrid socialists that they are. Nothing to do with us in the PP or with nice Sr. Soria. And in fingering Vicens, Mabel struck a deep wound in David's eco-socialist heart, as Gabriel is of a similar bent and a member of the PSM Mallorcan socialists, one part of the Més fraternity.
What neither David nor Mabel was able to explain was quite how persona non grata status might work in practice, especially where Antich and Vicens are concerned. As they both live in Mallorca, would it be the intention to force them into exile to Benidorm or somewhere? But of course, silly me, persona non grata doesn't really mean what it normally means (at least I don't think it does). It is a yah-boo, sucks to you, we're going to ignore you type of persona non grata; a sending to Coventry persona non grata, always assuming that Coventry doesn't invoke the Vienna Convention.
In fact, the resort to the non-grata mechanism is pretty common; so common that it is utterly meaningless. Just as an example, President Bauzá and agriculture/environment/transport ministerial supremo Gabriel Company both copped for some non-grata-ing from the train platform in Mallorca's Llevant region last year. This wasn't an actual platform because there are no platforms and there are no trains, which was the whole point; a group (the platform) in favour of the train that will not run from Manacor to Artà wanted Bauzá and Company to be declared personas non gratas, which presumably meant that they would get a frosty reception were they to set foot in Son Servera, Sant Llorenç or Artà ever again.
The calls in parliament were, as with other similar demands for persona non grata, pretty puerile and they also obscured whatever sensible discussion there may have been on the oil business. But as we know, there is very little that is sensible, just name-calling and tit-for-tat posturing in what - the parliament - is supposed to be the islands' premier debating chamber. That it is not, and so lamentable is its attempts at debate that perhaps the whole lot of them should be declared persona non grata.
Persona non grata is used in diplomatic circles. The Vienna Convention says that a state may "at any time and without having to explain its decision" declare a member of diplomatic staff persona non grata, a declaration that usually leads to expulsion from a country. Persona non grata, by definition (diplomatic definition at any rate), has to apply to someone from another country. It cannot apply to someone from one's own country. Except in Spain, or specifically the Balearics, where it does.
When countries engage in a spot of non-grata-ing, there is usually a tit-for-tat response. You make our chap persona non grata, we'll make your chap persona non grata. So there. The Balearic Parliament has managed to introduce the same principle, substituting left and right for country X and country Y. Even by its pretty low standards, the parliament has plumbed even greater depths of stupidity by entering into a tit-for-tat non-grata-ing carry-on.
The background is of course oil, the subject which dare not speak its name with any modicum of measured debate, and the last place you will get any measured debate is the parliamentary playground. David Abril is the leader of the merged Iniciativa d'Esquerres (initiative of the lefts) and Els Verds de Mallorca (greens). This merged entity forms part of the Més per Mallorca coalition. Eco-socalism is an ideology to which David is partial and as such you would imagine - and you would be right - that he isn't overly keen on oil companies drilling ruddy great holes in the seabed near to the Balearics. As part of the parliamentary debate (if one can call it that) about oil exploration, David called for national energy minister José Manuel Soria to be declared persona non grata.
Having done so, the tit-for-tat started, the Partido Popular's spokesperson, Mabel Cabrer, calling for not one, not two, but three politicians from the left to also be declared persona non grata. They were, in descending order of importance, former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former president of the Balearics, Francesc Antich, and ex-minister for the environment in the Balearics, Gabriel Vicens. Why was she picking on this triumvirate? Because it's all their fault, this oil malarkey. Nasty, horrid socialists that they are. Nothing to do with us in the PP or with nice Sr. Soria. And in fingering Vicens, Mabel struck a deep wound in David's eco-socialist heart, as Gabriel is of a similar bent and a member of the PSM Mallorcan socialists, one part of the Més fraternity.
What neither David nor Mabel was able to explain was quite how persona non grata status might work in practice, especially where Antich and Vicens are concerned. As they both live in Mallorca, would it be the intention to force them into exile to Benidorm or somewhere? But of course, silly me, persona non grata doesn't really mean what it normally means (at least I don't think it does). It is a yah-boo, sucks to you, we're going to ignore you type of persona non grata; a sending to Coventry persona non grata, always assuming that Coventry doesn't invoke the Vienna Convention.
In fact, the resort to the non-grata mechanism is pretty common; so common that it is utterly meaningless. Just as an example, President Bauzá and agriculture/environment/transport ministerial supremo Gabriel Company both copped for some non-grata-ing from the train platform in Mallorca's Llevant region last year. This wasn't an actual platform because there are no platforms and there are no trains, which was the whole point; a group (the platform) in favour of the train that will not run from Manacor to Artà wanted Bauzá and Company to be declared personas non gratas, which presumably meant that they would get a frosty reception were they to set foot in Son Servera, Sant Llorenç or Artà ever again.
The calls in parliament were, as with other similar demands for persona non grata, pretty puerile and they also obscured whatever sensible discussion there may have been on the oil business. But as we know, there is very little that is sensible, just name-calling and tit-for-tat posturing in what - the parliament - is supposed to be the islands' premier debating chamber. That it is not, and so lamentable is its attempts at debate that perhaps the whole lot of them should be declared persona non grata.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Wanted: Tourism Minister, Forklift Experience Not Necessary
The Balearics have been on their annual jaunt to Berlin. The biggest of the round of travel fairs, the ITB, has been the backdrop to the celebratory noises coming from Germany, those speaking of staggering increases in tourism volume this summer, anything up to 50% greater sales, and of hotel chains suspending sales because of fears that high demand will lead to overbooking.
An "historic" year for tourism in Mallorca and the islands does genuinely now appear to be in the offing, despite the best attempts of the airport workers to put the kibosh on this. For once, the joyous expressions of photo-opportunistic Balearics representatives at the travel fair are unforced. Gone are the smiles through gritted teeth of an imminent, crisis-imploding season. Holiday. Celebrate.
Amongst the ecstatic faces in Berlin have been President Antich and his tourism minister, Joana Barceló. They have probably been making the most of their time in the German capital; this year's fair may well turn out to be the last that either attends. Through happenstance more than design, they can go out on a tourism high.
While you would expect both to pitch up at such an event, it is the presence of Antich which is the more significant. Progressively, over the course of his current administration, he has become a far more visible player in matters tourism. His involvement with developments of new tourism markets, China and especially Russia, has coincided with the expansion of these markets. The Russian tour operator, Natalie Tours, anticipates bringing 40% more Russian tourists to the islands this summer; an increase in the number of flight connections with Palma and other Balearic airports (34 in all) is largely due to new routes to and from Russia.
To what extent Antich can take personal credit for these developments is open to question, but he does deserve some credit for seeming to have adopted a more proactive stance when it comes to tourism. It might be said that he, and previous presidents, should have been doing this anyway, but it hasn't always been so.
If one accepts the generally held view that tourism equates to roughly 80% of Mallorca's GDP, then a hands-on presidential role in the management of what is the island's only strategic industry should be a given. It is only belatedly, however, that a local president has seen this light. For Antich, it may have been that he was left with little choice, as he was the one element of continuity while successive tourism ministers were being shown the door.
Placing tourism in a more central and lofty position in the governmental hierarchy chimes with how it is perceived in some competitor destinations. In both Turkey and the Mubarak-governed Egypt, tourism is and was afforded a special, strategic role, one reflected by the power invested in officials to ensure the success of tourism.
In the past, I have argued for a similar arrangement in the Balearics, with tourism, in effect, being treated as a special case as an office of the president. Without going so far as this, Antich more recently said that not only should tourism be the priority but pretty much everything else in Mallorca should play a supporting role to tourism. If one follows this line of argument and one of the president assuming greater executive responsibility, where does that leave the minister for tourism?
The Fomento del Turísmo (the Mallorcan Tourist Board) called the other day for a future tourism minister to be someone from the industry. Quite how this might be effected if this were not an elected official, I am unsure, but it was a not unreasonable point.
While any minister should be capable of understanding and following a brief, tourism is too important to be left to a politician whose qualifications for the post are often questionable. Take, as an example, the unfortunate Miguel Ferrer. Transported from the mayoral seat in Alcúdia, he rematerialised for a couple of months behind the tourism ministry's desk. The rationalisation for his appointment was that he was mayor of a town with a significant tourism industry. He was also, before becoming mayor, a forklift truck driver. The logic of the argument was singularly lacking, and were there any logic to it, then why not put the mayor of Sa Pobla in charge of agriculture because the town is the centre of the island's potato production?
Antich, by default, has become the de facto tourism minister, more so than Barceló who, as with her predecessors, appears to operate via a manual by which Balearics tourism ministers are obliged to utter banalities in respect of so-called alternative tourism, amongst other things. Antich does at least seem to get it, something which his likely successor, José Bauzá, gives little confidence in suggesting that he does. It may well be that the Fomento think the same, and so have called for a professional appointment.
