No One Ever Said This Was Gonna Be Easy - Ferrer Is Tourism Minister

As mentioned yesterday, Miquel Ferrer is to be the new tourism minister. He replaces Miquel Nadal. Always a Miquel. Miquel, row the tourism boat ashore but not onto the rocks - with any luck. Hopefully, for the new Mick in town, the coalition won't indeed fall apart, as he may end up without a job; he is relinquishing the mayoral post in Alcúdia. President Antich believes that Ferrer is the right Mick for the job, as he has been mayor of one of the more important tourism centres in Mallorca. Perhaps. Whether that is a real qualification for the job might be open to some debate. And to what extent Ferrer has been behind tourism development in Alcúdia is also open to question.

What has been the record recently? The establishment of the combined sepia and boat fairs in spring? Yes, a good move, but it was inspired as much by traders in the port as by the town hall. The tourism day in September? Nice idea, but not hugely relevant to the tourism season as a whole. The upgrades to the beach? The WiFi zone has, except inside the hotels linked to it, not been a success and is not well-promoted. The chill-out zone came and went. The growth in all-inclusives? There is little the town hall can truly do to stop it, but it has been a feature of Ferrer's tenure. The pursuit of alternative tourism? The Nordic walking area in the north of the town, yes, but only something of minority interest. The Estación Náutica concept? Nothing really to do with Ferrer, as it was driven by the Spanish Government's Turespaña promotional body, and town hall contacts tell me that they don't know exactly what's happening with it.

Rather more positively, there have been the improvements to the area by the Vanity Golf hotel. There has been more aggressive marketing of Alcúdia, e.g. via a tourism website that does actually offer something, unlike Pollensa's, yet the tourist information offices are not as good as they might be and the department, as a whole, lacks resources and funding. Perhaps Ferrer's greatest achievement lies not so much with tourism but with the overall management of the town hall. Alcúdia is the only town hall in the northern area that works anything like properly, and it is in surplus, assuming one believes the figures, and the opposition of course don't.

There were others who might, on the face of it, have been more qualified for the post, such as Joan Sastre, the director-general of tourism promotion, but Ferrer's appointment is probably a political one as much as it is practical. His party, the Unió Mallorquina (UM), advanced his case, once the former-but-one minister, Buils, was rejected by Antich. Ferrer is something of a leading light in the UM. He was a challenger to Miquel Nadal when Nadal ascended to the UM throne in succession to mother Munar who made it quite clear that Nadal was her preferred choice. Look where that has got either of them - in court. That Ferrer has now taken over from Nadal at tourism might well give him cause for a touch of schadenfreude, but he's unlikely to express it. His greatest strength has arguably been the fact that he keeps his mouth shut. His discretion during the recent corruption crisis that has afflicted his party has stood him in good stead. This, in itself, may bode well in a senior governmental role where diplomacy within a coalition setting should be a virtue.

However, there are misgivings, not least whether Ferrer has the presence to be an effective tourism minister. He will be diligent, but will he be dynamic? It's a step-up for a local politician - and he is a native of Alcúdia - to the international business world of TUI, Thomas Cook, Air Berlin and glad-handing at trade fairs and other events. Ferrer does not cut the same dash as Nadal, a politician hewn from the more worldly political environment of Palma. Even he, Nadal, found it impossible to extract a greater budget for tourism. Will Ferrer be more assertive? Doubtful.

Nevertheless, one can but hope. It should be a source of some pride for "alcudiencs" that their mayor has been given the task of tourism minister, but he does of course face any number of challenges. In yesterday's "Bulletin", the editorial bemoans - yet again - the state of winter tourism, yet again calls for extended shop hours and offers such as food and wine tours and yet again calls for "imagination". The challenge of winter tourism, for Ferrer, is to try and convince many that they are barking up the wrong tree. Want food and wine tours? Ok, go and organise them, and see where it gets you. The dialogue I presented recently in respect of cultural tourism (27 November: The Coffee Culture Club) applies just as equally to this form of niche tourism. The greatest challenge is the bread and butter of summer. We wish him well. No one ever said this was going to be easy.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Eric Idle in Monty Python's "Church Police" ("There's a dead bishop on the landing ..."). Today's title - What was this? Mark E. Smith, The Fall, but with which band?

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A Fair Cop But Society's To Blame - Mallorca's Corruption

It's not quite to the day, but it is only a couple of days out. Last year (8 December: We're Only In It For The Money), the Balearics delegate represented in Madrid made a speech about the state of local politics. It's easiest if I repeat what I reported then:

Speaking about politicians in Mallorca and the Balearics, Ramón Socias said that: "They should not see politics as something to depend upon or to see it as a means of a salary or privileges that cannot be obtained in other ways. They should be politicians for a 'determined period' as a way of curbing corrupt practices. And in the Balearics, there has been a failure of control mechanisms that has led to corruption, itself a fault of the system."

