Madeira News Blog

I realise I couldn’t escape politics for another day, so I am afraid it is back, but although this is the last ‘legal’ day of the national campaign, there is still a long way do go. All the main political parties are concentrating their final efforts in Funchal today, which I think is a great idea from a Ribeira Brava perspective, although to be fair, I don’t think we have had hardly any campaigning visits here. I have been checking the party schedules every day, just so I could go to one event for the experience, but so far no joy.

(25th September). ‘PSD-M Makes A Complaint To The CNE Against RDP And RTP – The social democrats complain that the news coverage is unbalanced compared to the PS’. The party will complain to the Nacional Election Commission, against the Madeira director of the media stations because different criteria were used in the coverage of campaign initiatives on Porto Santo. "Those two stations, under the control of Lisbon, didn’t appear at the events of the social democrat candidates on Porto Santo", said a statement. But "to the contrary, they have collaborated with the socialist candidates", that held their campaign events last weekend on the Golden Island, it continued. The stations excused themselves from commenting on the situation.

On the TV news today, a poll carried out into voter intentions, commissioned by RTP, has shown the PSD social democrats slipping away in popularity in the race for seats in the Assembly of the Republic. PS socialists now have 38% of the vote, PSD 30%, BE Left Block 11%, CDS & CDU 7-8%, others 2%. That’s probably the last poll we will see before we find out the actual election results. A few locals were having a good ole chat about this last night, and the conclusion was that the big parties are all liars and don’t deserve anyone’s vote. I was asked who I was voting for, but when I explained that I wasn’t entitled to vote, people were quite surprised, but wanted to know anyway who I would vote for. BE I said, more through lack of a serious opinion. Why? Because it has the catchiest campaign theme tune, I explained. This went down very well as a legitimate selection criteria, and I think that the BE now has its own little corner in Rib. Bra.     

(24th September). The last of yesterday’s headlines : ‘Complaint Of CDU Against CMF Dismissed’. The Public Prosecutor’s office (MP) together with the Administrative Court of the Circle of Funchal (TACF) dismissed a complaint by the CDU communists about  development plans for Amparo. The complaint was made last December against Funchal Council, when the CDU asked for an assessment on whether or not the administrative practices of the council were legal or not, particularly in relation to Pico da Cruz, which is defined as a green zone. CMF were believed to be accepting the plans of some residents contemplating construction work in that area.

‘The PSP ‘enter’ the campaign, dragged in by Jardim – PSP guarantees that it acted in a neutral form in Curral and in Canhas and avoids commenting’. First, it was the opening of the cycle path in Funchal, on Sunday, when the President of the Government (in that capacity) that spoke out against the [lack of] action of the Police Force (PSP), which he said was only interested in handing out traffic fines. Then the New Democracy Party, out on the campaign trail in the Nun’s valley, was targeted by the police, allegedly on Jardim’s instructions. Then, the cases got more complicated. On Tuesday in Canhas, a new controversy arose when Jardim was ‘doing the rounds’, shaking hands and greeting everyone, when a socialist party candidate just happened to be next in line for Dr. [Jekyll] Jardim’s attention. The PS-M parish elections candidate, Manuel Relva, decided to keep his hands in his pockets, catching Jardim by surprise. According to Manuel, Mr. [Hyde] Jardim then called over a policeman that was part of his security team, and told him to identify the ‘impolite’ citizen that refused to shake hands with him. For the socialists, this was a clear abuse of authority. Meanwhile the PSP is accused of letting Jardim make the rules. A senior police spokesman said that the intervention was "requested by the President of the Regional Government, as this was a matter of inappropriate behaviour, including offences and insults". More tales followed, but must move on.

Whilst many are still deciding what to vote on Sunday, or even what to do instead, the first votes have already been cast by prisoners and hospital patients, and also military personnel. Madeiran emigrants will also be receiving their voting forms by post, except in Venezuela it seems, where the mail company considers them low priority, and it looks like many there will miss their voting deadline.

(23rd September). The last of the front page headlines that I am covering today, and the story that won’t go away : ‘Guilherme Silva Disrespects Protocol And Principles – He went to a festival as ‘vice president’ of the Regional Assembly and acted like a candidate’. Ah, well there was no mention before of what he said or did, just the fact that he attended when maybe he shouldn’t have, mixing public duties with political ends. To Guilherme Silva himself there is no confusion between the roles of state and party functions. "It is very easy to separate", he said. At the festival of the Pêro in Ponta do Pargo, last weekend, he says he went as vice-president of the Madeira assembly, and not as a candidate for the PSD social democrats in this Sunday’s elections.

In the latest wheeze of the PND new democratic party, you know the ‘rabbit’ party, a video has been published and released called ‘The Black Car Kids’. What it shows is footage of government cars being used for private purpose, along with drivers where provided, contrary to the law and penal code covering the matter. The main theme is the children of government ministers being taken to and from school on a daily basis. I don’t think it will make the blockbuster list, or change anything really, but will probably form an important part of Rabbit’s defence when called to court to answer charges relating to him falsely accusing senior politicians of the PSD-M of corruption.

