Team Photo

This was taken by Ken Hogg, who with Sarah Hogg is part of the list for Mojácar's Ciudadanos Europeos. Others missing from the photo-shoot include Alan Skyes, Maureen Sykes, Ángel Cifre and Blanca Morera.

The picture shows, front to back, left to right:

Jana Gayer, Ángel Medina; Mariano Novo, Audrey Hathaway; Lenox Napier, Carlos Blanco, Isabelle Bes, Marlin Patzke.

The manifesto ('programa') is now being finalised, with help and advice from our supporters, and we shall have a large public meeting on Saturday 7th May at the Hotel Continental from 12 noon. All welcome.

Angel Medina with the Royal British Legion

The Royal British Legion in Spain celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Charity on Saturday 2nd April with a benefit concert in Alicante, including artists from both the UK and from Spain. Mojácar councillor Ángel Medina and his wife Blanca were present for the occasion, kindly invited by Mojácar chairperson Rita Sneddon (pictured here with her husband Barry, flanking Ángel). Ángel's best memory, he says, of the splendid evening's entertainment was the 200 strong Crescendo International Choir from Torrevieja singing the Hallelujah Chorus.

The RBL meets in Mojácar at 11.30am on the first and third Thursdays of each month at The Artisan Centre in Mojácar (at the 'Fuente'). See their webpage here.

Notes from the Meeting on March 26th

The latest in our long line of regular meetings for Ciudadanos Europeos (‘European Citizens’) was held on Saturday 26th March at the newly decorated Hotel Continental. Ángel Medina spoke first of our approach to ‘small p’ politics with energy towards local concerns, together with day-to-day operations and management. We have a history of small-issue management, which we aim to continue, together with some larger plans, including the building of a residence for the elderly (the land and the project are both in place) and a multi-use centre for social events. We would also finalise bus-routes between Mojácar and the airport as well as Mojácar and the Huercal Overa hospital. Ángel also promises a municipal bowling green and to build more roundabouts on the beach road to help keep traffic fluid. He admitted that the Junta de Andalucía would not allow continuation of the Paseo Marítimo ‘beach promenade’ (Mojácar missed that opportunity many years ago).

He also dwelt on the current and recent state of the Ayuntamiento, including the mayoress’ plans for the underground car-park by the church, as well as her sudden and various completions of projects, such as the new municipal art gallery (lacking certain key elements, it can’t be opened as it stands as a museum) for Monday – the last day that Town Halls can legally open a new attraction before the election countdown. Ángel said that the project, entirely managed by him, was never given the final funds or the ‘green light’ until after he was sacked from the coalition in January, leaving the mayoress a clean field. Another project of his, a bi-lingual municipal radio, turned out that it was blocked in Seville by order of the ayuntamiento de Mojácar!

Some of the things achieved by Ángel as a councillor: the English Language Library brought to Mojacar from Garrucha; the installation of a bathroom in the Anglican Church (at the Aguas de Enmedio chapel); making premises available to the British Legion and the Dames of Spain... He has repaired much of the La Parata roads (the first time in twenty years); has removed most of the unsightly cranes looming over empty building sites; has mounted electric information displays with bilingual texts; has given opportunity for all British artists to exhibit in the Castillo Municipal Gallery; has ensured that all Town Hall publications are in both languages ​​and many other things besides which will be noted in the manifesto that we are putting together.

Lenox spoke of the thirteen parties of 2007 now being reduced to nine – or even eight – for 2011. He also noted that our party supporters' group and eventual list (‘papeleta’) differs from the established parties in not having any desertions from our party to other formations. In fact, of the eight party leaders who survive from the 2007 elections, only two remain in the same party as before.

Ciudadanos Europeos, he said, is about integration and working together, rather than issuing threats of confrontation between forces.

Questions from the floor included one about our approach to tourism. We consider that the tourists are very welcome to share our town – not the other way around.

We shall publish our manifesto (‘programa’) shortly as well as our party list of candidates. We shall hold a final meeting, including a gala presentation in two languages, and notice of all this will be sent to subscribers.

Lenox will also publicise ‘how to vote’ and ‘the postal vote’ in due time, both here and on his webpage The Entertainer Online.

Ciudadanos Europeos are particularly focused on residential tourism which is, after all, the daily bread for local business. Among our goals are to improve communications, health, care for the elderly, transportation, public safety, public cleaning, lower taxes and anything that makes living in Mojácar still more interesting.

Ciudadanos Europeos has continued to meet with supporters regularly during

these past four years. The other parties are talking, just for now. Then, it will be another four years of silence.

We were joined by Crispin Welby from the Ciudadanos Europeos branch in Arboleas. Crispin told us that his party meeting on Friday had agreed the list for the elections. The candidate in Arboleas is Lorenzo Rodríguez with Crispin (a fluent Spanish speaker) as Nº 2.

Our thanks as always to Alan Sykes for the microphones and sound system and to Virginia Heyward for the translations.

Angel Medina

Lenox Napier

Meeting: Saturday 26th March

We shall be holding a meeting for Ciudadanos Europeos at the Hotel Continental on Saturday 26th March at 11.00am.

The Hotel has been spruced up by the owners – no doubt for our benefit!

We would like to thank everyone for their suggestions for the Party Manifesto, please keep them coming. We shall present the Manifesto (‘El Programa’ in Spanish) at the meeting and hope that those with printers will be able to run off a few copies afterwards to give to their neighbours and friends.

