Christmas Meeting, with Bowls

Ciudadanos Europeos held a Christmas meeting at the Hotel Continental yesterday (Thursday 16th December) with around a hundred attendees. While the gathering was above all an opportunity to relax and toast the New Year, the party leader Angel Medina (deputy mayor of Mojácar, councillor for tourism and culture) gave a short speech on the party’s achievements so far together with the plans for the future and he also answered some questions.
We were joined by a number of members of the La Mata Lawn Bowling Club, including their chairman Alan Bramble, who are concerned about imminent plans by the owner of the complex to close the grounds to bowlers. Angel revealed that he had recommended to the Town Hall to enter into negotiations to buy La Mata and to run it as a publicly owned sports complex, and that the Town Hall is now in contact with the owner. This may prove to be impossible, and Angel’s other proposal, which he offered as ‘an election promise’, would be to build a new bowling green next to the new municipal football stadium. Alan Bramble and some colleagues have agreed to meet with Angel early in the New Year to take this project forward.
A question from the audience about tourism is worth a few lines here. Angel has reduced the money spent at FITUR, the national tourist fair held in Madrid in January, from around 80,000 euros some years ago to a current budget of 10,000 euros. The fair, together with the London Tourist Fair held in November, is important and he spends his time in meetings there with experts and politicians to discuss Mojácar’s tourism. He revealed, however, that the large tour-operators insist on paying less rather than more for hotel rooms and ask for major advertising campaigns from our town hall (and other town halls too) in their catalogues. Angel insisted that his main interest is in ‘residential tourism’ (as the European home-owners are classified in Spain) rather than in summer mass-tourism and that, like a house being cleaned up before the guests arrive, his concern is to repair, clean and improve Mojácar as far as he is able.
It is clear that Mojácar, like the other towns in Almería, is evermore under the thumb of the Junta de Andalucía, which has now taken over from the national government responsibility of the beach-bars, and an inspector from Seville has already been to Mojácar to see for himself his new engagement.
Angel spoke of his commitment towards public transport and said that he is trying to get a permanent bus-route from Almería airport to Mojácar and another connecting our town with the Huercal Overa hospital.
Bob Brook from Arboleas was at the meeting. Concerned by the issues in that town (notably, the burning issues of ‘illegal houses’, corruption and fraud) Bob and some friends have started a new party to contest the local elections there May 22nd 2011). The party, while completely independent from Mojácar, is called Ciudadanos Europeos de Arboleas. Bob calls it ‘the listening party’ which is a good and necessary quality in a political movement. Our party in Mojácar is the only party that has regular meetings throughout the four-year legislature, rather than a few hurried ones just before Polling Day).
The postal vote continues to be a problem, since Europeans can only use this system from within Spain itself (a holiday in Bilbao, perhaps) while Spaniards are able to vote through their consulates abroad.
Party officials Jill and Patrick Bennett, Alan Sykes and Mariano Novo were present last night and, together with Carlos Blanco (on a Christmas visit to France), join Angel Medina and I in wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New 2011.

Lenox Napier

P.S. I will be in the Mojacár Town Hall on Tuesday 21st and 28th at 12 noon to help with the padrón or registering to vote. For those who are unsure if they can vote, please ask in writing (with full name, passport number and municipality) to sede.censoelectoral@ine.es

December Meeting, with News and Survey

In the past few weeks, we have finally managed to pull down an old ruin in the Cuesta de la Fuente (Mojácar village) which has been a danger to the neighbourhood for some years. We have also made an official complaint regarding an illegal wooden roof pergola which was obstructing the view of neighbours in the Edificio Victoria on Calle Puntica.
Thanks to pressure from Ciudadanos Europeos, the Andalucian water agency has agreed to clean the ‘ramblas’ (dry waterways) in the municipality, particularly those in La Paratá, where occasional flood-waters have caused damage and even access to houses being cut off in the past.
We are also clearing up the question of a ditch in La Paratá improperly covered after work carried out.
As you can see, Ciudadanos Europeos is about local politics.

