Madeira News Blog

(8th August). ‘Oleões Are To Become Mandatory – Madeira through environmental protection measures, has already acquired several Oleões, but they are not yet in use’. During the coming years there will be placed on our roads ‘Ecopontos’ for the collection and recycling of used cooking oils, called Oleões. The new rule was approved by the government on Wednesday, as a part of a scheme about the management of the waste product, that define the collection points (around 70), the correct transport to be used, the treatment and the refining. Portugal produces between 43 and 65 thousand tons of waste oil (a year?), and environmentalists and such organisations have applauded the move. A spokesman at Funchal Municipal Council, agrees with the measure of  central government because it may prevent people throwing waste oils into their sinks. "This has two drawbacks," he explains. "The oil solidifies in a process of hydrogenation and blocks the sewage pipes, but also ultimately affect the mechanisms of the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Almirante Reis". Collection and recycling mechanisms are already in place for restaurants, hotels and other businesses. Production of biodiesel is one of the main uses for used cooking oil. One litre of cooking oil is capable of polluting a million litres of clean water.

‘New form of fraud by mail arrives on Madeira’. The fraudsters don’t stop coming up with new ideas. One businessman who was mailed, and wished to remain anonymous, received a letter from South Africa about an inheritance relating to an unknown person. A lawyer, called Michael Smith, says that he is representative of the engineer Manuel Arriaga who died in an accident with his wife and three children. He left estate worth $18.5 million, which is to be shared amongst relatives, in this case the businessman. … I am sure you already know the rest of the story, if not take a look at some of the cases HERE (great reading if you have some time to spare).

‘Journalists Union Rejects Dismissals In Diário de Notícias’. The union at national level issued a communiqué yesterday considering unfair and unjustifiable the collective dismissal of 10 reporters and 3 other employees employed on Madeira. Taking into account the national link to one of the most important media companies, and the strength of the ownership on Madeira, the union considers the financial and economic reasons for the action, given by the company, do not justify the action taken. It argues that cut backs and cost reducing measures already implemented will result in a profit this year of almost €600,000, compared to a loss last year of nearly €450,000.

‘Car Parts Are The Aim Of Thieves’. Theft of car parts is a growing concern in recent times, and the growing frequency indicates that the thefts are organised on a parts-to-order basis. Trims, panels, lights, tyres, windscreen wipers, are all being stolen, in public places. Two more cases of ‘car stripping’ were reported yesterday. The Mitsubishi car shown had around €3,000 worth of parts stolen in Reis Magos. I can’t believe windscreen wipers would be robbed to order, more likely a pranks by lads coming back after a long night at the pub. Talking of such things, I suffered a broken toilet seat, and my toaster broke down last week … anyone know of any such scheme where I can get cheap ‘used’ parts, as I am too tight to buy new. Thanks.

‘Inspections Tightened For Pedlars – Jardim announces measures to defend traders’. This seems to be the rest of the story that was started in the previous posting. The Madeira president announced that inspections were to be increased on street pedlars. He made the announcement Friday when inaugurating the remodelled miradouro (view point) at Portela in Machico. "We will tighten supervision to protect the traders that are legitimately working in this area" he said. He also stressed the responsibilities of shop owners, regarding payment of taxes, salaries and the social security payments of the workers, a reality that does not apply with the "competition from people who do not observe the quality of merchandise, rules of hygiene, and do not pay taxes and social security".

Today’s main news headline : ‘Quinta Vigia Mixes PSD With Government – The schedule divulged by the Presidency with the official acts of the chief of the government mixes in initiatives of Jardim’s party. A mixture that goes against legal standards and ethics’. A true ‘two in one’ is what was provided by the Office of the Presidency of the Government, that on Thursday announced the agenda for Alberto João Jardim for the period that he will be on Porto Santo. Quinta Vigia (office of the presidency) announced all the official events in which the President of the Government will be present, especially inaugurations, but also includes their (PSD-M) partisan agenda. Towards the beginning of the document, under ‘Information for the media’, it is referred to as the schedule of the ‘President of the government and the PSD’ for 2009 on Porto Santo. Other slips are : August 12th – 6:30 pm – Presentation of candidates of the local PSD of Porto Santo, in the Congress Centre; August 22nd – 9.30 pm – Rally of the PSD of Porto Santo. All this in the middle of official presidential acts. This mix of presidential duties and political events is a clear overlap between party and government in a pre-election period, and has no parallel in the rest of the country. Even the Prime Minister of Portugal, for example, does not include in his official agenda, anything which makes references to his activities as Secretary General of the PS (Socialist Party). The duty of impartiality and neutrality of holders of public bodies and holders of public office, public companies, mixed-capital companies and concessionaires of public services, is set out in the various Portuguese electoral laws. In the election law for the Assembly of the Republic it is set out in Article 57 to holders of public office and other officials, that they must demonstrate "strict impartiality" from the time that the election date is announced. Breaking the rules is punishable, according to Article 172 of the municipal election law, with imprisonment of up to two years or a hefty fine. Among the duties of impartiality and neutrality is the prohibition of reference to election campaigns, during the performance of official duties, or acts that support or undermine one candidate over another. References to a party at inaugurations, for example, can be construed as a violation of this rule, as can the display of party symbols, flags, and publicity. This could be quite a clanger, but I am not sure it is quite as clear cut as the Diário makes it out to be. Uncle Bertie has been reported as breaking these rules several times lately, and the truth is that PSD business is always there in part of Jardim’s official duties, but this time it is there in black and white, prior to going to Porto Santo, possibly making it premeditated disobedience of election laws. That will probably be his next mission now, to change the election law so that he doesn’t break it, just like he did with the smoking law last year.

