Madeira News Blog

(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.

(21st September). Today’s main news headline : ‘Sérgio Marques Ignores Jardim – The ex-euro MP comes into the election campaign saying that the true head-of-list for the PSD-M in the national elections is Guilherme Silva’. After “a long period of mourning”, Marques, the former Social Democrat MEP, returned yesterday to appear in political activities in Porto Moniz. Whilst at the microphone, he surprised many by ‘promoting’ the number two on the candidate list for the Assembly of the Republic elections (on Sunday) to number one, the place which is of course president Jardim’s. He said that Guilherme Silva is the true number one candidate, which is of course true, but no one dares to say so, because Jardim, although he is always elected in number one position, doesn’t take up his seat in the Republic. Marques upset Jardim by complaining about a decision to do with the European elections earlier this year, and was promptly replaced as the PSD-M candidate. At the time Jardim said: “One does not want to go,  another goes instead. The only important person in this party is me”. Marques says that his dispute with Jardim had finished, but me thinks it is only just starting, and the chances of anyone hearing from Marques again in the election campaign are pretty remote. Yesterday of all days, when Uncle Bertie’s beloved Marítimo lost to the despised Nacional … you just don’t learn my friend.

‘Yesterday, The Candidate Returned To The ‘Ride’ Of The Regional Government’. Guilherme Silva, number two on the PSD-M national candidate list, returned yesterday to the stage in the company of Alberto João Jardim, who as president of the Regional Government, was performing a public act in Ponta do Pargo (Festa do Pêro). The same happened two weeks ago in Porto da Cruz (Festa da Uva). He didn’t actually ride with Jardim in the presidential vehicle, but came in the entourage behind Jardim, and as such was admitted into the area controlled by police. He was also on the stage where Jardim made his speech. The issue is that Jardim is still seen to be turning  non-political events into political events, “Thus it violates the principles of neutrality and impartiality”, said an opposition politician adding, “It is a clear violation of election law”. It was only a few days ago that Jardim was warned by the CNE National Election Commission, that public events could not be used for one-sided party political purposes. He can however invite his own PSD-M social democrat colleagues on official engagements, as long as the invitation is also extended to the equivalents in the other political parties. 

The Jornal da Madeira is currently being well used as a political mouthpiece for the PSD social democrats, now more than ever, almost a sort of of a political manifesto. Whereas the Diário pays a cursory glance at Jardim’s inaugurations, the Jornal is covering them in some detail, especially Jardim’s speeches, however ridiculous they might be. In addition, we now have the câmaras declaring their long and short term plans for improvement and development in their regions. It was Santa Cruz on Saturday, and Calheta yesterday, with all sorts of grand promises being made. This information is not being reported by the Diário. So it’s a double whammy really. We pay for the Jornal through our taxes, and then we have to put up with totally one sided political messages, through a newspaper that because it is free probably has more readers than the competition. Talk about a great big political stitch up!