Government failed Gibraltar in 2005

In an end-of-year statement, Felix Alvarez, Chairman of Equality Rights group GGR (pictured) has said that the year 2005 has been “a year of failures and a widening gap between ordinary workers and the well-off on issues across the board on the part of Mr Caruana and his Government. Government, in short, have failed Gibraltarians of all classes and status in 2005, no matter what they might like us to believe in their political broadcasts.”Mr Alvarez added that “inequalities in this community are becoming more and more absurd right across the board and there is a growing poverty gap within this community for lack of care and social provision. Young couples are being offered so-called affordable housing that few people can even think of affording. And this while luxury housing for the wealthy is taking up more and more scarce land! Standards of living for the disabled are unacceptable when you consider that the Minister for Social Services has failed to provide a reliable respite service for the affected families. British citizens in Gibraltar are being given the run-around when it comes to their EU rights. Government fails to address real issues affecting health by providing ridiculous answers to evident pollution statistics. People need to book months in advance to see their doctor at the Health Centre despite thousands of pounds having been spent on consultation with experts. Ordinary citizens find it practically impossible to access theoretical legal rights because Government does not provide proper access to the law due to ridiculous legal aid levels, leaving many people unable to afford legal redress. And all this, we are told by Government in their political propaganda, is neither here nor there because, we are told to believe, we have never had it so good as under the GSD (Gibraltar Social Democrats)! Meanwhile, it appears to be no problem to throw money away on a Theatre Royal project that is benefitting nobody!”“In fact, Mr Caruana has seen to it that, year on year, we slip further into mismanagement and backwardness when it comes to the real freedoms of our citizens, and he has used every means to this end whilst varnishing over the realities of our community,” he said. “We’ve had it with 18th century marching. We’re living in the 21st century and it’s time to change the tune!”