Left Bloc spokesperson Catarina Martins accused Portugal’s Minister of Finance of repeating 'fascist propaganda" when asserting that Portugal has "filled its coffers," as the country in fact is hugely in debt and littered with the victims of austerity.
Catarina Martins was speaking at a rally "United against Austerity" which included representatives from Spain and Greece in the form of Rafael Mayoral and Costas Zachariadis.
Martins criticised the ‘coffers full’ statement from Maria Luís Albuquerque last week, which she said could not go past without comment, considering that it recalled a time when the country had full coffers but 700,000 people now are living below the poverty line.
Catarina Martins said of Albuquerque’s statement, that there was "nothing more disgusting than repeating fascist propaganda. You have to ask, the coffers full of what? Let us be clear, the full coffers of Maria Luís Albuquerque are full of debt, because of the austerity policies that have impoverished the country and have seen public debt shoot up to 130% of GDP."
The leader of Portugal’s Left Bloc referred also to the problems of the Citius computer system in the justice sector, the opening of the school year without teachers being in place, the lack of payment of social security contributions by Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho and the VIP Taxpayers List, accusing the government of a lack of overall grasp.
Comments
This is the Greek argument ! Fritter away everything of value coming from the EU.
But in Portugal's case then bundle in a bizarre hostility to other races so strong that Portugal STILL has no law against racism .... so contributing nothing to the economic integration of others within your borders and then - having changed nothing for the better - hold your hand out to the EU for yet more subsidies.
The Greeks are just weeks awy from bailing out from the Euro - how long afterwards before the sham is exposed to the world that is Portugal's alleged re-emergence from the crisis?
Showing the world that the EU always had more than one basketcase !
Yet Ireland, never in that category, goes on to gain results !
And what do we get from this PSD government? They ignore issues raised by the electorate (has any government spokesperson ever defended the motorway toll system? or the destruction of houses in Ria Formosa, without providing alternative accommodation?)
If Dr Salazar had said what Albuquerque has just said about full coffers, you would know that it was totally in character for him. But the PSD? Where is their sense of social justice? What about those people at the bottom of the heap? Have Portugal and the EU got nothing to offer to them?
I like the idea that they have lost their overall grasp. On ideas, on leadership, on moral justice and personal honour, yes, this government and many ministers have lost their grip. On power, sadly, they have not.
In claiming to be serious EU contenders, following the laws and righting the wrongs left from 60 years of fascism. Constantly misleading foreigners from the more developed EU countries who mostly only knew the 'right way' to be doing things.
Totally misleading !
The Greeks have played it for a laugh for all their years in the EU... thinking it a bizarre joke to be 'in' at all. So we will now have the Greeks saying that at last they are taking EU regulations seriously. Trust them - they are honourable.
But what can the Portuguese offer ?
Whilst we can all see that the Portuguese were lying all these years in saying that they were following EU laws and regulations in the spirit and the word but who will trust that the same society - the politicians, public administration including justice, policing, the municipals; the professions, the business sector can now suddenly start getting it right ?
That it is not just a temporay scam whilst attention is on them. To slip back into the old ways when the fuss has died down ?