What on Earth was the President of the Balearics, Francina Armengol smiling about on Friday?At least her Minister for Tourism, Employment and Finance, Iago Negueruela managed to keep a straight face.
Central government agreed to hand over eight million euros to help off set Thomas Cook-gate and improve a number of holiday resorts.
I honestly think Madrid needs to do much better than that.
To start with, the Balearics continues to pay more in the way of regional taxes than it gets in return from central government and, thanks to the acting Prime Minister’s ineptitude to have failed to form a “progressive” (left-wing) government over the past two years, the Balearic public deficit has risen steadily and, as the political outlook stands right now, caretaker PM Sanchez, is going to have to pull off a major coup to form a government next month.
Sanchez and Armengol are members of the same PSOE Socialist party, one would presume that would count for something. But no. Despite Armengol’s continued support for and defence of Sanchez, Sanchez has pretty much turned his back on the Balearics, mind you he has not done much for Spain over the past few years, perhaps that is why he has failed to win a clear majority in the four elections which have been held during the past four years. So, while Madrid throws some loose change our way and with the prospect of the cost of living rising next year, I would not be smiling if I was the Balearic president.