Covert action to stir-up the system

We see daily images of politicians dispensing kisses and hugs at fairs, and all the other venues they frequent only when there’s an election… and “the people” are all out on parade, giving candidates the benefit of toothless (read here: gormless) grins.

Interviews glean detached commentaries, passing declarations and promises that have little chance of ever being put into practice. There’s no need for any polls – populism is the winning party - and then come absurdly original ideas, like “what about giving people social handouts in the form of food?”

Wouldn’t it be better to discuss ways of curbing state spending? Or strategies for bump-starting the national economy, as fast as possible?

In the midst of it all signs of dissatisfaction are finally appearing. We’re not Libya or Egypt, but there are still indications that the country’s fed up. This week, the anonymous movement «E o povo, pá?» (http://eopovopa.wordpress.com), and loosely translated as “What about the people, mate?”) pasted protest stickers in 30 job centres round the country with the phrase: “We don’t want hand outs, we want jobs”.

What has prompted this fly-posting?

Sadly, the fact that the unemployed here are practically coerced into taking training courses poorly suited to their professional qualifications or personal realities. They’re also obliged to present themselves at local parish council offices every two weeks – as if they were criminals out on bail.

They’re forced to go out and request stamps from businesses to prove that they’ve been actively looking for jobs themselves (and there are some companies who ask money for this!).

“These days, you don’t find employment in job centres”, protestors write – just threats, checks and offers of work for almost no pay…The movement has already got the public backing of writer José Luís Peixoto – but it’s curious that so far he’s the only well-known figure to get involved, when there are already nearly 700.000 people out of work…

Recently, Euro deputy Carlos Coelho said an interesting thing on TV. “Democracy is only what it means to be (genuine, legitimate and desirable) when it guarantees liberty, justice, equal rights and duties and the well-being of its citizens”.

Is this just something else to be ignored, too?