With the clock ticking, interior minister Anabela Rodrigues has been pulling out all the stops to halt the police “work-to-rule” which threatens to lose the State millions of euros worth of income in traffic fines during the month of September.
Centred on the government’s lack of approval for police statutes, the way ahead was clear. Rodrigues had to finally approve the statutes.
Calling a press conference at lunchtime today, she declared this is precisely what she had done.
But in her haste, she left out the GNR, and thus a solution to the problem still hangs very much in the balance.
SIC TV news has been peremptory in its report of Rodrigues’ afternoon performance, carrying a 33-second clip that will see her with so much explaining to do that we can almost certainly be assured she will never take part in a government again.
“The government has failed in its promise and approved the professional statute of the PSP leaving the GNR out,” SIC explained, adding: “Minister for internal administration Anabela Rodrigues admits the GNR statute is not ready to conclude”.
But the way she did it is well worth watching (click here http://sicnoticias.sapo.pt/pais/2015-08-27-Governo-aprova-Estatuto-da-PSP-e-deixa-de-fora-GNR). No knowledge of Portuguese is necessary as most of the time the minister simply says “Errrrrr…”
Meantime, GNR union president César Nogueira has affirmed his 23,000 members will be “taking to the streets to give this government a red card”.
