Seven Days

The strike continues

The strike of teachers in protest at the introduction of TIL trilingual teaching continued for a second week of the new term. The Balearic parliament endorsed the new teaching system but talks between teachers and the government broke down despite the latter’s concession that the introduction of the new system in secondary schools could be delayed until the next term, although primary and infant schools would still be required to begin to teach equally in Catalan, Castilian and English as originally proposed. An indication of the strong feelings generated on both sides of the strike was given during the parliamentary debate on the subject when a Partido Popular majority MP warned that parents who supported the teachers’ by refusing to take their children to school could face action against them in the Juvenile courts and even risk losing custody of their children. The socialist opposition proposed that central government should be brought in to find a solution to the conflict.

In two full page articles Bulletin writers provided background to the complex issues at stake in the continuing strike. Humphrey Carter reported on the views of the Balearic Association of English Teachers (APABAL) which supports English teaching in Balearic schools but believes that the European Commission’s Content and Language Integrated Teaching (CLIL) is a better system than the TIL method introduced by the Balearic government.

Other reservations expressed by teachers concerned the loss of teaching time for Catalan and the introduction of the new system before a sufficient number of teachers are qualified in English. In an article entitled The Politics of Opacity, Andrew Ede used the example of the introduction of the TIL system to illustrate what he called "Lack of transparency everywhere in government -- municipal, provincial, regional and national, and asked, What do the reports and research by the regional government into the introduction of trilingual teaching contain?"

Residencia Progress

A more positive picture of local government at work was provided by the unanimous vote of Calvia council to proceed with its project to bring back the legal residencia card for foreign residents that was replaced by a certificate with no legal status in 2007. The initiative in this matter has been taken by the Calvia councillor Angela Guerrero who has special responsibility for relations with foreign communities and who writes a weekly column in the Bulletin. Various previous attempts to reinstate the residencia card have been unsuccessful but Calvia, as the home of some six thousand foreign residents, the biggest community in the Balearics, believes that the solution will be found through the European Union in Brussels and is forming a committee with legal and other relevant representation to ensure that its case is convincingly made. The Bulletinhas backed Calvia’s initiative strongly and encouraged British residents to attend the Council meeting to show their support; if it is successful it will benefit all foreign residents in the Balearics and Spain.

Differing Views on Tourism

The two faces of Spanish tourism were shown by the Bulletin’s response to the Spanish government’s euphoric claims for the tourist industry in August and the summer of 2013. More than eight million visitors had come to Spain in August and spent more than 40 billion euros; there had been a huge leap in tourists from Russia and the rental market was said to have had "a good season". While recognising that unrest in Egypt and Turkey had diverted tourists from those countries, the Spanish industry minister, Jose Manuel Soria, said "It is very likely that 2013 will be the best year historically for tourism". However, in his Viewpoint the Bulletin’seditor Jason Moore suggested that the good news was mainly about hotels and that in bars and restaurants across Majorca resorts "the champagne is very much on ice" as a small army of owners have seen their takings fall because of an increase in all-inclusive hotels and the recession.

The Bulletin’s reservations were supported by Hugh Morgan, the chairman of the Monarch Travel group who told Humphrey Carter that "from a UK perspective and across the board it has not been a record season, especially for Spain and the Balearics." Mr Morgan also took the opportunity to question the commitment of the Balearic government to the tourism business: "Neither the government nor the tourism authorities are doing anything to promote tourism and come up with initiatives for us to work with." Mr Morgan also predicted a bleak winter for the Balearics because "the hoteliers are refusing to join forces and embark on joint promotional campaigns with us".

Anniversary Time

2013 is proving to be a significant anniversary year on Majorca. The Bulletin’s50th anniversary has been well and truly celebrated and honoured and this week it was able to record another 50th and two 100th events. Son Amar, the leading dinner show venue on the island, was the 50th celebrant and Margaret Whittaker MBE and her husband Tony Whittaker welcomed a full house of guests headed by the Balearic President Jose Bauza who presented her with a plaque in recognition of the occasion. Margaret Whitaker emphasized Son Amar’s determination to beat current tourism problems and promised that its shows will continue through the winter season.

The Soller train had an anniversary earlier this year but now it is the turn of the Soller Tram’s centenary on 4 October. Tickets for a ride on that day are at a premium and in her Spotlight on Soller column Shirley Roberts said anyone wanted to celebratory ride should quickly put their name down in the Forrocarril Office at Soller station. A fireworks display will conclude the celebrations after dining, dancing and much else.

The centarian of the week was Joan Foster, widow of the Majorcan artist Juli Ramis who died in 1990. Anne Kay joined the family group of ten who assembled for the event and interviewed Joan about her colourful life. Her father was in the Indian Imperial Civil Service and she was born "rather unexpectedly" in Bruges, Belgium, as her mother was returning to England. Perhaps this very early experience gave Joan a taste for travel because during her life she has lived and visited many countries with their husband and children. Asked for the secret of her longevity she said "I really don’t know" but did admit to enjoying "a little wine in moderation and a tipple of whisky".

In Brief

In a Letter to the Editor, Phil Green , a frequent correspondent, commented on recent articles about Majorca’s problems over all-inclusive tourism and concluded "It’s a funny old world and, as the man said, "You can’t please all the people, all the time". It seems to me at times, that on Majorca, you can’t please ANY people at ANY time."

Since 2007 the Balearics has lost 23.7 per cent of its population, most of them of working age. Last year 1,403 left the Balearics. In Spain as a whole the exodus is similar with Britain being the most popular destination followed by France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium.