Hobson’s choice

Something drastic had to be done to reduce the level of debt in Bigastro. The council is hoping to tap into 3.7m Euros of government credit to pay its overdue bills but still has to make drastic cuts to balance the budget. Apparently there are a further 6.3m Euros of debt that cannot be included in the plan for credit; it has not been made clear how those bills will be paid.

As one of the measures, the mayor of Bigastro, Charo Bañuls (PP), announced yesterday that they will be reducing the workforce by about 50%. Thirty five of the 100 employees will be made redundant and a further 16 workers in the nursery will be taken over by a private company. She says that this will save 300,000 Euros from the annual budget.

In the budget for 2012, which will be approved next week, there will be further cuts to reduce the total from 5.9m to 3.5m Euros. Amongst the areas affected will be celebrations, protocol, advertising and propaganda and grants; a total of 100,000 Euros.

The opposition spokesman, Raul Valerio Medina (PSOE ) has criticised the redundancy plan saying that it will generate even more debt because of the compensation that will have to be paid to workers who are loosing their jobs. He says that other measures such as reducing municipal salaries have not been considered.

Making workers redundant is the most awful task that any employer has to undertake. It will not be pleasant for the councillors charged with the responsibility for informing the people concerned and will certainly be a huge blow to those who no longer have a job because their prospects for finding alternative employment are severely limited.  

There will be more to come

There is no doubt that labour laws in Spain needed to be reformed. On the one hand, public service employees enjoyed a privileged position; their unions had negotiated unprecedented protection levels for them. On the other hand though, the rest of the workers in the country had little or no protection at all. Most affected were young workers in the market for the first time who would find themselves in and out of work at the drop of a hat.

It was sensible to make changes and try to close the gap between the two sectors by reducing the privilege for the public sector workers and at the same time increasing job security and rights for the rest. Inevitably though, the privileged have lost too much and the less privileged have gained very little. The only winners in all this are the employers because they have used the changes in the law to make savings. In Andalucía, for example,  there have already been 8 times the number of dismissals than there were last year. Workers are faced with either a cut in pay or dismissal.

Unfortunately, the northern European strategy of austerity has left the government in Spain with very few options. The labour reforms were touted as a means to promote growth. Understandably, workers do not see it that way. The massive cuts the government  have made and will continue to make will far outweigh the benefits of labour reforms and will I fear strangle growth - effectively negating any benefits the country gains from the reforms. 

Today's budget will only add to the pain that many Spaniards feel as they see their living standards worsen. The general strike yesterday may only be the tip of the iceberg.

NB For the benefit of my Spanish readers, the title refers to a saying which English people use when there are no options to choose from. It refers to one Thomas Hobson who had an extensive stable of some 40 horses which he used to rent out. This gave the appearance to his customers of having their choice of mounts when in fact there was only one: Hobson required his customers to choose the horse in the stall closest to the door. This was to prevent the best horses always being chosen, which would have caused those horses to become overused.

More about the concert on Saturday

At the concert, which starts at 9:30pm, the four bands; Unión Musical Torrevejense, Unión Musical de Almoradí, Unión Musical de Bigastro and the Unión Musical de San Miguel de Salinas will each play two pieces.

The Torrevieja band will start proceedings by playing the pasodoble, 'Doña Lola' and then  'Estampas de Iberia'; the Almoradí, band will then play,  'Evocando unas tierras' and  'Capricho Mediterráneo'; the Bigastro band will follow with  the pasodoble 'Nostalgia de ti' and the three part, 'Estampas de mi tierra' and finally the band from San Miguel will play the  pasodoble 'Bienve Roser' and the 'Suite Hebraica'. For the finale, the four bands will come together to perform 'Noches alicantinas' in three movements: 'Noche Mora', 'Noche de Habaneras' and 'Nit del Foc'. By that stage it will be very late at night or more to the point early in the morning.

All of the pieces to be played were of course written by Francisco Grau Vegara.

Worth a visit

The International Auditorium-Conservatory of Torrevieja, which was designed by the architect José María Tomás, has a total built surface of 16,166 square meters, over a plot of over 92,000 square meters –ceded by the Town Council of Torrevieja-.

The new infrastructure includes areas of parks and gardens and it has a design similar to a University Campus. It is located in the northern area of the city, next to the Natural Park of the Salt Lakes of La Mata and Torrevieja and the San Jaime Hospital.

The Auditorium itself includes a Symphonic Room and a Chamber Room with a total build of 12,444 square meters.The Conservatory of Music, which  is located in the North-East area of the Auditorium, has a total build of 3,721 square meters.

