Madeira News Blog

(4th September). The main headline and big picture today is from Xmas, and shows that modern conical Christmas tree in Funchal, illuminated at night : ‘Illuminations Contested – Indutora competes for the business that is worth €6 million, won during the last 20 years by SIRAM’. The monopoly of the illuminations is challenged by the company Indutora. The two competing companies threaten the interests of the ‘Lusoesfera’. The lights for Xmas and New Year cost €6 million, for a two year contract. SIRAM have had the contract unopposed for twenty years (I think as the main partner in a consortium that includes light and sound). The contract is not just for Xmas and new year, as it also includes Carnival and the Flower Festival. As well as as the lighting and decoration for the principal roads, there is also work throughout the various districts of Funchal. With more than two decades of experience, Lusoesfera has the advantage of already owning much of the necessary equipment needed. The new competitor Indutora is a specialist in matters ‘electrical’, and 90% of it’s 150 staff are trained professionals, with another 70 collaborating staff from ‘Som ao Vivio’, who are specialists in sound and stage, and are well known for their involvement in festivals and musical events on Madeira. After opening the tenders, the result is announced within 30 days, allowing the successful bidder to start preparations in October. That includes the ‘artistic proposals’ for the first events. As price will not be the decisive factor, the detailed proposals and creativity will be under scrutiny at this stage. In the ‘downtown’ zone alone, 200,000 lights will be used, with another 200,000 in the other 9 districts of Funchal. Over 100 kilometres of cabling and connections(?) will also be used. 

‘Pepper Gas Shortage – The self defence spray is only enough for 20% of the actual policing. A gap that marks the 131st anniversary of the PSP’. The trade union, the Association of Police Professionals (ASPP), is seeking more resources for the self defence of its members, especially in a month rich in festivals and celebrations. "The pepper spray is the most effective weapon because it is not lethal, and has been a real asset to the police service" said a spokesman. The main concerns are in some areas where the PSP have to face higher risks, and in places that organized riots or sporadic disorders are more likely to occur, potentially resulting in injuries to security forces. Anti-flak jackets are also in short supply, especially with street police officers.

‘The Goodbye – João Mateus, the teacher that revolutionised sports training and a notable researcher, passed away yesterday’. "A man who lived before his time". A revolutionary in sports training and science researcher. He wrote highly critical letters in the Diário about the organization of Sport and Physical education in schools and the system of regional sports, and was also a notable commentator on a RTP sports programme. He led the volleyball team of CD Nacional to the Portuguese 1st division, winning championship titles at various levels. "We lost a remarkable man!" says the Diário.

‘Madeira In The ‘Festroia’ – The director of the Cinema Festival of Funchal, Henrique Teixeira, puts together the panel of judges for the prestigious contest’. This headline is principally about the renowned film festival in Portugal (Sétubal). I will cover this another time when the programme for Funchal is available, as I am pushed with technical problems today.

What no Sports! No football on the front page for the first time in weeks. The sports journalists must have been struck with Gripe A.

‘Merlin Helicopter Rescues Fisherman Injured Working On Board – The fishing boat was 21 miles south west of Porto Santo’. The air force helicopter rescued the man yesterday morning, and took him to hospital on Madeira, suffering with a serious wound to his chin and tongue.

(3rd September). In a bit of an odd story, the Diário reports that there have been 10 deaths so far during the ‘Portuguese beach season (the last 2 months), as well as 348 rescues. Half the deaths occurred on beaches without life guards. The article then has a sub-headline : ‘Madeira’s Beaches Are Safer’. Pointing out that nobody has died here or on Porto Santo this season, and then interviews two separate sources in order to confirm that fact. I suppose it does no harm to identify the positives!

UPDATES :

‘Plague of beetles have killed 20 Palm trees in Funchal’. The president of Funchal Council, Miguel Albuquerque, yesterday morning visited the last phase of the refurbishments of the Avenida do Mar. The project costing €708 thousand will be completed in late October. As they are replanting Palm trees in the area, the president stated that the câmara has the plague of beetles more or less controlled. He also asked anyone who has palm trees at home to contact the Department of Environment of the council, as due to the pest Funchal has lost 20 trees.