Whether tourism is placed in the presidential palace or not, the need for someone with the correct qualifications is enormous. It is not just that 80% of GDP that needs taking care of. Tourism at government level demands dealing with the most powerful of Mallorca's businesses, the hotel and travel groups, as well as the most influential of external businesses, the airlines and tour operators. It is a job that is presidential in its scope, importance and need to be seen to be credible. If not the job of the president himself, then it has to be that of someone with real clout, knowledge and contacts. It is not a job for a forklift truck driver.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
An "historic" year for tourism in Mallorca and the islands does genuinely now appear to be in the offing, despite the best attempts of the airport workers to put the kibosh on this. For once, the joyous expressions of photo-opportunistic Balearics representatives at the travel fair are unforced. Gone are the smiles through gritted teeth of an imminent, crisis-imploding season. Holiday. Celebrate.
Amongst the ecstatic faces in Berlin have been President Antich and his tourism minister, Joana Barceló. They have probably been making the most of their time in the German capital; this year's fair may well turn out to be the last that either attends. Through happenstance more than design, they can go out on a tourism high.
While you would expect both to pitch up at such an event, it is the presence of Antich which is the more significant. Progressively, over the course of his current administration, he has become a far more visible player in matters tourism. His involvement with developments of new tourism markets, China and especially Russia, has coincided with the expansion of these markets. The Russian tour operator, Natalie Tours, anticipates bringing 40% more Russian tourists to the islands this summer; an increase in the number of flight connections with Palma and other Balearic airports (34 in all) is largely due to new routes to and from Russia.
To what extent Antich can take personal credit for these developments is open to question, but he does deserve some credit for seeming to have adopted a more proactive stance when it comes to tourism. It might be said that he, and previous presidents, should have been doing this anyway, but it hasn't always been so.
If one accepts the generally held view that tourism equates to roughly 80% of Mallorca's GDP, then a hands-on presidential role in the management of what is the island's only strategic industry should be a given. It is only belatedly, however, that a local president has seen this light. For Antich, it may have been that he was left with little choice, as he was the one element of continuity while successive tourism ministers were being shown the door.
Placing tourism in a more central and lofty position in the governmental hierarchy chimes with how it is perceived in some competitor destinations. In both Turkey and the Mubarak-governed Egypt, tourism is and was afforded a special, strategic role, one reflected by the power invested in officials to ensure the success of tourism.
In the past, I have argued for a similar arrangement in the Balearics, with tourism, in effect, being treated as a special case as an office of the president. Without going so far as this, Antich more recently said that not only should tourism be the priority but pretty much everything else in Mallorca should play a supporting role to tourism. If one follows this line of argument and one of the president assuming greater executive responsibility, where does that leave the minister for tourism?
The Fomento del Turísmo (the Mallorcan Tourist Board) called the other day for a future tourism minister to be someone from the industry. Quite how this might be effected if this were not an elected official, I am unsure, but it was a not unreasonable point.
While any minister should be capable of understanding and following a brief, tourism is too important to be left to a politician whose qualifications for the post are often questionable. Take, as an example, the unfortunate Miguel Ferrer. Transported from the mayoral seat in Alcúdia, he rematerialised for a couple of months behind the tourism ministry's desk. The rationalisation for his appointment was that he was mayor of a town with a significant tourism industry. He was also, before becoming mayor, a forklift truck driver. The logic of the argument was singularly lacking, and were there any logic to it, then why not put the mayor of Sa Pobla in charge of agriculture because the town is the centre of the island's potato production?
Antich, by default, has become the de facto tourism minister, more so than Barceló who, as with her predecessors, appears to operate via a manual by which Balearics tourism ministers are obliged to utter banalities in respect of so-called alternative tourism, amongst other things. Antich does at least seem to get it, something which his likely successor, José Bauzá, gives little confidence in suggesting that he does. It may well be that the Fomento think the same, and so have called for a professional appointment.
Whether tourism is placed in the presidential palace or not, the need for someone with the correct qualifications is enormous. It is not just that 80% of GDP that needs taking care of. Tourism at government level demands dealing with the most powerful of Mallorca's businesses, the hotel and travel groups, as well as the most influential of external businesses, the airlines and tour operators. It is a job that is presidential in its scope, importance and need to be seen to be credible. If not the job of the president himself, then it has to be that of someone with real clout, knowledge and contacts. It is not a job for a forklift truck driver.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
De-Sastre - Corruption at the tourism institute
The corruption scandal that has engulfed the Inestur tourism institute threatens to swallow more than just a few named politicians; it could take with it the Unió Mallorquina (UM) party and indeed the regional government. Following the arrests of the director general of Inestur and of Joan Sastre, the head of tourism promotion in the government, the police have now detained our old friend Miquel Nadal - ex-tourism minister - in connection with the Inestur action, known as Operation Vulture (Operación Voltor). The vultures are circling, spying the carrion that is the UM and the government.
President Antich has been backed into a corner not of his making. He may have been criticised for not doing so before, but now he has sacked all the UM ministers in his government, while the heads of the Council of Mallorca and Palma town hall have done likewise where UM councillors are concerned. One of these - Nadal, forced to quit as minister because of the Son Oms corruption case - had the temerity to stay on as a Palma councillor. He isn't any longer. The UM has been left utterly humiliated and discredited. Many of its leading lights are either under arrest or under suspicion. How it can continue as a viable party must be open to some doubt - certainly in the short term.
Antich intends to continue to govern, but in minority, with only the left-wing Bloc as a coalition ally. The UM has been booted out. Whether Antich can limp on is also open to some question, but he wants to avoid what may become inevitable - an early election.
There are innumerable practical issues that face Antich, only one of them being his ability to govern. Foremost is what the hell he can do with the tourism ministry. At a time when all hands are needed to man the pumps of the islands' tourism promotion, he is left with no head of tourism promotion (Sastre) and no minister for tourism. Spare a thought for poor old Miquel Ferrer. No sooner had he got his feet under the desk at the ministry, than he's been told to pack up his stuff and clear off. And he's meant to be one of the good guys. Another minister, Enviro Man Grimalt, implicated in a previous and ongoing case, has also been shown the door.
The president is due to announce a reduction in ministries. He has got a whole mess on his plate and a whole mess of things he needs to do, but now - surely - he will grab the tourism brief himself. What he, and the rump government, cannot afford is to allow even more uncertainty where the industry is concerned.
Antich is now getting a kicking. Though his own party, the PSOE, is not caught up in the scandals, it is the ruling the party, and Antich - so it is argued - should have acted earlier to oust the UM. Perhaps so, but he had his majority to consider. What he has attempted to do is to continue with the status quo of the coalition, whilst at the same time being undemined by the rotten status of his key coalition partners. There will doubtless be calls for an election, but where ultimately does that get anyone if the problem is less one of politics but more one of a thoroughly nasty streak of greed, power, nepotism and favours that runs through the Mallorcan culture? It is Mallorcan society that stands accused as much as its political system. Inestur, Son Oms, these have been spectacular scandals even by the corrupt-ridden standards (sic) of Mallorcan life, but who is to say they won't be repeated? It's not as if they are new. What is, is the sheer scale.
The tourism industry outside of Mallorca is said to be concerned. Concerned? You bet it is. Or should be. Aghast, perplexed, horrified. Only some days ago at the Fitur exhibition in Madrid, tour operators and others would have been glad-handing Joan Sastre. They have every right to wonder what the hell is going on. The comings and goings at the tourism ministry and the extraordinary nature of the scandals and of the people involved are farcical. Or they would be were they not so tragic. For this reason, as much as for practical purposes, Antich should take over. He may have lost credibility with some, but who on earth else is there to represent the islands at such a crucial time for the local tourism industry?
The UM's latest leader, Josep Melià, is blaming Antich for breaking the pact and for acting unilaterally. What other choice did he have? It is the UM that has brought the situation about, or at least several of its leading members have. But there will still be hints that this is all somehow a conspiracy, one aimed at blasting the UM into political oblivion. It doesn't seem to need any help in this, yet there is one thing that occurs, and it is this. When Nadal was forced to quit as tourism minister, there were various possible successors, one of them was Sastre. A UM representative, a member of the government, the holder of a position in the tourism ministry, he had, it seemed, all the right credentials to take over from Nadal, given that the UM held the ministry as part of the coalition agreement. Instead, Ferrer was appointed, for no better reason than he had been mayor of a town that is an important tourist resort. Yet, he had never operated at the level he was then propelled into. Sastre on the other hand had and was doing so. Why, therefore, was Sastre overlooked? Did someone know something?
* Note on the title: De-Sastre. The word for disaster in Spanish is "desastre".
QUIZ
Yesterday: "Close To The Front", Amy Winehouse, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oPslmsH7hA.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
President Antich has been backed into a corner not of his making. He may have been criticised for not doing so before, but now he has sacked all the UM ministers in his government, while the heads of the Council of Mallorca and Palma town hall have done likewise where UM councillors are concerned. One of these - Nadal, forced to quit as minister because of the Son Oms corruption case - had the temerity to stay on as a Palma councillor. He isn't any longer. The UM has been left utterly humiliated and discredited. Many of its leading lights are either under arrest or under suspicion. How it can continue as a viable party must be open to some doubt - certainly in the short term.
