The latest unemployment figures for Almería are, frankly, staggering: A further 1,700 people joined the dole queue last month, bringing the total number of people claiming the dole to 74,000 in the province. However, bearing in mind the number of people not eligible for dole (ie it’s ended and they can’t find work), the latest EPA (Encuesta de la Populación Activa, Study of the Active Population) claims that 111,000 people are hunting for work in Almería.
This is bearing in mind that we’re in the middle of the summer season, with the bars open and lots of work going in the local tourist trade. Ah hem.
Of course, the cynic in me suggests that a number of these people are working, but the bar owners / hotels / [insert business here] aren’t keen on paying the high taxes the government insists upon for hiring people legally – currently, about 45% of the base salary for temporary workers, 42% for full timers. Plus holidays, trainings, health and safety and a nice cash sum at the end of their contract. But maybe that’s just me.
The IU party, always there with a handy soundbite, snidely said that the most anticipated opening of the El Corte Inglés does not seem to have had the promised effect [..] of turning around our province’s economy. It’s wisecracks like this that make me consider voting for them. Then I look at their solution for the recession, and spot their plan is to prevent job losses by make it harder for companies to fire people. Right.
It’s bleeding obvious that in an economy where the only jobs going are short term jobs based around the tourism trade, it needs to be easier and cheaper to hire and fire people. Whereas both the IU and the PSOE both seem incapable of separating job creation from job retention (or even admitting that Spain’s black economy is around 20% of GDP and growing fast).
Still, good news for autonomos who don’t mind paying even more (see autonomos get the dole)
The Spanish Senate’s Committee on Tourism, Commerce and big floppy eared bunnies has agreed to a PSOE backed iniciative to commence a viability study to see if Almería warrants a new Parador hotel.
The motion, which has been around for years, was shot down last year when Parador Hotels published their five year expansion plan, ruling out Almería.
This has not slowed down Senator Asensio (Almería province; he’s also sec gen of the provincial PSOE party) from jumping on what was a PP bandwagon, and forcing the issue back onto the table.
Of course, it’s a table that’s a long way away from the main table, in restaurant terms this table is not just by the toilet doors, it’s actually equivalent to sitting on the restaurant loo eating off a tray; but hey, maybe when the next five year plan is published Almería might be a possible candidate?
The townhall wants to put a Parador in the Alcazaba fortress, arguing that this would be perfect, and it probably would be.
Marvellous idea. Our own Unicaja (formed several years ago out of a merger between several provincial cajas), also known as El Monte de Piedad y Caja de Ahorros de Ronda, Cádiz, Almería, Málaga y Antequera (or UNICAJA – Caja del Sol) is Andalucias biggest financial entity and is based out of Malaga. It has a huge portfolio, sound financial rating and little exposure of dodgy debt.
Caja Castilla la Mancha is a second rate Caja working out of Cuenca, which has just been downgraded to BB+ rating, large exposure to toxic debt and a slight political concern (it is rumoured) about possibly being the first Spanish caja to go under due to the credit crunch.
So… let’s merge them! It won’t (much) affect Unicajas’ debt, as Unicaja has a large surplus and can squirrel away the toxic assets without anyone being the wiser. It’s a blow to the prestige of the (P.P.) president of Castilla La Mancha, and gives old Prezzie for life Chaves (PSOE) some national coverage.
More politics than anything else, but it’s nice to see that it’s not just Madrid (province) that’s taking political control of the Cajas.
The newspaper ABC has released a video showing the mayor of Ohanes, a small village in Almería, accepting cash from a builder in exchange for building licenses in May 2005.
The Mayor is seen counting out notes to the amount of €29,000; whereupon he asks why €1000 is missing and the promotor agrees to pass the money to him the next day. They discuss the handover of the paperwork, and a verbal promise to pay a further €30,000 upon receipt of signed paperwork is audible.
Mayor Juan Francisco Sevilla (who resigned when allegations of this case came to light) is awaiting trial on other charges of corruption and fiscal coercion. He belong(ed) to the PSOE party – it appears that he was allowed to resign with honour intact- and the P.P. are demanding action.