‘Municipal Road Inaugurated In Prazeres’. The Caminho Municipal of the Travessa da Figueira to the Lombo da Rocha, Igreja e Estacada, in the parish of Prazeres is inaugurated today by President Jardim. It is the responsibility of the council of Calheta, is 1.8 km in length, and cost €540,000. I think that’s the longest road name I have ever come across, I am certainly glad I won’t have to type that out too often.

For anyone interested in astronomy, there is a free event at the Botanical gardens tonight at 9 pm. It’s free to attend the star gazing, but whether one pays to enter the gardens or not I don’t know, but they are open at 8 pm.

‘Parish Of Santa Maria Maior In Festival’. Starting on Sunday and lasting throughout the month, the festivities mark the 576th anniversary of the parish in the historic zone in Funchal.

‘Majority ‘acquitted’ Quinta do Lorde’. All normal, within the law and no criticism. Such are the likely conclusions of the parliamentary inquiry into the licensing of the project of the resort ‘Quinta do Lorde’ in Caniçal, to be approved next Monday in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira. The ALM interrupts the Summer recess to discuss and vote on the report from the inquiry committee. The result of the report, written by Vasco Vieira (PSD), will not be a surprise, and will follow what has always been the social democrat position on the project, and the case will be ‘archived’ once again. The parliamentary inquiry was forced by the joint request of the Socialist Party, together with the Communist Party, the Left Block and the New Democracy party, who just about managed to muster the 10 signatories necessary. The decision to close the case on the licensing of the resort Quinta do Lorde is well received by the developer of the project, the Sousa Group, confirming that the whole process was transparent, since its inception in February 1999. The project, which was licensed by the council and the Regional Government, will be shown to have observed the details of the municipal plan (PDM), and adapted the project to fit in the the area of natural park. Quercus, the environmental organisation, still insist the project violates the PDM of Machico. You just can’t win can you. A inquiry into extensive planning irregularities committed by a social democrat council and government, investigated by the same party.

‘Nursing Home To Be Opened Seven Days Before The Election – The home in Porto Moniz has been ready for months, but is still closed’. Apparently there is much evidence that the home for the elderly in Lamaceiros in the district of Porto Moniz has been completed, and is ready to take in 10 Alzheimer patients, with another 20 beds. But It’s all just a matter of illusion in the eyes of the people, says the Secretary for Social Affairs, through the social security services of Madeira, the entity that is responsible for managing the building. The inauguration, curiously happens seven days before the elections: October 4th (Sunday) at 12 midday. It is a hot topic in the vicinity with the locals. The painting was finished two months ago, and people have seen beds, linen, and cooking equipment delivered, and there are no signs of any further work being done. The grass is laid, flower beds are planted, and enquiries reveal that there has been no known problems with equipping the new building.

Not long after the recent tragic accident at the beach Praia Maria Luísa, in the Algarve, when a cliff face collapsed killing 5 people, a warning was issued about a similar danger on the beach Praia do Toco in Funchal, with an unstable cliff. Funchal Council advised against the use of the beach, but it is still frequented by a ‘significant number of beach goers’. A politician from the BE party (Left Block) went there yesterday protesting that there are no warnings present, and accused the council of not taking measures to guarantee the safety of the zone, and of "great irresponsibility".

(25th August). Today’s main news story : ‘Euro Support At Risk – Madeira is the second worst region in Portugal for the use of European funds. Below, only the Algarve’. The EU has allocated €21 billion for expenditure in Portugal, to spend in the period 2007 to 2013. Madeira has 398 approved applications from this funding worth €140 million, but only money from 20 of these. It’s just 2% of the available pot, with the north of Portugal bagging 41%, Alentejo 12%, and the Azores 5%. I am sure there must be a financial scandal against the government here somewhere, for the Diário to have made it the main headline. It’s one of those dreaded financial articles full of abbreviations and financial terms that nobody understands, so I will use my time more effectively elsewhere.