‘Guilherme Silva Rejects Accusations of ‘Virtual Candidates’ – Jardim won’t speak with the journalists’. The PSD-M social democrats yesterday morning delivered to a court in Funchal it’s candidate list for the legislative elections on 27th September. Alberto João Jardim is the number one candidate on the list, as he has been for the last 30 years, but again he won’t take his seat in the Assembly of the Republic. The PS-M socialists accused him of being a ‘virtual candidate’, but the number 2 on the list, Guilherme Silva, rejects the accusation saying that the PS-M are thirty years behind, and that Jardim does it for prestige, and because one day he may have to attend in São Bento (Lisbon).

(7th August). This in yesterday’s Jornal da Madeira : ‘Businesses Should Seek Compensation – Jardim appealed to investors harmed by popular legal actions that are dismissed’.  At an inauguration of 47 apartments in Caniço … Bella Vista III, president Jardim said that the construction was delayed 7 months by ‘popular actions’ (being in this case a neighbour) and that businesses should fight back when the case is dismissed, and take reciprocal court action against those responsible. He said such actions are economic sabotage, and should be controlled, and in the event that the court finds such actions to be frivolous, the business harmed should seek damages against losses incurred. He then rattles on about the jurisdiction of the republic over Madeira, and interference in the Municipal Plan of Santa Cruz, which is being modified.

(25th July). ‘Gripe Impedes Ferreira Leite Attending A Meeting For The Electoral Programme – Leader of the PSD is expected Sunday at the Festa do Chão da Lagoa’. Hmmm, the Diário has it as a headline, so I suppose I had better cover it … reluctantly. The president of the national PSD Social Democrats (and maybe our future prime minister) missed a meeting yesterday in Porto, as she has gripe, being ordinary flu, not the piggy type. The relevance is that she is due to be here tomorrow for the Festa do Chão da Lagoa, which isn’t really a festival, its the PSD-M annual rally. The vice president for the PSD says we have no reason to be especially worried about Manuela … errrr snr. VP, you have no cause to be worried about me worrying about Manuela worrying about whether she will be able to attend the comedy act tomorrow.

In a separate (front page) but related article : ‘Thump In The Kidneys – Ferreira Leite "Elitist and loser" is the star expected tomorrow at the plateau’. The words of President Jardim, specially selected by the Diário to welcome the sick leader of the PSD on her planned visit to the political rally this weekend on Madeira, now back to the story. Tomorrow at the Chão da Lagoa, one should be able to witness a ‘tumble’ in the political positioning of Alberto João Jardim, when he receives the national leader of his party. Some months ago, prime minister José Sócrates managed to outsmart Ferreira Leite quoting negative references as uttered by President Jardim and his party PSD-M. Even when the current national party leadership was up for grabs last time, Jardim was spreading the word that Leite was not up to the job of winning elections, a fact he was wrong about if the recent European election results were anything to go by. It’s a long and entertaining article, too long to explain properly here, but I am sure you now have the picture, and suddenly tomorrows event (if Leite comes), has a much more interesting aspect. 8 out of 10 to the Diário for political s***stirring by digging out quotes going back to 1978, and I will leave this article with a few quotes from Uncle Bertie about poor Manuela Ferreira Leite and Lisbon.
*"MFL cannot win elections because she is a candidate of factions".
**"Lisbon is dominated by a triangle of evil : Social communication, the gay lobby, and the drugs".
***"It is necessary to denounce these collaborators … people with their pants down and their asses in the air, turned towards Lisbon with their lies, acting against their own land".
****"On Madeira it is those the true Portuguese that fight against dictatorship, and not those poofs in Lisbon that call themselves antifascists".

