Dear Editor,
How nice to see a letter from a Portuguese (Sr. Ferrada) in the Algarve Resident and such good English. Of course, he is right, as so many others are, that tolls, cuts, increased IVA etc will not help the Algarve; in fact the complete opposite.
But does the President, who possibly does not pay those tolls when HE visits HIS holiday home, care about us? More importantly, do our MPs here or the government?
Our Portuguese fellow residents who at least can vote in a national election have power – NOT to vote for those parties backing the measures.
But the President is also wrong in supporting Portugal remaining in the Euro. I know the arguments but the automatic multi-bank (ATM) which has been the EC, and which Portugal has wasted, is over.
The new Euro zone will be a highly centralised, German controlled one, and Portugal’s needs are NOT on the agenda, banks and France/Germany are the main matters.
So the government, aided by the President’s economic experience, would be better put, in Portugal’s interest, in seeking an orderly move out.
To the Escudo, or for Greece, the Drachma? Most certainly NO. The UK stayed out of the Euro because Sterling is tradable and because of the City.
The southern European states do not have those benefits.
The answer probably is a southern Euro which suits those states better and makes them big enough to trade with each other and the world; IF we get it right!
Your correspondent, Brian Carter, complains of “doom and gloom”. Sorry Mr Carter, we are in the real, nasty world now, struggling for our very survival, especially here in the Algarve. We are not on the beach and sun of the past, the dream, but meeting full frontal gales; storm force 10!
We have to accept the government, the elites in Lisboa, will not help, we have to do as much as we can ourselves; together, Portuguese with expats, one agencies with another.
Working together. What MUST not happen is illustrated by local Águas do Algarve in building the dam area in the Silves region. Waste, extravagant, no consultation/ planning for tourism, Algarve’s future/growth etc. etc.
Perhaps similar schemes, where much has been achieved in economic growth for an area/tourism, in places like Holland and UK; and other growth initiatives in a difficult environment, recession, should be studied, we need growth, a future.
We have to work together, unless, of course, local politicians and those around them are listening to old movies while the Titanic sinks! No wonder the UK is planning evacuation programmes.
D TAYLOR-SMITH, by email
