What value does CLARO's 'Save Cala Mosca' petition have Now?

Having reported the recent announcement by the CLARO party that its 'Save Cala Mosca' petition is to finally be presented to the Town Hall on the 26th March 2010 it raises some questions.

What value, if any, does the petition have now?

In a Press Release dated 1st December 2008 CLARO announced with great gusto the launch on the 3rd December 2008 of its campaign

"to collect thousands of signatures to Save Cala Mosca.
We are convinced that this campaign will be widely supported by all those interested in protecting the environment and preventing the destruction of the last remaining green area on Orihuela Costa by the planned building of 1,500 new homes. We believe that now is the time to halt this project.
The open, unspoilt, view of Cala Mosca, is our last green area.
It must be saved and become a natural park which would provide a fantastic attraction to those living and visiting Orihuela Costa and those who might decide to buy property and live here in the future.
We believe this is a cause which will attract massive support".

In a further Press Release dated 3^rd June 2009  CLARO said:-

"Approval of the plan to build 1,700 new houses and flats on the last remaining green area of Orihuela Costa is one of the biggest and most unforgivable acts of ECO- DESTRUCTION committed by the Popular Party. It is universally opposed by the residents of Orihuela Costa who have demonstrated against the plan in Orihuela and in Orihuela Costa before the 2007 local elections and who are supporting a massive protest petition organised by C.L.A.R.O which has collected more than 5,000 signatures.
C.L.A.R.O’s PROTEST PETITION WILL CONTINUE. The residents of Orihuela Costa want to preserve this major feature of the local environment which should become a natural park.
Saving Cala Mosca could save Orihuela Costa".

The petition was started at the beginning of December 2008 with great bravado and a sense of urgency. However it will be the end of March 2010 before the petition is presented to the Town Council.  

Presentation of the petition has been delayed for 16 months!

If the leaders of CLARO believed so strongly in December 2008 and June 2009 that it was imperative to 'Save Cala Mosca' and that their petition is so important in obtaining that objective it leads to the question:-

Why have they waited until now to act with it?

What is the petition supposed to achieve at this late date?

In respect of a direct influence on the Orihuela local, Alicante provincial and Valencia regional governments to return Cala Mosca to an environmental 'gem'

"last remaining green area on Orihuela Costa"

it will achieve nothing.

The leaders of CLARO logically, and with hands on hearts, must also realize this. That I believe is the reality of the situation or am I wrong?.

This leads me to the next question.

Why is the petition only now being presented?

An answer to this could be as simple as because the current political scene in Orihuela Costa (CLARO's only area of existence) is very quiet at the moment. There aren't any 'hot chestnut' issues from the PP controlled council that CLARO can comment on, to gain kudos to its advantage. Perhaps they (CLARO) think  now is the time to try to create a situation by raising the phoenix.

Two alternative answers could be;
why not, its better late than never;
we've collected the signatures and better be seen to be doing something with them as promised.

Is there an alternative objective behind the CLARO 'Save Cala Mosca' campaign? Or to ask it another way; Why is CLARO continuing with a strategy that has no, or at best a minuscule possibility to be charitable, of success?


A cynical conclusion that could be reached is that taking into consideration the long history of the Cala Mosca saga since 1990 it is purely a political campaign for the benefit and survival of CLARO. It's intention was and is to tap into the general concern of the residents about the destruction of the environment to gain details of possible supporters and ultimately votes. CLARO said in the press release to launch the campaign

"We are convinced that this campaign will be widely supported by all those interested in protecting the environment and preventing the destruction of the last remaining green area on Orihuela Costa".

The real intention of capitalising on this mood could be for one reason only, for the advantage of CLARO in the 2011 local elections. Perhaps they should change their quote to 'Saving Cala Mosca could save CLARO'.

By the presentation of the petition at this late date, hope (false I believe) is being given that Cala Mosca could still be saved, in order to promote the impression of CLARO as the possible saviour. When reality shows that the petition as a weapon against the PP government is an illusion and has failed, that the aspirations of the signatories have been shattered, and that the development continues, the leaders of CLARO will look to promote themselves as the victims and PP as the villains. The environment is the only real victim.

The leaders of CLARO should be wary as their petition may be a double edged saviour's sword which they could regret ever drawing.

There can be no doubt in any residents mind that the PP have failed the people of Orihuela Costa over this plot of land but so could CLARO be seen to have done, by generating and perpetuating false hope of a successful outcome for Cala Mosca. Wasting residents time with further pointless demonstrations for unrealistic, un-achievable, goals.

Failure of the petition to 'Save Cala Mosca' could signal the potential failure of CLARO in the 2011 local elections, it could be the scythe of the Grim Reaper.

Beware and tread carefully CLARO - the electorate is no fool. Be honest with the residents, admit that the time for the 'Save Cala Mosca' campaign has passed a long time ago.

There may well be a need for a local independant party in Orihuela Costa to challenge the establishment , so to the leaders of CLARO I would say - Forget 'Save Cala Mosca' it's a battle and a war you cannot win, you're too late. Move on to new areas of concern for the residents of Orihuela Costa so you still have the potential for a valid presence and the success you seek in the May 2011 local elections.

What value does CLARO's 'Save Cala Mosca' petition have Now? To the residents and to CLARO the answer has to be NONE !