Antich intends to continue to govern, but in minority, with only the left-wing Bloc as a coalition ally. The UM has been booted out. Whether Antich can limp on is also open to some question, but he wants to avoid what may become inevitable - an early election.
There are innumerable practical issues that face Antich, only one of them being his ability to govern. Foremost is what the hell he can do with the tourism ministry. At a time when all hands are needed to man the pumps of the islands' tourism promotion, he is left with no head of tourism promotion (Sastre) and no minister for tourism. Spare a thought for poor old Miquel Ferrer. No sooner had he got his feet under the desk at the ministry, than he's been told to pack up his stuff and clear off. And he's meant to be one of the good guys. Another minister, Enviro Man Grimalt, implicated in a previous and ongoing case, has also been shown the door.
The president is due to announce a reduction in ministries. He has got a whole mess on his plate and a whole mess of things he needs to do, but now - surely - he will grab the tourism brief himself. What he, and the rump government, cannot afford is to allow even more uncertainty where the industry is concerned.
Antich is now getting a kicking. Though his own party, the PSOE, is not caught up in the scandals, it is the ruling the party, and Antich - so it is argued - should have acted earlier to oust the UM. Perhaps so, but he had his majority to consider. What he has attempted to do is to continue with the status quo of the coalition, whilst at the same time being undemined by the rotten status of his key coalition partners. There will doubtless be calls for an election, but where ultimately does that get anyone if the problem is less one of politics but more one of a thoroughly nasty streak of greed, power, nepotism and favours that runs through the Mallorcan culture? It is Mallorcan society that stands accused as much as its political system. Inestur, Son Oms, these have been spectacular scandals even by the corrupt-ridden standards (sic) of Mallorcan life, but who is to say they won't be repeated? It's not as if they are new. What is, is the sheer scale.
The tourism industry outside of Mallorca is said to be concerned. Concerned? You bet it is. Or should be. Aghast, perplexed, horrified. Only some days ago at the Fitur exhibition in Madrid, tour operators and others would have been glad-handing Joan Sastre. They have every right to wonder what the hell is going on. The comings and goings at the tourism ministry and the extraordinary nature of the scandals and of the people involved are farcical. Or they would be were they not so tragic. For this reason, as much as for practical purposes, Antich should take over. He may have lost credibility with some, but who on earth else is there to represent the islands at such a crucial time for the local tourism industry?
The UM's latest leader, Josep Melià, is blaming Antich for breaking the pact and for acting unilaterally. What other choice did he have? It is the UM that has brought the situation about, or at least several of its leading members have. But there will still be hints that this is all somehow a conspiracy, one aimed at blasting the UM into political oblivion. It doesn't seem to need any help in this, yet there is one thing that occurs, and it is this. When Nadal was forced to quit as tourism minister, there were various possible successors, one of them was Sastre. A UM representative, a member of the government, the holder of a position in the tourism ministry, he had, it seemed, all the right credentials to take over from Nadal, given that the UM held the ministry as part of the coalition agreement. Instead, Ferrer was appointed, for no better reason than he had been mayor of a town that is an important tourist resort. Yet, he had never operated at the level he was then propelled into. Sastre on the other hand had and was doing so. Why, therefore, was Sastre overlooked? Did someone know something?
* Note on the title: De-Sastre. The word for disaster in Spanish is "desastre".
QUIZ
Yesterday: "Close To The Front", Amy Winehouse, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oPslmsH7hA.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Monday, January 25, 2010
I'm Anti, Fly Me - Tourism Priorities
Despite some predictions that 2010 might be worse than 2009, there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic about the coming season. The resident travel expert that "The Bulletin" short-hauls out on regular occasions - a chap from the combined Co-Op, Monarch and Cosmos group - referred the other day to factors previously mentioned here, such as issues in Turkey and increasing consumer confidence. As ever, or so it seems with the paper, there was some confusion. The article had a strap-line "Cosmos reports 43 per cent increase in Majorca holiday sales", yet nowhere in the article itself was this mentioned or was an explanation offered as to the time frame during which the increase had occurred. Maybe Cosmos has indeed experienced such an increase, but overall sales figures quoted for this year suggest a 15% reduction. Such a decline could clearly be used as evidence to support the argument that 2010 will be worse, but there are factors to take account of which might counter this - a bad summer in the UK last year and recent bad weather preventing trips to travel agencies, and, more positively, the improvement in the pound, that returning confidence and, in all likelihood, a later surge in holiday bookings.
There is a further reason for optimism - and this is that the regional government does appear to be galvanising itself. In the paper's editorial, Jason pointed to the fact that President Antich is to make tourism his top priority this year, rightly noting that he might surely have been doing this previously. Antich, in addition to announcing greater funding for tourism, has called on all government departments to get behind tourism and for it to be everyone's priority. Maybe the centimo has finally dropped. I have argued that the regional government should be restructured in such a way as to place tourism at its peak. Antich should, I believe, have grasped the nettle when Miquel Nadal was forced to resign and taken on the tourism brief himself. But if the president can persuade the rest of the political class that it, in effect, acts in support of the island's only strategic industry, then this has to be applauded - at last.
A question is, however, whether the rest of the political class will take any notice. There was a letter to "The Bulletin" a few days ago. It was questioning tourism minister Ferrer's ambitions for changes in the tourism sector, bracketing this with a reference to members of the coalition government who "have gone on record saying that they would prefer to see less (sic) foreigners here". I'm not sure who these members are, but it is the case that there have been some political voices raised against swelling tourist numbers, a sort of anti-tourism brigade that isn't. One of them belongs to Mother Munar, the matriarch of Ferrer's nationalist party, who once spoke out against an invasion of foreigners, but a member of government only in the sense that she is the speaker of parliament. (Incidentally, Mother applied her constitutional right the other day in keeping mum when she appeared before the beak investigating the corruption accusation against her.) There may well be some Little Mallorcans lurking who would prefer to turn the clock back or others who would rather Mallorca tourists were only those with bulging wallets, and these politicians may well reside in the ranks of the nationalists or parties to the left of Antich's PSOE, but there is one very important factor that none of them would wish to ignore. It is a factor which gives lie to what they may or may not allow their different ideologies to say about tourism numbers, and that is ... the airport.
Antich used the platform at the Fitur exhibition in Madrid to make not only his announcement about tourism priority but also to refer to the management of the airport by the regional government. This is, and has been, a major ambition of local politicians for some while. And why? Because it means money. And a pre-requisite for granting local management is passenger numbers. The more there are, the closer that management gets. And more passengers means more tourists. And more passengers, more tourists means more money for whatever body runs the airport because of landing and docking licences and all the rest. No politician, of whatever party, is going to thumb his nose at the potential moolah that will be forthcoming. The central government vice-president has been making positive noises about local management during a visit to Palma, which may or may not be simple politicking in support of fellow party member Antich as the regional elections approach. Presumably, Antich would see securing airport management in advance of these elections as a voting feather in his cap.
One can be cynical about the motives behind the renewed tourism drive. But airport management or no airport management, the declaration of tourism priority is an overdue statement of reality, if also an overdue statement of the bleeding obvious. In the absence of any other industry of real note, certainly given the parlous state of construction, then tourism it has to be. Now just get on with it.
QUIZ
Yesterday: The Thompson Twins, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oWfHN1rrGc.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
There is a further reason for optimism - and this is that the regional government does appear to be galvanising itself. In the paper's editorial, Jason pointed to the fact that President Antich is to make tourism his top priority this year, rightly noting that he might surely have been doing this previously. Antich, in addition to announcing greater funding for tourism, has called on all government departments to get behind tourism and for it to be everyone's priority. Maybe the centimo has finally dropped. I have argued that the regional government should be restructured in such a way as to place tourism at its peak. Antich should, I believe, have grasped the nettle when Miquel Nadal was forced to resign and taken on the tourism brief himself. But if the president can persuade the rest of the political class that it, in effect, acts in support of the island's only strategic industry, then this has to be applauded - at last.
A question is, however, whether the rest of the political class will take any notice. There was a letter to "The Bulletin" a few days ago. It was questioning tourism minister Ferrer's ambitions for changes in the tourism sector, bracketing this with a reference to members of the coalition government who "have gone on record saying that they would prefer to see less (sic) foreigners here". I'm not sure who these members are, but it is the case that there have been some political voices raised against swelling tourist numbers, a sort of anti-tourism brigade that isn't. One of them belongs to Mother Munar, the matriarch of Ferrer's nationalist party, who once spoke out against an invasion of foreigners, but a member of government only in the sense that she is the speaker of parliament. (Incidentally, Mother applied her constitutional right the other day in keeping mum when she appeared before the beak investigating the corruption accusation against her.) There may well be some Little Mallorcans lurking who would prefer to turn the clock back or others who would rather Mallorca tourists were only those with bulging wallets, and these politicians may well reside in the ranks of the nationalists or parties to the left of Antich's PSOE, but there is one very important factor that none of them would wish to ignore. It is a factor which gives lie to what they may or may not allow their different ideologies to say about tourism numbers, and that is ... the airport.
