General Election Results 2015

How La Gomera and the Canary Islands voted:

La Gomera:

Please note that the above does not include parties that won less than 3% of the vote.
La Gomera itself has no voice in the Spanish parliament, but in the Spanish Senate La Gomera had one seat to fill and this was won yesterday by the new ASG party of the island's president C. Curbelo (see: Local elections 2015).

Dec. 20th 2015 election results in the Canary Islands, 

which have 15 seats in the Spanish parliament :

Note: Only parties that have won seats are shown above

Rally to mark first anniversary of outbreak of fires

La Gomera August 4th 2012 at 7:20pm - one of the fires 

Many questions remain unanswered
Sunday, 4th of August 2013, marks the first anniversary of the outbreak of the devastating fires that continued to burn for several weeks last summer (see this page for the full story). Several pressure groups and organisations are calling a mass meeting in the centre of capital San Sebastian de La Gomera in the park around the medieval tower (Parque de la Torre del Conde) this Sunday, 4th of August, at 11am under the motto '1 year without justice'. The rally was called to remind the authorities that the fires were never properly investigated with many questions remaining unanswered and that much of the promised aid never reached the victims. During the solemn gathering several speakers will address the protesters and in an 'open mike' session all are welcome to voice their concerns. A petition with 3500 signatures will be presented and a charred tree trunk will be deposited at the entrance of La Gomera's government buildings just across the road. 

La Gomera August 4th 2012 at 8pm - one of several fires started in the afternoon is approaching the national park

 Bad news travel fast: TV crew broadcasting live against a backdrop of
smoke and fire while being videoed. Saturday, Aug. 1st, 2012, 8pm

Demonstration supporting general strike in La Gomera

Last night just after 6pm in San Sebastian de La Gomera a demonstration in support of the Spanish general strike and against the cutbacks proposed and implemented by the Rajoy/Madrid government marched through the streets of the island's capital. The organisers counted 1000 participants who called for an end to austerity measures.
You can find a short video of the event by clicking this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9ie8dnCxr8&feature=player_embedded

General Strike tomorrow, Nov. 14th 2012

The second general strike to confront the Rajoy government in less than a year will take place tomorrow, November 14th. The strike was called by Spanish trade unions with the support of the European confederation of trade unions as a 'day of social action' to coincide with the parliamentary budget debate beginning in Spain today. It is the first time ever that two general strikes of 24 hours duration happen in one year. Strike action is also expected in various other European countries.

In Spain and in the Canary Islands this strike is expected to be widely supported, so be prepared to expect severe disruption, particularly in public transport. Ferry companies for example have announced that there may only be one sailing each way between islands. Make sure to check all your   travel arrangements with the relevant companies or operators  before you travel tomorrow, Wednesday 14th Nov.   

Above + 3 above left: 4 posters of different organisations calling for a general strike in the Canary Islands

Demonstration in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Tomorrow at 12 midday a demonstration is taking place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, starting from Plaza Weyler (location here:https://maps.google.es/)
The demonstration, which is being organized by the local eco-pressure group 'La Gomera Se Mueve' (= La Gomera on the move), and supported by by various other groups, will call for the investigation of the fires that affected the islands of Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera. Particularly the blunder made by downgrading the fire on La Gomera in the face of a heat-wave, which subsequently caused the fire to spread and destroy 10%
of La Gomera and 18% of its national park needs to be investigated, according to the organisers. The political 'blame game' that happened between the regional government of La Gomera, the Canary Island's government and the central Spanish administration only made matters worse and will be an issue tomorrow, with 
the motto: 'Mas Nunca', which means 'Never Again' !

The fires on La Gomera were finally declared as extinguished only two weeks ago, after the first rainfalls of the winter. They had started almost three months ago on the 4th of August, eventually spread over a wide area and culminated in a wall of fire that came down the valley here in Valle Gran Rey, damaging/destroying about 100 houses (see previous posts). The fires became more and more difficult to control and even propagated underground through roots and organic material.
The recent rains will speed up recovery and many areas are showing fresh green shoots, but the overall damage to the ecosystem is still considerable, as is the economic damage.

