Portuguese presidential elections Posted by João on 11:11 pm

So have you seen any of the six men you see here on the right in your town? They've been adding up the kilometres travelling up and down and across this country trying to convince you to vote for them (if you're eligible that is, or in other words, if you're Portuguese).

This Sunday, January 23rd, Portugal will go to the polls to pick out its President of the Republic. Now many of you may ask: why a President of the Republic if there's a Prime Minister already?

Well the President of the Republic, theoretically, has grand powers - to guarantee unity of the State and regulate the functionality of democracy in Portugal. What does this mean? It means that s/he has the power to dissolve government when s/he sees fit. Since the 25 de Abril, only once has this happened (Jorge Sampaio did away with the government of Pedro Santana Lopes in 2004). Sounds like a great job doesn't it? I bet s/he gets the best pair of scissors in the country though. Ribbon cuttings anyone?

So how does one go about convincing the people that 'if I wanted to, I could dissolve a government better then the others'? From my experience today, in two word: free giveaways. Pens, pocket calendars, ballons for the kids... Well I guess that's not that bad, after all there was the one guy up north who offered up refrigerators in exchange for votes (that's Valentim Loureiro mayor of the municipality of Gondomar by the way).

And so now I sit questioning myself: should I vote for the guy whose campaign people provided me with a free pocket calendar today? Will he be the right guy for government dissolving when government dissolving is needed? Will he even know when the situation requires some government dissolving?

Oh decisions! Such are the pains of democracy.

Crunch-time, or, how has the global crisis affected you in Little Ol' Portugal? Posted by Gabriel on 10:14 pm

The excellent blog posts on Canadian music have made start re-listening to a few bands, particularly Rush (though unlike João, I've always been a true fan).

Their music reminds me of small towns in rural Canada slowly dying off and disappearing, with the “old” way of life fading away due to closing factories, children growing up and leaving with no one to replace them, attracted by the opportunities that the big cities provide.

 

Abandoned shopping mall in Wallaceburg

I grew up in a small industrial town, and I remember the so-called “golden days”, when work was plentiful, and the economy booming. But that didn’t last long. Factories moved first to the USA, and then to Mexico. In Wallaceburg, the loss of the Glass Factory was the biggest blow, and the town went downhill from there. I left in 1999, which was really the beginning of the end.

 

Picturesque Wallaceburg

I’ve visited my hometown a few times, the last being in 2006. It was a ghost town. No children on the streets, all the old stores boarded up, and the factories abandoned. Even remembering it now saddens me somewhat.

Unfortunately in Portugal the economy is also facing serious problems. Not the same decline as Canada faced, since Portugal was never very economically strong to begin with. However, the VAT is rising yet again. Income tax as well. Deductable expenses are going to be severely capped. The budget is under heavy discussion, and risks not being passed in parliament. The plentiful subsidies formerly given by the European Union have long dried up. Austerity measures are in full swing. Recession looms overhead.

The Euro won't stretch as far as it used to. Not only will goods and services be more expensive, but we'll be effectively earning less each month. For many it's going to be difficult to make ends meet.

How are you dealing with the current crisis? Cutting down on the ivory back-scratchers? Or is it life as usual?

Gabe

Food and disappointment Posted by Gabriel on 9:25 pm

Well, a few months after moving to the capital I have finally started to get things organized.

One important question that has been bothering me lately is where would a Canadian get-together be held? Any Canadian restaurants in Portugal? Some-place where we could drink Blue and eat wings? Or poutine? Of course, it does not have to be “traditional” Canadian cuisine.

I am open to suggestions.

On another note, I am a bit disappointed with the Canadian Embassy here in Portugal.

Two months ago, after being encouraged by João Sardinha, I sent them various emails asking to keep me informed on cultural events promoted by the Embassy so that I could promote them to the Canadian population in Portugal.

Months past and no one replied. Not even a "get lost".

I’ve sent a few more, hopefully they’ll end up saying something.

All hail the Pope! Posted by Gabriel on 10:59 pm

Forgot to mention that the Pope (yeah, that evil looking fellow) will be visiting Portugal on the 11, 12, 13 and 14 of May, 2010. 

So if you are "Christian" and want to see the Pope (75% of Canadians are Christian, check out the 2001 Canadian Census results for yourself if you don't believe me), or even if you aren't Christian but still want a glimpse of the Popemobile, you can consult the Papal program here http://www.bentoxviportugal.pt/programa.asp

Yeah I know, the site is a bit frightening.

Interestingly enough, at a time in which Portuguese productivity is at an all time low, austerity measures are being put in place, and a global economic crisis looms ahead, the Portuguese government decided to allow public servants to take a day and a half off to see the Pope. Or go to the beach. 

This decision was criticized not only by employers, but also by union representatives

They insist that Portuguese holidays and government conceded leaves cost Portugal around 0,5 to 1% of its GDP per year.

The Portuguese leftist party, the "Left Block" (literal translation of Bloco de Esquerda, give me a little slack) said that this measure violates the Portuguese Constitution (the English version is available here if you're curious), mainly the principle of equality, the separation church and state, and freedom of religion and worship, as expressly stated in articles 13 and 41 of the Portuguese Constitution. 

