Jobs for the boys – the asesor scandel

Sit back my children and allow me to regale you with a tale of intrigue, friendship, backhanders and corruption, as it appears many of you don’t know about it.

During the end of summer, a story broke about how the Junta (which has been controlled since the transition to democracy unopposed by the PSOE party, and President-for-life Manuel Chaves) is giving the good old boys who lost their political positions in the last elections cushy jobs in the Diputacion and regional administrations. An intrepid undercover reporter got one of these fellows to admit that he “never” came into the office, as “there was no need to” as he got paid a substantial amount anyway. Old news, swept under the carpet by vast quantities of advertising cash and an “example” being made of the mayor of Sorbas, as follows:

The Mayor of Sorbas is also the spokesperson for the P.P. Party in the local Diputacion. (The Diputacion is the regional administration, the council for the province made up of proportional representatives from each political party, central administration and the Junta). He was the one who stood up in the Diputacion and demanded that an independent committee be setup to investigate the problems.

Two days later the public prosecutor announced an investigation into the mayor of Sorbas for giving licenses for two houses built illegally. Two houses. Despite the fact that the committee of the town hall gave permission for the houses. How many illegal houses in other villages with no action being taken? Note the timing, rather suspicious methinks. Especially as the day after this investigation was announced the PSOE complained that his calls for an investigation were a smokescreen to hide his own corrupt dealings.

Lesson learnt and it’s since gone quiet on the “Jobs for the boys” front.

So quiet in fact, that we continue to have these appointments announced. The latest is the announcement that the ex-mayor of Turre, Jose Navarro (no particular friend of mine – I wouldn’t stop to p**s on him if he were on fire) has been appointed to the position of Special Advisor on Climate Change to the Diputacion. Sorry, climate change? This from the chap who wanted to build 75,000 houses in the Sierra Cabrera? (B.O.P. De Almeria, 23 Julio).

He earns €2,900 a month (net) plus expenses, and has only been seen in his office once, when he put a few photos up and signed the necessary documents.

Now, you may wonder why he got this lovely job.

Before the previous elections, part of the ruling PSOE party in Turre broke away and formed their own independent group, mainly due to the fact that they couldn’t stand that b***ard Navarro. Due to this, the PSOE vote was split and the P.P. (under Arturo Grima) slipped in, with the support of the I.U. Councillor, Damaso Visiedo and formed a minority government. The splinter PSOE party refused to join with the main PSOE party until Jose Navarro retired, and Jose Navarro refused to give up his secure seat (with a nice paycheck) until he had a golden parachute.

Which turned out to be this ridiculous job for the government, “advising” on Climate Change. So off he pottered, laid low for a couple of months, allowing the two PSOE parties to reform and kick the P.P. Party out of power and returning yet another town hall to the PSOE.

As I always say, Africa stops at the Murcia border. It also shows how seriously the highups take Climate Change. Navarro wouldn’t know climate change if it snowed in his back patio.