THE LOOKOUT | Not all is well in Portugal
A new year is approaching and, with it, the much-desired desire for change, with each raisin that is pinched and with each sip of champagne, to the sound of the crackling of fireworks and the chimes that announce the dawn of a new year.
And this would undoubtedly be a scenario of perfection that so many of us would like to see repeated year after year… But no! In Portugal we are far from reaching perfection. Decades are added to the years, and nothing really new emerges that shows signs of change.
As we walk down the street, we see an entire urban setting, where various artistic barriers prevail: authentic challenges for all those whose mobility is reduced. The new buildings that are erected are based on the same principle, and few are built with people in wheelchairs in mind, or with the support of some crutches who, due to a mishap in life, are waiting to be used momentarily.
The tensions against the ideologies and political positions taken by those who hold the helm of Portugal in their hands tolerate and acquire several voices, from the North to the South of our country. Generalized discontent is the result of a very legitimate concern with the cost of living and the meager living conditions in what is supposedly a developed country.
The support granted by the government, besides being insufficient, is not constant. Portuguese families need support every day of the year, not just occasional help. It would be so much easier and fairer to extinguish the VAT on essential goods, and lower that same tax on other consumer goods. The checks granted, in addition to not reaching everyone, were not delivered to everyone who submitted them: there are families living on the threshold of poverty, and who cover it up, because if there is something that human beings are endowed with, it is deserving and, most of the time, honor and shame even make certain situations hidden… Could it have been the case of so many people who lost their homes, due to rising prices, rising interest rates and, to , the unemployment situation. Let us also remember the homeless, so commonly forgotten by our society… without bank accounts, how will they have been supported?
There are those who are unable to pay for medication and food, with the meager/miserable pension they earn, after so many years of work, while there are others who feast in pastry shops, on the day when the holders appear on their bills, or on a Bank check.
And all this causes discomfort to the peaceful and noble Portuguese people, who patiently replace champagne with sparkling wine, as it is the one that some pockets can still afford.
All these issues could, and should, be well handled in order to provide an effective response to the real needs of Portugal, and of all those who inhabit it. Who knows, maybe a journey towards a better standard of living for ALL Portuguese people will begin…
A new year is coming and, despite what we are told, everything is NOT fine in Portugal!
Let’s hope that 2023 will fulfill our hopes and expectations, and that it won’t be as hard as we are anticipating. It just depends on who governs us to sustain us, really, and not let us fall, promoting policies that give us security and oblige us to live, instead of just surviving, which is also already being difficult! I liked very much…
Julia Bernardino