Antich used the platform at the Fitur exhibition in Madrid to make not only his announcement about tourism priority but also to refer to the management of the airport by the regional government. This is, and has been, a major ambition of local politicians for some while. And why? Because it means money. And a pre-requisite for granting local management is passenger numbers. The more there are, the closer that management gets. And more passengers means more tourists. And more passengers, more tourists means more money for whatever body runs the airport because of landing and docking licences and all the rest. No politician, of whatever party, is going to thumb his nose at the potential moolah that will be forthcoming. The central government vice-president has been making positive noises about local management during a visit to Palma, which may or may not be simple politicking in support of fellow party member Antich as the regional elections approach. Presumably, Antich would see securing airport management in advance of these elections as a voting feather in his cap.
One can be cynical about the motives behind the renewed tourism drive. But airport management or no airport management, the declaration of tourism priority is an overdue statement of reality, if also an overdue statement of the bleeding obvious. In the absence of any other industry of real note, certainly given the parlous state of construction, then tourism it has to be. Now just get on with it.
QUIZ
Yesterday: The Thompson Twins, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oWfHN1rrGc.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Fever Isn't Such A New Thing - Elections in 2011
Election fever may be starting to take hold in the UK, but in Mallorca the fever is, as yet, just a mild sniffle. Regional elections for the Balearic Government do not take place till 2011, but plans are starting to be put into place. The greatest uncertainty surrounds the current president, Francesc Antich, who has been equivocal as to whether he will seek a further term. The good money, until now, has been that he will not stand again, and he has hinted that this might be the case, but his party - the PSOE socialists - would like him to and to continue as secretary-general of the party.
Whatever one thinks about Antich and indeed his socialist party, and whatever one thinks about his handling of affairs from the economic crisis to the corruption scandals, he has been a good enough president. More than this, he is one of the very few Mallorcan politicians who can be said to demonstrate anything like statesman-like qualities and genuine political maturity. His diplomacy and patience in dealing with the disruptions in government - none of them of his making - have been commented upon and been admired. He has also overseen a significant increase in the level of central funding coming into the islands for different projects. It was not, for example, his fault that one of the major projects - the rail extension to Alcúdia - was scuppered. He is dealt the hand he is dealt, one that pretty much any president in the Balearics faces - that of dealing with coalition partners and different levels of government that often have competing needs or which just act in a politicking manner.
The main alternative to Antich is the current leader of the Council of Mallorca, Francina Armengol. The fact that members of the Unió Mallorquina were prepared to resign from her administration does not fill one with great confidence; they resigned because they didn't get on with her. It might be argued that they - the UM members - did a touch of toy-throwing out of the pram, but the fact remains that there were tensions and still are, following their return to the fold. The ability to deal with different factions and parties is arguably the most important aspect of a prospective leader's CV, and Armengol has not proved that she can satisfy this demand.
Of course, even if Antich were to seek a further term, there is no guarantee that he would win it. However, the main opposition - the Partido Popular - is not in great shape, and there is a question mark as to who actually would be its presidential candidate. Nevertheless, the party is polling quite well, despite the corruption scandal involving the former PP president, Jaume Matas. The UM is most unlikely to offer a serious challenge, certainly not in light of the corruption charges and the decimation in its ranks. Perhaps the biggest potential pitfall for the PSOE would be voter apathy, a rejection of the political class as a whole and a vote against corruption, though this would be somewhat unfair on the PSOE which has not been caught up in the scandals.
One of the great advantages for Antich is that he is a member of the same party that rules in Madrid. A closeness to Zapatero can only work to Mallorca's benefit, but there must also be the possibility that Antich, who has already had an earlier stint as regional president, may have his eye on a central position. That would be Mallorca's loss but Spain's gain.
The race to next year's elections starts now.
(Since writing this piece, Antich has now announced that he will indeed be putting himself forward as a candidate in 2011.)
MORE SANT ANTONI INFO
On the WHAT'S ON BLOG is stuff for Sant Antoni in Alcúdia (Sant Sebastià as well) and in Muro - http://www.wotzupnorth.blogspot.com
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiwcOaaRo1Y. And - Bryn and Nessa in "Gavin & Stacey". Today's title - from which famous song does this come?
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Whatever one thinks about Antich and indeed his socialist party, and whatever one thinks about his handling of affairs from the economic crisis to the corruption scandals, he has been a good enough president. More than this, he is one of the very few Mallorcan politicians who can be said to demonstrate anything like statesman-like qualities and genuine political maturity. His diplomacy and patience in dealing with the disruptions in government - none of them of his making - have been commented upon and been admired. He has also overseen a significant increase in the level of central funding coming into the islands for different projects. It was not, for example, his fault that one of the major projects - the rail extension to Alcúdia - was scuppered. He is dealt the hand he is dealt, one that pretty much any president in the Balearics faces - that of dealing with coalition partners and different levels of government that often have competing needs or which just act in a politicking manner.
The main alternative to Antich is the current leader of the Council of Mallorca, Francina Armengol. The fact that members of the Unió Mallorquina were prepared to resign from her administration does not fill one with great confidence; they resigned because they didn't get on with her. It might be argued that they - the UM members - did a touch of toy-throwing out of the pram, but the fact remains that there were tensions and still are, following their return to the fold. The ability to deal with different factions and parties is arguably the most important aspect of a prospective leader's CV, and Armengol has not proved that she can satisfy this demand.
Of course, even if Antich were to seek a further term, there is no guarantee that he would win it. However, the main opposition - the Partido Popular - is not in great shape, and there is a question mark as to who actually would be its presidential candidate. Nevertheless, the party is polling quite well, despite the corruption scandal involving the former PP president, Jaume Matas. The UM is most unlikely to offer a serious challenge, certainly not in light of the corruption charges and the decimation in its ranks. Perhaps the biggest potential pitfall for the PSOE would be voter apathy, a rejection of the political class as a whole and a vote against corruption, though this would be somewhat unfair on the PSOE which has not been caught up in the scandals.
One of the great advantages for Antich is that he is a member of the same party that rules in Madrid. A closeness to Zapatero can only work to Mallorca's benefit, but there must also be the possibility that Antich, who has already had an earlier stint as regional president, may have his eye on a central position. That would be Mallorca's loss but Spain's gain.
The race to next year's elections starts now.
(Since writing this piece, Antich has now announced that he will indeed be putting himself forward as a candidate in 2011.)
MORE SANT ANTONI INFO
On the WHAT'S ON BLOG is stuff for Sant Antoni in Alcúdia (Sant Sebastià as well) and in Muro - http://www.wotzupnorth.blogspot.com
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiwcOaaRo1Y. And - Bryn and Nessa in "Gavin & Stacey". Today's title - from which famous song does this come?
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Friday, December 18, 2009
You Just Can't Get Agreement - Antich And Other Politicians
There was an interesting little thing tucked away in "The Diario" yesterday. Interesting, not because of what it said, but because of what could be extrapolated from it. The article referred to a meeting between Francesc Antich, the regional government president, and the hotel federation. The headlining element was that Antich suggested it was easier to reach agreements with business and unions than with political parties. From that, one can infer that it is not always easy to reach compromise with coalition partners. He is not wrong. But this was not the most interesting aspect. Antich is also reported as saying that "the political situation impedes the taking of measures that allow for greater tourism competitiveness". In other words, the very nature of the system is a constraint on Mallorca's most important industry.
Now, just think about this, and take into account also the fact that the hoteliers made a number of demands to Antich, one of which was for the improvement of public transport to Alcúdia, i.e. the train, the train that was effectively vetoed by Alcúdia town hall. Think about it. Who is now the new tourism minister? The mayor of Alcúdia, Miquel Ferrer, the one who stood in the way of the train because the town hall would not go along with the government's preference for the siting of the Sa Pobla rail extension.
The political system - the coalition - acts against the best interests of the tourism industry, including those to do with transport infrastructure. This is what Antich is saying. The coalition comprises three parties, one of which, the Unió Mallorquina, is represented in the tourism ministry, as it has been throughout the Antich administration, albeit by different politicians. Do we infer from this that the UM has been obstructive in tourism development? No, this has not been the case. But now that Ferrer is in charge of tourism, will he see the train in a different light, i.e. one that takes account of a wider interest than merely a parochial Alcúdia one of self-interest, as was manifest in the protests by the finca owners of the Son Fé area of Alcúdia? It is not for Ferrer, as tourism minister, to decide anything where transport is concerned, but he must have an opinion or be asked for one. Will this now change?
