Editorial: Douglas leaving

THE fact that Hollywood mega-star Michael Douglas is selling his Majorcan home is a big blow to the island. Not only does Douglas give Majorca a certain amount of prestige he has always been a great ambassador for the island and its people.  The reason for his decision to sell his house between Deya and Valldemossa, remains a mystery but it is has come as no surprise. There have been rumours for sometime that Douglas wanted to leave the island after almost two decades. As part of his divorce settlement with his first wife, Diandra, the couple share the home. But it has been a while since Douglas has spent time on the island. His cinema career has meant that you can count almost on a single hand the number of visits over the last five years. He last visited Majorca in the summer but only for a short visit. Almost every promotional piece about  Majorca mentions that Michael Douglas owns a house on the island and ofcourse then there is Catherine Zeta Jones. Eventhough he appears to be leaving the island the local government should still thank Douglas for all is help for the island over the last two decades. He has been heavily involved in the plans to protect the Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range and he helped put Valldemossa and Deya on the international map. Douglas is also a reader of this newspaper when he is on the island so I would publicly like to thank him for all his support over the years and wish him well.