The Conservatory is planned to be a Higher Conservatory of Music with a minimum capacity for 240 students. It includes: rooms for choir and orchestra, seminars, teaching rooms (16 classrooms for individual instrument teaching, 12 classrooms for chamber music teaching and 16 classrooms for non-instrumental teaching), library, video and audio library, reading room, audio and video rooms, archives and loan system, study cabins,  rooms for the governing boards and administration, toilets, laboratories of electroacoustic music and room for body-dance technique.

Saturday night taken care of

Maestro Francisco Grau Vergara,  the first and only musician to be elevated to the rank of General in the history of the Spanish Army, will be honoured for his career in a concert on Saturday at 21.30 in the New International Auditorium and Conservatory of Music Torrevieja.

The four bands that will be taking  part are the musical unions Torrevieja, Almoradi, San Miguel and Bigastro, the latter being the  town where Grau Vegara was born.

Note that, apart from his ties with Bigastro, Grau Vegara also has close ties to Torrevieja and its Habaneras Music Contest for which he is is president of the jury.

In all there will be 300 musicians taking part in this special concert. Tickets are 3 Euros each and can be purchased from Servicam and the Teatro Municipal in Torrevieja. Proceeds will go to APANEE (Association of Parents of Students with Special Educational Needs), Caritas and the Association for the Fight Against Cancer.

In case you were wondering, the new building is next to San Jaime hospital off the N-332.

A great decision

I was charged with the responsibility to find a photographer for Laura and Dave’s wedding. There are literally hundreds of wedding photographers advertising their services on the web with prices ranging from the affordable to the astronomical. This was going to be more difficult than I thought.

The first criteria was to find someone whose style suited our requirements – a mix between traditional and reportage was what we wanted.

I came across Ian Jardine fairly early on and bookmarked him as someone who fitted the bill perfectly. As I continued my research, I kept coming back to him. There was something utterly  compelling about his pictures that I was drawn to. They were more natural than most, as if they had been tailored to the subjects rather than the other way round. Looking at his blog, you could see that each couple was treated differently – that was very important. 

Once we had decided that Ian Jardine was our best choice, he arranged a meeting with us at which time we could have said no. However, in person he was unassuming, gentle but yet thorough and very professional. At that meeting he showed us more of his images which was enough to convince us to go ahead and book him.

We then had a further meeting with both Ian and his wife Cathy who will be assisting him on the day. We discussed the type of photos that Laura and Dave were looking for and the time schedule for the day. Ian explained that there would be a second photographer working alongside him to capture those moments that he might miss.

As part of his packages, Ian offers a pre-wedding shoot. This is intended to get to know the couple better and at the same time provide them with some memorable shots. That took place last Saturday in an area of Manchester by the canal. Today, I have the results of that session and I can tell you they are stunning. Ian has captured the characters of Laura and Dave perfectly and as a bonus has included a few shots with Molly as well.

Here are some of my favourites. Picking out a few was difficult because they are all just so good. Visit his website to find out more about Ian Jardine Photography. 

Top of the list

MUNICIPAL DEBT

By law, towns have to comply with Royal Decree Law 4/2012 which calls for all local authorities to make plans to  pay outstanding debts to suppliers.

You may have noticed the item on the Bigastro web site seeking information from its suppliers so that the town can draw up its own plan.

Bigastro. 6,788. Has 3.7 million in unpaid bills, 545 euros per resident.

Redován. 7,500. Has 3.6 million in unpaid bills, 489 euros per resident.

San Fulgencio. 2,500. Has 4.4 million in unpaid bills, 353 euros per resident.

Callosa. 8,000. Has 5.5 million in unpaid bills, 306 euros per resident.

Orihuela. 88,000. Has 25 million Euros in unpaid bills, 281 euros per resident.

Guardamar. 6,900. Has 3.9 million in unpaid bills, 231 euros per resident.

Torrevieja. 102,000. Has 16.5 million in unpaid bills, 161 euros per resident.

Pilar de la Horadada. 23,000. Has 2.6 million in unpaid bills, 115 euros per resident.

Almoradi. 19,000. Has 1 million in unpaid bills, 51 euros per resident.

Los Montesinos. 15,100.Has 48,000 in unpaid bills,  28 euros per resident.

Benejúzar. 15,400 inhabitant, Has 53,000 in unpaid bills, 9.8 euros per resident.

NB These figures represent the debt to suppliers. They do not include debts to banks and other financial institutions.

Prepare for the shock

Last October the previous government in Spain froze electricity tariffs; that decision has now been revoked.

What this means is that electricity companies will raise their charges from April not only to bring them into line with present costs but also to recover the monies they have lost since last October. 