When Ferrer gave his first press conference the other day, one of the things he was not asked about was the train. Had he been, he would probably have deflected it by saying that it is not an issue for the tourism ministry. But he should still have been asked. Ferrer has been mute on the subject since the decision was taken to use funds earmarked the Sa Pobla extension for different projects. He has made something of a virtue of not saying things, but now he is tourism minister, he is going to be expected to be less taciturn. Though the train is effectively dead in the water until a new administration is elected, it nevertheless remains an issue, an issue for tourism development - as the hoteliers have made clear and, by implication of what Antich said, for the president himself, whose whole period of office was meant to have been celebrated as "the age of the train".
There is no collision course as such between Antich and Ferrer on the matter, as it has been shelved, but the very fact of the matter having been raised highlights - again - the difficulties created by different levels of government and different parties and also the potential complications for a politician elevated from a local environment to one of state (assuming one can call the regional government a "state"). Moreover, Ferrer will spend much of his time in discussion with the likes of the hoteliers federation. What will he say to them about the train? That Antich has had this meeting with the federation could be interpreted as a shot across Ferrer's bows, while a more active involvement in tourism matters by Antich, something I believe he should have, might be taken as either an admission of possible inexperience on behalf of Ferrer or of undermining him and also the UM.
Alcúdia town hall went against the preference of the government's transport ministry, one headed by a member of the Mallorcan socialists (Bloc), i.e. one to the left of centre, an area also inhabited by Antich. There is no love lost between the UM and the Bloc, and the train debacle was in so small part a reflection of this. Antich is widely admired for his patience and for his attempts at diplomacy, but one could forgive him just a touch of annoyance that one of his "big things", the train, was scuppered by the very person who is now his tourism minister.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Editors, "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zLxTGjpDew. Today's title - "you just can't get agreement" from a song with a choir by a Genesis off-shoot.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Now, just think about this, and take into account also the fact that the hoteliers made a number of demands to Antich, one of which was for the improvement of public transport to Alcúdia, i.e. the train, the train that was effectively vetoed by Alcúdia town hall. Think about it. Who is now the new tourism minister? The mayor of Alcúdia, Miquel Ferrer, the one who stood in the way of the train because the town hall would not go along with the government's preference for the siting of the Sa Pobla rail extension.
The political system - the coalition - acts against the best interests of the tourism industry, including those to do with transport infrastructure. This is what Antich is saying. The coalition comprises three parties, one of which, the Unió Mallorquina, is represented in the tourism ministry, as it has been throughout the Antich administration, albeit by different politicians. Do we infer from this that the UM has been obstructive in tourism development? No, this has not been the case. But now that Ferrer is in charge of tourism, will he see the train in a different light, i.e. one that takes account of a wider interest than merely a parochial Alcúdia one of self-interest, as was manifest in the protests by the finca owners of the Son Fé area of Alcúdia? It is not for Ferrer, as tourism minister, to decide anything where transport is concerned, but he must have an opinion or be asked for one. Will this now change?
When Ferrer gave his first press conference the other day, one of the things he was not asked about was the train. Had he been, he would probably have deflected it by saying that it is not an issue for the tourism ministry. But he should still have been asked. Ferrer has been mute on the subject since the decision was taken to use funds earmarked the Sa Pobla extension for different projects. He has made something of a virtue of not saying things, but now he is tourism minister, he is going to be expected to be less taciturn. Though the train is effectively dead in the water until a new administration is elected, it nevertheless remains an issue, an issue for tourism development - as the hoteliers have made clear and, by implication of what Antich said, for the president himself, whose whole period of office was meant to have been celebrated as "the age of the train".
There is no collision course as such between Antich and Ferrer on the matter, as it has been shelved, but the very fact of the matter having been raised highlights - again - the difficulties created by different levels of government and different parties and also the potential complications for a politician elevated from a local environment to one of state (assuming one can call the regional government a "state"). Moreover, Ferrer will spend much of his time in discussion with the likes of the hoteliers federation. What will he say to them about the train? That Antich has had this meeting with the federation could be interpreted as a shot across Ferrer's bows, while a more active involvement in tourism matters by Antich, something I believe he should have, might be taken as either an admission of possible inexperience on behalf of Ferrer or of undermining him and also the UM.
Alcúdia town hall went against the preference of the government's transport ministry, one headed by a member of the Mallorcan socialists (Bloc), i.e. one to the left of centre, an area also inhabited by Antich. There is no love lost between the UM and the Bloc, and the train debacle was in so small part a reflection of this. Antich is widely admired for his patience and for his attempts at diplomacy, but one could forgive him just a touch of annoyance that one of his "big things", the train, was scuppered by the very person who is now his tourism minister.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Editors, "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zLxTGjpDew. Today's title - "you just can't get agreement" from a song with a choir by a Genesis off-shoot.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Friday, October 02, 2009
Bloc-Heads
Politics in Mallorca are never exactly dull. Scandal, crisis, division, these are the almost daily staples of political fare served with a Mallorcan flavour. We now have the situation in which members of the ruling coalition at the Mallorca Council have resigned; they are all from the Unió Mallorquina (UM) nationalist party. It, the UM, forms (or should that be, formed) a pact with the socialists, the PSOE (that of the national president, Zapatero), and the so-called Bloc, comprising the Mallorcan socialists - PSM - and others to the left of centre. This coalition is mirrored at regional government level, i.e. the Balearics Government. Its president, Francesc Antich (PSOE), has looked to try and smooth over the problems at the Council, created, so it would seem, by differences with its own president, Francina Armengol (also PSOE). I trust, by the way, that you're following all this, as I'll be testing you later.
The consequence of the resignations at the Council is that what remains of the coalition now forms a minority. Chief among the accusations coming from the UM is that the Council has become a "dead institution" and a vehicle of "false marketing" (whatever that refers to). It should, the UM maintain, revert to what it is meant to do, namely undertake projects and investment. It's handy that the UM should make this point. There must be many who have no idea what the point of the Council actually is, set, as it is, betwixt the regional government and the town halls.
Setting aside the relevance or not of the Council (though this is a legitimate subject for debate in its own right), the fractiousness is an indictment not only of an inability of those of different political persuasions to work together in the name of the common good but also of the very nature of coalition politics. The UM is a centre-right party; it is not a naturally sympathetic partner for either the PSOE or the Bloc. But partner it is, or has been, as a means of getting some hold on the reigns of power and of making up the numbers to actually form a government. The UM says that it is not planning a rival pact with the conservative Partido Popular (PP), one that might be able to take over the running of the Council for the remainder of the current legislature. Yet, the PP would be a more natural ally. Both have similar political philosophies, apart from the obvious nationalist dimension of the UM and therefore also the language question.
Into all of this strides "The Bulletin" with a call to Antich to declare an election; an election, that is, at regional government level. Why? The Council is an entirely different body. Moreover, it is, as the name makes clear, a body for Mallorca and not the Balearics. It is, however, true to say that the regional government has stumbled into its own crises, in which the UM often appears to be the common factor. There was, for instance, an issue with the former tourism minister (UM) who had to be jettisoned and replaced by the current incumbent, Miquel Nadal (also UM), himself implicated in a scandal.
Were there to be an election, who is to say that the status quo would not be the result? That the same partners would not have to coalesce? Where would this get anyone? Perhaps the problems at the Council are at least in part due to a certain atrophy, that "dead institution", brought about by the horse-trading of a coalition of differing political colours. It is not that coalition politics cannot work. They do in Germany, for example, albeit that consensus politics there leads to a lack of radicalism the country has long needed. Germany now has a more natural coalition of the conservatives and the free-market liberals, one that may well provide the stimulus for change. But the philosophy of seeking consensus is one that seems to be lacking in Mallorca, one that places political party power above a desire to act in tandem for the common good. It is the maturity of the political mindset, or the lack thereof, that creates the problems for sound government in Mallorca. Not the system per se.
A mid-term election would serve no real purpose, unless the problems at the Council do repeat themselves at regional government level, though the feeling is that they do not exist there. Perhaps so; perhaps not. Either way, a solution lies in a greater humility and maturity. Or maybe there's another one - if it is indeed moribund, then scrap the Council altogether.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - U2, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=590ljQM08H0. Today's title - one letter's missing of course; this is not an Ian Dury thing, but a film question. Who were they?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
The consequence of the resignations at the Council is that what remains of the coalition now forms a minority. Chief among the accusations coming from the UM is that the Council has become a "dead institution" and a vehicle of "false marketing" (whatever that refers to). It should, the UM maintain, revert to what it is meant to do, namely undertake projects and investment. It's handy that the UM should make this point. There must be many who have no idea what the point of the Council actually is, set, as it is, betwixt the regional government and the town halls.
Setting aside the relevance or not of the Council (though this is a legitimate subject for debate in its own right), the fractiousness is an indictment not only of an inability of those of different political persuasions to work together in the name of the common good but also of the very nature of coalition politics. The UM is a centre-right party; it is not a naturally sympathetic partner for either the PSOE or the Bloc. But partner it is, or has been, as a means of getting some hold on the reigns of power and of making up the numbers to actually form a government. The UM says that it is not planning a rival pact with the conservative Partido Popular (PP), one that might be able to take over the running of the Council for the remainder of the current legislature. Yet, the PP would be a more natural ally. Both have similar political philosophies, apart from the obvious nationalist dimension of the UM and therefore also the language question.