Here’s the video (Thanks to Kalebeul for pointing me in the direction of it):
The P.P. party will present tomorrow a motion in Parliment to change the name of Madrid Airport from Barajas to “Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez”.
Adolfo Suárez was the first elected Prime Minister of Spain after Francos death and was one of the architects of Spains democratic model. The proposal (which has been approved by his family) is intended to honour his memory.
After the transition to democracy, Spain implemented a maximum jail term of 20 years. This was, as you can imagine, was an important point for the young democracy, used as it was to indefinite sentences for any offenses, real or perceived, against the fascist regime. When the politicians decided to extend this period, the argument they used was that certain crimes, such as terrorism, national or islamist, deserved longer sentences.
One of the first people to be resentenced under the new laws, and indeed, one of the peoples whose expiring jail term prompted the change in the law, was the convicted ETA terrorist Inaki De Juana. He was sentenced in 1987 to 3000 years in jail for organising bombings that killed 25 people during a wave of terror attacks in Madrid during the 1980s. As you can imagine, the fact that by law he would be automatically released after only 20 of those 3000 years drew a wave of contempt and fury from victims of terror across the country.
So, De Juana was one of the main examples used to change the law. Despite this, he recently received parole after only 21 years in jail, as the parole board decide he posed no real risk to Spanish society. Despite condemnation from politicians across the board, victims groups and the press, he was released on parole, albeit under strict bail conditions. Such conditions include not contacting the press, and not being involved in any political process, except voting, etc. Upon his release a furious Prime Minister Zapatero took the unprecedented step of replying to a reporter that his personal opinion was that scum like him should rot in jail, although he appreciated that the judicial process must be seen as fair and just.
So the recent revelation that a letter from him was read by “an unknown woman”, restating the case for armed struggle in the Basque country and heaping praise upon the recently arrested ETA members and summer bombing campaign, during a welcome celebration for him as he arrived back in San Sebastian, has, shall we say, stirred up the nation. The press is screaming blue murder, and Judge Pablo Ruz (of the National Court) has ordered an investigation to see if the National Police unit of San Sebastian can prove the author of the letter. If the Judge is convinced that Mr De Juana wrote the letter then he will be looking at a maximum jail sentence of 2 years (parole unlikely) for breaking the terms of his parole, plus any other additional time for the incitement of violence under strict anti terrorism laws.
While on the surface this seems like a simple case of slapping down a convicted killer in his deluded quest, in certain parts of Basque, and indeed Northern Spanish society, De Juana is revered as a freedom fighter and community leader. The mere fact that Judge Ruz has ordered this investigation has stirred a hornets nest in which nationalist Basques are crying foul, and anonymous sources are already promising violent retaliations against the kingdom of Spain.
The whole case is quickly turning into a cause celebre for ETA and it’s associated political parties. They are claiming that Madrid and the central government are using any excuse to clamp down on any independent political party that does not toe the PSOE or national line. In retaliation, the central government say that they are trying to bring murderers and terrorists to justice and keep the average Spaniard safe on the street. In light of the last few bombs this summer placed across Spain, I think the average citizen on the street is going to be in favour of heavy handed justice. But the nationalist Basques aren’t going to take that lying down. This could, very easily, become the hot button topic to take peoples minds off the dying economy, in which case we’re going to see more police versus more bombs.
It’s certainly thrown Andalucia – traditionally the populace have been against increasing the maximum jail term. But for the first time the main ETA thrust seems to be against Andalucia and the whole tourism sector. So public sentiment is swinging towards throwing the “hijo de putas” in jail, or indeed putting them up against the wall. Of course, the average Andalucian doesn’t trust the justice system, but is now in the unusual position of having to ask the authorities to save them from the big bad enemy. While the PSOE-A party (the one that has run Andalucia since democracy) will always vote with the main PSOE (the one that runs Spain, and is supposed to be lefist [bloody communists!]). Leaving the average Andalucian realising that they are sympathizing with the P.P. – also known as the hereditary enemy? But this is money!
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