The main photo today shows a taxi rank, with the first in the queue out of his cab and looking rather annoyed : ‘Free ‘Eco Line’ Infuriates Taxi Drivers – The taxi drivers on the rank are worried and indignant with Albuquerque and Conceição Estudante : the free transport in ecologically friendly buses threatens to explode the market’. Taxis in "slow death". "In reality, we don’t know what the future will hold for taxi drivers after 1st September". It is with concern that the president of the Taxi Association AITRAM, António Loreto, sees the future of these professionals after Funchal council and the regional secretary for tourism and transport revealed their intentions to make travel free on the ‘Eco Line’ buses. Alongside the illegal competition from some transport companies, Loreto says that this latest news is tormenting his members and "is going to damage yet more  the life of the taxi drivers". He believes that the Eco Line is a experimental initiative, with a duration of six months. "It seems that we just have to pay taxes, whilst others take our business" he adds, referring to the fact that it will be very difficult to attract tourists and residents when there is a free bus every 10 minutes connecting the main points of the city and hotels. There are 450 taxi drivers in Funchal, and over a thousand jobs overall, that depend on the trade. This week AITRAM will hold an emergency meeting with its members to analyse the problem. Not much sympathy from me when it comes to taxi drivers in Funchal, I guess the ones that are that way inclined will be ripping off a few more tourists to try to fill their pockets. Tough on the good ones though, doing my politically correct bit of course. What price a cleaner environment eh? I am hopping mad with jealousy because we (over my way) will continue to have the filthy old polluting buses of Rodoeste, and still have to pay for them. All the good stuff goes to Funchal as usual, sod the poor people out in the country.

‘Only Two Salvage / Rescue Stations Operational – The programme for 6 marine assistance centres is far from the end’. Network of stations in "dry dock". The six centres for costal rescue stations were promised in 2007, but progress is slow. In fact the only one in operation is in Funchal, although the one in Santa Cruz (which will act as the HQ) situated under the airport runway, is used in necessity, but has not yet been inaugurated. Porto Santo should be ready in 2010. With the other three, the situation is uncertain. In Porto Moniz, APRAM awaits authorisation from the civil protection authorities to start work in the port, and in Lugar de Baixo, well we all know the situation there. Porto da Cruz is in no better situation, depending on the decision of the government regarding the harbour location, with nothing expected to happen before 2011. Despite the uncertainties, SANAS went ahead and have already bought the six lifeguards rescue stations. These are now in ‘dry dock’ waiting to be used. There is a story and / or excuse for almost all the delays, and little concrete information on moving forward. The incident at São Vicente a few days ago when a fisherman was swept out to sea, proves the need for a ready nearby response, rather than waiting for aid to come from afar. When installed, each station will have a lifeboat in readiness to be launched when an alert is raised. We already have one tucked away here in Ribeira Brava, which I believe is operated by our firemen, so perhaps the Diário doesn’t have the full picture regarding sea rescue resources.

Yesterday’s search efforts pictured after a 73 / 75 / 76 year old man disappeared on Porto Santo on Sunday. He went out to do some fishing and didn’t return. ‘Missing Fisherman Of Porto Santo Was The Chauffeur Of The Murdered Businessman’. Despite the headline, nothing has been found to suggest that any third party was involved in the disappearance. Involved in the search are the navy patrol  boat ‘Cuanza’, two launches, a Merlin EH-101 helicopter, firemen and 4 forensic divers from Funchal. The search started yesterday continues today.

‘Seven Detained For Driving Under The Effect Of Alcohol – PSP dealt with 21 accidents at the weekend’. Three of the cases were in Ribeira Brava, the other 4 were spread around. One arrest was made for driving without a licence, and another for having a pop at a police officer. The 21 road accidents caused 5 injuries, one serious. Over the previous week on the via rápida hosted 63 broken down vehicles, as well as 8 vehicles stopped without apparent reason. 9 people were caught ‘on foot’, 8 animals rescued, and 35 objects of ‘risky dimensions’ were removed.

In football : "Terrible Atmosphere" Awaiting Nacional – Zenit player praises the promotion in Russia and makes himself available to collaborate in every way’. The Zenit player is Danny, not born here, but considered as a Madeiran. The stadium is likely to be full (21,000+) of baying Russians, giving Nacional a very ‘warm’ noisy welcome on Thursday. He applauds the decision to use the game to promote ‘destination Madeira’, and considers it a good investment of €10,000. He said he has already told footballing colleagues about Madeira, and some have visited, including the owner of his former club Dynamo Moscow.

‘Cavaco Silva vetoes new law on unions ‘de facto’ - The President of the Republic considers "inappropriate" making substantive changes at the end of term’. The President vetoed the new law on unmarried couples, considering it "inappropriate" at the end of a legislative term changing the current law, and pointing out the lack of a "in depth discussion" on the matter. "Without contesting the eventual need to make an improvement of the legal regime of ‘de facto’ unions … it is considered that at this juncture, this change is not only untimely, but it was not subject to discussion with the depth that the importance of this topic necessarily requires", reads a note posted on the website of the Presidency.