Into all of this strides "The Bulletin" with a call to Antich to declare an election; an election, that is, at regional government level. Why? The Council is an entirely different body. Moreover, it is, as the name makes clear, a body for Mallorca and not the Balearics. It is, however, true to say that the regional government has stumbled into its own crises, in which the UM often appears to be the common factor. There was, for instance, an issue with the former tourism minister (UM) who had to be jettisoned and replaced by the current incumbent, Miquel Nadal (also UM), himself implicated in a scandal.
Were there to be an election, who is to say that the status quo would not be the result? That the same partners would not have to coalesce? Where would this get anyone? Perhaps the problems at the Council are at least in part due to a certain atrophy, that "dead institution", brought about by the horse-trading of a coalition of differing political colours. It is not that coalition politics cannot work. They do in Germany, for example, albeit that consensus politics there leads to a lack of radicalism the country has long needed. Germany now has a more natural coalition of the conservatives and the free-market liberals, one that may well provide the stimulus for change. But the philosophy of seeking consensus is one that seems to be lacking in Mallorca, one that places political party power above a desire to act in tandem for the common good. It is the maturity of the political mindset, or the lack thereof, that creates the problems for sound government in Mallorca. Not the system per se.
A mid-term election would serve no real purpose, unless the problems at the Council do repeat themselves at regional government level, though the feeling is that they do not exist there. Perhaps so; perhaps not. Either way, a solution lies in a greater humility and maturity. Or maybe there's another one - if it is indeed moribund, then scrap the Council altogether.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - U2, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=590ljQM08H0. Today's title - one letter's missing of course; this is not an Ian Dury thing, but a film question. Who were they?(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Head Bangers
The piece below has been rather overtaken by events - the government is set to divert the funds set aside for the extension to Alcúdia to other rail work on the island and in particular work on the "boulevard" which is part of a solution to issues surrounding the Manacor railway. Or is this just a cunning ploy by the government? More on all this to come, no doubt.
No, not something about Status Quo and their geriatric rocking all over the Darby and Joan Club in Palma the other day, but ever more on the Sa Pobla-Alcúdia train, an ever more which just goes to show how what you read and where you read it can give a less than complete picture of the situation. In "The Bulletin" we learn, thanks to the mayor of Manacor, that there has been "wholesale opposition" to the proposed northern corridor for the rail extension into Alcúdia and that the regional government has "heeded the outcry from Alcúdia" whilst not heeding one in Manacor regarding the rail extension from there to Artà, work on which is due to start shortly.
This is not quite accurate. There has of course been opposition to the northern route, but it is not as great as is being made out. Recently Alcúdia town hall, which has invited "allegations" against the proposed route and which has also extended hours of opening in order to present information, received - on the first day of these extended hours - fifteen people who asked for information. Moreover, the town hall received only a few "allegations". Asking for information does not mean wholesale opposition; it means asking for information. A few allegations do not represent wholesale opposition.
It is not accurate to suggest that the government has "heeded the outcry from Alcúdia". What it, or more specifically the transport ministry, has done is to suggest that if there cannot be agreement to the northern route, it (the ministry) would consider siting the rail extension elsewhere. Heeding the outcry actually means getting hacked off with the apparent intransigence at the town hall. The outcry itself is more one of political statements from the town hall; it is not a great public demonstration against the northern route. Yes, there have been protests, such as signs against the extension some months ago, but the Manacor mayor is overstating the situation. And those protests were essentially NIMBY in nature as they related to finca land that would be needed for a line into the centre of Alcúdia town.
In contrast to the report in "The Bulletin", which deals only with what the Manacor mayor has to say, one from "The Diario" presents a rather different picture. And it is this. The president of the government, Francesc Antich, has met with the leader of the Unió Mallorquina party, Miquel Flaquer, in order to try and gain some sort of consensus to present before the regional parliament. It should be noted that the Alcúdia town hall mayor, Miquel Ferrer, is from the same party as Flaquer. On Tuesday next week, responding to a demand from the Partido Popular, which is in opposition at the regional government, there needs to be some sort of definitive statement from the parliament about the Alcúdia railway. What one concludes, from what "The Diario" is saying, is that the whole issue has now gone over the heads of the main protagonists in the saga - the transport minister and the mayor of Alcúdia. Going over their heads and banging their heads together. And not before time.
The words of Manacor's mayor, himself from the Partido Popular, are essentially political posturing, certainly where Alcúdia is concerned, as the extension there has nothing whatsoever to do with him. But they sum up what this story is all about: political point-scoring. The real issues of environment, convenience, boost to local economy, population density and all the rest have been put to one side while the politicians from differing parties adopt their stances. 'Twas ever thus, you might say, and you would be right, but the fact that Antich has seen it necessary to get involved - overdue some might argue - is indicative of the inconclusiveness of the local political system and of political fighting. It should be remembered that Antich came into power with his "age of the train" declaration. Railways were his "big thing". He should have been more intimately involved long ago.
Personally I don't give a damn where the train goes, so long as it goes to Alcúdia which is the only sensible option in the north. Hopefully Antich can now, through the boss of the Unió Mallorquina, get Alcúdia town hall to accept the northern route, as quite clearly the transport ministry is not prepared to budge except to go to a different and less satisfactory municipality.
Places that are closing
Chances are that this might become a regular slot on the blog in the coming weeks. One place that is going is Mulligan's in Puerto Pollensa. Unfortunately, we can probably anticipate that there will be a number of others.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Ian Dury And The Blockheads, and here is the Hairy Cornflake introducing a "newcomer" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5snIxUBVjw.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
No, not something about Status Quo and their geriatric rocking all over the Darby and Joan Club in Palma the other day, but ever more on the Sa Pobla-Alcúdia train, an ever more which just goes to show how what you read and where you read it can give a less than complete picture of the situation. In "The Bulletin" we learn, thanks to the mayor of Manacor, that there has been "wholesale opposition" to the proposed northern corridor for the rail extension into Alcúdia and that the regional government has "heeded the outcry from Alcúdia" whilst not heeding one in Manacor regarding the rail extension from there to Artà, work on which is due to start shortly.
This is not quite accurate. There has of course been opposition to the northern route, but it is not as great as is being made out. Recently Alcúdia town hall, which has invited "allegations" against the proposed route and which has also extended hours of opening in order to present information, received - on the first day of these extended hours - fifteen people who asked for information. Moreover, the town hall received only a few "allegations". Asking for information does not mean wholesale opposition; it means asking for information. A few allegations do not represent wholesale opposition.
It is not accurate to suggest that the government has "heeded the outcry from Alcúdia". What it, or more specifically the transport ministry, has done is to suggest that if there cannot be agreement to the northern route, it (the ministry) would consider siting the rail extension elsewhere. Heeding the outcry actually means getting hacked off with the apparent intransigence at the town hall. The outcry itself is more one of political statements from the town hall; it is not a great public demonstration against the northern route. Yes, there have been protests, such as signs against the extension some months ago, but the Manacor mayor is overstating the situation. And those protests were essentially NIMBY in nature as they related to finca land that would be needed for a line into the centre of Alcúdia town.
In contrast to the report in "The Bulletin", which deals only with what the Manacor mayor has to say, one from "The Diario" presents a rather different picture. And it is this. The president of the government, Francesc Antich, has met with the leader of the Unió Mallorquina party, Miquel Flaquer, in order to try and gain some sort of consensus to present before the regional parliament. It should be noted that the Alcúdia town hall mayor, Miquel Ferrer, is from the same party as Flaquer. On Tuesday next week, responding to a demand from the Partido Popular, which is in opposition at the regional government, there needs to be some sort of definitive statement from the parliament about the Alcúdia railway. What one concludes, from what "The Diario" is saying, is that the whole issue has now gone over the heads of the main protagonists in the saga - the transport minister and the mayor of Alcúdia. Going over their heads and banging their heads together. And not before time.
The words of Manacor's mayor, himself from the Partido Popular, are essentially political posturing, certainly where Alcúdia is concerned, as the extension there has nothing whatsoever to do with him. But they sum up what this story is all about: political point-scoring. The real issues of environment, convenience, boost to local economy, population density and all the rest have been put to one side while the politicians from differing parties adopt their stances. 'Twas ever thus, you might say, and you would be right, but the fact that Antich has seen it necessary to get involved - overdue some might argue - is indicative of the inconclusiveness of the local political system and of political fighting. It should be remembered that Antich came into power with his "age of the train" declaration. Railways were his "big thing". He should have been more intimately involved long ago.
Personally I don't give a damn where the train goes, so long as it goes to Alcúdia which is the only sensible option in the north. Hopefully Antich can now, through the boss of the Unió Mallorquina, get Alcúdia town hall to accept the northern route, as quite clearly the transport ministry is not prepared to budge except to go to a different and less satisfactory municipality.