We will continue to be at the Town Hall on Tuesdays through this month (from 12 noon), to help with any problems of registering on the padrón and on the voting registry. You will need to be, at any rate, registered by the end of December to be able to vote in the local elections for next May 22nd 2011.
We are passing around a survey, to find out what YOU think. There’s a copy attached. Please fill it in and let us know. You can print off copies and give to your friends and neighbours. Please return them either by e-mail, or to a party member, or left at El Masko coffee bar in the Parque Comercial.
We will have an informal meeting together with a seasonal glass of cava at the Hotel Continental on Thursday 16th December from 6.00pm. Please feel free to bring friends and neighbours who might be interested in meeting us.
We are always grateful for e-mail addresses of local residents who wish to be kept informed.
Ángel Medina and Lenox Napier



Survey

Name…………………………………………………………………………………
Address……………………………………………………………………………….
email…………………………………………………. Tfno……………………….
Do you consider it important to be registered on the padrón? .....

Are you interested in receiving information about municipal affairs? ....

Do you know what is Ciudadanos Europeos?......

Do you know who is the leader of this party? .......

Were you aware that Ciudadanos Europeos has had regular party meetings every couple of months for the past four years?.........

Do you think that the current Town Hall is interested in your opinion?.....

What do you consider are the most pressing things for the future?

…………………………………………………………………………………………
What public works should be addressed in the next four years

…………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………..

What can be done to help bring about full integration with all the residents of Mojácar?

……………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Suggestions and comments ………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………..

Voting in Spain

The chance to register to vote in the 2011 local elections closes at the end of this year. It's worth while joining in with all the various rights and obligations of our community, because that's integration. There's a purpose-directed webpage called Voting in Spain by an Englishman on the Costa Blanca called Russ which is worth reading. Meanwhile, I'm at the Mojácar town hall each Tuesday at 12 noon through the end of December to help anyone who wants to register on the padrón or register to vote.
Lenox

Mojácar's Art Museum

Angel Medina was in Jerez de la Frontera recently, accompanying his brother-in-law, the artist José Morera ('El Hortelano'), at a prize giving officiated by His Royal Highness Don Felipe the Prince of Asturias. The prize, also given to Julio Iglesias the singer and others, was the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes.
Sr Medina, who intends to open the 'Museo de Arte de la Ciudad de Mojácar' art museum shortly, hopes to begin with an exhibition by El Hortelano. He has asked the Town Hall to make contact with the Casa Real to see if a visit by the Prince and Princess to perhaps attend the opening ceremony would be feasable.

Sr Medina also visited Madrid earlier this week to meet La Baronesa Von Thyssen, who had that same day opened an exhibition in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
(Paseo del Prado 8, Madrid) called 'Impressionist Gardens', to plan future exhibitions in the soon-to-be opened Mojácar museum.

News

Some news from Angel Medina.

Cranes. There now remain just two cranes in Marina de la Torre, two in Macenas and the one in the grounds of what was Felipe San Bernabé’s. We are in communication with the owner about this last one.
The IBI (Rates) can be satisfied in several payments. You must ask in the local tax office in Vera before November 20th. These fractioned payments will need to be paid through automatic bank transfer. Ciudadanos Europeos can provide the appropriate forms by mail or by hand.
The street outside Correos. This street is always full with double-parked cars or parked on the pavements. I am preparing an inquiry into finding ways of fixing this problem.
The Padrón. It is important to be registered before the end of 2010 to be able to vote in next year’s local elections. We shall continue to be available outside the Mojácar Town Hall on Tuesdays at 12.00 noon.
The Palm Tree Bug (Picudo Rojo). A decree from the Department of Agriculture of the Junta de Andalucía (BOJA Nº 67 April 8th 2010) states (briefly) that the plague of this insect was recognised in 1997 and a special permit was issued then to transport palm trees and rules were laid down to burn infected ones. New rules have now been introduced, including an order to notify infestations to the Delegación Provincial de Agricultura y Pesca and to allow inspectors onto one’s land as necessary. One must follow cures and measures as the Dept of Agriculture orders. One must control pruning/cutting and avoid planting new palms in infected areas. There are, however, no offers of direct help or subsidies to owners. Town halls have the obligation to alert the Department of Agriculture of suspected infestations, to report companies that market these plants illegally or without proper regard to the rules, and to oversee the destruction of infected plants. The owners of these infected palms have the obligation to treat them with special chemical products (available from plant stores), follow instructions from the Department of Agriculture, to not make any transplants without permission, and eliminate any dying or dead palms following instructions from the Dept of Agriculture. And all on the pocket of the owner! Then there’s the subject of fines. What a shambles!