For Easter

On Sunday April 1 at 6:30pm in the  Auditorium,  the Asociación Amigos de Jesús de Nazareth de Callosa will be presenting “the Passion” for Easter.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at Town Hall from 9:00am to 2pm, Monday to Friday. The price is 5.00 € to cover the cost of the performance.

Jobs for grabs

With nearly 50% of young Spaniards unable to find jobs, any opportunity for employment is not to be sniffed at.

I read this morning that the Catholic Church in Spain is on a recruitment drive. It seems that the number of priests in the country has declined by 25% over the last decade and that some parishes have to share a priest.

Although 73% of Spaniards claim to be Roman Catholics, less than 15% admit to attending mass regularly. In a bid to reawaken Christianity in the country, Pope Benedict XVI has visited Spain three times since 2005 with some success because the number of young men joining the clergy has risen since his visits.

So what is on offer?

Well it is a job for life, there is no such thing as redundancy packages for priests. Although the salary is not great, priests in Spain are paid an average of 700-800 Euros per month, the rewards are described as eternal, it is regarded as a happy job and it beats being unemployed.

Bucking the trend for equality, it is a job which is only on offer to young men.

Easter scaled down

Almost as fascinating as the real thing are the miniature versions of the pasos that are paraded at Easter. Many are produced as models to show what the finished article will look like. They are made to gain approval from the cofradia before embarking on the full scale paso. Others are just marvels in minature made for the sake of it.

At 7:30pm today in the Exhibition Hall at Vista Alegre, a display of miniatures created by Alfonso Pascual Ruiz and Pedro Manuel Grimao Melgar will be on show. The exhibition, which is described as the largest collection of Easter, will be open until the April 22nd.

Well thanks a bunch boy George

Thanks a bunch Mr Osborne. You cut income tax for the rich to 45p in the pound. That was jolly nice of you, I’m sure the 300,000 who pay the highest rate will be thankful.

Those who won’t be thankful are the pensioners like myself and Pamela because you introduced a “granny tax” to pay for your other tax cuts.

It was Winston Churchill, who in 1925, decided that pensioners like us should enjoy a more generous personal allowance against tax once we reached 65. I actually didn’t know that so it came as a nice surprise on my 65th birthday to find that I would be better off.

To add insult to injury, Mr Osborne described the removal of the tax break as a “simplification” that would be welcomed by pensioners who would not have to fill out tax forms. Because we are older does not mean we are too senile to understand a simple form and take the trouble to fill it in. I think it took me all of five minutes to complete the task. It took a darned sight longer than that to fill out the form necessary to claim my state pension.

The increased allowance, which starts at £10,500 and then increased each year, will now be frozen at £10,500. For those who turn 65 next year, the allowance will be £9,205, the same as working people – just as well that Pam and I are 65 this year.

Ps Isn’t it sad that those people with homes worth more than £2 million will have to pay stamp duty at 7%, I really feel for those people!

Now for the good news

The rain that caused such chaos yesterday along the coast has passed over leaving today as one where things will start to dry out. By tomorrow, it should start to feel a whole lot warmer and more like spring.  

The forecasts said it would rain yesterday

The rainstorm yesterday caused chaos in Torrevieja and on the Orihuela Costa. The rain started at four am and continued until five pm and dumped over 130 litres per square metre of water in Torrevieja. That is half of the total rain that fell during 2011 in just one day. The worst period was between 8am and 9:30 which created huge problems for children going to school and for people going to work.

All four lanes of the CV-905 were flooded between the roundabout at McDonalds and La Siesta. The road had to be closed for five hours. They say that in parts the water was 50cms deep. Many of the other roads in and around the town were affected including the CV-95 by the hospital. 

The combination of heavy rain and winds up to 50kms per hour have spoilt many of the beaches in Torrevieja and on the  Orihuela Costa. With Easter on its way, that is not good.

There are videos of the problem in the local Spanish press. http://www.laverdad.es/alicante/local/orihuela/

I heard that, pardon!

The Department of Social Welfare in Bigastro invites all the citizens of the municipality to take a free hearing test courtesy of GAES. Tests will take place on Wednesday, March 21 in the auditorium of the Integrated Social Centre, during office hours 10:30 to 13:30  and in the afternoon between 16:00 and19:00.

Last time Pam and I went for one of these free tests, the lady told Pamela she had the hearing of a 20 year old. She told me that I had some loss of hearing in the right ear but that no corrective measures were necessary.

You can test your hearing online courtesy of Lloyds at this site. All you need is a computer with an internet connection, a sound card and a pair of headphones. The test which takes about five minutes or so consists of bursts of sound at different frequencies first in one ear and then the other. You click you mouse each time that you hear the sound until the point where it become inaudible.