‘The Word Of Ferreira Leite Is Sufficient For The PSD-M – Programme of the PSD should not include direct reference to the law of regional finances’. This is about the law which creates the regional budget and facilitates funding between Portugal and Madeira, which has been in the headlines for as long a President Jardim has been smoking cigars where he shouldn’t be. "In the PSD, the keyword arrived" announced a PSD bloke, referring to a promise made by the PSD national leader that if she and her party win the elections on 27th September, that the regional finance law will be revoked. I assume this means that the matter will not be turned into an election issue here.

‘Romeira Gives Consultations Without Giving A Bill’. Jorge Romeira admits that he does not give bills to everybody, and that 40 to 50% of his consultations are free. He is a practising medical doctor and also leading candidate to the presidents seat in the forthcoming council elections in October. Accusations have been coming since his candidature for the PSD was announced, with the sources of the finger-pointing as yet remaining anonymous. They also say that his surgery or practice does not have acceptable conditions for a medical practice (from the photo it seems to be in the middle of a jungle) and is not properly licensed. I think it’s nice that a doctor would give his services free to those who cannot afford to pay, but in the political world that would equate to check-ups for favours, or even votes perhaps.

‘Sócrates Takes Away €8.3 Million Of IVA / VAT’. The 11 regions of Madeira will lose the money, more than half of it in Funchal, due to what the PSD-M considers to be an illegal act by the prime minister of Portugal and the state. In a press conference the parliamentary group of the social democrats again accused the government of not transferring tax revenues to the câmaras, as they believe is written in the Statute of Madeira and the regional finance law. The state government argues that the funding for the câmaras is included in the regional budget.

In the economy news:

Today’s main front page photo shows a crowded conference room : ‘Full Up In The Conference Of The Top 100 – Conference about marketing draws over 300 interested parties. Speakers leave suggestions for a new relationship between the companies and the customers’. The article is referring to a conference forming part of the event ’100 Biggest & Best Companies’ held in Funchal. The highlights are about using new techniques in marketing that reduce costs and boost sales … through the internet. One speaker warned those in sales and marketing that "the consumer is changing, the market is more competitive, there are new management tools and techniques, and business models are changing", he later went on to say by way of illustration that that Google undertake 700,000 searches a minute, or 31 million per month (with maths like that I don’t think I will be taking any advice from this expert). To avoid the danger of nodding off, I will cut to the chase as reported on RTP news, that the overall suggestion that Madeira overcomes it’s island remoteness by focusing efforts on globalisation through the internet. Might be a little bit of catching up to do me thinks.

‘Over 90 Workers Become Unemployed – ‘Elimar’ requests insolvency’. The construction and real estate company Elimar, made up of 12 group divisions, found its workers outside its HQ yesterday morning, demanding back wages, allowances, and compensation.

(15^th May) The ALM, Legislative Assembly of Madeira, is to consider a proposal to pass a law that will stop large companies making mass redundancies, if in profit. If passed, the proposal of the PSD-M will protect workers until 31^st December 2010, as long as the company they work for has a million euros in liquidity (profits?) over the previous accounting period. Life and business doesn’t work like that unfortunately, but no doubt it will be a vote-winning idea amongst many employees in large companies.

(17th May). ‘Quinta de Gaula in difficulties – Transport costs hinder export of proteas flowers’. Between January and April, ‘Quinta Protea’ had a production output estimated at 60 thousand flowers, corresponding to 10% of the Madeira market. Despite the high demand for the eight species of proteas grown in Gaula, the seven year old business is currently facing serious financial difficulties. The main problem of the management is the transport costs. The increases in the price of fuel have pushed prices up in the last four years, and with the rates of export, have combined to lower the price of the flower resulting in a sharp drop in revenue for Proteus. Although the quality of the plants, grown in the soil of Madeira, ensures strong demand from the Netherlands, levels of production do not allow the region to compete with the Canaries and the Azores, and make it impossible to penetrate markets such as France or even the mainland.

(18^th May). ‘IHM Has Tenants Who Don’t Pay – Debts of unpaid rents rise above the €12 million mark’. Investment Housing of Madeira finished 2008 with a negative result of €1.1 million. In a year marked by a 3.7% fall in income, worth €20 million, the government linked organization was guaranteed a specified and limited income through the regional budget. This is the near equivalent of a government backed housing association, if I understand correctly.

BPI Bank now have their internet banking website available in English for those who need it. Just select the option at the top of the log-in page, and then log-in. It doesn’t have all the options that the Portuguese version shows, but it’s a start for those who would find English easier to work with.