‘Rockfall In Albufeira – Prosecutors opened criminal investigation’. The public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the collapse of a cliff on the beach Maria Luísa in Albufeira on Friday, that killed five people and injured several more. The inquiry will be conducted in Portimão and the report referred to the court in Albufeira. The inquiry will "investigate any responsibility for what happened".

UPDATE : 

‘Police Action Results In Complaints – PSP says it was acting in a situation of public disorder in Camacha’. Three men claim to have been the victims of aggression in the area Nogueira, from the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR) of the Public Security Police. The situation is worsening the already complicated relationship between the police and residents of the zone. The three young men aged 20, 26 and 27 claim they were the target of a revenge attack, because of personal issues that they had had with an officer of BIR. A police spokesman said the BIR was called in to deal with a situation of public disorder. It all happened at the Festa de São Lourenço at around 12.30 am, and witnesses said that the three men were eating espetada without bothering anyone and doing nothing to annoy the police officers, but when the three moved away to go to the toilet they were followed by the BIR team (made up of 9 officers). The toilet entrance was blocked to stop anyone else entering and the three were given a "drubbing that almost killed us", according to one of the three men, as well as being threatened with death. The police used guns, batons, and pepper spray in the attack he said, and he ended up pretending to pass-out to stop the assault. The police version says the men were found in the public toilet when responding to a call about drunkenness and drugs, and they resisted arrest, but were handcuffed and taken to the police station and later released. The case is now with the public prosecutor in Santa Cruz.

‘Police Charge Bar on Porto Santo For Unlicensed Security’. The popular bar in the docks area was caught using two bouncers, when not licensed to do so. The fine for the offence ranges from €10,000 to €100,000. That should put an end to that bar then!

‘Hotels Are Prepared – Hoteliers commend the meeting to clarify matters about Gripe A’. The hotels are already preparing themselves for a possible outbreak of swine flu cases, with the arrival of cooler September temperatures. They have the materials and disinfectants needed, and also a contingency plan. The Diário contacted the main hotel groups of Pestana, Porto Bay, Savoy and Dorisol, and all assured that they were ready for the expected pandemic, with workers instructed and provided with ‘protective kits’, that include long-sleeved uniforms, ‘duck billed’ protective masks, and gels and disinfectants for cleaning telephones, doorknobs, printers, sanitary facilities etc. They are also trained in being diplomatic as to not upset customers. Can’t deny that being an interesting prospect, some one dressed on like a duck billed Darth Vader approaching a sneezing guest and hosing him down with disinfectant and yet maintaining hotel type diplomacy. I can’t deny being a little intrigued by the ‘kits’ containing materials for cleaning ‘printers’, although everything else makes sense. What make printers a special case I wonder? It’s a while since I went to a hotel I must admit, but in this day and age do they now put printers on dinner tables, or do people sleep with them. What about the computers they are connected to, are they somehow immune to Gripe A, and an even worse risk I would guess is the computer keyboard, as that’s where people have their hands after the previous gripe victim has coughed and sneezed all over it. I would have thought that lift buttons, and indeed coins and notes, would present a higher risk and have a higher priority than printers. I am busy saving up my small change, so when the pandemic hits Rib. Bra. I can always pay for things with the exact money … no risk then with infected change. What worries me is the kissey kissey thing and shaking hands with so many people, as I don’t want to offend anyone by refusal. Perhaps I will paint my face with pink spots, then people will avoid me instead.

Only around 20 articles in today’s Diário news sections (excluding sport and events), so that’s it from there today, but might I drift over to the dark side later to see what’s in the Jornal da Madeira, but no promises.

Just this one : "Mistérios das Ilhas" In The Bookshops Of Madeira’. ”Mysteries of the Islands’, controversies and secrets from the history of Madeira, by the author journalist José Luís Cabrita, is already on sale in all good bookshops. It has a preface by a man called Alberto João Jardim, who also happens be the president of Madeira (and presumably that also means that he is protected from any personal embarrassment). The book questions the discovery of Madeira, and looks at the ‘captains’ of the island, it’s settlement, and its inhabitants. It presents little known information about Madeira, some of it controversial. In the preface, Alberto João Jardim believes that "Mysteries of the Islands" is "a new and different image that brings the history of Madeira to political debate". I want to read it, but at €20 a copy, it might have to wait until Xmas.