Just for Pete who may well remember the TV series from whence the catchphrase came: of the three great aunts from Glossop, "You can allus tell when they're coming, cause t'water curdles in t'goldfish bowl"

Spring has sprung a leak!

Today is the first day of spring but you would hardly know it looking out of my window this morning. The lovely weather that we have experienced over the last week or so which brought many Brits out in their shorts and T-shirts has given way to a cold, wet spell.

Twenty one Spanish provinces are on alert today for cold, wind or snow. Four of the areas are on orange alert for snow.

In Almeria the forecast is for up to seven inches of the white stuff and at nearby Albacete they can expect up to 20 inches to fall. Thankfully, snow will only be at 900 to 1,500 metres which means in Bigastro we will just get rain.

Along with snow, the temperatures will be below freezing in parts of Spain like Madrid where the thermometers could record as low as –7 degrees centigrade.

Those who thought they could safely put their winter coats away will have to get them back out again for today. Either that or they wait until tomorrow when the forecast is for the sun to break though the clouds or Wednesday which is forecast to be sunny!

All I ask is please, please – can we have a dry Easter this year. 

Put your feet up dad!

Today is Father’s Day or El Día del Padre which happens also to be the Feast day of Saint Joseph.Today, all fathers, regardless of their name are Josés. 

Don’t bother trying to go out to the shops because they will be closed as will all banks and other businesses. It is a day when fathers throughout Spain will open their presents and show great surprise when they find that they have yet another tie to add to the collection.

Last night we had the special annual concert for fathers which was in two parts. In the first half the Juvenile Band from the School of Music played for us. Their programme included: Agüero, a pasodoble by José Franco, Music from Shrek by Harry Gregson-Williams, Hobbit and a selection from Lord of the Rings by Howard Shore, Beauty and the Beast by Alan Menken and finally Lluna Meditrerránia by Teodoro Aparicio.

To be honest, some of those pieces were bold choices to make for the young musicians. They did struggle a little with some of the slower passages and their timing was a little wayward. However, there were some good solo performances and of course the audience were suitably gracious in their applause.

In the second part the senior band treated us to three glorious pieces from their repertoire. Nostalgia de tí, by Francisco Grau Vegara followed by Estampas de mi tierra by the same author and finally a new piece for the band, El caserio by Jesús Guridi.

Again there were some outstanding solo performances including those by the young lady on flute.

The day the world turned green

The Palace at Monaco, the leaning tower at Pisa, the river in Chicago and the Sydney Opera house all turned green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

Even the fountain at the White House was green though I doubt that Barack Obama can claim to have Irish blood in him! Pictures taken from the Guardian newspaper.

At Casa El Willo Pam and I were turned green as we spent the day gardening. After several hours working out in the hot sunshine, we could have done with a pint of Guinness to revive us!

There may be justice at last for the forlorn mothers

During the Franco regime, babies were removed from families if they were deemed to be politically dangerous. Most targeted were the poor and in particular single mothers. It is thought that there were up to 1,500 cases of illegal trafficking of babies during the 70s and 80s.

Now, one of the nuns who was suspected of being involved, a Sister María Gómez  has been accused of the crimes she committed. Everything centres on the case of María Luisa Torres and her 29-year-old daughter, Pilar.

Torres was pregnant by another man after leaving her husband and contacted the clinic where Gómez worked. She was told that the baby would be put in an orphanage where the mother could visit her but was later told that the baby had been placed with a family.  When Torres complained she was threatened and told she would go to jail and have her other child taken away from her.

Now, years later, Torres has been reunited with her child and is seeking to bring the case against the nun who forced the separation. Let us hope for the sake of all the mothers involved, that the case sticks and justice prevails.

Ah begorra, where did I put my shillelagh?

Since most of the coastal strip from Torrevieja towards San Pedro can hardly consider itself Spanish, the celebrations there are centred on the largely British population. 

One of the most popular causes for celebration these days on the British calendar is St Patrick’s Day. Why the patron saint of Ireland commands more attention than the patron saints of England, Scotland and Wales is due to the fact that a lot of Brits have an affinity with drinking copious quantities of Guiness. Of course, you don’t have to be Irish to join in, you just need a good thirst and perhaps wear something green on the day. I reckon, if the other countries that make up Great Britain had a nationally recognised beer then things might be different but they don’t. 

This year the coastal strip has gone all out to promote its St Patrick Day celebrations with a full programme of events taking place including a rugby match between England and Ireland. They have even gone to the trouble of posting notices about it on our estate and put flyers in our post boxes. Of course we all know that the main event will be drinking pint after pint of the black stuff (Guiness) everything else will be subsidiary to that!

PS A shillelagh is a cudgel (kind of stick) made of oak, blackthorn, or other hardwood. Basically its a club made out of knotty wood.