The elections on 22nd May will be key to the future of Mojácar. There are – apparently – ten parties standing, including some good people… and, it pains us to say, some not-so-good ones. We can expect to see all kinds of proposals, gifts, BBQs and promises over the coming months. Remember to take them all with a pinch of salt (especially the BBQ sausages). We will no doubt be hearing of some British or other non-Spanish European names floating around in some of the ‘clan’ parties – safely near the bottom of their lists. These unfortunates will be ‘cannon fodder’, placed there to seduce the odd vote from ‘los extranjeros’.

We won’t be taken in.

Ciudadanos Europeos (‘European Citizens’) has no ideology beyond Mojácar, is completely independent and there is no one ‘from Head Office’ to tell us what to do. We believe in integration and a strong and proud Mojácar: a town with a solid plan for the future based on support and protection for our citizens.

Those interested in becoming Party Officials should feel free to approach us in the next few days. All help and support is not only welcome, but necessary for our party to do well in the elections.

We hope to see you on 26th March. Please feel free to bring your friends.

Ángel Medina

Lenox Napier

Let's Make Mojácar Better

We held a small but useful meeting on Friday to look at the current political scene and ways where we might go forward with our agenda. There will be ten different parties searching for votes on May 22nd, some of them with the kind of candidates who, to paraphrase John F Kennedy, will be asking not what they can do for Mojácar, but what Mojácar can do for them.

We clearly need as a party to become better known (and… fast!).

Our first priority is to produce a Party Manifesto (more usefully called ‘a Program’ or programa in Spanish). With your suggestions about how we can plan for a Better Mojácar – please email me with your suggestions and ideas – this should be ready in ten days.

I will then send it out to all of our supporters as an attachment and ask that they print it and share it with their neighbours and friends.

Ciudadanos Europeos is the only party that has had regular public meetings over the past four years. Checking my records, I see that we have had ten formal meetings since 2007, and we have hosted several larger gatherings including a multi-party forum on ‘illegal houses’ following the brutal demolition of Len and Helen Prior’s home in January 2008. Our interest however, and inevitably, centres on our beautiful town and surrounds of Mojácar.

It is no secret that Mojácar is split into various groups. We have the locally born mojaqueros, themselves split along ‘clan’ lines; we have the forasteros – the non-local Spanish, who come from all parts of this great country and have settled here; and we have the foreigners: the extranjeros, the Brits, ingleses, ex-pats or Europeans, choose your favourite.

The local mojaquero votes, around 2,500, are more or less sewn up, divided into the different clan parties. The forasteros would, I think, largely support Ciudadanos Europeos as our First Name candidate is Ángel Medina, who has long experience of small-town politics here in Mojácar, is university educated and comes from Valencia. He is also (I make no apologies here) very pro-British. The final group with voting rights in Mojácar are ‘The Europeans’ (inaccurate, I know, but for want of a better term)... We number about 1,450 potential voters and, barring a few who would throw away this chance to preserve and improve our surroundings and plan for a better future for us all by either not voting or voting for a ‘clan party’, we can expect the ‘fight’ to come down to a simple question of whether we want more high-turn-over tourism, wally trolleys and late-night bars, slot machines and nick-nack shops, or a better quality of life for residents. Noise and petty destruction or peace and quiet. Dirt, pee and broken dustbins, or a clean and wholesome neighbourhood. Who comes first in our plans – the tourists or the residents? The reality must fall, of course, somewhere between these two extremes. But where?

Ciudadanos Europeos, as the name implies (European Citizens) is about integration. We live in Mojácar and love Mojácar. It is our town and we must be proud of it. Let’s make Mojacár better: Support Ciudadanos Europeos.

For those who want to help in the future of our town, please write with your ideas. This is an opportunity for us all to improve our surroundings and our quality of life. Who knows, a prettier and better-loved Mojácar will even drive up property prices…! Let us discuss together how we can bring this about. I am also more than happy to come along to your home or your local bar or restaurant or club to speak or debate the issues.

My name is Lenox Napier. I am the second name on the Party List. I have lived in Mojácar for 45 years (man and boy)! I remember the pueblo when it was quiet, peaceful, magic and unutterably beautiful. I would like, with your help, to try to return it in some way to that wonderful place that inspired my parents when they first saw Mojácar. Let’s make Mojácar better.

A Quiet Paella Lunch

Angel Medina comes, as you may know, from Valencia - home of Spain's greatest contribution to good eating: the paella. 'Arroz' as it is usually known, comes in over a hundred varieties, including today's version, which might best be described as 'large'.

The paella, filled with chicken, artichokes, white beans, tomato sauce, garlic, saffron and rice, was cooked al fresco near the Parque Comercial on Mojácar Playa with enough food for at least several hundred diners. The cooks were Angel, Mariano and Vincent. The paella was arranged by the Club Taurino de Mojácar, the Café Bar Maskó, Paellas Gigantes 'Valencia' and Angel Medina, president of Ciudadanos Europeos.

Were you there?

Angel Joins the Opposition

Ángel Medina has left the Coalition Government of RosMari Cano and joined the opposition, together with another councillor, leaving the Mojácar Town Hall with just five (out of thirteen) councillors. The reason for the dismissal of both councillors is to do with their disagreement with the plan to build an underground car-park for some 37 cars in the old part of the pueblo. This project would be expensive, messy, noisy and take a long time to realize.