Los Verdes report the PP & PAU 26 Illegal Tip to the Anti Corruption Prosecutor

Since September 2007, the Los Verdes Party within the Orihuela Town Council has regularly denounced the presence and use of the Illegal Rubbish Tip located within the PAU 26 Green Zone, to the inactive PP governing party.

Although in the first place, in a letter dated 25^th September 2007 and signed by the Councillor for Infrastructure, Sr Manuel Abadia Martinez, the PP acknowledged the existence of the illegal tip, stated that the rubbish would be removed and the Green Zone returned to its natural condition, the undertakings given have not been completed. The PP has failed to take action on the proposals put to Los Verdes within the letter.

Los Verdes has submitted applications, motions, and other initiatives in various sessions of the Pleno (Council Meeting), which the PP have rejected with different reasons being given; always strange such as that the Green Zone is not within the PAU 26 sector, when in the letter mentioned the Councillor confirmed the location and the Company carrying out the tipping at the site. The PP has failed to deal with the situation of the continual illegal tipping at this site. It is benefiting Colsur S.L. the company currently collecting the rubbish from Orihuela Costa without having a contract, and with the warnings, month to month of the general auditing by the Orihuela Council about the irregularities of the payments to the Company.

After all this time and due to the refusal of the PP to address this issue and stop the illegal tipping at this site, the Municipal Group of Los Verdes in the Orihuela Council decided to bring this issue before the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor of Alicante, in order that it can take appropriate decisions on the matter. Currently, we are waiting for the relevant answer from the Prosecutor’s office, with the intention that these actions solve this and other problems of rubbish in Orihuela Costa and the rest of the municipality.

The Second Los Verdes surgery in Orihuela Costa

Following on from the success of the first surgery we are pleased to confirm the date and time of the second of the ongoing local surgeries to be held by LOS VERDES (The Green Party) in Orihuela Costa as, between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm on Wednesday the 25th June 2008 at the Celtic Isle in Playa Flamenca.

Any Resident, irrespective of which political party they support, that has a problem; such as registering onto the Padron, registering on the Central Register of Foreigners (Residence Certificate), obtaining a SIP card, inadequate security in their area, being fed up with rubbish not being collected around their locality, and many others; that they feel the Los Verdes Councillors may be able to help with, then this is the opportunity to tell us.

Councillor Monserrate Guillén will be present to talk to the Residents. Members of Los Verdes will be available to translate if necessary for English, German, French, Swedish, and of course Spanish.

It is not necessary to have an appointment but in order to try to reduce any waiting time on the day, we would suggest that anyone wishing to have a meeting could contact a member of the LOS VERDES Working Group for Orihuela Costa prior to the meeting, by telephone on 965328190 (Multilingual) or email at losverdesorihuela@yahoo.es .

Why didn't CLARO work with the other parties!

I posted a copy of the article ‘LOS VERDES First Surgery in Orihuela Costa is a Success!’ onto the forum on the torrevieja.co.uk website and received the following comment from a contributor to the site.

“I happen to support CLARO, but appreciate the good work Los Verdes are trying to achieve. It's a shame that there is so much friction between CLARO and Los Verdes, when the useless, some might say corrupt, PP and the not much better PSOE, dominate the political landscape in the region as a whole, if not on the coast.

The PP must love to see this situation. But that's politics for you I guess, and why people find it a turn off, despite the obvious mismanagement of the coast. Time for the two parties to start working together me thinks - but I doubt that will ever happen.”

The reply I posted was as follows, and can be seen at http://www.sonparc.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=33125 , and as the original article is on this Blog I thought it should be repeated here.

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Thank you for your compliment about the work Los Verdes is doing.

On the question of the leaders of CLARO working with Los Verdes, or any other elected political party in the Orihuela Municipality, I would suggest you perhaps should direct this question to them.

Los Verdes of Orihuela is part of Los Verdes del Pais Valenciano, which in turn is part of Los Verdes España, which is part of the European Greens group. At all these levels Los Verdes work with other elected political parties where there is need to do so on a common issue of agreement.

At a local level the Councillors of the official opposition parties of Los Verdes, PSOE, and CLR have a very good day to day working relationship. In many cases where there is agreement on an issue a joint press conference is held and/or a joint press release issued by the three parties (examples in La Verdad and Diario Information ). This shows that Los Verdes of Orihuela have demonstrated by actions a willingness to work with other credible parties on matters of joint agreement whilst at all times maintaining the independent identity of the party.