Nothing much seems to change or to improve. Socias has this year also criticised anti-corruption measures being considered by the regional president as not going far enough. These measures would involve legislation that would force a politician, embroiled in a corruption case, to resign. This seems fair enough. Credibility is strained by the stain of corruption, even if charges do not stick, though there is a slight unease with this: the hint of a presumption of guilt where no such guilt may ultimately be proven. Moreover, this measure does raise the possibility, only a possibility perhaps, of spurious charges being levelled for some political gain, something that does echo what the Unió Mallorquina (UM) is alleging - that the current spate of accusations made against its members is somehow a socialist plot. This allegation may seem far-fetched, but something similar could not be completely ruled out. Nevertheless, for the credibility of government, it is safest if a politician does resign: it shouldn't really need legislation to force the issue. Miquel Nadal's credibility had been stretched to the limit, having stayed in post for some eight months since he was initially implicated.

Electorate perception is also important, and for this reason, doing the honourable thing makes sense. A poll suggests that around a half the local population believes that the scandals will turn people off voting. There is, though, a lot of water to pass under bridges before the next regional elections due to take place in 2011, unless the coalition does indeed prove to be unworkable and an earlier election has to be called. A Facebook- inspired demonstration against political corruption is due to take place in Palma this weekend; so it is with the subversive but democratic will of an internet people. All power to their social network.

The latest potential pitfall facing the Antich administration surrounds the appointment of a replacement for the tourism minister Nadal. The UM has nominated his predecessor, Francesc Buils, the one who had to resign because he sacked people he wasn't entitled to. Antich has knocked this back, largely because it was Buils who was making those allegations of a socialist plot (Antich, remember, is from the socialist party). On the face of it, Buils' re-appointment would make sense, but he himself has made such a re-appointment nigh on impossible, which all goes to prove that it is probably best to maintain a dignified silence. And one who has been conspicuous by his absence in the media since the scandals erupted is Alcúdia's UM mayor, Miquel Ferrer. Much as he said nothing publicly after the train was dropped, so he has kept his powder dry regarding the corruption cases. Ferrer's name entered the frame as a potential successor to Nadal, the main problem with this being that it would involve time - he would have to stand down as mayor and ensure a smooth transition in Alcúdia. And time is short. The tourism post cannot be left vacant at such a crucial period for the industry. Yet Ferrer has indeed been named tourism minister.

A new tourism minister, the coalition holds together; moving pieces around the chess board until the next time. Socias is not wrong in anything that he has said either this or last year. But it is what he has not said which is most instructive, for he has spoken only of the political class and not of the culture and the society that gives rise to corruption. Mallorca is not unique when it comes to Spanish corruption, but the situation is exacerbated by the mores of an island, by the closeness of families and the complexity of politics that affords so many opportunities to those who might wish to exploit it for less than ethical purposes. Socias would be making a more telling contribution were he to address this cultural dimension, for it is this, more than the political system per se, that causes the cases of corruption arise.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Without Young, here are the others, including Graham Nash who wrote it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub_vBBjqF3g. Today's title - which sketch does this come from and who spoke the words?

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We've Known Each Other For So Long

The coalition regional government of President Antich is to struggle on without changes to its composition and without an election. The make-up of the parties is for Antich and his fellow socialists to be content with, an election would have made little sense other than as a last resort if no accord could have been reached.

There are two issues at play, two issues which are tending to be confused. The editor of "The Bulletin", saying that coalition government doesn't work, cites the examples of the two tourism ministers who have lost their jobs over the past months as evidence of in-fighting. In Miquel Nadal's case, there was no in-fighting; he had to go because of the allegations made against him. The left-wing Bloc members of the coalition government may have said that they could not continue in coalition with Nadal's party - the Unió Mallorquina - but that is not in-fighting, that is the moral high ground. As it is, the Bloc has swallowed its morals and opted to stay in the coalition. Moreover, the previous tourism minister lost his job because he sacked, without authorisation, two aides who both happened to be members of his party. This was not in-fighting; he resigned because he had exceeded his ministerial responsibility. And while we're at, reporting is not always as it might be. It is being said that the tourism ministers have gone in the last 18 months; they haven't, Francesc Buils went at the end of September last year. But be this as it may.

The corruption allegations are a separate issue to that of how well or not coalition politics operates. The electoral system may not be all that it might be, but the electorate is not turned off by its inadequacy as much as it is by improper behaviour by officials it elects. The same might be said to apply in the UK where the expenses scandal, though not corruption, was evidence of a discredited political class. To somehow meld the current corruption in Mallorca with the nature of coalition politics and to form an argument against the political system based on such a melding is quite wrong. Indeed, coalition politics, because of the spread of power, might be said to act as more of buffer to corruption. That it does not, or has not, just proves the point; corruption and the political/electoral system are two distinct issues.

