A new majority to transform Portugal – Observer
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The people rightly say that “the worst blind is the one who does not want to see”. Now, to this day, there is no longer any doubt that António Costa and his contraption are exhausted. It is true that again to offer the country they never had anything, but now they don’t even have the incessant desire to remain in power, it makes sense to approve their budgets.
It is important at this moment in national politics, to remember history and be clear: in 2015, the Socialist Party led by António Costa lost the legislative elections to the centre-right coalition. If until then the “who wins, governs” had prevailed, at that moment it was put in the drawer. António Costa, Catarina Martins and Jerónimo de Sousa put aside the clear differences between them and signed a parliamentary support agreement for the government. What moved them was simple: the pure and hard need for policies and the deep desire to remove Pedro Passos Coelho, who had until then led a government of national safeguards. Six years passed, and the contraption now lies, born like that, from a union of defeated people who, on the back of the people and losing value, found themselves in the right to command the destinies of the nation.
The pandemic robbed the Portuguese of almost two years of freedom. Socialist misgovernment robbed the country of six. There were six lost years, in which Portugal did not evolve, in which Portugal did not grow, in which Portugal did not transform itself. Six years in which António Costa limited himself to distributing what was available, on the one hand, to satisfy the demands and demands of his partners on the left, and on the other, to feed his clientele policies. The leftist government managed the country thinking only about staying alive the next day. What reform does this government leave us? What is your mark on the life of the nation?
In health?
The priority was, out of sheer ideological blindness, to revert PPP’s that were successful cases. As for today’s scenario, that’s what’s known: massive layoffs of doctors and team leaders, non-covid patients left to fend for themselves, all while the Minister travels to make four inaugurations in one day. A chaos.
On education?
Only more than eighteen months after the Prime Minister promised that all students would have new computers, contracts were signed and the promised student residences are still missing.
In the economy?
Our country grows 1% a year, currently has the second lowest average salary in Europe and a youth unemployment rate of 27.7%. But there is one thing where we lead: in the tax burden. In 2020, it was the biggest ever – 34.8% of GDP. Everyone outpaces us, we are more and more on the tail of Europe and the government is whistling to one side.
It is not possible to lower taxes on the criteria, but if for the parameter another 1526 million in TAP, there is no longer any crisis.
If anyone says that we live in a free society, open to merit and work, with a competitive and competitive economy, where social mobility is a reality and where opportunities for all multiply, as would be desirable, lie. In fact, the social elevator has never been so disabled.
For six years, the PS has not been able to resolve any of the country’s major issues because it has not had, in the past, nor will it ever have the policy to do what needs to be done. Today, we are a country suffocated by a Party that has dominated the State apparatus, that coexists poorly with freedom and that thinks that it is the system itself.
The Portuguese do not deserve a government with Graça Fonseca, Francisca Van Dunem, João Gomes Cravinho and Eduardo Cabrita. António Costa, the PS and the left have nothing more to offer and this is a result they leave us. The rest is an advertisement that we are used to.
Portugal lost six years. Six years is too much time. You can’t miss another day.
We need New Times. We need a new majority to transform Portugal.