Portugal was a poor country with a hardworking people who carefully took care of their resources.
Families grew vegetables, harvested fruits and nuts, rode bicycles. They were happy, there was plenty of gold in the central bank, many kept savings as jewellery, but there was no freedom of speech.
Smooth-talking politicians who gave the impression that everything would be fine, led us to an increasingly totalitarian and selfish EU.
“The euro led to an unpayable debt,” say both Portuguese and foreign economists.
The Troika will control us for another 35 years. Soon interest rates will rise because foreign banks command the European Central Bank and Brussels. Today the Portuguese people may speak, but not act freely.
We have used loans for pharaonic works, after mortgaging the gold in the Bank of Portugal and the family jewels. Portugal built 400,000 too many properties, which led to bank failures rescued with taxpayers’ money - yours and mine.
Other countries have seen this madness before, as in the US under Bush senior. It took Clinton eight years to repair the damage 15 years ago.
Sweden went through this same, 24 years ago; Denmark, 35 years ago.
But none borrowed from a Troika at the expense of their freedom. None were forced to sell good strategic companies to foreigners at any price.
They simplified administration to enhance the competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). They protected consumers by better controlling huge corporations in energy, communications, and transport.
They invested in SMEs as these create jobs - especially in niches that use local raw materials for export. In Portugal, the Troika pushed for the opposite.
Lisbon despises the resources of the Algarve and Alentejo; organic food, plant extracts, flowers, honey, all are rural and require simple production methods.
There are 100km of mines in the Alentejo hills with one company exploiting only part of this potential. The Monchique granite is cut near Tunes and using rail transport this could reach building sites in France, or go by boat to the UK and Germany.
In salt mines we have iodine, lithium, magnesium, and other valuable minerals. Under the sea we have an estimated €78 billion in minerals to explore with Australian technology.
Petrobras in Brazil pumps 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day 100km away from its beaches using Norwegian sustainable technology.
The minerals in our mines could bring many jobs. Yes, we can do this, together!
