Category: Local Politics

¡Ibiza Shore Cancelado!

  

De manera sorprendente los productores del propuesto show de la MTV “Ibiza Shore” han anunciado la repentina cancelación del reality show televisivo citando “circunstancias más allá de nuestro control”.

El show iba a empezar a ser grabado en las próximas semanas y la cancelación viene después de que el Presidente de la Isla Vicent Torres dijera que cualquier establecimiento que colaborara con los productores seria sujeto a rigurosas inspecciones. Bora Bora renunció rápidamente a su colaboración junto con otros establecimientos de Ibiza… También ha habido una ola de histeria colectiva de los isleños enfadados con este tipo de show que continuamente resalta el sexo, las drogas y la cultura discotequera de la isla.

 El show es la versión española de “Jersey Shore”(EEUU) y “Geordie Shore”(Reino Unido) y sigue a un grupo de individuos atractivos documentando sus subidones y bajones y las relaciones personales dentro del grupo. Por más que los productores intenten decir “es una montaña rusa emocional” no hay duda que es valor de choque, un accidente de coche televisivo.

La pregunta ahora es donde ponemos el límite. Eso significa que TODOS los reality televisivos son persona non-grata o hay una norma para unos y otra para otros. No hay duda que mientras algunos estarán celebrando otros estarán preocupados que esto marque un peligroso nuevo precedente contra la Televisión, que estimula interés a muchos millones de personas diariamente.

Con más programas de Televisión y una película planeados para los próximos meses vamos a ver con qué tipo de reacción serán recibidos antes durante y después de la producción. Este ¿es un guiño por el sentido común o un guiño para la censura indebida? Solo el tiempo lo dirá así que vigilad este espacio pero por ahora el resultado es:

IBIZA 1 – REALITY TELEVISIVO 0

New British Association for San Antonio and The Bay

  A group of prominent San Antonio & Cala de Bou residents and business people have launched a new association to try and give the local British and Irish community a voice over the coming years.

I am honoured to be the inaugural President serving alongside Nathan Seal as Secretary, Julian Cobby as Treasurer with Duane Lineker and Peter Duncan completing the executive committee. 

With a significant shift in political power on the island we all believe that now is the time to get organized and be part of the solution for the future of our town and to create a channel of communication from street level to the offices of power.

We have purposely included residents and businesses to try and cover as many demographics as possible and although we have called it the British and Irish Association we will also be reaching out to other English speaking residents if they want to become involved and if we can help in any way possible. We also hope that this is a blue print for other local communities on the island to form their own associations over the coming years. 

Forming an association is the easy part but more importantly you must have the passion to stand up for what you believe in. A collective speaks for its members and can have more of a voice than a single person when confronting situations that need addressing. 

The association will be having its first fundraising event this Friday at the workers party at Fantasyland (home of the Zoo Project) and over the coming weeks and months we welcome all those who want to be involved in this exciting new era to get in touch so together we can grow organically and go forward with a clear objective and a firm voice.

Press Release

After many years without a clear voice the British and Irish community of San Antonio and Cala de Bou has come together to form an association to represent the interests of the residents and businesses of this area. 

“Asociación de Residentes y Empresarios Británicos en San Antonio y su Bahía (AREBRI)”

The association has been put together by local British and Irish people with a passion for San Antonio & Cala de Bou who want a voice and who want to help in any way possible especially by bringing certain things to the attention of the Town Halls and Consell that directly affect the way we live and work on the island. 

The British and Irish community, through this association, is committed to San Antonio and Cala de Bou and wishes to make a significant contribution to it’s future. 

AREBRI 14 July 2015

Local Press about the Association

Nou Diari  

Diario de Ibiza

Periodico de Ibiza

The Juanjo Ferrer Dilemma

  Juan Jose Ferrer Martinez, head of the centre right PI party, now has a big weight on his shoulders. After 4 years of opposition at San Antonio town hall his party gained 3 seats in the recent municipal elections so he found himself in the unenvious position as kingmaker for the next administration. PP won 8 seats & PSOE/REINICIA won 6 & 4 respectively so his 3 seats were enough to give either side the 11 seats required for an overall majority, so it all came down to him & his party to decide who would be the next Mayor of San Antonio. 

