What hope do we have when our politicians behave like this -
Santa Cruz - 27.11.2014 - Under fire from an opposition MP over the failure of the government to support the Canarian Museum in Las Palmas financially, culture minister Inés Rojas tried to defend her office's actions and insisted that everything possible was being done to assist the museum. However the arguments used raised eyebrows when she explained that she was "in constant touch personally with the founder of the museum, Mr Gregorio Chil", to discuss possible solutions. The explanation would have passed as valid were it not for the fact that Chil died 113 years ago, two decades after he founded the museum in Las Palmas in 1879. The gaffe, made while the TV cameras were filming the session in Parliament, has featured in all the major newspapers and other media both here and elsewhere, with Rojas mocked as the government's newly designated "spiritual medium". It is unlikely she will step down, however, having famously stated at the height of another controversy involving her a few years ago that "only cowards resign". (Island Connections)
She can't be corrupt 'cos Rajoy says so.
From: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/239d886a-7631-11e4-a777-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3KIV81ICp
‘Spain is not corrupted,` says Rajoy, after minister quits
Mariano Rajoy insisted that Spain was not institutionally corrupt on Thursday, amid rising popular anger at scandals that have shaken his government and the ruling Popular party.
The prime minister`s appeal was, however, overshadowed by Wednesday`s resignation of health minister Ana Mato. She became the first cabinet member to step down in connection with a sprawling corruption investigation into bribes allegedly paid to senior PP members.
Her resignation dealt a new blow to Mr Rajoy, who is fighting political fires on several fronts and whose tenure has been dogged by corruption cases involving members of his centre-right party. Popular revulsion is driving a growing number of voters into the arms of Podemos, a new anti-establishment party that has overtaken both the PP and the opposition Socialists in polls.
In a speech to parliament, Mr Rajoy acknowledged that political corruption was now the “daily diet†for Spaniards reading the paper or watching the news. “Whether it is abundant or not, corruption is always corrosive for the spirit of society, it damages democracy and discredits Spain. Whatever corruption there is, it is too much, and cannot be tolerated,†he said.
But the prime minister also insisted that Spain had no “generalised†problem with corruption. “Spain is not corrupted. Spain has some cases of corruption which are now, thankfully, coming to light. The rest is healthy,†he said. He added: “I cannot accept that the suspicion of corruption is extended to all politicians in Spain.â€
Ms Mato`s resignation was prompted by a Madrid-based judge who is leading a long-running political corruption probe into the so-called Guertel case. It involves allegations that PP politicians received bribes from private contractors in exchange for public contracts and other political favours. Ms Mato`s former husband is a formal suspect in the case.
The health minister herself is not a suspect in the probe but on Wednesday the investigating judge released a statement saying she had probably “benefited†from her husband`s activities. The statement said she had made use of “tourist services, payment of family events and other items of personal use†and suggested that she could face civil claims connected with the case.
Ms Mato has long been seen as a weak link in the Rajoy government, often emerging as one of the most disliked figures in an already unpopular cabinet. She is the second minister in little more than two months to leave under a cloud of controversy. The justice minister resigned in September over a botched attempt to reform the country`s abortion regime.
Ms Mato stressed, in her resignation statement, that the judge had made no suggestion of “criminal responsibility†but said she was stepping down all the same. Ms Mato said she was acting to ensure that neither the government nor Mr Rajoy nor the party would suffer damage as a result of her role in cabinet.
The Guertel case, which first surfaced five years ago, has long cast a shadow over Ms Mato`s political future, not least because of statements she made in connection with the probe. When the scandal first broke, Ms Mato said she had not been aware that her husband was driving a new Jaguar â€" a remark that has provided fodder to political satirists.The health minister had also faced sharp criticism for her handling of a recent Ebola outbreak in a Madrid hospital.