BBCI Player Programme about Spains Finances

Currently on IPlayer until the 23rd is a very thorough programme called "This World: The Great Spanish Crash"

Very informative and dark.

Glyn

Thanks Glyn, will try to catch it.

I found this on the internet this week!! Why are there so many dubious mayors in Spain - many of them in jail?? ========================================================================== As reported in the Spanish press today the Mayor of San Fulgencio appears to be ignoring the austerity measures placed on all local councils as decreed by Spain’s Prime Minister. The official bulletin for the Alicante Province On 4th December shows that Mayor Carlos Ramirez has approved pay rises for the councillor responsible for Fiestas, Health and Social Services.
Councillor Conception Castell Espinosa is being paid 2,100 Euros per month, and will also receive two extra months pay each year as a bonus! Mayor Ramirez approved the pay increase to this councillor on May 15, 2012, however, in what is seen as a deliberate attempt to conceal the wages increase, he did not release the information for publication in the official BOP bulletin of the province until 4th December. The annual payroll for San Fulgencio Councillors and their personal assistants is now more than 500,000 Euros!
Also revealed last week is an annual payment of 9,480 Euros, being paid from the public coffers to a newspaper editor for his journalistic work for the press office of San Fulgencio council which is reputed to be pure propaganda reporting for the PP Mayor in a national Spanish newspaper. Another regular payment of 2,323 Euros each month is the fee paid to a company that provides a doorman for the outdoor sports facility in La Marina urbanization. The employee recruited to be the doorman was a member of the local election committee of the PP party and, coincidentally, voted in favour of Carlos Ramírez as candidate for Mayor just before last years elections.
There are continuing tensions within the San Fulgencio local government team headed by Mayor Ramirez following the resignation of María Asunción Prieto. She is deemed to have had insurmountable differences with the PP Mayor. From The APSFU and PSOE Shadow Councillors In San Fulgencio

Hi Sandra,

That makes scary reading! There may be many Mayors and political fraudsters in jail in Spain but it doesn't seem to be a deterrent to have them there. It's totally unacceptable that these councils & councillors get away with nepotism and pay out so much public money like this in these times of austerity.