Dysfunctional politics in Mallorca, as is being played out at present because of the corruption cases, is a cultural issue, not a political one per se. What we are witnessing is the apparent pervasiveness of a system of favours and of nepotism, allied to personal greed and immorality. We are also witnessing what might be said to be a continuance of societal and cultural practice, admittedly within a political framework, that stretches back to the nineteenth century. The "cacique" system was corrupt, one based on favours, as was the Franco administration, during which the wealthy and powerful received any sort of favours, most notably non-payment of taxes, a factor that had also been evident under "caciquismo".

Coalition politics is not the automatic consequence of Mallorcan and Spanish politics. At national level, a majority government is the norm, albeit that some assistance is required from other parties. But it is the consequence of an attempt to institute a seemingly more democratic style of government. President Antich, in reaffirming the current coalition, says that anti-corruption measures are to be brought forward. We wait to see what these might be, but one begins to edge towards a conclusion that only some form of independent checks and balances can overcome underlying dishonesty. This might take the form of commissions, not from the island, that have to monitor contracts and other awards. The environment minister Grimalt, still in his post and denying any wrongdoing, may have inadvertently put his finger on the problem. He said the other day that "Mallorca is small and here we all know each other". He was saying this in the context of his own reputation, but one can interpret this differently. Because they all know each other, and have known each other for so long, and because the island is small, the conditions are perfect for favours and nepotism to flourish. It's all too cosy, too liable to allow impropriety to exist. The faults with Mallorcan politics lie not with coalition governments but with the island's culture and society.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Canned Heat, "Let's Work Together", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQddWwQLyeU. Today's title - this come from ... great, great; no really, I mean it.

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United We Stand

We. Rather they. United they stand. The hotel associations of Alcúdia and Can Picafort have joined forces. Confronted with the worst low season ever, with even fewer hotels open than is normally the case - and there never have exactly been many - the combined might of the two associations, so they say, will act to pressure and lobby the two town halls (of Alcúdia and Santa Margalida) and other institutions in order to exert more influence. Among the things they are looking for are improved public transport and a re-development of Alcúdia's front line.

Fine. So, the two associations have got together. What's it really likely to achieve? Anyone's guess. And isn't there something missing? Such as another hotel association? The one for Playa de Muro that covers the area between Alcúdia and Can Picafort. Maybe no-one invited them. It seems a little odd that it should not be included.

One thing seems sure; the two associations are not about to somehow merge into one. They will continue with their own identities and pursue their own campaigns, based on differences that the two resorts have to offer. So, you then, again, have to ask, what will this achieve? Far better might be if they came out with some plan of their own - in combination - for stimulating off-season tourism (and they might also include high season while they are at it). Otherwise, one senses the creation of yet another talking-shop. Moreover, what precisely is this lobbying of the town halls? The respective associations can talk to their respective town halls, but there's no point in them talking to another town hall. Why should it listen? If there is to be some united front, then the town halls would need to band together themselves, and certainly drag in Muro as well.

Then there is this desire for a re-development of Alcúdia's front line. What has this got to do with Can Picafort - its hotels or its town hall? Were it the case that hotel groups representing both resorts were involved, then maybe one could sense some sort of cohesion. But one of the directors photographed at the gathering by "The Diario" is he of the only Sol Meliá hotel in either resort (a hotel, incidentally, that does not open in winter), so that theory would seem to fall by the board.

It doesn't, on the face of it, seem to amount to very much, other than as a way of publicising the poor state of northern zone off-season tourism. And we knew that already.


The resignation of Miquel Nadal does not help the more general tourism scene. Despite the occasional criticism of Nadal, he has actually enjoyed a good enough relationship with groups such as the Mallorcan hotel federation. Representatives of tourism associations have been quick to express their regret at Nadal's demise. Charges levelled at Nadal that he should have done more by way of spending promotional money are somewhat facile; he could only work with what he was allocated. But herein lies the rub. Tourism should be at the top of the local governmental list when it comes to priorities. President Antich, who had talked of a streamlining of government, should take the opportunity of Nadal's resignation to perform a restructuring, either taking on tourism responsibility directly or creating a beefed-up tourism post. "The Bulletin", noting that there have now been two minsterial departures in the tourism department in recent months, argues that someone from outside the government should be given charge of tourism. Unlikely to happen, and even if it were, if an appointment from business were to be made, it would probably come from a business sector with its own specific interests - like the hotels.

Nadal's position, as we know, had become untenable. It was interesting to learn in "The Bulletin", according to the Calvia councillor for tourism, that it had become "unattainable" (and this councillor is British by the way). Perhaps that's it, tourism is unattainable; Can Picafort and Alcúdia hoteliers, please note.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Sly And The Family Stone, http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyx71_sly-the-family-stone-family-affair_music. Today's title - first line of what and who was it originally? The actual title could also apply.

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