Last year the Portuguesa Governments released a very sketchy Penal Code aimed at improving the conditions in the country’s overcrowded prisons. The solution presented was very simple, let them out. Without further ado 115 criminals awaiting trial behind bars were released, one of which was being charged with sexually abusing and killing a disabled child.

The new laws, that only seem to satisfy the Government and the President, generated widespread controversy from Magistrates. The main concern is that the release of these criminals represents a very worrying threat to public safety. If all this wasn’t enough, the president of the SFJ (Sindicato dos Funcionários Judiciais) has warned that the new laws create a shield that excessively protects the criminal’s rights and in many cases even incapacitates further legal investigations.

Portugal is one of the poorest countries in Europe with an ever increasing unemployment rate. The country is always associated with negative news and the worst that happens in Europe, so do we also need to be number one in crime?

The decision is fruit of some internal and external pressures by various politicians that warned José Socrates that if the Lisbon treaty failed it would represent a big setback for Europe. This unfortunate outcome would be almost certain since most Portuguese would see this as an opportunity to express their disapproval of the governments overall performance.

It seems that nowadays democracy is only an empty word and something perfectly dispensable when the end results might not be the most desired. José Socrates on the other hand, a puppet with little backbone showed once again that he has no intention on delivering any of the electoral promises. We are all still anxiously awaiting the famous 150.000 new jobs.

It is nice to see that the Prime Minister finally acknowledged that the unemployment rate in Portugal is a major concern and something that will plague the country for the next few years. For this we must congratulate him, everyone in the European Union has only been point this out for last two years.

This week another woman from Barcelos had her baby in the local clinic because she was unable to travel the 15 kilometers to the nearest maternity in Braga. The local fire Chief explained that this wasn’t an isolated case but the fourth time a baby was born in the way to Braga after the local maternity was closed last year.

Maybe we should close all the maternities except for the ones that serve the high ranks of the Portuguese society. The plebs should stay content with having children at home like in the good old days. If despite of these drawbacks, most still managed to have some ten or more children so the problem isn’t the hospitals but rather the people.

A nation filled with carpenters and tuff construction workers doesn’t need things like hospitals or doctors for that matter. Why waste money on such futile extravagances when those funds could be better invested in a beach-front house or the latest Mercedes. Ignorance I tell you. The only question I’m left pondering is, if the government threatened to close some of the many unprofitable soccer clubs what would the reaction be?

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