In the latter part of 2006 the leaders of CLARO decided to start their own party as an independent political force because they said no other established party was interested in, or representing, the needs of the Orihuela Costa area. If they had wanted to work together with an existing political party, to improve the quality of life for the residents of the coast, that was the time to start.

LOS VERDES have been working hard for the citizens of the Orihuela district, including the Orihuela Costa area since 2003, when they were first established in this locality, and will continue to do so in the future. If I may, I would draw your attention to the following web page http://www.losverdesdeorihuela.net/?p=199 which lists the requests and interventions made to the Council by LOS VERDES through its Councillor Monserrate Guillén during the 2003 – 2006 period, specifically in respect of the Orihuela Costa area.

Had the instigators of CLARO wanted to work with Los Verdes for the benefit of the residents of Orihuela Costa, October 2006 was the time to start. But no, for their own, perhaps personal, political agenda, they chose to go it alone. They chose to fight the election in May 2007 with a Manifesto that copied many of the same objectives as that in the Los Verdes document. They chose to fight the election on an independent ticket, when they must have realised that under the D’Hondt system of proportional representation that operates in Spain, with very little chance of reaching the 5% minimum level of votes needed to be elected.

The result was that because the leaders of CLARO chose not to work with Los Verdes or PSOE, or CLR, alternative parties to the PP, they wasted the votes of the residents who voted for CLARO, and allowed the PP to continue to rule and mismanage the Orihuela Municipality, to the detriment of Orihuela Costa.

“The PP must love to see this situation” (repeat of section of quote above)

Of course they do because they were able to retain power whereas they thought they might not.

The presence of CLARO, and their unwillingness to work with, or within the well established other political parties, caused the opposite effect to that which it stated was one of the reasons for its existence!

As I said at the start of my post, you must look to the leaders of the party you support for the answers!

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In hindsight perhaps I should have added the comment 'There is the saying divide and conquer and it's certainly true; Claro unnecessarily divided the anti PP vote so the PP conquered' to the reply.

LOS VERDES First Surgery in Orihuela Costa is a Success!

Today saw the first LOS VERDES Surgery to be held in Orihuela Costa and all those Residents who had a face to face meeting with Monserrate Guillén, LOS VERDES Councillor for the Coast, commented that they felt their meeting to be most useful. It was said that it is good to be able to speak directly and freely to an elected representative who could act on their behalf to deal with the bureaucracy and indifferent, and in some cases rude, attitude shown to them by the Ayuntamiento. All the Residents will receive an answer to the many points that were discussed.

Monserrate Guillén was kept busy for a full two hours from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. There were no problems with communications as LOS VERDES members were there to translate.

Future meetings will be held at the Celtic Isle in Playa Flamenca, with dates being announced on the ‘LOS VERDES in Orihuela Costa’ Blog, on the chat forums on torrevieja.co.uk and torrevieja.com, and hopefully in the local newspapers. The next meeting is provisionally scheduled for either the 25^th or 26^th June (final date to be confirmed).

In order to try to reduce any waiting time on the day, we would suggest that anyone wishing to have a meeting could contact a member of the LOS VERDES Working Group for Orihuela Costa prior to the meeting, by telephone on 965319660 (English) or 965328190 (Multilingual), email at losverdesorihuela@yahoo.es , or via the personal message facility on the chat forums.

Punta Prima beach doesn’t need Elevator access!

Los Verdes of Orihuela do not consider that the installation of an elevator within the Punta Prima playa is the most cost effective way of giving access to the beach to those visitors that have mobility problems.

Sra Monica Lorente, the PP Mayor of Orihuela, announced during a press conference on the 30^th May 2008 that the lift is to be installed as part of the investment considered necessary to meet the conditions for obtaining a ‘Blue Flag’ for the beach.

There are other shortcomings and deficiencies within this beach area which makes it difficult to meet the criteria for the sought after ‘Blue Flag’, and Los Verdes consider that the proposed expenditure of 115,000 € is a disproportionate amount to spend on this project considering the needs for expenditure on public services in other areas of Orihuela Costa.

Taking into consideration the proposed location of the elevator, directly in front of the terrace of the Punta Prima restaurant; it is wondered whether or not this installation is considered necessary purely for those visitors who have physical disabilities which give rise to mobility problems, or if commercial criteria for the benefit of the restaurant is also behind this.

