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April 11th - April 24th 2018
Ex Gib soldier sends Olive Press his missives from behind bars See page 6
Vol. 3 Issue 68 www.gibraltarolivepress.com April 11th - April 24th 2018
‘You deserve better’ Opposition leader blasts government’s expensive domestic programme and its timetable while ‘splashing out on cocktail parties’
UNDER FIRE: Cifuentes
Faking it THE leader of the PP party in Madrid, Cristina Cifuentes, is being probed over claims she faked a master’s degree qualification. Pressure is mounting for the Madrid regional president to resign after Ciudadanos joined the PSOE and Podemos to demand a vote of no confidence against her. Spain’s public prosecutor and police are now studying evidence presented by King Juan Carlos University, that contradict her claims.
Evidence
Two professors and the dean of the university have been giving evidence in Madrid, after one of them confirmed his signature had been falsified. Despite the furore, Cifuentes, 53, insisted: “I am not going to resign because I have not lied about anything.” News website, El Diario, broke the news that the politician failed to complete a degree in ‘public regional law’ from the university in 2012. When questioned, the reContinues on Page 5
excesses of the current administration. “And public money must be managed prudently and not flashed around at pointless cocktail parties or for entertainment whims.” He also insisted that Gibraltarians be told more about what is being discussed over Brexit before a deal is agreed. “It is not enough for the public to be told that the Government cannot say more,” he told viewers. “We understand that these are delicate discussions but blind faith in politics is a dangerous request.
By Laurence Dollimore
THE leader of the opposition has blasted the government’s excessive spending which will ‘quickly run into the hundreds of millions’. GSD leader Keith Azopardi insisted blind faith in the government was ‘a dangerous’ situation. In particular, he slammed Fabian Picardo’s massive planned spending on education and health and insisted the timetable was ‘unrealistic’. In his first in-depth political broadcast the new opposition leader argued the programme of projects was ‘looking less credible by the day’.
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“Have you noticed how everything announced is scheduled to be done by
2019? Whether it is the new schools or the Lathbury sports facilities or the new primary care centre the magical date of 2019 always appears. “The timetable is not credible. In all these projects unrealistic deadlines and cutting corners will result in high cost and mistakes.” In his public address on GBC, he continued: “The schools project is rushing ahead at a pace where errors are inevitable. This will affect thousands of our children. So again, it is important to slow down and get it right. “There has been no real public debate about the location of schools or the effect on transport or other infrastructure.” He added that the cost of these projects would also be very damaging to the taxpayer, running into the ‘hundreds of millions very
Issues
TICKED OFF: GSD leader Keith Azopardi (top) gives Fabian Picardo a public dressing down
quickly.’ “This is only being managed through debt and borrowing,” he insisted. “That is the reality. Our public finances need to be managed in a way that does not constrain future generations because of the
“In our view the Government can and should be clearer with people – if not now – soon – about what is being contemplated and in exchange for what.” He said his party would be dealing with the more pressing issues that concern Gibraltarians. “People are worried about the quality and delivery of healthcare especially to the vulnerable and elderly, social care, mental health or misuse of drugs. “People are worried about the standard of maintenance of housing or the lack of affordable housing or rental accommodation. People are worried about traffic and parking issues, the environment and the pressures of the urban jungle. People are worried about jobs. “In all these areas people deserve better.”