Veïns de Parcent - Newsletter Nº 42 - 16th February 2007

Hello again everyone!

Winter Supper party - Friday, 23rd February at 21:30 at the Cooperativa

MENU

Starters: Hors d'oeuvres, salad, cheese, ham, mini-biscuits, octopus, squid.
Main Dishes: Roast Pork or Dorado (fish).
Desserts: Flan or Ice cream.
Drinks: Water, Beer, or Wine.

PRICE: 12 euros per person

Put your name down at the Cooperativa by Wednesday (the sooner the better - numbers limited!). We hope a good number of you will join us on this occasion, both as a social get-together and a chance to inform you about what we have planned for the MEP's fact-finding visit.

EU Petitions Committee fact-finding mission
March 1st is the latest date we have. The actual time spent in Parcent will probably be quite brief as they have a very full schedule of visits to make, but we hope you will come to speak to the MEPs and others who plan to accompany them when they are here. There will probably be a meeting in Benissa afterwards, to which you are also invited. Because sr. Pons objected to the visit, wanting to postpone it until after the elections, and there were difficulties getting it authorised in the EP, the full details of their programme are not yet available. Watch this space!

Run-up to the elections
We hope everyone is now on the electoral roll and, as soon as we have the official programme for the organisation of the electoral process, we will let you know when you can go to the town hall to check your entry is there and correct. Don't forget to let me know if you will need a postal vote, to be arranged in April.

CDP
This Sunday, 18th February, members of the Coalición Democrática de Parcent [CDP] will be meeting to draw up their list of candidates and decide on policy and tactics for the election campaign. If you do NOT wish to know what is happening with the CDP, please let me know immediately. However, it is the party of choice of the Veïns de Parcent as we feel it is the one which best represents the wishes of those who do not wish to see Parcent spoilt by massive urbanisation. And, to be even-handed, if I hear of any meetings to be held by the PP to inform the electorate about their programme, I will let you know about that too.

At 7 p.m. on Monday, 26th February, there will be a meeting for non-Spanish residents of Parcent (venue to be arranged) who wish to support the CDP, when they will give details of their election programme and you will have a chance to ask questions and make suggestions.

Residents' association
Both the Veïns and the CDP feel that there is a need to set up a non-Spanish residents' association to act as a means of informing people of what is going on that might affect them, maybe with a more social side to it as well. This will, we hope, develop into an effective means of communication and consultation between the council and the non-Spanish residents of Parcent, and will address any problems of whatever sort that we may encounter, not just political or about urban planning. If you would like to make any suggestions regarding this, please let me or Mark Harrison know (Mark at 96 640 5076 or email vimark@tiscali.es). No doubt, a lot of the communication would be done in much the same way as we do now for Veïns de Parcent - by email.

Round Town News have a report on the press conference held recently when we received the report from the Spanish ombudsman - el Defensor del Pueblo - so Jacqui, Joan Carles, and I have our picture on the front page. It is interesting to note that our Mayoress, Mari Carmen Lopez, told the press yesterday that she has not received this report, which was sent out on 24th January. Neither does the report on the Local Agenda 21 seem to have arrived in the town hall. What is going on? We will be asking for a copy of the LA21 report from another source instead, as the town hall is denying having it available.

For the record, in the same press interview, Mari Carmen states that she invited the MEPs to visit Parcent, that there is water enough for the PAIs being processed, that she laments the "division and confrontation that has occurred between members of the public," which she considers unnecessary, and that basing the plans on the Normas Subsidiarias is legal. When asked why she didn't try to reach a consensual agreement, she said, "I think consensus is difficult if not to say impossible."

She also denied that "we have anyone with an interest in the PAIs" and ended up saying that she feels supported by her neighbours. But also accused the Veïns of distributing leaflets insulting her. Has she forgotten her diatribe against the Veïns at the Brussels meeting she went to, calling us malicious, manipulative, and acting in bad faith?

How much longer can she go on hiding her head in the sand? We won't go away!! KEEP UP THE FIGHT!

Have a good weekend.

Jenny