27 May, 2010 @ 13:26
1 min read

Zapatero’s cuts passed in knife-edge vote

SPAIN’S controversial austerity bill has been approved – by just one vote.

In a knife-edge decision, 169 voted in favour of the 15bn-euro package with 168 in opposition.

PM Jose Luis Zapatero unveiled the drastic plans last month to counteract fears Spain was heading for a Greek-style economic crisis.

The proposal – which include wage cuts of five per cent for civil servants and huge public investment cuts – had been met with widespread criticism.

Trade unions have already announced a one-day strike due to take place on June 8 to protest against the projected wage cuts.

A parliamentary defeat for Zapatero would have been an extremely damaging blow for his Socialist government.

“The result is calming for the markets because a vote against would have been very worrying,” said Jose Luis Martinez, a strategist at Citigroup.

“But the small margin is worrying considering what Spain is facing.”

It is hoped the bill will reduce the country’s 11 per cent GDP deficit to six per cent by 2011.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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