One of the worst affected areas after the fire

Fresh green shoots and new hope in Valle Gran Rey (taken even before the rains)

Opposition Calls Meeting

The deputies of the opposition in the island's parliament have called for an extraordinary general meeting to be held after the recent resignation of La Gomera's vice-president (see:LA GOMERA NEWS: VICE-PRESIDENT RESIGNS).  They want the island's president, Casimiro Curbelo, to explain the circumstances of the resignation of Gregorio Medina and the resulting cabinet  reshuffle. They are also seeking more information about aid for the victims of the recent fires on La Gomera.

Poisoned Palms After Fire On La Gomera

44 palm trees found dead in Valle Gran Rey

La Gomera is home to the largest number of the Canarian palm tree (Phoenix Canariensis)  in these islands and the species is protected and cherished. More than 100.000 specimen have been counted on La Gomera and they are also a source of income for local farmers. From animal fodder to the the sweet palm 'honey' (miel de palma), they play an important part in our economy. Palm honey is not really honey, but the syrup obtained by first cutting the crown of the palm tree, then collecting the sweet and watery sap (called 'guarapo') that rises up the trunk and further boiling the sap down to a syrupy consistency to obtain the 'honey'. This liquid is delicious, full of minerals etc., and highly valued. A Canarian palm tree may be exploited in this way only once every five years without doing damage. Palms may not be cut down for any reason without a permit that is extremely difficult to obtain, as they are a protected species.

 Phoenix Canariensis  rises from the ashes and after the recent fires most of the palms were showing new green shoots sprouting from blackened trees even though shortly after the fire they appeared to be dead. There are large numbers of these palms in Valle Gran Rey, often clustered in groves, in all parts of the valley. 

Palms damaged by fire, but recovering
in El Guro, Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera

On the positive side, hundreds of  

burnt Phoenix are rising from the

ashes and are recovering rapidly !

After receiving a number of complaints by locals about dying trees in several parts of the upper valley, the authorities discovered that more than 40 palms had one or more large round holes about a foot deep drilled into the base of the trunk. These holes contained a strong-smelling liquid that appeared to be an agricultural herbicide and samples were taken for examination. 

Why anyone would have done this remains a mystery and the action has been widely condemned. There are fears that more dead or damaged palms will be discovered.

The investigation is continuing and the authorities are appealing for witnesses to come forward.    
(Update: A subsequent survey discovered a total of 121 poisoned palm trees in Valle Gran Rey and a man will be charged with the poisoning of 21 of them, see new post).                                       

Phoenix Canariensis at sunset in lower Valle Gran Rey

LA GOMERA NEWS: VICE-PRESIDENT RESIGNS

Lack of trust in president

Yesterday the island's vice-president, Gregorio Medina Tome, unexpectedly handed in his official letter of resignation. He had been holding this post for the past 13 years and during this time was considered the president's loyal aide and supporter. Sources close to the government who claim to have seen the letter of resignation quote the (ex)vice-president as having 'a feeling of loss of trust, which has been confirmed in the past months'. In his letter he is to have also stated that trust and loyalty 'could not be maintained' when Casimiro Curbelo, the president, 'is capable of constructing a great lie on a base of half-truths'.

Gregorio Medina Tome, who also represents La Gomera in the Spanish Senate, has cited 'duplicity of public responsibilities' as a further reason for stepping down and promised a press statement 'in the next few days'. There hasn't been any reaction by the president so far. Curbelo was the senator representing La Gomera until July 2011 when he was forced to resign this post after his alleged involvement in a brawl with police in the red-light district of Madrid, where he ended up being arrested. Gregorio Medina Tome was subsequently elected as senator for La Gomera.

However, the latest developments appear to be related to the controversies surrounding the president's handling of the recent fires on La Gomera.

...to be continued, I'm sure.

Casimiro Curbelo, President
(c)gomeranoticias.com
                                                                                      

Gregorio Medina Tome, Senator
(c) gomeranoticias.com

Donations for fire victims

The preliminary account for the donations collected by http://plataformavallegranrey.com/en so far shows nearly 10000 Euros,

with some more money (e.g. from the 'Nooctua' benefit gig) still to be added. Here the list:

This is a small amount considering the damage of over 4 million in Valle Gran Rey alone.

If you want to contribute to the account for the victims who lost everything in Valle Gran Rey click on the link below:

http://plataformavallegranrey.com/en/donaciones/

For reforestation on the 3 Canary Islands of Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera the government has allocated 3,1 million.

Total fire damage is estimated at over 70 million Euros for the whole of La Gomera.

