Més Clean Up The Mess

Bravo for the Mésites. Where would we be, where would Palma in particular be without them? And if we weren't aware, then we could always find out from the leaflet they produced last week telling us how Messianic they have been. Miracles have been performed. The Mésites have cast their spells. Wizards of eco-ism and of nationalism, Palma has variously been made more transparent, more open to culture, more participative, greener, cleaner and sustainable. And all because of Més.

If nothing else, this self-tribute does rather confirm what Marga Duran of the PP has suggested: that there are separate governments in Palma. The spells have been weaved not with the aid of Som Palma (aka Podemos) or, Heaven forbid, PSOE, but by the Mésites alone. Not that this is altogether surprising. Més do after all have the mayor of Palma in their ranks. Yes, Smiler might have the title (for now), but everyone knows that Noggin's the boss. In years to come, Alcover's folk tales of ye olde Mallorca will be replaced by the sagas of Noggin the Nog, the mayor of Palma with his Lego who single-handedly remodelled the model of Palma. Antoni Noguera, (second deputy) mayor for the Model of the City, who endowed the city with the Hanging Gardens of the Marivent, temples like Artemis, and statues to great Gods such as Zeus, retitled Noggin.

But if one looks closely, are these miracles all they seem? Take being cleaner, for example. City cleanliness is the bailiwick of Neus Truyol (truly a Mésite). Neus is fifth deputy mayor of Palma. There are seemingly several hundred deputy mayors in Palma, and there will probably be more once "more participative" means allowing non-elected citizens to have the title as well. But as fifth in line to Smiler's throne, Neus is also president of Emaya, the multi-municipal agency that looks after everything from reservoirs in the Tramuntana without a great deal of water, to scrubbing unpleasant slogans about tourists off walls of protected buildings in the city centre, and to collecting mattresses that have been dumped on the streets.

It's a sizable responsibility for someone whose Wikipedia page suggests is, other than being fifth deputy mayor, gainfully occupied as a "sociologist". As fifth deputy she also has the onerous task of looking after Palma's agriculture, something that you might have missed when last shopping at El Corte Inglés. Perhaps one day she will decree that the peasants of the outer reaches of the city can drive their herds along the Born. That would be one way of getting rid of the terraces, though whether Emaya would have enough personnel and machinery to clean up the mess would be doubtful. 

Which brings us to the flak that Neus has been copping about the state of Palma's streets. There is the particular issue of what we are led to believe are huge mountains of discarded mattresses, rusting washing-machines, baths, sinks, toilets, sofas, wardrobes and entire kitchens littering the streets and thus impeding the free movement of the citizens and the farmers with their beef herds. This is all due to the change to the household junk system that Neus decided was a good idea. She still does think it's a good idea. Unlike mostly anyone else.

So, have Més cleaned up the mess and made Palma cleaner or have they not? There can be only one way to find out, and that would be to hold a referendum. "More participative", so let the citizens decide. Oh, maybe they will. Under three years to go to the next election.

September's Coming Soon

September. It lends alliteration. The sad season. September's coming soon. September is the saddest month of the year. The season starts to feel as though it is running down. All that optimism of spring, and September gives a backdrop of storms to pessimism and even despair. So many bars and restaurants for sale, or so we are told. The heavy dews will start to return and there will be mists; the lawns are at their happiest while others are not. But sleep can also return. The nights are less oppressive and the darkness already extends for longer till seven in the morning and from nine in the evenings. Sleeplessness though for some; how will the winter be and what will the next season bring? September's coming soon, but it can also be the best of months. The economy-class families of August go back to school and the couples come back and linger longer and more regularly at the tables. And the football's back, and the bars can be packed even for the misery of an England international. September's coming soon - sad but happy; all depends how the summer's been, for autumn's coming soon.


September though should be a good month for the souvenir and china shops. August has seen a drop of some 50% in sales for this type of store in centres such as Puerto Alcúdia. It can be attributed, in large part, to the nature of the August tourist, that economy-class family. The last thing on their list of must-dos, it would appear, is to go on a shopping binge and load the suitcases with Lladró and Majorica. September brings the couples, the families with very small children and the senior citizens, the latter just the ones for the china. While some of the souvenirs are basically crap, the porcelain, ceramics and glass are not - well some, but mostly not. A problem for these shops, however, is, like bars, there tend to be too many of them, and the brands are the same. It is hard to differentiate in such a homogeneous market. Yet there are stores that seem to manage it by presenting themselves in a stylish fashion. One such is Ones on the frontline in Can Picafort. Ignore the bikinis and stuff to the left of the store; the rest is filled with displays that are quite captivating. Porcelain brands are collectibles, and there are those who come here with at least one acquisitive eye on adding to their collections, while - say it ever so quietly - Christmas is not that far away; so all that gift-buying back home can be made less onerous through the purchase of some NAO and Elisa.


PUERTO POLLENSA - THE DAILY MOAN
Well it seems that not a day passes without some complaint or controversy. The latest - rubbish. I had actually received an email from Colin about precisely this issue. Today's "Diario" highlights the problem, and quotes critics of the town hall administration and its "inactivity". For a council that managed to up its rubbish tax so much, it does seem to be in a bit of a mess - quite literally. Unlike other recent reports of matters in Puerto Pollensa, the beleaguered mayor has not been hauled out to issue a denial; presumably as there is nothing to deny. With rubbish, smells from the torrent, criticism of the swimming-pool, to say nothing of the ongoing dissatisfaction of the local police, maybe now is not really quite the right time to be adding to the sense of chaos at the town hall by going ahead with the pedestrianisation trial, the wisdom of which, at best, is questionable.

For a nice photo of the rubbish, go here:

http://www.diariodemallorca.es/secciones/noticia.jsp?pRef=2008082700_3_387615__PartForana-PPUMP-denuncia-acumulacion-basura-calle-exige-plan-limpieza-prometido


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Donovan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2arEUEAWck). Today's title - it's REM week on the blog; where does this line come from?

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