Notes from the October Meeting

From The Entertainer Online: 'The recent meeting of Mojácar's premier political party, Ciudadanos Europeos (the only party in Mojácar that bothers to have meetings) began with the news that some residents of Arboleas are so upset with their ruling PSOE (and dismayed by the prospect of the previous mayor's bid to return as 'PSA'), that they have decided to start their own independent branch of Ciudadanos Europeos de Arboleas. The provincial paper, La Voz de Almería, gets some of the detail wrong, but the basic point is made: the European foreigners are sick of the local greed and corruption of 'clan politics''.

The Voz article in fact suggests that we are in contact with some other groups from other towns with similar concerns.

The meeting on Saturday also had more pedestrian subjects to deal with - which is right for a local party concerned with local affairs. The first subject raised by Angel Medina was the confirmation that three Mojácar builder's cranes have now been retired, including the one that disfigured the picture-postcard approach to the pueblo for so long, and that a further two will be gone by Christmas. Perhaps the biggest news was that the famous ring-road (meant to have sped through La Paratá to 'take pressure off the beach avenida' - but in fact to allow heavy lorries from Carboneras easier access to the Murcia motorway) has now been finally discarded and the expropriated land involved has been returned to previous owners. The Town Hall is studying the proposal to widen the existing road that runs (well, 'walks' anyway) behind the gasolinera and hotels.
Some of Mojácar's larger infrastructure, built and financed by the Junta de Andalucía, remains closed. The sports centre and swimming pool for example, would need too much funding to run as a municipal project and tenders are out for private companies to take on the management. The town's long-awaited art museum will however be open by Christmas.
A new project, Mojácar Ciclista, starts this autumn. Based at the Oasis Tropical Hotel, and promoted by Thomas Cook, this is a plan to bring cyclists to Mojácar and offer them a series of interesting routes, together with a workshop and full support at the hotel. The project starts just in Belgium, and has received favourable interest. This type of tourism, Angel Medina told us, is far better than the late-night young boozers from Vera-and-beyond tourism which generates so much mess, noise and potential tragedy. His department would continue to support quality tourism, but without encouraging the 'any-and-all' proposed by previous tourist departments (and currently, some of our other parties).
In culture, our monthly art exhibitions and regular concerts will continue as always. In transport, Angel is trying to open bus routes from Mojácar to Turre, the Huercal Overa hospital and the Almería airport.

Lenox Napier gave a talk about the importance of belonging to Mojácar by saying that one must integrate and become part of our community. Try and practice saying: 'Yo Soy Mojaquero'. Lenox says he will be outside the Town Hall each Tuesday at 12.00am to help with padrón, voting registration and other concerns.

Crispin Welby from Arboleas gave a talk (in perfect Spanish), ably translated by Virginia, about the concerns in his town and why he intends to start the new independent party there. The sound and technical support came, as always, from Alan Sykes. Our thanks to them all.

