"A Geringonça" -"the Contraption"
of the unelected socialist Government,
supported by radical communists.
supported by radical communists.
Illustration by Helder Oliveira
The cloak and dagger novel
of the Contraption´s conception
Definition:
1) dealing in or suggestive of melodramatic intrigue
and action usually involving secret agents and espionage;
2) relating to or showing actions or behaviour
in which people or governments
try to protect their important secrets
or try to learn the secrets of others.
Two or three days BEFORE the general elections in Portugal,
on the 4th of October 2015,
the socialist leader, candidate for Prime minister,
realized that he would lose the elections.
Even though the portuguese had made enormous sacrifices,
due to the restrictive austerity measures brought on
by the international finanacial bail-out,
Portugal had to beg for,
because the socialist governance of José Socrates,
brought Portugal to its knees in a humilating bankrupcy,
without any international credibility,
lack of investors,
no money to pay salaries or pensions,
on election day, the Portuguese,
still preferred Pedro Passo Coelho and Paulo Portas
as the winner of the 4th of October elections.
The socialists, in panic, realized that they have lost the battle,
even though they had promise Heaven and Earth to the voters,
while batting each other in internal power struggles.
But lo, and behold,
a secret possibility was whispered in their ears,
by an undercover communist agent, who planted an idea.
And the cloak and dagger novel started to take shape
in the minds of the potential losers,
even BEFORE election day.
Suddenly, António Costa, vigorously proclaimed,
"Winning or losing the elections,
I WILL BE PRIME MINISTER!!"
The secret meetings, behind closed doors,
far from the journalists or even prominent members
of the respective party, or central committees,
were conducted in utter secrecy, in the middle of the night,
always changing place,
never revealing any of the ideas discussed,
keeping a straight face in newspaper or TV interviews,
lying about the plans for the future,
so that their cloak-and-dagger negotiations
would not be discovered.
Danger was always lurking in the dark,
as well of the danger of discovery.
On the day BEFORE the elections,
and on the proper day,
these secret movements were in frentic mode.
When the final results of election evening came out,
the socialists admitted failure to win the elections,
but launched a fierce attack on the PSD/CDS coalition,
and the daggers were sharpened and out for blood.
Costa came out in a triumphant mood, saying:
"No one should count on us, to only be a negative majority,
unable to form a credible and an alternative government
to the right-wing coalition."
The drama and the in-fighting continued.
The different communists factions couldn't see eye-to-eye.
Even at the last moment,
when the President of the Republic,
had already imposed the PSD/CDS coalition
as the legitimately elected government,
the behind the scence dramas continued,
nearly pulling blood.
The communists refused
to be in the same room as the radical BE,
for the signing of the agreement with the socialists.
They insisted that they have a bilateral agreement with the socialists,
NOT including the BE:
The comings and goings in the corridors and in the cabinets,
were notorious. Tension was high and so was mutual mistrust,
and melodramatic intrigue.
and melodramatic intrigue.
The ONLY common objective was a parliamentary coup d'etat,
an assault on the power,
taking over the parliament by force, of an unelected,
cloak-an-dagger coalition,
precariously build on mistrust of each other,
but united in the common goal of overthrowing
the minority elected government of Pedro Passo Coelho.
The results are history now,
with the country having lost international credibility,
chased away foreign investors,
fomenting popular ultra-nationalism against Europe
and european leaders,
promising and dealing out money by the millions,
while increasing taxes to complete unsustainable levels,
always denying their existence,
from lies, to lies,
the cloak-and dagger dramas continue each and every day,
while the "Contraption" of this ill-fated government,
desperately tries to keep together,
whatever holds them, precariously together,
with barb wires.
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