EDITORIAL

I'M disgusted at the way the aftermath of the local elections has spiralled into a horse-market with municipalities being offered as if they were cut-priced articles which could be sold in the first place. “I will give you Calvia,” Francesc Antich, the socialist leader said to Majorcan Union leader Maria Antonia Munar on Thursday night. He makes it sound as if he was giving a birthday present rather than a municipality, one of the richest in Spain, the heart of the tourist industry and with a population of 30'000 people. It is disgraceful how our politicians now appear to be playing with the island as if it was a game of monopoly. There is something rather ironic in this state of affairs and it is perhaps why such a small number of people actually bother to vote. The people had their day and now the politicians are busy fighting amongst themselves and there is the prospect of large areas having Mayors who polled just a handful of votes but who can aspire to positions of great responsibility because they were in the right place at the right time. How can you have an elected leader of an area who was only voted for by a small percentage of the population? If a single party hasn't a majority then perhaps it would be a good idea to stage the election again. This would probably be costly but I bet the turn-out would be higher and democracy would be served. I am a firm believer in a majority vote. Unfortunately in many parts of the island this has not been the case and we are left awaiting the end of the horse-trading.

Who is Mayor of Calvia should be decided by the people through the ballot box not through some deal done in political offices with the winner being the party who offered the most. It's like backing a horse that wins but later a steward's enquiry reveals that the horse that came last actually won and will therefore take the top honours.