After 4 years of being battered by the absolute majority of the Pepita Gutierrez regime it wasn’t a big surprise that he eventually decided to form a Tri-party coalition with PSOE/REINICIA and make Pep Tur ‘Cires’ the 1st socialist mayor of Ibiza’s 2nd largest town however on paper & character PI have much more things in common with PP so his decision is sure to cause some conflict within his own party but his desire to change San Antonio means that he is now part of a 3 party coalition with those who may not always be on the same page as him.

He was offered the Deputy Mayors job if he sided with the PP but a personality clash between the hierarchy of the 2 parties ensured that this was never really an option.

At yesterday’s inauguration his mood was very upbeat and as we chatted afterwards he told me that he knows that there will be challenging times ahead but he was happy that the people of San Antonio had given him & his coalition a chance to govern and a chance to change San Antonio.

I have known Juanjo since he was a teenage receptionist at a local hotel and he has worked tirelessly over the last 4 years on the opposing side trying to make San Antonio a better place. He now has his desired chance and also the extra responsibility due to his decision to side with PSOE/REINICIA. I wish him well and look forward to seeing the changes that he, Pep Cires and Pablo Valdes have promised for our town. MM

Pep Tur ‘Cires’ is Elected Mayor of San Antonio

This is the moment when Pep Tur ‘Cires’ was elected the Mayor of San Antonio by 13 votes to 8. All 21 councillors have 1 vote and as anticipated the Tri-party coalition of PSOE, REINICIA & PI joined forces to elect a socialist mayor for the first time in San Antonio’ s history. 

The atmosphere was electric with most councillors receiving whoops & applause when entering the chamber. The biggest cheer was for REINICIA’s 4 councillors who’s supporters were euphoric that this little known party had now become the holder of the Deputy Mayors office. The scenes were quite extraordinary with the socialists pumping fists and high giving after so many years of opposition. Especially animated was Pep Marge who has worked very hard for the socialists in San Antonio and now sees his sister Neus sit in one of the elected seats.  

All councillors were sworn in one by one dressed in their Sunday best apart from new Deputy Mayor Pablo Valdes who looked like he was from an indie rock band with ripped jeans, vest and tight jacket. 

The audience boasted at least 4 previous San Antonio mayors plus all the political heavyweights from PSOE such as Vicent Torres, Xicu Tarres and Pilar Costa. 

The PP showed great humility in what was a difficult day for them especially Pepe Sala who will spend the foreseeable future sitting in the chair of the leader of the opposition. 

I managed to talk to nearly everyone of the new local government congratulating them on their coalition pact but also reminding them that of their election promises and their underlying message that they intend to ‘change’ San Antonio for the better. 

So on Monday Mayor Pep Cires, Deputy Mayor Pablo Valdes and 2nd deputy Mayor Juanjo Ferrer will take up their new positions and embark on a new chapter for San Antonio. The campaign has now finished and its time put their words into actions and follow through with their election promises. There is no hiding place, San Antonio and especially myself will be watching. MM

Cristina Ribas Mountford – from Stoke on Trent to San Antonio

  I have to be honest and say I really wanted to become the 1st British councillor for San Antonio however I’ve been beaten to it and it’s almost gone unnoticed. I’m slightly jealous however I’m also happy that it’s somebody I’ve known and respected for over 20 years. CRISTINA RIBAS from the centre right political party ‘PI’ is actually CRISTINA RIBAS MOUNTFORD born in Newcastle-under -Lyme to an English mother and Ibicenco father and very proud of her British heritage even though she moved permanently to the white isle aged 3. Her mother Doris first came to Ibiza with a friend in the early 60’s at a time when travel agents didn’t even know that the island existed and it took them 3 planes to get here (a bit like the winter then!). Cristina tells a great story of how it was fate that her mother came to Ibiza as she and her friend chose their holidays blindfolded with a map and a pin. On that ‘blind’ holiday her mother met her father Toni and romance blossomed and over the next few summers Doris made the trip back accompanied by different family members with Toni visiting England whenever possible. Her parents finally married in England in 1965 and the rest, as they say, is history. Cristina grew up in Ibiza, studied tourism and has always worked within the tourist sector, firstly as a hotel receptionist and then at the airport for the last 25 years. This is where I first met her as an airline representative helping me out especially on long delays and flight cancellations. She still works at the airport but now handles private jets and their passengers – how times have changed. Cristina is married to Evelio who is also from the island and they have two daughters and they all share the same love of Ibicenco culture and tradition and even perform the Ibicenco folklore dance. 