3000 march in protest in San Sebastian, La Gomera

Considering the island's population of only 22000 and the fact that many couldn't come due work and other commitments, this was a massive turnout. Yesterday's demonstration

was probably the largest the island has ever seen.

Ashes from burnt down houses, burnt twigs from the forest and many banners were deposited at the entrance of the island's government building. 

The main question, why the 'cabildo' (the island government) declared the fires 'under control' (when they clearly weren't) in the face of official warnings of an extreme heat wave and very strong dry winds, remains unanswered. The consequently resulting devastating secondary fires then spread quickly when the hydro-planes had already been sent back to mainland Spain. The island's president had apparently gone on holidays in the middle of this crisis...

A video of the demonstration here:

http://vimeo.com/48659494

Demonstration in San Sebastian on Sat.,Sept.1st, 12 noon

There will be a huge demonstration in the capital of La Gomera, San Sebastian this Saturday, 01-09-12, at 12 o'clock, starting from Plaza de Las Americas.

This demonstration will also be supported by many voluntary organisations from neighbouring islands, and is intended as a show of strength of the people here, demanding a thorough investigation of the fires, and will be a show of support for those directly affected. It will not be party-political,  and ALL ARE WELCOME.

Is it all over ? Political fires now raging !

The firestorm and the hot temperatures may have passed, but politically the storm is only beginning to brew. I'll try and keep out of that and so preserve my independence.

Anyway, the alert level was today reduced to Nr.1 again, which means the island's government is again solely responsible. Same happened before (much discussed) in the face of a heat-wave alert and an almost-extinguished fire. After that, all hell broke loose, and the just sent-home hydro-planes had to be sent back here. This time, however the weather gods are kind and it even rained a few drops last night. The fire is out and what is left smouldering underground may take another while to extinguish, but appears to be definitely under control. The total damage seems dramatic, but of the core-forest only 8% was damaged and most of the island is totally intact. An eminent expert on the type of habitat affected and an expert in forest fires, Professor J.R.Arrevalo, has even stated that human efforts to 'restore' the affected areas after the fire may do do more damage than the fire itself. Most plants and trees affected, he says, have a built- in fire resistance and/or their seeds can withstand fires. The canary palm (phoenix canariensis) even grows stronger after having been 'cleaned by fire'.

Damage to property, crops and livestock is another matter and sincere donations are urgently needed (see previous posts), as the officially-announced aid will not arrive where it is needed most. Also previous experience on the islands of Gran Canaria (severe fires 2007) and la Palma (...2009) has shown that most of the affected people are still waiting for the 'immediate aid' promised by the institutions, and court cases demanding same are still pending.

Here a video of pictures of the recent fires , with some caricatures thrown in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc_HDBK8QWQ

It was BAD, I'm not trying to hide that fact - but a lot worse was the media-hype.

Thankfully nobody was hurt or worse... or the media would have made the rest of us victims...

LA GOMERA is alive and kicking, and still intact.

The  poor are  worst-hit, as always: See previous posts for direct donations

Friends of La Gomera

There is a lot of goodwill towards La Gomera now. Messages of support are flooding in, as well as donations (much needed goods and money) and benefit concerts and soccer matches are being organised. The well known 'Nooctua' disco chain from Tenerife, that  did a great road show here

in the harbour of Valle Gran Rey last month with lots of DJs and live shows will do a special benefit show at the same location on the 8th of September. Last time over 2000 attended !

Come over and dance the night away for a good cause !

If you want to contribute money instead, I can guarantee that ALL the money going into the following account will reach the people who lost everything and weren't insured:

CCC: 2100-6756 – 67 – 0200020646

IBAN: ES06 2100 6756 6702 0002 0646

BIC/SWIFT: CAIXESBBXXX

Caja Canarias / Caixa Bank

This account is administered by the newly founded voluntary group and is the ONLY

official account for donation (approved by local government).

See here:

http://plataformavallegranrey.com

...and the official town hall site here:

http://www.vallegranrey.es/turismo/es/informacion-util/noticias/97.html

+++ If you're looking for a great holiday, then go to La Gomera now or in the future. Better again: If you're an artist or a musician, come over here and do a benefit gig !

The latest (not complete) official count for Valle Gran Rey is:

43 houses totally destroyed (the remnants have to be demolished)

48 houses badly damaged, but can be repaired

69 commercial or agricultural buildings destroyed or damaged
Countless animals dead
Crops destroyed
NO loss of human life +++ NO serious injuries, only very minor ones.