One would have thought that being on the same side, governments would get along.

One would have thought that being on the same side, governments would get along. | r.l.

ReutersPalma27/07/2021 10:10
TW
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Yet again the Balearic government is going to ramp up the pressure on central government in Madrid for a more just and fair financial package for the islands.

This is nothing new. The argy-bargy between Palma and Madrid had been going on for decades, never mind which parties have been in power. However, one would have thought that considering that Socialist-party led coalition governments and sitting relatively comfortably in both places, reaching an agreement and mutual understanding should not be a problem.

The problem is that Madrid has never recognised that the Balearics has the largest floating population is Spain and when counting out its public funding, Madrid only takes into account the permanent population.

It fails to take into consideration the millions of tourists and second-home owners who flock to the islands every summer, even under the current situation, the number of people in the Balearics exceeds the standing population, and the situation may get even more complicated.

At the end of this week regional governments will meet the Prime Minister to discuss this phenomenon and the trouble is that central government is injecting a great deal of effort and cash into areas of Spain where the populations are shrinking while ignoring the needs of regions like the Balearics where there is not enough money to go round, despite the millions we pay into Madrid.