Places that are closing
Chances are that this might become a regular slot on the blog in the coming weeks. One place that is going is Mulligan's in Puerto Pollensa. Unfortunately, we can probably anticipate that there will be a number of others.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Ian Dury And The Blockheads, and here is the Hairy Cornflake introducing a "newcomer" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5snIxUBVjw.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Cutting Down To Size
The president of the Balearic Government is to consider a rationalisation of the structure of the government's executive and therefore the number of ministries - all part, says he, of serving the citizen well. That this may result in the merging or even the axeing of certain ministries may make for more efficient and perhaps less expensive government, but what real difference it might make would be questionable. Restructuring is not a complete red herring, but there are numerous issues that should be addressed apart from simply moving boxes around on an organisational chart.
Let's consider the following: the absence of a culture of service, excessive bureaucracy, too many tiers of government and therefore duplication, unclear lines of responsibility, legislation that is poorly communicated or implemented, corruption, nepotism, incompetence, self-interest, political in-fighting, disregard of what is meant to occur ... They'll do for starters.
An editorial in "The Bulletin" argued that as important as any rationalisation at executive level would be a consideration of the tiers of government. It referred to three; it could have added two more. Central government in Madrid, the Balearic regional government, the Council of Mallorca and the town halls. On top of all of this lot there is also Brussels. Multi-tiered it may be, but so are public administrations elsewhere. Apart from the Council of Mallorca, about which one can legitimately ask what purpose it serves, the model is not in itself wrong. Localisation of democracy through the town halls and the mayors is a strength, albeit that it can go badly wrong mainly because of the lack of checks and balances and the resultant scandals. Devolution to the regions may be a political expedient in some countries, as in the UK, but it, together with regional autonomy, is a political necessity in democratic Spain. Perhaps the greatest political problem that has dogged Spain for more than two centuries is how to handle the regions.
But the consequence of these tiers is that each becomes a mini-me of the one higher up the political food chain. The town halls have councillors for this and that, directors for so and so. There are far too many of them, recipients of jobs for the boys and girls and unfortunately sometimes recipients of favours or the issuers thereof. If there is to be rationalisation of the regional government executive, so there should also be at town hall level. Merging municipalities would actually make a lot of sense in terms of better management of resources, but it wouldn't happen, so efficiencies need to be found inside the current municipal boundaries.
Strength though it is that local democracy is so active, there is also a weakness in the obstructive nature of the exercise of local politics. No better example of this can be found than in the case of the Alcúdia train. The impasse over the siting is fundamentally political. Yet it would benefit not only Alcúdia but also Mallorca as a whole to finally have an extended rail line to the north. The regional government should be allowed to simply veto the local objections, but it struggles to - because of those tiers. It is in the relationship between the tiers of government and their actual areas of responsibility that the fault lies, not in the levels themselves. But because Alcúdia, for example, has a responsibility for the environment within the municipality, it can use this (or indeed other factors) to block something agreed at central government level in Madrid; it's that mini-me principle in action.
Then there is the actual exercise of public administration, the interaction with the public that this administration is meant to serve. Note the word "serve", one to which President Antich has also referred. There is a shocking antipathy towards the concept of service, just witness for example the workings of the Trafico building in Palma or how many town halls treat their "customers". Antich should be demanding a complete re-education programme in terms of service.
The suggestion of rationalisation is a good thing if only because a senior politician might actually wish to improve the system of public administration in Mallorca. It would be a massive task to do it well, but perhaps there is, after all, a political will to do so. It'll do for starters.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Godsmack, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9zxrIlFpCk. Today's title - comes from something useless.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Let's consider the following: the absence of a culture of service, excessive bureaucracy, too many tiers of government and therefore duplication, unclear lines of responsibility, legislation that is poorly communicated or implemented, corruption, nepotism, incompetence, self-interest, political in-fighting, disregard of what is meant to occur ... They'll do for starters.
An editorial in "The Bulletin" argued that as important as any rationalisation at executive level would be a consideration of the tiers of government. It referred to three; it could have added two more. Central government in Madrid, the Balearic regional government, the Council of Mallorca and the town halls. On top of all of this lot there is also Brussels. Multi-tiered it may be, but so are public administrations elsewhere. Apart from the Council of Mallorca, about which one can legitimately ask what purpose it serves, the model is not in itself wrong. Localisation of democracy through the town halls and the mayors is a strength, albeit that it can go badly wrong mainly because of the lack of checks and balances and the resultant scandals. Devolution to the regions may be a political expedient in some countries, as in the UK, but it, together with regional autonomy, is a political necessity in democratic Spain. Perhaps the greatest political problem that has dogged Spain for more than two centuries is how to handle the regions.
But the consequence of these tiers is that each becomes a mini-me of the one higher up the political food chain. The town halls have councillors for this and that, directors for so and so. There are far too many of them, recipients of jobs for the boys and girls and unfortunately sometimes recipients of favours or the issuers thereof. If there is to be rationalisation of the regional government executive, so there should also be at town hall level. Merging municipalities would actually make a lot of sense in terms of better management of resources, but it wouldn't happen, so efficiencies need to be found inside the current municipal boundaries.
Strength though it is that local democracy is so active, there is also a weakness in the obstructive nature of the exercise of local politics. No better example of this can be found than in the case of the Alcúdia train. The impasse over the siting is fundamentally political. Yet it would benefit not only Alcúdia but also Mallorca as a whole to finally have an extended rail line to the north. The regional government should be allowed to simply veto the local objections, but it struggles to - because of those tiers. It is in the relationship between the tiers of government and their actual areas of responsibility that the fault lies, not in the levels themselves. But because Alcúdia, for example, has a responsibility for the environment within the municipality, it can use this (or indeed other factors) to block something agreed at central government level in Madrid; it's that mini-me principle in action.
Then there is the actual exercise of public administration, the interaction with the public that this administration is meant to serve. Note the word "serve", one to which President Antich has also referred. There is a shocking antipathy towards the concept of service, just witness for example the workings of the Trafico building in Palma or how many town halls treat their "customers". Antich should be demanding a complete re-education programme in terms of service.
The suggestion of rationalisation is a good thing if only because a senior politician might actually wish to improve the system of public administration in Mallorca. It would be a massive task to do it well, but perhaps there is, after all, a political will to do so. It'll do for starters.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Godsmack, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9zxrIlFpCk. Today's title - comes from something useless.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Lost In France
Bet you didn’t realise that Balearic president, Francesc Antich, yesterday also became a “European” president: you wouldn’t be alone. Antich has assumed the presidency of the so-called “Eurorregion”, a political grouping that obscure that many here couldn’t tell you what it was. To explain: the Eurorregion comprises parts of south-eastern France, north-eastern Spain and the Balearics. Its general objective is to defend the interests of the regions within the European Union: it met yesterday in Toulouse. This may well be its objective, but in truth what on Earth is the point of it? I am not alone in wondering. The president of one of the participating regions, Languedoc-Roussillon in France, reckons that the group signifies nothing and that unless something positive happens over the next twelve months it will drop out, joining Aragon which has already taken its bat home following a disagreement with Catalonia. This particular “Eurorregion” is just one of many across Europe. As established by the Council of Europe, they are meant not to have political power.
Antich, according to “Ultima Hora”, wants the Eurorregion to become an area of co-operation with its own legal status to lobby for EU grants. But, other than neighbourliness, what common ground is there within this group? It is not a Catalan-speaking coalition, even though there are some Catalan speakers in southern France. Were it so, with the politico-linguistic overtones that would have, then one could see some logic, but – at the political level – the Balearics have their own beef with Catalonia over the latter’s drive for greater autonomy which could see less money from rich Catalonia entering the Spanish pot for divvying up to other parts, e.g. the Balearics. Moreover, there are already collective groupings for these regions – they are known as France and Spain – which compete for Brussels money. The Balearics make up an autonomous region of Spain with representatives in Madrid for the precise purpose of securing adequate funding, be it national or European. What can a cross-national grouping of neighbours hope to achieve in terms of climbing the Brussels cash mountain that a national government cannot? There is some reference to tourism, but again where is the common ground? It might be remembered that the tourist centres of the Languedoc, such as Cap d’Agde, were created partly because the French were hacked off with Germans and others driving past them into Spain.
Some of the euro regions have a logic. The Benelux grouping is one with a history, the one that joins Kent to France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel has a clear rationale. But the Balearics one? The whole thing smacks of being little more than a talking-shop, an opportunity for local politicians to play on an international stage, albeit one stripped of lighting, curtains, a coherent plot and with an empty auditorium. Sorry, I don’t get it, nor it seems does the president of Languedoc-Roussillon.
Still in France. Another tourism/travel fair. In Cannes. This is unashamedly pitched at the luxury-tourism market, its name International Luxury Travel: you can’t get much clearer than that. Thirteen Mallorcan businesses, mainly top-notch hotels, have joined the Mallorca council’s stand at the fair. Unlike the often misleading term quality tourism, luxury tourism is unequivocal: it stands for money and lots of it. The council is right to promote the luxurious nature of some of the island’s hotels. Here it is on firm ground. Where it is less so is on the cultural and gastronomic delights to support such luxury tourism. Which is not to deny these exist, just – as I have said before – they are largely hidden and do not enjoy a strong perception in the global tourist market. But, they are pushing the boat out at Cannes, so good luck to them.
