# Putting the cat amongst the pigeons!



## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Eurozone crosses Rubicon as Portugal's anti-euro Left banned from power - Telegraph


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## robc (Jul 17, 2008)

It certainly presents a number of challenging scenarios.
I expect that there will be no backlash yet, there will come a time when the price exacted by Germany will become too high for the club med states to tolerate....................but not yet.

It is sad that nation states are prepared to squash democratic rights and freedoms to keep on the gravy train.

Rob


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## In 2 bikes (Apr 18, 2013)

Any chance of breaking this down in to bullet pointed thicko speak for us.....errrr........thickos?


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

1) As I understand it, the right wing/pro austerity party got the largest % of any SINGLE party but not a majority so a number of left wing/anti austerity and in some cases anti EU parties got together and worked out that if they combined their seats then they could take power. 

2) The President thought otherwise and told them to voetsak....... I don't know what the PT constitution allows for in such cases but to me at least, it smacks of an attempt to subvert democracy and this at some stage could possibly affect us ex pats because if the country left the EU it might affect our residency etc. 

3) The other issue that springs to mind is the statement from the EU official and in the words of a friend of mine: ""Democracy must take second place to the higher imperative of euro rules and membership."". Probably the most terrifying quote I have seen. A return to Autocracy? Hello 1930's ! Have we learned nothing?? 

4) Then again, I could be wrong. 

Sorry. Couldn't find the bullets! LOL


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## In 2 bikes (Apr 18, 2013)

duly enlightened.......and a nice touch of Afrikaans


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

In 2 bikes said:


> duly enlightened.......and a *nice touch of Afrikaans *


Oops........ typed it without thinking. - I'm sure everyone understands the meaning though.


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## Pgmills (Jan 19, 2015)

travelling-man said:


> 1) As I understand it, the right wing/pro austerity party got the largest % of any SINGLE party but not a majority so a number of left wing/anti austerity and in some cases anti EU parties got together and worked out that if they combined their seats then they could take power.
> 
> 2) The President thought otherwise and told them to voetsak....... I don't know what the PT constitution allows for in such cases but to me at least, it smacks of an attempt to subvert democracy and this at some stage could possibly affect us ex pats because if the country left the EU it might affect our residency etc.
> 
> ...


Disappointing article from the Telegraph. Clearly the agenda here is to push the anti European project argument. It is fair to say that the Centre Right failed to get an overall majority but the right of first government formation in Portugal falls to the largest party. It is perhaps unfortunate timing that there could be nearly a year's delay in new elections as a result of the presidency election timing BUT have our friends in the UK meeja forgotten the minority British Government in the 1970s? Indeed towards the end of the John Major led Government the Conservatives were a minority.
The scribe also fails to point out the daggers drawn position between the Communists and the centre left only days before the election. Their proposed coalition would have been a bit like the SNP doing a deal with Gordon Brown.....


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