October Meeting

Dear Friends, we can now say that we are at the beginning of the period of ‘intriga’ which is the forerunner of the run-up towards local elections, which will be held at the end of May 2011.
While other parties have never called on their supporters since the last weeks of the previous election back in 2007, Ciudadanos Europeos has held regular meetings and, we hope, has managed to answer and address some of the issues raised by members.
Our next meeting of Ciudadanos Europeos de Mojácar will be at the Hotel Continental (Mojácar Playa) on Saturday 9th October at 11.00am. All welcome (tell your friends). At the meeting, we hope to discuss progress on the issue of the builders’ cranes, news and plans about the ‘polideportivo’ (the sports centre) and also the state of play of the troublesome yet important ‘circunvalación’, the Mojácar ring-road.
And, of course, some comments on the current state of the ‘intriga’ – the plans and alliances that are slowly coalescing into next year’s crop of parties.
Questions and comments will, as always, be received.
We look forward to seeing you then.
Angel Medina and Lenox Napier

How to Register on the Padrón and How to Vote

REGISTER TO VOTE AT THE NEXT LOCAL ELECTIONS BY SIGNING ONTO THE PADRÓN AND CENSO ELECTORAL.
YOUR VOTE CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE!

In the 2007 local elections, nearly 80% of the eligible expats in Mojácar did not vote because they were NOT on the ELECTORAL ROLL (or Censo Electoral).
Who should register?
Expats who spend all or much of their time in Spain may register on the Padrón and Censo Electoral, yet many still have not done so. They may wrongly assume that the Padrón is a means of vigilance by the state. However, it is simply a way for the Town Hall to count those that live in their area, with no investigation as to a person’s official status or financial affairs. The information you provide is confidential and covered by data protection laws.
What are the benefits to YOU?
• You comply with legal requirements.
• Better public services; Central Government pays the local council €170 per person on the Padrón each year
• Access to benefits and social care; people on the Padrón aged 65 and over get free municipal bus passes and other benefits.
• A reduction in taxes; registration on the Padrón could mean reductions in Property Tax, certain community charges and inheritance tax.
• Voting rights for an easier life; you need your Padrón certificate to carry out various administrative tasks, such as registering for healthcare, registering your car with Spanish number plates or enrolling children in school. Remember: NO VOTE: NO VOICE.

ARE YOU ALREADY ON THE PADRÓN?
If “yes”, you are still NOT automatically entitled to vote. To vote, you must also sign onto the Censo Electoral (or the Electoral Roll). Your right to vote in Local (or Euro) elections is enshrined in Spanish and European law. Your vote will influence the type and style of local government. Expats may be required to renew their registration on the Electoral Roll; just check!
How do I register?
You can register on both the Padrón and Censo Electoral AT THE SAME TIME. You will need to take, to the Ayuntamiento the following documents: Passport OR Residencia + your last Rates receipt (I.B.I.) OR Water / Electric bill in your name OR your Escritura OR rental contract:

Need help?
The officials will help. Instructions in English, German and French are on the back of census form.

TO BE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE
on SUNDAY MAY 22nd 2011 in the LOCAL ELECTION
SIGN ON to the PADRÓN and CENSO ELECTORAL
Do it now. You may be TOO late in FEBRUARY 2011

Ciudadanos Europeos de Mojácar will shortly be announcing regular meetings to help with town hall paperwork.