(22nd August). Today’s main news story : ‘Wind Enables Saving Of €5 Million – Wind turbines already create 6.5% of the energy produced on Madeira, supplying the equivalent of 27,500 houses in 6 regions of the island’. It is predicted that by 2012, wind power will represent 9.8% of electricity needs, and take up to 22% (of total electricity needs) the output of the renewable sources of generation on Madeira. The new wind turbines will generate 71 GWh per year, enough to supply all the domestic needs of Machico, Calheta, Ponta do Sol, Santana, São Vicente and Porto Moniz. By the end of next year it is planned to have two new wind farms, one an expansion of the site at Loiral (project of EEM), the other a private initiative. The current capacity saves the importation of 13,700 tons of fuel to Madeira, and eliminates the emission 43,000 of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In theory there is no limit to the number of wind farms that could be built here, but there are restrictions that prevent this purely for technical reasons. Renewable resources could provide as much as 30% of electricity production by 2016/17. In theory, anyone can apply for a licence to generate electricity from wind power, by applying to the Regional Directorate for Trade, Industry and Energy, although the guarantee that all such energy produced can be sold into the grid in the future is not quite so clear.

The main front page photo today today is an eye-catching colourful shot inside the farmers market : ‘Bosses Annoyed With Market opening – Lack of information fell badly for the traders that preferred to relax on the Day of the City of Funchal’. The majority of traders only knew from the newspapers that Funchal Council had decided that the market (Mercado dos Lavradores) would be open, and those contacted by the Diário said they did not want to work on that public holiday, preferring to relax along with everyone else from Funchal. The stalls were open from 7 am until 4 pm, and trade was weak. One flower seller said she had just €20 in the cash till at the end of the day. The shops of downtown Funchal were also running on ‘half gas’, but bars and some restaurants were full of customers.

‘Rescued From The Sea Of The North With A Tragedy Imminent – SANAS, the Navy and FA undertook an operation together that finished in a difficult rescue, at night, of a 20 year old man in the high seas of São Vicente’. A helicopter, lifeboat, and the launch ‘da capitania’ fought for 4 hours against bad weather. The 20 year old man who was catching ‘lapas’ (limpets) on the reefs of São Vicente was rescued in the dark by a combination of rescue teams, and survived thanks to being in good shape physically, the diving suit he was wearing, and his rescuers of course. He was seen as it was getting dark, and a surfer bravely tried a rescue and had to be rescued himself, but as darkness fell the fisherman was lost from sight. The alert was raised about 7.30 pm and the authorities rushed to attend, along with the Merlin Helicopter stationed on Porto Santo. The rescue was achieved around 11 pm. A spokesman breathed a sigh of relief, saying these night time operations don’t always go so well.

’5 Dead In Rock Fall On A Beach Of Albufeira’. 4 women and a man died after a huge rockfall on the beach of Maria Luísa in the Algarve. 6 more were injured, one seriously. One expert believed that the cliff face, which was already identified as ‘at risk’, fell after a slight seismic activity. Four of the dead were women, killed just after midday yesterday. 8 people were rescued, including the injured mentioned. Work is still underway to clear the location, but there will not be any more survivors found.

‘SPAD Received 184 Animals Up Until 19th August’. The number has been less this year according to a spokesman for the Society for the Protection of Domestic Animals. Of the 184 animals received in just 19 days, 57 have already been adopted. The SPAD adoption campaign held in May will probably be repeated at the end of the Summer.

The emergency landing of the SATA shuttle service at Porto Santo yesterday, resulted in one injury, a man with a light fracture to his left foot, after a drop of around 3 metres on exiting the aircraft. He said he was pushed by another passenger in panic. The escape chute on the rear exit was not put in place until after all the passengers had left the plane. A vice president of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal was amongst the passengers.

