Dear Sir,
THANK you Jason Moore for your well written editorial concerning the banning of bullfighting and other spectacles which mistreat animals for pleasure.
You are right to say that there is so much more to Spain than bullfighting. We live in a modern, vibrant country which is clinging on to outdated traditions that would be outlawed in many other European countries.
I hope that all of the recent press coverage has brought the matter to public attention and more concerned people will join the many Spanish Animal welfare groups in calling for a complete ban on these forms of animal cruelty.
I am so pleased that after ‘pondering the question’, you decided that it is ‘cruel and belongs to another age’. Let’s hope many others follow your lead.
Yours
Annie Sofiano
Porreres
By Ray Fleming
IT is quite remarkable how government practices that a party in opposition criticises strongly are so quickly adopted by that party when it gets into power itself. The curious case of William Hague and his special adviser has lifted the lid of the Whitehall Pandora’s box of Spads that always needs only the lightest touch on its lock to spring open. Spads, of course, are special advisers who are appointed by ministers to balance the advice they are given by civil servants. The problems arise when their precise status and how they are being paid is unclear. By custom ministers are entitled to two such advisers and their names are published in official lists of ministerial staff.
But Christopher Myers, the third man in Mr Hague’s close circle, was not shown in the lists although he was apparently on the government payroll before his resignation. The interest raised by the Hague case has led to revelations of many more Spads than were previously known about and also of Conservative party and MPs’s employees who have been given civil service jobs in key Whitehall departments. In one example an educational expert who helped to develop Michael Gove’s free schools policy in opposition is now a civil servant in the department implementing that policy although civil servants are required to be politically impartial at all times.
These may not seem big issues but they contribute to the general impression that this government rides roughshod over rules it does not like.
By Jason Moore
ABOUT eight years ago, the Balearic government of Francesc Antich announced plans to introduce a one euro tourist tax on all visitors to the islands. It was so unpopular that Antich had no option but to scrap his plans but he still maintained that the surcharge was a good idea.
Eight years later this same Balearic President has severely criticised the German authorities for introducing an airport tax. Antich claimed that it would severely hit tourism to Majorca from Germany. Yes, that is exactly what the German tour firms said about his tourist tax! So a Balearic tax is a good idea and German one isn't? The difference between the German airport tax and the surcharge that Antich wanted to introduce is that the German version will be paid by all visitors to all destinations while the local version would only be paid here. I think Antich should come clean and state whether or not he belives that taxes on tourists are a good idea or not. Also, I don´t understand why the Balearic government is getting so upset in the first place because Britain has had an airport tax for many years. I sincerely doubt this tax will hit tourism to Majorca and I hope that it doesn´t mean that the Balearic government would have a change of heart on its tourist tax.
