26 de novembro de 2007

Le Glamour de la République


We are a rich country!
And just when I had forgotten all about it and was here thinking of how poor and downtrodden the Portuguese population seems to be these days, my cleaning lady refreshed my memory. We are indeed a rich country!
Every week, and most faithfully, my cleaning lady, who obviously thinks I am a very strange creature that needs to be informed of whatever important goes on in the world, leaves me a pile of society magazines on the kitchen table. Every week, and most faithfully, I leave the pile accumulate. When the pile is so huge I am ashamed to have it there for her to see I don't read any of that, I go through the pages of the top layer magazines just to be able to keep pace with her. All of this to say that: first, this news took me by surprise, second, this is probably something everybody (but a dumm blonde with some unspeakable phd) already knew.
And so, in one of those magazines about glittering lives of scandal and much philosophical thinking, I got to know an amasing reality: our Republic is one very glamorous institution!
In Britain, the monarchy costs each Briton 91.5 cents a year. So far so good. The British Monarchy has to attend the needs of representation in the Commonwealth, the Royal Family has many members and it is a centuries-old institution caught up in expensive traditions and rituals. No surprise here.
In Spain, each one of "nuestros hermanos" pays 19 cents a year to keep up the Monarchy. Nothing wrong here. The Spanish monarchs have only recently reasserted the throne and it is a low-profile Monarchy.
In Portugal, each one of us pays 1,58 Euros for the Presidency. Hold it there!
I confess that when I read this I turned on the thinking neuron and tried to get the logic of these figures (numbers that is).
"Ok, we've got to think proportionally. The Spaniards are 50 odd million and we are some thousands short of 10, it's logical we should pay more".
Relieved for having had an intelligent thought I went on reading.
The Spanish government pays the Monarchy 9 million Euros a year. The Portuguese government pays the Presidency 16 million Euros a year. Stop it there again! There's something fishy in here!
How come does the Spanish Monarchy, with all the official commitments of the Royals, survive on a budget of 9 million and our Republic needs almost double of that? Besides, how can a country of 10 million souls, less than a third of the Spanish territory, less diplomatic representation and protagonism and a crisis going on spend 16 million Euros on the Presidency?
Aren't we a rich, glamorous country?
P. S. - Who said we don't learn anything from society magazines?

22 comentários:

antonio ganhão disse...

Oh, minha querida, nem tentes contar o número de assessores que trabalham na nossa presidência, mais as viagens carregadinhas de convidados... muita fome se passa no palácio de Belém, para que com os miseros trocados que recebem, manter aquela gente toda. O que é a insipida monarquia Espanhola comparada com tudo isto?

antonio ganhão disse...

Pensando melhor... somos o país de pensões de miséria, das filas de espera, dos doentes nos corredores dos hospitais... somos pobres mas não miseráveis, veja-se a forma como tratamos as nossas elites: do presidente da Republica ao do Banco de Portugal! Aí sim, temos glamour!

Valha-nos ao menos isso!

António de Almeida disse...

-O número de assessores presidênciais será muito superior em Portugal, também as viaturas, sim, porque nós temos um parque automóvel, capaz de invejar qualquer país europeu, comitivas presidenciais, despesas de representação, corpo policial de segurança, estamos muito acima de qualquer país europeu. Também, algo deveria existir que pudessemos ganhar, não? Só não conseguimos competir, com os gastos daqueles senhores que vêm cá a Lisboa, na próxima semana, mas esses são doutro continente, onde é socialmente mais bem aceite os gastos com as presidências, sem que a população ouse sequer contestar!

Patrícia Grade disse...

Speechless... I'm without words...
And yes, we do have a glamorous Republican state...
Thank God and all his saints for that! (not!)

quintarantino disse...

No way... are we paying that much for those folks in the Palace of Belém?
For what?
Well, but on the other hand, just you imagine our country being represented by D. Duarte Nuno... it would be such a happening...
Even so, start reading those magazines... you don´r know the enormous, huge even, information you can get there.
Who sleeps with who, why do the boobs of that one are bigger than the belly of that other... believe me, it will be all useful information once you are elected President and me Secretary of State... you will be speaking of what when dancing with Sarko? Or Putin? Can you tell me?

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear Antonio,
Stupid me! True, I forgot to count the PAs, the assistant PAs, the spin doctors, the assessorising commitees, the countless advisors. The Presidency creates jobs for so many people. What am I here complaining about?

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear Antonio de Almeida,
How stupid me (again!)! What was I thinking? The wonderful cars, all the VIP security! A Presidency worthy of those countries you and I are thinking about!

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear Indomável,
Glamour my dear, is there anything more classy?

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear Quinn,
So right you are! I'll start looking at that pile on the kitchen table with whole different eyes! What a source of information!!! Right there under my nose!

Carol disse...

I couldn't even imagine that we pay that much to our Republic!
Thanks for sharing.
Oh, and thanks for your visit!

C Valente disse...

boa noite e boa semana
saudações amigas

Peter disse...

"The Spanish government pays the Monarchy 9 million Euros a year. The Portuguese government pays the Presidency 16 million Euros a year."

Ainda não perdi a esperança de ser Conde ...

joshua disse...

We should be rich enough not to remind it. But we need to creem it on and creem it up our ilusional faces.

Tiago R Cardoso disse...

Sim senhor, afinal soamos mais importantes que eu pensava, acima de qualquer monarquia europeia, estou a ver que lá por fora são uns "pindéricos".

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear Carol,
My pleasure!

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear CValente,
I know your week started the best way possible:)

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear Peter,
I'm still laughing with your good humour! (a Count? Man, you don't ask for much!!!! A Duke or a Prince, that's more like it!)

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear Joshua,
We're rich in dreams (at least we're rich in something).

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear Tiago,
What it takes is class! Have you seen anything classier than our political classes?

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear Blue,
Right on the spot! I guess I have really been missing out on the facts of life!
Of course the Royals take in all the funds! Prince Charles alone has the largest farms in the UK (besides, it's there that he talks to plants, but don't say I told you... hush!).

C Valente disse...

Boa noite
Desculpa-me mas o meu inglês está um pouco ou muito enferrujado
saudações amigas

Blondewithaphd disse...

Dear CValente,
Saudações amigas para si também;)