QUIZ
Yesterday – Van Morrison, “And The Healing Has Begun”. Today’s title – song by?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Antich, according to “Ultima Hora”, wants the Eurorregion to become an area of co-operation with its own legal status to lobby for EU grants. But, other than neighbourliness, what common ground is there within this group? It is not a Catalan-speaking coalition, even though there are some Catalan speakers in southern France. Were it so, with the politico-linguistic overtones that would have, then one could see some logic, but – at the political level – the Balearics have their own beef with Catalonia over the latter’s drive for greater autonomy which could see less money from rich Catalonia entering the Spanish pot for divvying up to other parts, e.g. the Balearics. Moreover, there are already collective groupings for these regions – they are known as France and Spain – which compete for Brussels money. The Balearics make up an autonomous region of Spain with representatives in Madrid for the precise purpose of securing adequate funding, be it national or European. What can a cross-national grouping of neighbours hope to achieve in terms of climbing the Brussels cash mountain that a national government cannot? There is some reference to tourism, but again where is the common ground? It might be remembered that the tourist centres of the Languedoc, such as Cap d’Agde, were created partly because the French were hacked off with Germans and others driving past them into Spain.
Some of the euro regions have a logic. The Benelux grouping is one with a history, the one that joins Kent to France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel has a clear rationale. But the Balearics one? The whole thing smacks of being little more than a talking-shop, an opportunity for local politicians to play on an international stage, albeit one stripped of lighting, curtains, a coherent plot and with an empty auditorium. Sorry, I don’t get it, nor it seems does the president of Languedoc-Roussillon.
Still in France. Another tourism/travel fair. In Cannes. This is unashamedly pitched at the luxury-tourism market, its name International Luxury Travel: you can’t get much clearer than that. Thirteen Mallorcan businesses, mainly top-notch hotels, have joined the Mallorca council’s stand at the fair. Unlike the often misleading term quality tourism, luxury tourism is unequivocal: it stands for money and lots of it. The council is right to promote the luxurious nature of some of the island’s hotels. Here it is on firm ground. Where it is less so is on the cultural and gastronomic delights to support such luxury tourism. Which is not to deny these exist, just – as I have said before – they are largely hidden and do not enjoy a strong perception in the global tourist market. But, they are pushing the boat out at Cannes, so good luck to them.
QUIZ
Yesterday – Van Morrison, “And The Healing Has Begun”. Today’s title – song by?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Friday, October 26, 2007
And They’re Messing With My Heart
Francesc Antich, leader of the Balearic Government, was yesterday asking for more dosh for the Balearics and was also railing against over-development which places at risk quality of life and which is also incompatible with quality tourism. According to a report in Diario de Mallorca, what Sr. Antich wants to see is a new model of tourism which, whilst maintaining the beach and sun aspect, will embrace also cultural and sports tourism. He then goes to say that he intends to make an agreement with developers for “thousands of dwellings” accessible to the general public.
Now, one cannot help but feel that there is perhaps a bit of a contradiction here. Admittedly, he appears to wish to see an end to development that destroys too much territory, so one has to presume that these thousands of dwellings will somehow arise from currently developed areas - a bit like the urban versus green-belt argument perhaps.
The problem with this is that, as I noted a few days ago, there has been “orgiastic construction” in centres such as Puerto Pollensa. These are not so much ripping the heart out of the town as blocking its arteries. Does the crowding of ever more apartment blocks into confined areas really add to quality of life?
Antich describes the tourism industry with his own heart metaphor; it is what pumps the social and economic body. Quite right. A question is, would the cessation of further tourist expansion and therefore developments harm the desire for quality of life which, by implication, he sees as linked to property for the public?
A while ago, the Balearic Government announced its Plan Turismo 2020 with its aim of greater added value and a stated goal of “fewer tourists and higher income”. But would this be compatible with Antich’s heart-beat motif? Cut numbers of tourists - cut jobs, cut ancillary services, cut suppliers? I don’t know, maybe it wouldn’t, but I would take some convincing. Would such a model be able to underpin quality of life in its wider economic sense as in, for example, generating sufficient employment and income to support the affordability of thousands of dwellings?
Mallorca (and the Balearics) economy is based on tourism, more than any other sector. Construction may also be vital to the economy, but it is tourism that helps to spawn it, not the other way round. Despite the talk of innovation and development, to which Antich also referred again yesterday, there is not, and is unlikely to ever be, a Silicon Valley or some such equivalent. It is tourism which drives Mallorca and which drives quality of life. This does not have to mean unchecked development, but further development is almost certainly a consequence.
But then one runs into another issue. As so often on this blog, there is a coincidence. Also in the Diario is a report about the ongoing battle as to the construction (or not) of a golf course on the Son Bosc finca that abuts the Albufera nature park on its Muro wing. The environmental lobby group, GOB, and some local politicians are against this, but is it not this sort of development that Antich is alluding to when he talks about quality and sports tourism? Only a few weeks back, the proposal for a golf course and hotel at nearby Son Real was turned down, and the chances are that Son Bosc will never be developed, or it might even if takes several years. Let it not be ignored that, on the other side of Albufera, after some fifteen years of wrangling, they have started to develop an industrial estate. Though strong environmental standards are to be imposed on the industrial estate, is it really the case that a golf course is in some way more of an environmental threat?
Mallorca is a small island with an increasing population and an increasing demand for infrastructure, be it transport, housing or other. Tourism is a rapacious beast that grabs for itself whole chunks of this infrastructure and land. But it is the beast that beats the heart of Mallorca. The challenge is to increase this heart-rate or rather perhaps to relieve it of the tourism strain, and only increased economic diversification and competitiveness can help to achieve this. Whether it can be achieved is an entirely different matter.
QUIZ
Yesterday - Robert Louis Stevenson, “Treasure Island”. Today’s title - this is a line from a frantic record by?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Now, one cannot help but feel that there is perhaps a bit of a contradiction here. Admittedly, he appears to wish to see an end to development that destroys too much territory, so one has to presume that these thousands of dwellings will somehow arise from currently developed areas - a bit like the urban versus green-belt argument perhaps.
The problem with this is that, as I noted a few days ago, there has been “orgiastic construction” in centres such as Puerto Pollensa. These are not so much ripping the heart out of the town as blocking its arteries. Does the crowding of ever more apartment blocks into confined areas really add to quality of life?
Antich describes the tourism industry with his own heart metaphor; it is what pumps the social and economic body. Quite right. A question is, would the cessation of further tourist expansion and therefore developments harm the desire for quality of life which, by implication, he sees as linked to property for the public?
A while ago, the Balearic Government announced its Plan Turismo 2020 with its aim of greater added value and a stated goal of “fewer tourists and higher income”. But would this be compatible with Antich’s heart-beat motif? Cut numbers of tourists - cut jobs, cut ancillary services, cut suppliers? I don’t know, maybe it wouldn’t, but I would take some convincing. Would such a model be able to underpin quality of life in its wider economic sense as in, for example, generating sufficient employment and income to support the affordability of thousands of dwellings?
Mallorca (and the Balearics) economy is based on tourism, more than any other sector. Construction may also be vital to the economy, but it is tourism that helps to spawn it, not the other way round. Despite the talk of innovation and development, to which Antich also referred again yesterday, there is not, and is unlikely to ever be, a Silicon Valley or some such equivalent. It is tourism which drives Mallorca and which drives quality of life. This does not have to mean unchecked development, but further development is almost certainly a consequence.
But then one runs into another issue. As so often on this blog, there is a coincidence. Also in the Diario is a report about the ongoing battle as to the construction (or not) of a golf course on the Son Bosc finca that abuts the Albufera nature park on its Muro wing. The environmental lobby group, GOB, and some local politicians are against this, but is it not this sort of development that Antich is alluding to when he talks about quality and sports tourism? Only a few weeks back, the proposal for a golf course and hotel at nearby Son Real was turned down, and the chances are that Son Bosc will never be developed, or it might even if takes several years. Let it not be ignored that, on the other side of Albufera, after some fifteen years of wrangling, they have started to develop an industrial estate. Though strong environmental standards are to be imposed on the industrial estate, is it really the case that a golf course is in some way more of an environmental threat?
Mallorca is a small island with an increasing population and an increasing demand for infrastructure, be it transport, housing or other. Tourism is a rapacious beast that grabs for itself whole chunks of this infrastructure and land. But it is the beast that beats the heart of Mallorca. The challenge is to increase this heart-rate or rather perhaps to relieve it of the tourism strain, and only increased economic diversification and competitiveness can help to achieve this. Whether it can be achieved is an entirely different matter.
QUIZ
Yesterday - Robert Louis Stevenson, “Treasure Island”. Today’s title - this is a line from a frantic record by?
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