Surprisingly enough, the Christian Association of Managers and Entrepreneurs (the ACEGE) supports the government's decision. Go figure.

How it all started. Posted by Gabriel on 12:56 pm

Happy 2010!


Where was I? On yeah, in the year 2003 I decided to move to Portugal to study law.

My decision was not very well received by the members of my family (mainly my parents and aunts and uncles). They all told me that life in Portugal is very different from life in Canada. That if would be very difficult for me; not only because of the cultural differences but also because of the vast differences in infrastructures and development, and that I would eventually regret my decision. I did not help that my family members were all Portuguese immigrants, which left the country while it was still reeling from the effects of the April 25th revolution, at a time when the differences between the two countries were even greater.

Well, they were correct on everything, except the part about regretting my decision.

Of course financial reasons helped to motivate my decision, since studying law in Canada would have cost quite a bit (around 10,000 dollars), while in Portugal at the time the tuition was about 500 dollars. Housing and food costs were about equal. Nevertheless, the main attraction was the opportunity to experience a different culture...

By the way,
The judicial (and not only) holidays are officially over! However, by the slowness of the Portuguese legal system you would be pressed to tell the difference.

I can't feel my toes. Posted by Gabriel on 4:23 pm

In line with current Summit on climate change in Copenhagen, it appears that in the next few days a cold spell is going to pass through Portugal, and temperatures are expected to drop below zero! With next Monday being one of the coldest days of the year. This motivated a communiqué from Civil Protection, warning residents to be careful with ice formation on roads.

This reminds me of how blessed we (residents in Portugal) are with the weather here.

Since about 90% of national territory has no snowfall, and therefore there is no need to salt the roads. For this reason you see cars without a spot of rust, and many 30 and 40 year old cars in pristine condition on the roads. During the day, when it’s sunny out, you can actually hang outside with friends, or take a walk downtown without worrying about frostbite. No ice or snow on the roads theoretically means fewer accidents (Portugal, despite having little to no snow, is one of the most accident prone countries in Europe). Energy bills are much lower since heaters are not needed (I actually have my windows open while typing this, it’s about 18C now).

The other side of the coin is that people here don’t know what they’re missing by not having snow. Making snowmen and snow angles, tobogganing, snow fights, soaked snow pants and snow days are all fond memories of Canadian children. Sure you'd throw out your back shovelling snow, see your car rust away to nothing due to salt, rarely savour sunshine, and lose a finger or two to sub-zero temperatures, but all that is a small price to pay for the sight of a magical white blanket of cold fluff covering everything in the morning after a snowstorm, and all that’s associated with it.

On the issue of climate change; what can I say? I truly hope something is done, since it is an issue that affects us all.

But I doubt that the developing countries are willing to abdicate their own economic development in order to benefit the climate. After all, the current industrialized countries were able to expand and develop without any checks or limits with regards to CO2 or other greenhouse gas emissions, so why should currently developing countries be subject to limitations? Equal opportunities and all that... Well, let’s see what happens.

Anyhow, don’t forget to bundle up!

Do me a favour? Posted by Gabriel on 11:10 am

I am sure that anyone that follows the news here in Portugal knows that the country is rife with corruption scandals, involving all levels of the public and private sector.

Bribes, kickbacks, fraud and favours concerning politicians, public procurements, large corporations, and, well, almost everyone in a position of power, are coming to light. No wonder that Portuguese confidence in politicians is extremely low.

The Portuguese parliament recently approved anti-corruption measures (including harsh punishment of "illegal enrichment"). I hope that this is the start of a serious crackdown on corruption in this country, despite the many obstacles to change.

Of course, none of this addresses the issue of "minor" corruption that is highly prevalent in Portugal. When I say minor I mean the influence that friends and family members have on arranging cushy jobs for others. The examples are so numerous that I will not waste my time writing them down, but they are fairly easy to spot, you only have to look at the last names of the employees in many public offices, some even employ entire families...

It ends up being corruption all the same since it subverts legally established selection procedures, which exist in the case of vacancies for public offices (for example, positions in municipalities). On paper, candidates are valued based on objective methods, for example, a candidates résumé is evaluated and given a score out of 20, he is then subject to written exam, and afterwards an interview. Unfortunately, these methods end up being very subjective. The evaluation of a candidate’s résumé, the correction of exams, and the interview is not subject to any defined standard, and a potential candidate can be excluded or passed over by the whim of an assessor.

I can understand the basic motivation for this type of influence. Family members want the best for their sons/daughters/cousins/nephews,etc., friends want to help friends, and people want to concede favours that they can later reap. Regrettably, it ends up being prejudicial for the employer, clients and citizens, since the best people for the job are rarely chosen.

One even begins to wonder if anyone gets to where they are by their own merit, or if they are there thanks to a "friend of a friend". Maybe I am just a pessimist.

This type of corruption is so entrenched in Portuguese society that I doubt that legislative changes can affect it, especially since it is so hard to verify that anything illegal was done. I believe that the most important solution is tied with the creation and reinforcement of a true civil society, which in Portugal is still truly lacking...

On this subject I highly recommend the book "Corruption in Italy: a Structural Approach", by Paolo Ferrari, on the relationship between corruption and civil society.

On a more positive note, happy 101th birthday, Manoel de Oliveira! Here´s hoping for another 101!