‘Parents Deal With Purchase Of School Books’. It’s just a month to the start of the new academic year, but this year this year the sale of school text books has gone very quiet, in complete contrast with previous years, and especially last year. Large queues formed from late buyers, and supply problems from the publishers, have always caused a large headache with parents, not to mention the unwanted expense. This year, "Parents are being more responsible," says Agostinho Gonçalves, of Anny & Jhonny’s Bookstore, which sells textbooks for all subjects and levels, and to all parts of the Madeira and abroad. "There is much concern for purchasing the text books earlier", he stressed. This book shop alone orders more than 100,000 books a year. The text books needed are chosen by each school, so a wide variety are needed, although each book selected has to be adopted for a period of six years. For younger children, parents will have to find €60 – €75 for each child this year. In the secondary school this rises to €250 – €300 a year.

The sports headline today : ‘Nacional Prepares For FC Porto Thinking About Russia : Alvinegros (Nacional nickname) guaranteed a minimum of €900,000 if they eliminate Zenit St. Petersburg. But before that there is the game tomorrow in the Dragon’.

This weekend football : Marítimo are at home to Leixões on Sunday at 4 pm, and later on Nacional play away at the ‘Dragon’ against league champions Porto. (8.15 pm SportTV 1). There are currently 14 teams (out of 16) tied in second position in the league table, and I will stick my neck out and predict that will change significantly this weekend.

And from the political pages :

‘Solemn Session : Albuquerque says that the political class lives wrapped in cotton wool’. At the ‘Solene’ (solemn or serious) session yesterday in Funchal on the ‘Dia da Cidade’, in a 25 minute speech, one of the longest in 15 years, the President of Funchal Câmara Miguel Albuquerque accused the state of being "controlling, arrogant, and inefficient". The PSD politician was using a public engagement for political purposes, saying that politicians in the republic live in a glass dome. The last time I looked sr. Albuquerque you were one of the political class.

‘PND Help Jardim’. The New Democratic party launched a campaign yesterday afternoon, during Funchal 501, to help president Jardim pay the rent on the holiday home he is using on Porto Santo. The government owned property, reserved for the most deserved holidays for politicians and their cronies requires that a daily rent of €10 is paid by users, including Madeira’s president. According to José Manuel Coelho of the PND (aka The Rabbit), through a megaphone, Jardim does not deserve to be subjected to such "ingratitude", because despite being "retired", he still "cannot rest day or night, as he is always thinking about the welfare of Madeira and Porto-Santo". For everything that he has done for Madeira, especially "roads and concrete", and for being a "great world leader", at the level of Obama or Putin, he (The Rabbit) can not agree that Jardim has "to pay from his own pocket", for the holiday that he enjoys every year on Porto Santo. The money collected will be given to president Jardim. Yet another great wheeze from The Rabbit, the entertainment just doesn’t stop coming! Lettuce wait and see how much he raised for Uncle Bertie.

‘Candidate Denies Coming Together Of MPT (Earth Party) And The Orange Power – Lícia Agrela aspires in counting on the disenchanted PS supporters’. This is the next in the series of Diário interviews with the top candidates (head-of-list) for the national elections. The first question posed is about a ‘proximity between the MPT and the PSD, which she says is not correct and is just criticism made because of the MPT support shown for good policies (regardless of the political party responsible). As for the rest of the interview, I can’t be bothered. 

‘Santos Silva says that Ferreira Leite, in ‘democratic asphyxiation’, confuses the Republic with Madeira’. The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in Portugal, Augusto Santos Silva, said yesterday that Manuela Ferreira Leite (PSD Leader) is confusing Portugal with Madeira, "where they don’t follow the main democratic principles". He was reacting to a radio interview given by the social democrat national leader in which she said that the main problem of Portuguese society is a "very complex democratic asphyxia", and that "people are afraid to speak out against the government because they have fear of retaliation". I can’t speak for Portugal, but yup, that’s definitely Madeira.

‘BE does not participate in the Day of the City – Left Block challenges Funchal to "think" about the city’. Left Block councillors did not participate in the formal session of the 501st anniversary of the city of Funchal yesterday, because they contest the fact that only the PSD speeches were permitted. A situation which has been repeated for several years. Only Miguel Albquerque, president of CMF and Alberto João Jardim, president of the regional government, were allowed to speak. Rodrigo Trancoso, candidate of the BE for the forthcoming council elections on 11th October, believes this is a clear trampling of democracy and challenges Funchal to think about the future of the city. That must have spoiled the day for everyone then, and it certainly got me thinking about Funchal, particularly on how to avoid going there during election time.