Cristina says “Although my heart is mainly Ibicenco I feel as much English as I do Spanish, I’m proud of my English blood and although my parents and grandparents are no longer with us I like to visit family and friends in England as often as possible and keep the ties. I’ve decided to go into politics because I love San Antonio and I think there’s so much to be done and why not do my share. To all British residents: I will be pleased to assist you with anything in any way I can”. 

From 13 June 2015 Cristina will have a lot more work on her plate as she embarks on this new chapter in her life, she will be involved in various jobs at San Antonio Town Hall: Trade, Agriculture and Fishing, Fiestas for the villages, Ibicenco culture and traditions and in charge of the Buscastell, Santa Ines and San Mateo areas. 

Having personally known Cristina for over 20 years I am delighted that someone who understands the British culture and mentality is now occupying a seat in the town hall as this can only be a positive for our town. MM

New San Antonio Council to be Sworn In

  
At 1.15pm on Saturday 13 June 2015 a new local government will be sworn in to lead San Antonio for the next 4 years. PSOE, PI and REINICIA have formed a coalition pact to force out PP for the first time in 35 years. PSOE are socialists, Reinicia err towards the left and PI are centre right so on paper this pact looks like a disaster waiting to happen but island politics is a strange animal where most politicians are close personal friends and where family members run against each other for different political parties. The end result is that most parties have similar issues and objectives so really it’s all down to personalities. On paper PP & PI look like perfect bedfellows, mainly local business people with centre right beliefs, however scratch away at the surface and you hear rumours of personality clashes and broken promises between the 2 parties. PI with local lawyer Juanjo Ferrer as their leader have had 2 seats over the last 4 years and have to endure being consistently thwarted by the majority PP party in everything they have proposed so now is payback time. Memories can be very long in local politics.

PSOE led by Pep Tur ‘Cires’ will now lead the local chamber. Cires has done a fantastic job as the president of Es Nautic Sant Antoni so let’s hope he can bring this philosophy over to the town hall with his new inexperienced team He has consistently said that San Antonio needs to ‘change’ its touristic model which will be a major challenge but he now has 4 years to make his mark.

This just leaves REINICIA who are the newbies at the table. They have reached out to the 18-40’s and through social media they have been constantly banging the drum about how San Antonio has got to change – now they will get their chance to lead rather than criticise. Their undoubted enthusiasm will have to be tempered with the realization that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ however with their passion for San Antonio they should be able to make a difference. Whether they can work with the other parties remains to be seen as they will be like the hyperactive kid in the classroom who wants to do everything NOW so their charismatic leader Pablo Valdes will have his work cut out to keep the wheels moving and everything calm. 

For local residents & businesses it is going to be an interesting ride, the overall feeling is that San Antonio has to change but only time will tell whether a Tri-party coalition is the best way forward. I sincerely wish Sres Tur, Valdes and Ferrer all the very best for the next 4 years and sincerely hope that they have a positive effect on our town and if they get it right they will get my vote in 4 years time. But if they don’t………

No one said it was going to be easy. Watch this space. MM

New Era for San Antonio Politics 

  Don’t be put off by the casual dress & tattoed neck of the guy on the left. His name is Pablo Valdes and he’s thrown a major spanner in the works of old school local politics. His 1496 votes in the recent elections means that his REINICIA party have 4 seats on the council and has enabled a Tri-party coalition which will see San Antonio free from the PP party for the 1st time in 35 years. Pep Tur ‘Cires’ (PSOE – 6 seats) will become Mayor with Valdes assuming Deputy Mayor status. Juanjo Ferrer (PI – 3 seats) will become the 2nd Deputy Mayor in a major shake up & kick up the bum for local San An politics. Only time will tell if this coalition will be successful however I feel we need to get behind our new local government and support them but also keep them accountable with relation to their election promises.