"Democratic liberty, freedom of movement of persons, and freedom of information have been violated". The words of Rabbit, or José Manuel Coelho, on the prevention of access to the Curral das Freiras (Nun’s Valley). He was prevented from entering the area by police, and believes the order came from president Jardim, who was undertaking an inauguration or something there.

Just two complete days left for this current political election campaign … that’s the good news. I suspect you already know the bad news, that another one starts up straight after. Pretty quiet over my way in terms of campaigning, a few cars with loudspeakers whizzing around now and again, a few political posters, some now quite defaced, and just three party manifestos through the door so far. Uncle Bertie was over here very late at night a couple of days ago apparently, he was skulking around the churches, so my source tells me.

(22nd September). ‘Government Launches Books And Irritates The Opposition : The 14th volume of ‘Res non verba’ is presented today’. The first 12 volumes of the work were published in June 2006, with one more published since, and another is now ready for publication. The government says that is normal, but the leaders of the main opposition parties have a very different interpretation. The book, that roughly translated as ‘Facts (or Acts), not words’, is being presented in election campaign times, and that is what is upsetting opposition politicians. The Office of the Secretary responsible gives the assurance that the presentation this afternoon “is a normal activity of government”, that is well established, and shouldn’t have any other interpretation. Senior politicians from the other parties are united, with one saying “It is deplorable what the câmaras and the government are doing in terms of the violations of neutrality and impartiality that are demanded”. The work (then 12 volumes) was started to mark the 30th anniversary of independence, and cost nearly €120k to produce. The article doesn’t say so, but I can only imagine that it is something like the government (political) annals of Madeira … anyone know?

‘Jardim Promises To Put An End To Teachers Evaluations Only For The Year’. President Alberto João Jardim, at the inauguration of a school in Achada yesterday, spoke out again against the new system of performance appraisal for teachers. The requirement, through a national decree, was circumvented here last time when the regional government gave all teachers a blanket rating of ‘good, without any actual evaluation. “Only through the imposition of a colonial Portuguese Republic is it that we have an evaluation system that applies also in a self-governing territory”, said the president of the Regional Government. He admitted that the changes for Madeira will not be this year, but said “it will be the target of the few legislative powers of the Autonomous Region to put right the blunder of the Portuguese Republic”.

Today’s final front page headline : ‘Guilherme Went To The ‘Festa do Pêro’ As ‘Vice’ Of The Regional Assembly’. In a response to yesterday’s report about political tricks by the PSD social democrats of Madeira, about taking along a party member, Guilherme Silva, to an official engagement, the party issued a statement. The appearance of Silva at the Festa do Pêro in Ponta do Pargo, who is a candidate for the PSD in Sunday’s national elections, was there on stage in his capacity as vice-president of the regional government, not as a political candidate trying to get an edge over his opponents. As was president Jardim of course. Silva said he was invited along, and nothing in law requires him to make the embarrassing decision to refuse the invitation. Oh dear, the Diário and political opponents of the PSD-M should have seen that coming, ‘cos I suspect he is absolutely right.

“Do not ask me to take him seriously”, says Louçã – Louçã ignores the provocation of Jardim, who does not want “communists” to govern’. This is in response to a topic of conversation that is being bounced around, that the PS socialists, lacking an overall majority if they win Sunday’s elections, will form some sort of coalition with the BE Left Block. The coordinator of the Left Block, Francisco Louçã, responded to the president of the Regional Government, Alberto João Jardim, who refused to accept an alliance between socialists and ‘blocks’ in the governance of Portugal, saying that “Madeira can not accept a government in Lisbon that has communists”. Thanks to Uncle Bertie for speaking on our behalf, and whether we agree or not, isn’t there a small issue we used to call DEMOCRACY to overcome. A high ranking PS person said on the matter, “I do not talk about hypothetical scenarios before the elections”. It surprises me that Uncle Bertie is so anti-communism. There is a story about a president of a totally unrelated small Atlantic island, not so far from Porto Santo, that used to be a keen supporter of the dictator Salazar of Portugal, just 40 plus years ago, and after all what is the difference between dictatorship and the type of communism that Eric Arthur Blair describes later on in his world famous novel (answers on a postcard please).

I spotted this photo in today’s political section, with the caption : “Delegation had time for the best ‘pé-de-cabra’ on Madeira, but only to taste”. This was the PP ‘peoples party’ stopping off for a wee snifter on the campaign trail yesterday, in a grocery store in São Vicente. The party leader said the bar there made the best pé-de-cabra on Madeira, and that there was time for the delegation to just taste the drink, made in a simple form, so as not to “make sick”. This drink, which in English would translate as literally as goats-foot, or in real terms CROWBAR, is not for the faint hearted, and probably most readers would not even come across it, however much time one might spend here. Madeirans like mixing drinks of all sorts, coca cola and beer is quite popular these days (DIESEL), but pé-de-cabra is the devil’s home brew. It contains dark beer (Toníca), local red wine (vinho seco), lemon rind, and is then topped up with that bottled chocolate drink that all the bars sell chilled, well stirred, or even better shaken, and then drank very quickly. If you don’t drink it quickly, it separates out in the glass. It is pretty disgusting in my opinion, definitely not recommended for drivers, but is one of those traditional beverages that just has to be experienced to be believed.