Why your vote counts

We´re almost there. The election is on Sunday and we are hoping that we have persuaded you to vote for us. Let the last word go to one of our supporters.

WHY YOUR VOTE COUNTS

Ever since I bought my house 18 years ago I have been making the effort to learn good Spanish and absorb Spanish culture.  I now have more Spanish friends than foreign.  I have integrated into the Spanish community in my area and I intend to grow old here (if there are any young people left to help look after me). 

Non -Spaniards now make up 40% of the community. Many have experience, skills and ideas to offer which would benefit the entire community and, like me, would like to participate in some way.  They are supporting the new independent members under the umbrella of the PP party. This enthusiastic, dedicated, multicultural party needs all the support they can muster if only to be a credible opposition. 

Two community-spirited, hardworking, non- Spanish residents have joined this list of candidates in 2nd and 5th places. They have spent months listening to other citizens and learning about how things are run in this village. They have many excellent ideas and represent a sizeable proportion of this community so that, depending on the turnout at the polls on Sunday, at least the No 2 could be assured of a place on the Council. 

The two token non -Spanish members on the PSOE list are in 8th and 9th position. Unless the PSOE achieves the miracle of gaining 100% of the votes in Bedar they have no chance whatever of joining the Council and will have no official voice even if their team remain in power.

So, I urge you all to vote for our team (PP) and give the non -Spanish residents a chance to be heard.  To paraphrase Edmund Burke:

All it will take to silence our voice, is for good people not to vote.

Dialogue Across the Cultures.

I saw it working on Saturday. I mean real, creative and dynamic conversations about the future of our municipality involving both cultures.

It was actually a political meeting called to discuss our policies among a number of selected guests. We started with statements from three of the candidates and then opened up the meeting for questions and comments. There were some questions, but before we knew what was happening a dialogue opened up across the cultures. Spanish and foreigners were talking to each other, asking each other questions and even checking out preconceived impressions of each other. There was a real buzz of conversation and I found, as chairman, I needed to say very little. The translators were working very hard and they made the whole thing possible.

Now our party want more of this. We want to be together exploring our hopes and ideas for Bédar across both cultures. We don´t want the present situation where thoughts and ideas for Bédar are only discussed within a very narrow group of people and decisions taken behind closed doors. So much is gained when we open up, involve people, listen to what they say and get them working for the future of Bédar. 

I was excited by this meeting. If we get a good representation in the Town Hall at this election we will be wanting more discussion about the town, more involvement from all the people of Bédar and no one feeling that they are excluded. 

That´s another reason we want your vote.