June Meeting

We started today’s meeting by mentioning the new ‘senior’s amusement and exercise park’ at the Parque Comercial which has become a surprise hit. Angel also mentioned the new electric displays which list concerts and exhibitions. One at the Parque Comercial and the other – to be moved from the Plaza Nueva in the Pueblo and placed at the Fuente by the Centro de Usos Multiples (the Centro de Artesanía as it used to be called).
Owners of the inert cranes which dot our landscape are being traced and warned that they must have an official inspection on their cranes every six months and must hold insurance. The police are taking photos and fines as necessary. A list of all cranes in Mojácar will be available in two weeks time. Those cranes that can be ordered removed will be taken down at the owners’ cost.
The large and unfinished block of apartments at the beginning of C/ Vistamar is under an inquiry and some of the apartments may be demolished before the building can get a licence. The road surface of C/ Hilguero will be repaired in the next few days. The wild boar which have come down the mountain and are to be seen in the C/ Rumanía and surrounds will be ‘controlled’ by the Guardia Civil.
Our party puts residents first: that is, residence in front of tourism, said Angel Medina in his speech. Our goals are simple enough: Cleaning up, repairing and beautifying our municipality; keeping us safe (security cameras are going to be installed in the Pueblo soon); to open a new and more complete medical centre near the Petrol Station; to improve local public transport (and to inaugurate a regular bus service to/from the airport); to make Mojácar a good and comfortable place to live; to build a residence for the elderly (a site has been set aside for this) and to pedestrianise the Pueblo.
We need to think long-term and we will continue to hold regular meetings (unlike the other parties), said Angel.
It is not easy to be a junior partner in the government but, with more representation, we would have more ‘say’ over our town’s course. As the only party which represents the ‘European’ residents, we would hope for a higher turnout in the next elections from this group (only 13% of Mojácar’s ‘European’ Residents voted in 2005). To vote, you need to be on the padrón and to have asked for the right to vote, filling out a simple form. A copy of this can be downloaded here.
Angel explained the Coalition's reasoning behind the project to build a small underground car-park up near the church in the Pueblo – to be used solely by local pueblo residents to, in turn, encourage people to live – or to continue to live – in the village. This would improve the area, allowing the Plaza’s Arbollón and Frontón to return a ‘Moorish’ appearance; would finally bring back the Arco de Luciana (callously demolished several legislations ago); would reduce traffic there (currently around 350 cars per day pass the church); while the cost (paid out of ‘protected funds’) would be returned by local vehicle owners buying an eighty-year lease. Well, we'll see.
The meeting was covered by Jacqui from the Costa de Almería News – see next Friday’s edition.
Please feel free to write to us with ideas, comments and suggestions for next year’s program – Our mail address is:
ciudadanoseuropeosdemojacar (at) hotmail.com

Early Summer Meeting

There will be a meeting of Ciudadanos Europeos de Mojácar at the Hotel Continental on Saturday June 19th at 11.00am. The meeting will be chaired by Councillor Angel Medina and Lenox Napier.
Angel has placed two cultural information panels in Mojácar - in the Plaza Nueva and the Parque Comercial, and has ordered 'quitamiedos' metal barriers for the roads and streets of the Paratá which should be erected in late June. He will present a study of the builders' cranes (a request from an earlier meeting) and will order the removal of those which are not in use. He has ordered the removal of the large billboard outside the Mojácar pueblo square. He has other plans and accomplishments to relate and will, as always, be taking questions and suggestions.
All are welcome to attend.

Don't be Fooled

Mojácar is always different from anywhere else when it comes to politics. In the last elections, we had fourteen parties, one of which, Mojácar 2000, didn't end up competing. All this for about 3000 voters. Of the thirteen parties that did present candidatures, several of them were unable to obtain a seat in the council. You need in our town (an estimate) around 130 votes for one council seat. You may remember the potty bloke in a suit who lurked outside the post office, or the drunken barman who ran a 'far left' party...? These 'lost votes' essentially went to the most voted party.
In Spain, and let's contrast the British or American system, we have proportional representation. In other words, you vote for a list. There are usually - let's say - three parties to choose from: PP, PSOE and a third independent or smaller group (like Ciudadanos Europeos). This means that both your candidate and their candidate are going to get in and the question is more to do with the following names on the various lists. This is why the local parties like to put someone popular... or foreign... way down a list. They are there as cannon fodder - nothing more. They won't get into the town hall, but they will attempt to raise the attraction of the party proposal.
In our town, there are two or three powerful families who spend a lot on these local elections. They see this no doubt as an investment. They are, of course, in the minority and they are also in disaccord amongst themselves. However, since the 'Europeans' won't vote (just 13% did last time) and since they will be distracted by various 'no-hope' parties or having Mr Smith or Mr Jones as Nº 11 on some party list, the European vote, which could actually be a control on our town hall, is wasted.
So, how much choice will there be for the voters next time? We are already hearing of two new parties...
The next elections are just a year away.

