O que se diz lá fora

“Three years of government by the centre-right and conservative coalition government formed by the PSD (Social Democrats) and CDS/PP (Conservatives) was enough to send the Portuguese to the ballot boxes to deposit their faith in the hands of the Socialists, led by Jose Sócrates.
To note, the Communist Party (PCP) which, together with the Ecological Green Party forms the Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU) saw its vote increase for the first time since 1985 and the Left Block, a coalition of various leftist formations, saw its number of MPs increase almost threefold, from 3 to 8”.
[…]
“While it is true that the E.U. convergence criteria, which force Portugal to limit its deficit to 3% of its GDP, hampering any margin of movement, it is also true that the policies adopted by the Social Democrats and Conservatives were perceived as wholly inadequate. The unemployment doubled in three years, breaking through the 7% barrier and in Portugal, the public finances are in such a chaotic state that some families had to wait up to seven months for the first payment from the unemployment benefit. Unbelievable, but true.
The burden was too hard for the Portuguese people to bear, at a time when the adoption of the Euro saw a sharp increase in prices, while a salary contention process has meant that practically all members of society are in real terms earning less than five years ago”.
[…]
“In fact the problem was not Santana Lopes - he inherited a chaotic situation from the former Prime Minister, Jose Barroso, who took the first opportunity to leave a post for which he was not cut out and bolt for Brussels”.
[in Pravda]

j.marioteixeira@sapo.pt