Is the lift going to be used predominantly by visitors who are laden with parasols, deck chairs, cool boxes, folding tables, games, and the many other items of paraphernalia that are taken to the beach, rather than the use of the stairs and ramp currently available, and suitable for people who do not have mobility problems?

The objective of giving easy access to the beach area to visitors who have genuine mobility problems is a scheme which Los Verdes wholeheartedly support and one which should receive attention at the earliest opportunity, but the installation of an elevator is not necessary. There is currently access available to the beach area and to the sea, below the level of the promenade known as Paseo Marítimo, via a ramp at the north end of the beach from Calle Crucero. At the present time the quality of access is not satisfactory for easy wheeled access, but with an investment far less than that of the cost of an elevator excellent access could be provided for, by upgrading the surface and angle of slope of the current ramp.

There are many additional questions which need to be considered about this installation, and we hope that the Alcadesa and her team have thought about them, such as;

As the lift is to grant access to the level of the beach itself what precautions are being taken to ensure the lift is not flooded by the sea during storms?

What are the budgeted annual maintenance costs of the lift?

What hours of the day will it be operational or will it operate 24 hours a day?

What precautions are to be taken to protect the lift from vandalism including graffiti?

Will there be any restrictions or limitations on who can use the lift?

What precautions or safeguards will there be to stop anti-social people practicing their anti-social habits inside the cabin of the lift?

What is the cleaning regime going to be to ensure the lift is fit to use as a lift and does not become a rubbish bin and a health hazard to members of the public that use it?

Providing access to public amenities for people with mobility problems is paramount, but the installation of an expensive elevator at this location is a PP publicity folly!

The waste of money proposed for this scheme (the elevator) could be used to provide better easier access at more locations within Orihuela Costa to improve the quality of life for more people!

CLARO supporters don’t need to be disenfranchised.

Letter to CLARO members & supporters.

“Orihuela Costa remains unrepresented in the new Town Hall”, and “It is incomprehensible that an area with 30% of the registered population does not elect a single counsellor to represent the interests of the people living here”, are misleading statements by the leaders of CLARO that have appeared in past editions of the party’s newsletter.

The interests of residents of Orihuela Costa are represented on the Town Council by LOS VERDES, through its three elected councillors, lead by Monserrate Guillén, who lives locally.

If you have a problem that you wish to discuss directly with the LOS VERDES (The Green Party) Councillor for the Coast, the surgery on the 11^th June 2008 is your opportunity.

The leaders of CLARO state in a past newsletter, “Through this newsletter, we will be able to publicise your problems so the authorities in the Orihuela Town Hall will be in no doubt as to what they must do to carry out their duties and obligations”. This assumes the PP will bother to read the newsletter. They (CLARO leaders) have to do it this way because they do not have any direct representation within the Ayuntamiento or on the Town Council, unlike LOS VERDES.

Take the opportunity now, and in the future, to talk face to face to a representative of an elected municipal opposition party within the Ayuntamiento about your concerns. It’s your right as a resident and an electorate.

LOS VERDES (The Green Party) of Orihuela are fully aware of, and proud of, their responsibility to represent all residents of Orihuela Costa; so come along if you have a problem or concern and see if we can help. If you can’t attend the surgery on the 11^th June 2008 come to a future one.

How the surgeries will be organised

I would like to clarify how the Los Verdes Surgeries in Orihuela Costa will be organised as there appears to be some confusion amongst residents.

The Surgery is open to any resident who lives within the Orihuela Municipality, irrespective of which party they support, but we would hope to give priority to those living in Orihuela Costa. It will be an opportunity for a resident, or representatives of a group of residents, to have a personal meeting with Monserrate Guillén, the Los Verdes Councillor responsible for the coast, or a member of the Orihuela Costa Working Group, to discuss their (resident) individual concerns or problems.

It is the aim to keep the personal meetings to approximately 10 minutes each, and where more time is required to fully cover a matter a follow up meeting will be arranged. The surgery will be open for approximately 2 hours. We will have translation facilities by los Verdes members.

It is not intended for the Surgeries to be presentations followed by an open discussion forum type of meeting. Where a subject of general public interest requires such a meeting we will hold one, but that is not the role of the Surgeries.

I hope this has helped to clarify any confusion that may exist.