Meeting: 30th January

The meeting of Ciudadanos Europeos de Mojácar was held at the Hotel Continental yesterday.
The meeting was opened by Carlos Blanco and Lenox Napier was the first speaker. Lenox reminded those present to get onto the padrón and the voting register. The message, he said, really goes to those Mojácar residents not present today, as there are a large number of people living here who are not registered. The government will be making registration compulsory later this year.
Lenox explained the lack of ‘ideologies from the thirteen local parties in the last elections’, pointing out that there were, for example, three different PP parties, with the PP, the PAL (whose leader, the mayor of El Ejido, remains in gaol after three months) and the GIAL. He remembered the Mojacar Nuevo party, whose leader managed to divide the foreign vote without achieving anything of much use, and has since disappeared. He also broached the subject of a new political lobby which wants all the foreigners to vote for the same group (possibly a group which their Spanish champion used to represent) and whose principal ‘idea’ is to promote tourism. Lenox argued that ‘residential tourism’ (as it’s called for some reason) needs to be the key investment here as Benidorm is an example of a well-served tourist destination and Mojácar clearly is not. ‘We settlers’, he argued, ‘put money into the community all year round, and spend a lot on a house, a car and so on – incomparably more than a tourist’. Lenox discussed the function of a mayor – to represent and speak for his/her community, which, he said, the mayoress of Mojácar has failed to do, noting her behaviour during the Mojácar fire last summer (a bit like George Bush and Katrina).
Angel Medina, the councillor for tourism and culture, after a brief introduction in English, switched to Spanish. He was translated by Virginia Heyman.
Angel said that Ciudadanos Europeos de Mojácar was the only local party that had meetings with the public during the four-year legislation and that the other parties only tuned in to the community just before elections. He said that this year’s budget was 8 million, down from last year’s 12 million which was, in turn, down from the year before’s 20 million euros. Of this, between wages and basic running costs, and assuming a 100% collection on local taxes (!) there would be around one million euros only this year for road repairs, culture, tourism and so on. Angel said that this year, he had spent 6,500 euros at the Fitur tourist fair in Madrid to promote Mojácar, against the 80,000 euros spent by the previous tourist councillor at Fitur two years before. Angel’s talk was about the small local things that the party, with only one councillor, was able to do. Helping the British library, supporting several local British clubs, including the British Legion, the Dames in Spain, the Club de Toros de Mojácar and the Anglican Church etc. Cleaning and repaving streets, organising concerts and exhibitions, installing three electric information panels in Spanish and English (at the pueblo, the fuente and the Parque Comercial), and so on.
Angel has been working on a regular bus route from Almería airport to Mojácar, and a new multi-use public energy-efficient building with a conference room, an artists’ residence, an archaeological studio, offices for cultural uses etc to be built at the medical centre on the beach. A new medical centre will be built near the petrol station. A bus station would also be built there.
To illustrate the weakness of one councillor in a government, he told the Spanish joke of a councillor from Cuenca caught and fined in Madrid for speeding. The man from Cuenca tells the policeman ‘I’m a councillor from Cuenca’ and the policeman replies ‘here in Madrid, a councillor from Cuenca ain’t worth a shit’. The man sadly answers ‘he ain’t worth a shit in Cuenca either’.
But with two or three councillors…
The panel took questions on various topics.
Albert Schröter (a councillor in the town hall) and Bill Campbell (spokesperson for La Paratá urbanisation) were in the audience of around eighty people.
Our thanks to Alan Sykes for providing the microphones and sound equipment and to Gaspár from the Hotel Continental.