27/10/2004 00:00
TW
0
Profits galore NICE to see that BP has made a cool profit of two billion pounds. The reason why the City of London is toasting the world's second biggest oil company is because their profits are up as a result of higher oil prices. Well, I am so pleased for them especially as motorists are now having to pay an estimated one euro a litre for fuel in the Balearics. It's so simple it's rather sickening. The higher oil prices are...the higher profits they make. Looking at the financial picture though, there was no reason to raise fuel prices at all. It appears that fuel prices could have remained the same but the oil companies would have made less profit. We can't have that can we?

Election blues
ARE you really interested in voting in the British elections? I say this because now that we can vote in the local elections here it does seem rather pointless. The Conservative Party has launched a drive to attract expatriate voters. I must say as our rights as British subjects diminish considerably when we leave Britain I don't see why we should vote. I think it is quite scandalous that people who retire to the island only receive a state pension and none of the other benefits which Britain-based OAPs take for granted. In other words we've got the vote but little else. If any of the British political parties were promising something for expatriate voters then it would be a different state of affairs. But unfortunately they are not. They only seem to remember us at election time. I also believe that the 15 year rule should be changed. If you have lived outside Britain for that length of time then you are not really in touch with what is going on there. I think five years should be the maximum.

The U.S. elections
AND staying with the election theme I am not really suprised that so many American residents have decided to vote by post in their elections next week. For the last four years I have heard many expatriate U.S. citizens saying that Bush must be kicked out of the White House. It appears that many are taking action and have decided to vote. We must remember that U.S. citizens can not vote in the local elections here, so their vote is rather more relevant.

Tea dance
DON'T forget that PG Tips is holding a tea dance at the Hotel Sol Guadelupe on Friday in Magalluf. It's free entrance and it should be a fun afternoon. Don't forget to put on your dancing shoes for the big event.

Public holiday
AND another reminder. Next Monday is a public holiday in honour of the “Day of the Dead.” It is the traditional time when Spaniards pay their respects at cemeteries across the island.

Tourist bus
IT'S quite amazing how well the tourist bus is doing in Palma at the moment. Despite its price it always seems to be busy. Isn't it a pity, though, that it wasn't introduced earlier. While Majorca pioneered mass tourism in the 1960s a tourist sightseeing bus service wasn't introduced until last year. Better late than never.