Please tell all your friends and neighbours

Los Verdes to hold Surgeries on the Coast

We are pleased to announce the first of the ongoing local surgeries to be held by Los Verdes (The Green Party) in Orihuela Costa, at 10.30 am on Wednesday the 11^th June 2008 at the Celtic Isle in Playa Flamenca.

Any Resident, irrespective of which political party they support, that has a problem; such as registering onto the Padron, registering on the Central Register of Foreigners (Residence Certificate), obtaining a SIP card, inadequate security in their area, being fed up with rubbish not being collected around their locality, and many others; that they feel the Los Verdes Councillors may be able to help with, then this is the opportunity to tell us.

Councillor Monserrate Guillén will be present to talk to the Residents. Members of Los Verdes will be available to translate if necessary for English, German, French, Swedish, and of course Spanish.

It is the intention to hold the surgeries on a fortnightly basis, and in addition there is the day to day local availability of access to the Los Verdes Working Group for Orihuela Costa, made up of members who live in the area.

LOS VERDES PRAISE THE REFUSAL OF THE PARDON TO

LUIS FERNANDO CARATGENA.

LOS VERDES applauded the Government's decision to deny clemency to ex-Alcalde of Orihuela and former Minister of the Valencian Government, Luis Fernando Cartagena and consider that the sentence imposed is a serious notice (a warning) for the plots of corruption that operate in the Vega Baja del Segura and throughout the Comunidad Valenciana.

LOS VERDES hope that justice will soon take account of other criminal cases that are still against this politician and former senior official of the People's Party, as well as the rest of the accused, such as the businessman of garbage, Angel Fenoll, amongst others.

The entry into prison by Luis Fernando Cartagena represents the sentence to a way of doing politics that has made it possible for certain characters to have been using democratic institutions as a mechanism to take advantage and to get rich to the point that anything goes in order to achieve those objectives.

The lack of means and the collapse suffered by the Administration of Justice in Spain and especially in the region of La Vega Baja del Segura and the difficulties involved for individuals and honest politicians to face up to these persons who engage in crime from the municipalities and other institutions of public administration, has meant that this mafia style of doing politics has been consolidated, expanded and refined.

LOS VERDES remain committed to working closely with the judiciary in the accusations of many irregularities detected in municipal life of some of the town halls in which they participate politically, and warn of the many obstacles that face their councillors in the work of control and inspection of the management of municipal governments in Town Halls such as those in Torrevieja and Orihuela, that only seek to conceal actions that if known would put Council leaders in the dock.

The above is my attempt at translation of following press release:

LOS VERDES CELEBRAN LA DENEGACIÓN DEL INDULTO A LUIS FERNANDO CARATGENA.

LOS VERDES aplauden la decisión del Gobierno de denegar el indulto al exalcalde de Orihuela y ex Conseller del Gobierno Valenciano, Luis Fernando Cartagena y consideran que el cumplimiento de la condena impuesta representa un serio aviso (una advertencia) para las tramas de corrupción que operan en la Vega baja del Segura y en el conjunto de la Comunidad Valenciana.

LOS VERDES esperan que la justicia dé pronto cuenta de las otras causas penales que se siguen contra este político y ex alto cargo del Partido Popular, así como del resto de los imputados, como sería el caso del empresario de las basuras, Ángel Fenoll, entre otros.

El ingreso en prisión de Luis Fernando Cartagena representa la condena a una forma de hacer política que ha hecho posible que determinados personajes hayan venido utilizando las instituciones democráticas como mecanismo para sacar provecho y enriquecerse, llegando al punto de que todo vale para conseguir dichos objetivos.

La falta de medios y el colapso que sufre la Administración de Justicia en España y muy especialmente en la comarca de la Vega Baja del Segura y las dificultades que entraña para los particulares y los políticos honestos enfrentarse a estos personajes que practican la delincuencia desde Los Ayuntamientos y otras instituciones de la Administración Pública, ha hecho que este estilo mafioso de hacer política se haya consolidado, extendido y perfeccionado.

LOS VERDES mantienen su compromiso de estrecha colaboración con la justicia en la denuncia de las muchas irregularidades que detectan en la vida municipal de algunos de los ayuntamientos en los que intervienen políticamente, y advierten que las muchas trabas que sufren sus concejales en las labores de control y de fiscalización de la gestión de los gobiernos municipales en Ayuntamientos como los de Orihuela y Torrevieja, sólo pretenden ocultar actuaciones que de conocerse sentarían a sus responsables en el banquillo de los acusados.