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Catarina Martins and António Costa agreed for the first time since the announcement of the vote against BE in this budget phase. In the first intervention during the debate this afternoon, the prime minister did not skimp on his criticism of the Left Bloc, accusing the party of having “defected” from the left.
António Costa stressed that in democracy “there are always alternatives and their vitality is reinforced by the clarity of his statement”, considering “natural” that, just as the Government follows the path started in 2015, the right also continues “consistently” to row in the opposite direction. “What is not possible is to pretend to want to go further or faster on this path, now joining the right, which is going in the opposite direction ”, said the Prime Minister, referring to the Left Bloc.
“It makes no sense to want to polarize the debate between us because the alternative that is presented in this parliamentary debate is not between the budget presented by the Government and the budget that will vote against the Left Bloc. The alternative that exists is between the one that the The government presents and what the right presents ”, said António Costa.
According to the Prime Minister, “the alternative is between those like the PS who are going to vote in favor of this Budget” and the other left parties and deputies, as well as the PAN and the deputy Cristina Rodrigues “, who, understanding that we must move towards overcoming deficiencies and limitations, they do not desert from the left to join the right, but they allow us to transfer this Budget to the specialty ”.
In the final part of his speech at the opening of the debate, António Costa insisted on criticizing BE again, considering that the vote on the Budget proposal in general is that of “political clarification”, in a speech in which he promised to open to work together. in the specialty, but not including the BE: “The vote in general is not the final vote, but it is the vote for political clarification. The vote on which way to go.”
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“The position of the PS is clear and fully consistent with the options assumed in these five years of government”, declared the Prime Minister, adding that “the positions of the PCP, PAN, ENP, the deputies Joacine Katar Moreira and Cristina Rodrigues are also very clear and they show that there are those who do not give up seeking solutions to the crisis we are facing ”.
BE refuses to “bury his head in the sand, like an ostrich”
In the intervention of the Bloco de Esquerda, Mariana Mortágua stressed that BE was the only one who was at the government’s side in response to the emergency, but stresses that now a response is needed that goes beyond the emergency.
It is true that this budget does not make cuts and it is a budget of continuity and budget strategy of the Government ”, recognized Mortágua. “We confirm that this is a routine budget, but it is not a routine that we need in times of crisis and therefore, this budget is condemned to be overcome by difficulties.“The deputy added, noting that this OE foresees” a deficit of the lowest in Europe “, with a budget for the SNS that is less than the supplementary budget for 2020.
“This budget is not enough. Failure where Portugal must not fail and does not look at reality. It fails and cannot fail ”, stated Mariana Mortágua, emphasizing that investment in health is not enough and requires reform in the NHS. The government’s responses “are patches, when what we need are structural responses,” defended the BE.
“If the PS wants a leftist budget, it bets on leftist measures, with proposals presented to the left“The blocker reiterated, questioning” why the PS is so resistant to creating a career for hospital operators and giving autonomy to hospitals to be able to hire. ”
Catarina Martins, on the other hand, argued that BE’s position is “only reasonable common sense”, accusing Costa of a “Withdrawal” in the budget, mainly in the health area. “The need for investment in the NHS in 2021 is not less. It is greater. How can the Government expect the NHS to do more with less?” Asked the BE leader.
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In response, António Costa was adamant: “Let me disagree. The State Budget proposal has no setback and continues the path that we have been following since 2015 of increasing the NHS endowment.” “BE in the last days has used a comparative graph of what is not comparable,” said Costa, in relation to Health. In the opening speech, António Costa considered that fighting the pandemic should be the priority and affirmed that the OE2021 will contribute a total of 12.1 billion euros to the SNS, “almost as much as the ‘European bazooka’ of the next six years”.
In sum, Mariana Mortágua says that what they are asking BE is “to bury his head in the sand, like an ostrich, pretending not to hear, not to see, not to understand anything”. “We are not going to do that, because we have the mandate not to leave anyone behind,” said Mortágua, leaving a message to the Government: “if it makes sense ”to strengthen the NHS, protect the unemployed and if the state is protected from financial“ looting ”, they can count on BE’s support. Not otherwise.
CDS speaks of “end of the contraption” but Costa does not know if BE’s decision is “irrevocable”
Faced with this impasse between the Government and BE, the CDS parliamentary leader considered that the political solution that António Costa used in November 2015 to “come to power without winning the elections is ending and is running out.” “Do you realize that the model of the contraption is ending? It seems very obvious,” asked Telmo Correia. “Only now did you realize that the Left Bloc was opportunistic? Only now do you realize that you are a partner in good times while there are things to give and that in difficult hours you skip? The Prime Minister has a political problem But it wasn’t me who got into that hole ”, concluded the president of the CDS Parliamentary Group.
Faced with this attack by Telmo Correia, António Costa began by trying to put into perspective the disagreements within a majority with various political forces and rejected the central bloc: “It seems advantageous to me that there are no central bloc solutions, and that there are solutions in which PS biases left and PSD biases right. ” Then he used irony: “I don’t know if the decision of the Left Bloc in relation to this Budget is more or less irrevocable than the decision of the CDS to leave the Government with the PSD”he commented, alluding to the internal crisis that settled in the Passos Coelho executive in the summer of 2013.
Subsequently, moderating the attacks on BE, Costa was available to approve proposals for blockers in the specialty. After the BE deputy, José Manuel Pureza, accused the PS of having a “systematic alliance” with the right on labor laws, the prime minister was willing to expand the new social support, giving it value. of 633 million euros.
“In labor matters, sir, we are fully available, either between the Government and BE, or between the PS and BE, to sign a document to review the labor legislation in the legislature,” said António Costa. .
Costa admits the need to “reschedule” the increase in salaries in the public function
In response to the Ecological Party “Os Verdes” – which announced that they will abstain in general – António Costa said that The budgetary pressure caused by the crisis will force the Government to reschedule the program for the appreciation of public administration salaries, but assured that, even so, the salary mass in this sector will increase 3.5 percent.
“It is true, it is not worth hiding it, that the economic evolution of 2020, either in terms of negative inflation, or in terms of the budgetary pressure imposed by the crisis, forces us to reschedule the valuation program that we had in relation to the set of the salaries of the public administration ”, he said, in the debate on the 2020 State Budget proposal, in response to the Green Party“ Os Verdes ”.
Even so, the Prime Minister assured that the wage bill in the public administration as a whole will increase by 3.5 percent, “either due to new hires, promotions, or progressions.”
“It is also because of the proposal that we present here to now regulate the health subsidy, particularly for workers in the waste and sanitation sector (…) that has been waiting for regulation for years,” he said, specifying that, in this way , the measure will benefit. workers from all municipalities (and not just some, as is the case today) and from the central administration.
Costa also left the guarantee that the Government will maintain the path of the National Minimum Wage up to 750 euros, “Not at the rate of last year”, but at the rate of the average increase of the previous legislature, also highlighting the two-year moratorium on the expiration of collective agreements, which claimed to protect “three million workers.”
Even with the vote against the Block that adds PSD, CDS and Liberal Initiative, the Government has already guaranteed the approval of the budget. With the abstention of the PCP, PAN and Cristina Rodrigues, the former PAN deputy, and also with the vote of Joacine Katar Moreira, even between the abstention or approval, the Budget will be approved by the 108 PS deputies.
Voting generally takes place on Wednesday, but the final voting day is scheduled for November 27.
c / The day after tomorrow
