Thorgalaeg
Deity
It is not one airport but several. And it is not about corruption but about an inefficient territorial organisation and distributing public funds among autonomous regions plus 2008 world financial crisis.
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Are you really saying that the building of those airports was not fueled by a load of dodgy backhanders? I know nothing about this situation, but I assume that any conspicuous wasting of public money must be corruption, the politicians cannot be so incompetent to make themselves look bad for no personal gain?
From wiki:
Castellón–Costa Azahar Airport
The company in charge of running the airport, Aerocas, was found to have spent 26 million euros, a sixth of the cost of the airport, on sponsoring various sports teams in its region. Also, a $375,000, 24-metre-tall statue, often interpreted as a representation of Carlos Fabra, the formerly powerful local politician who was the driving force behind its construction, was erected just outside the airport. Fabra has been under judicial investigation in connection with several cases of corruption and tax evasion, and was sentenced to four years in prison for tax fraud in December 2014.
The company in charge of running the airport, Aerocas, was found to have spent 26 million euros, a sixth of the cost of the airport, on sponsoring various sports teams in its region. Also, a $375,000, 24-metre-tall statue, often interpreted as a representation of Carlos Fabra, the formerly powerful local politician who was the driving force behind its construction, was erected just outside the airport. Fabra has been under judicial investigation in connection with several cases of corruption and tax evasion, and was sentenced to four years in prison for tax fraud in December 2014.
Zardnaar
Deity
Part of that inefficiency involve corruption?
Thorgalaeg
Deity
That is not the airport i was thinking of (neither Zardnaar i guess) in fact Castello airport in Valencia is being currently used, if only by 3 or 4 commercial flights a day. There is others way worse, like Lleida airport in Catalonnia which is barely used or Ciudad Real airport in Castilla-La Mancha, which wasnt used at all from 2012 to 2019 (this is the one).
All these airports were built on prevision of an air traffic boom caused by tourism (dont forget spain is the second most touristic country in the world) which never happened due to 2007-08 financial crisis. The same thing killed A380 for instance.
About Spain public sector it has an excess of administration separated in several levels: central, regional and local all pretty autonomous respecting the above level which makes it inefficient. Administration itself is pretty clean but at political levels corruption happens and with so many independent governments it is more difficult to keep so many politicians at bay, specially at regional and local levels where corruption is more common, fortunately justice is not included in this territorial chaos and many corrupt politicians get caught, ence the high perception index.
Zardnaar
Deity
Corrupt politicians what is this madness?
r16
not deity
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
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bah , New Turkey is the best . Everybody does roads , they discover dams , everybody does dams , they discover airfields , everybody does airfields . Latest with guarantees , like if 10 000 passangers it is break even , if 11000 ghe company that operates will pay the Goverment and if 9000 the Goverment will pay . And everybody knows the market is just about 1000 , not even WW lll will let London be paid for 20 years more .
Satellite photos raise concerns of Russian military build-up near Ukraine (again)
Maxar collected high-resolution satellite imagery on November 1 that reveals the presence of ground forces on the northern edge of of Yelnya in western Russia.
Reports that the Russians are moving military hardware some 250 kilometers from the border have raised eyebrows in Washington. And Ukrainian forces have deployed combat drones along the battle lines that separate them from pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region.
Satellite imagery has shown Russian hardware -- including self-propelled guns, battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles -- on the move at a training ground roughly 186 miles (300km) from the border.
Satellite imagery has shown Russian hardware -- including self-propelled guns, battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles -- on the move at a training ground roughly 186 miles (300km) from the border.
Maxar collected high-resolution satellite imagery on November 1 that reveals the presence of ground forces on the northern edge of of Yelnya in western Russia.
Zardnaar
Deity
Satellite photos raise concerns of Russian military build-up near Ukraine (again)
Reports that the Russians are moving military hardware some 250 kilometers from the border have raised eyebrows in Washington. And Ukrainian forces have deployed combat drones along the battle lines that separate them from pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region.
Satellite imagery has shown Russian hardware -- including self-propelled guns, battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles -- on the move at a training ground roughly 186 miles (300km) from the border.
Maxar collected high-resolution satellite imagery on November 1 that reveals the presence of ground forces on the northern edge of of Yelnya in western Russia.
Erm that's not that close to the border.
Gelion
Retired Captain
I am beginning to believe that the old trick of "reading news backwards" actually works well (for example "shortage of food has caused panic" should be read as "panic has provoked shortage of food"). The combat drones were deployed first and in violation of the current de-militarisation agreements.
Zardnaar
Deity
Damn sneaky Russians.
From recent news, Ukraine seems to be getting into energy trouble, after gas price exceeded 1000$ on world market. Ukraine buys gas from EU (on paper), in fact they take Russian gas from transit pipe and pay European price, unlike Belarus which recently got big discount. But the current price became too high even for EU countries.
Same situation with coal - Russia stopped selling it to Ukraine because China is now offering better price. China, in turn, needs more coal because they stopped buying it from Australia for some political reasons.
Hope we won't have to save them again at Russian taxpayers expense. Let their new friends help them.
Same situation with coal - Russia stopped selling it to Ukraine because China is now offering better price. China, in turn, needs more coal because they stopped buying it from Australia for some political reasons.
Hope we won't have to save them again at Russian taxpayers expense. Let their new friends help them.
Zardnaar
Deity
Doesn't seem like Putin's cut production to screw people over. China's buying Australian coal via third party.
Basically Sth Korea or whoever buys it then resells to China.
Is Finland the best at balancing East/West?
Verbose
Deity
If you want to use Finland as an example, the lesson is likely to maintain full Cold War conscription and total defense, as much of it as you can muster. That's what the Finns do, unlike everyone else in western Europe who disarmed at the end of the Cold War.
The Finns a few years ago also launched a massive dawn raid on a bunch of Russian owned compound around the Bay of Finland, that for some reason had a bunch of military-style installations. Combination of Finnish police and military just took and dismantled them.
The Finns might be good at not getting talked about. Possibly because the Russian don't really talk about the Finns? Except possibly to say what great friend they are.
But sure, the Finns might be on to something.
Verbose
Deity
Well, I did say the Russians don't really like talking all that much about what the Finns are really doing.
So yeah, it seems to working.
The Russians might have to factor in that what the Finns might tell the Russians, and what they tell the Swedes, could differ. (It's not like they are pointing guns at the Swedes for starters.)
It's like how when Russia flies transponder-off military aircraft into civilian air-lanes over the Baltic, the Swedes and Danes officially protest to Moscow, who responds dismissively, and every has a public row. The Finns just parked military fighter jets by the main runway at Helsinki airport – stand-by for take-off – as a signal, but then refrained from commenting further on it.
Gelion
Retired Captain
Well, I am glad everyone is busy 
Keeps the planet going...
Keeps the planet going...Verbose is known for throwing random "facts" about Russia here, in absolute most cases without references.
Last time he said Russia okay'd NATO bombing of Serbia, so I wouldn't be surprised if this time the source was a comedy movie.
Zardnaar
Deity
Just thought Finland was an interesting example. Didn't join NATO, history of being part of Russia, went to war with them but traded heavily with the USSR.
Verbose
Deity
Finland is interesting. It's situation requires looking at not too superficially though.
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