10
22-28 FEBRUARY 2013
talk tous
Email letters to rtnmail@roundtownnews.com with your full name and address
letter of the week
I found this helpful AS I am a Meniere’s Disease sufferer it was interesting to see the article about the Disease in RTN. The Disease became very severe for me in 2010 to 2012, to the point where I could not drive, or go out alone in case I had what they call a ‘spin attack’. One of the most important things is to make sure that the diagnosis is correctly confirmed; which involves a balance test and a calorific test usually performed by a qualified Audiologist. So often the symptoms of the Disease are mimicked by other conditions. What I found helpful was to become a Member of the Meniere’s Society in the UK. So for anyone out there who feels they are suffering from this debilitating disease alone and without any support here is the email address and website of the Society: info@menieres.org.uk www.menieres.org.uk I am glad to say that at the moment I am in remission having eventually had an ear operation. So I am able to enjoy outdoor activities again and of course got my driving licence back! Bridget Wood Camping Naranjal
Endless corruption in Spain and ‘Grapes of Wrath’ of its citizens I’VE LOST track of the exact number of cases of corruption among Spanish politicians or other ‘public servants’. The worst is that the average Spanish man or woman in the street is now so used to it that they almost automatically accept their daily dose of political scandal with resignation. The word ‘transparency’ recently coined by Obama enjoyed a certain amount of popularity here also until Spain’s voters discovered time after time that their political ‘representatives’, so firmly entrenched in their posts due to the notorious ‘closed lists’ had become ‘mentirosos patológicos’: so much so that the word ‘transpar-
ency’ might as well be eliminated from the Academía Real’s recent edition of Spanish Dictionary. The present situation would be worthy of a Marx Brothers movie if it weren’t so tragic: both major political parties behaving like two immature kids scrapping tooth and nail in the schoolyard. I humbly but urgently suggest that Spain’s politicians take a page from Obama’s honesty before its irate voters abandon the polling stations like rats abandoning a sinking ship. P.S. Recent UN Study on Corruption places Spain as No 30 most corrupt in list of 193 nations. Richard M McBride, Benidorm
Hit them where it hurts I HAVE read that No Smoking laws are being ignored by many, and Murcia is one of the worst areas where smoking has actually increased! Smoking is banned in hospitals including the grounds but I have come back from an appointment at the new Santa Lucia hospital, Cartagena, where yet again a blind eye is turned to this problem, the worst area being outside the cafeteria. Last year I wrote to the chief executive suggesting that the No Smoking notices should be larger and displayed more prominently with persistent offenders fined and warning messages displayed on information screens in waiting areas. Result: no action whatsoever. I received a polite letter stating that they were
committed to a healthy non-smoking hospital, reminding me that smoking is entrenched in the Spanish culture and to alter the situation would take some time. I agree it will be difficult but no action is being taken at all. Having been a nurse, I am the first to admit that a hospital is a very stressful place both for staff and patients, but that is no reason to ignore the law. If I were a surgeon, I would hesitate to offer surgery to a patient who is going to smoke and undo all my good work at taxpayers’ expense. And before anyone pipes up that the government gets lots of tax from smokers, I would remind them that caring for people with smoking related conditions costs twice as much as the tax gathered from smokers.
Within the present austerity people seem to have no trouble finding money for cigarettes, which one might think would be better spent on food and other life essentials. The only way the law will prevail will be if offenders are hit where it hurts - in the pocket. Other offenders who need a short, sharp shock are bar and cafe owners who put up awnings, closed in on all three sides. This creates an enclosed space in which smoking is banned, defeating the object! People then have a smoke filled area through which they must walk to get out and the staff has no option but to endure working there. Since so many are flouting this law I can only assume the Police are also turning a blind eye. Ellen Rose
Never the same again Totally non-political Don’t bother
FOLLOWING KEITH Nicol’s article on ‘Vandalism or Art’ (RTN Feb 15th -21st), I can agree that reporting signs and acts of spray paint vandalism to the police can have positive results. One of the ‘Listed’ monuments, that may be seen dotted around the countryside that had been spray-painted by the same low-life A/C company that was clearly evident in Keith’s picture. I took a photograph of the damaged brickwork, submitted to the
local police and the mayor in Campoverde, and within two weeks council staff had painted out the graffiti. The handmade bricks will never be as they were but it looks a lot better than it was. As to whether or not the A/C company were made to pay for the cleaning, I know not. It would be nice to think they were made to repair the damage with soap, water and a toothbrush! Robert W Barnes, Campoverde
THE RECENT dismissal of Pedro Mancebo, ex-Councillor for the Coast, by the mayor Monserrate Guillen, was quickly followed by the dismissal of Denise Wesserling who worked in the Orihuela Costa Town Hall as co-ordinator for Foreign Residents. It has been reported in the press that she was removed because of her allegiance to the CLR Party. Civil Servants have to work for the government of the day. Denise worked in the Town Hall and was totally non-political in her job. Who Denise supported politically out of work was her decision in what is supposed to be a free democratic society. No, Denise was removed for political reasons which had nothing to do with the excellent job of work that she did. Graham Robinson, Orihuela Costa
I READ with interest the article describing how Jacqui Cotterill is going to the European Union in the hope of securing voting rights. Someone should tell her not to bother! My husband and I are both registered to vote in the UK but at the last two general elections our voting papers arrived on the day before the election making it impossible to return them in time to be counted. On both occasions that I phoned to complain I was told that, for legal reasons, they could not be sent out sooner. Sylvia Pearson