Funchal Town Hall marks 25th of April with fireworks

Tobi Hughes·
News Blog

Total waste of money, when so many people are without work.

The Government should be disgusted with themselves.

At 10:55 pm sharp, the Funchal City Hall held a short firework display, a symbolic moment of light and color. The time was chosen on purpose to remember the moment when the song “E Além do Adeus”, by Paulo de Carvalho, played on Rádio Renascença, serving as a password to the beginning of the Revolution. Fireworks costing a sum of 5000.00 euros.

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Tobi Hughes

14 Responses

  1. I can sort of understand the complaints but this is a commemoration of the day that Portugal became a democracy so did need to be marked, virus or no virus.

  2. 5,000 euros? I wonder whose brother in law/cousin/nephew/grandson got that contract. I would have done better with a 25 euro box of Roman candles from Aldi.

  3. No need for fireworks unless it was donated . Money could if gone to health workers……
    The tax payees will already have enough added to pay over the coming years

    1. I too would have loved the fireworks to have been paid for by one of the many Companies that thrive on tourism and a low minimum wage but this is about choice. We have an earlier article,

      PSD / Machico disagrees with the celebrations program that the City Council, led by Ricardo Franco, organized to mark, in a “symbolic” way, the 46th anniversary…

      A political group and individual was able, without fear to publicly disagree with the Authorities. What would have happened to him prior to 1974. I disagree with him particularly as like most politicians he does not offer an alternative. But I think he and yourself should be thanking his lucky stars he was able to say it.

  4. ‘a symbolic moment of light and color’. More shambolic than symbolic !

    5,000 euros would have been better spent on some of the island’s problems like poverty or animal cruelty. An animal charity could have done a lot of good with that money.

    1. Because of the 1974 revolution Madeira was at least able to choose whether to spend or waste 5,000 euros. Before 1974 choice would not have been available, the Island was a backwater ruled but ignored by a dictatorship in Lisbon. This is something we British who have had the freedom to select who governs them for generations should have the good manners to remember before telling the their hosts what or what not to do.

  5. Were it not for the revolution of 25 April 1974, in all probability poverty here would be far worse, “animal cruelty” would still be considered a contradiction in terms, and Madeira would not have its autonomy.

    1. ‘Were it not for the revolution of 25 April 1974, in all probability poverty here would be far worse’
      I’m not sure what economic analysis would back this assertion, in fact in the last few decades, (not that I would want to live in one) totally undemocratic countries like Tanzania, Chad and China have seen the biggest declines in poverty. Greece ‘the founder of democracy’ has seen huge increases in poverty. We also need to remember that the autonomous region of Madeira was 4.8 billion euros in debt before covid-19.

      “animal cruelty” would still be considered a contradiction in terms”, exactly when was animal cruelty a contradiction in terms. Animal humanity might be a contradiction in terms, not sure about animal cruelty.

  6. I can’t really see what you’re so wound up about Tobi. This is a very important celebration in the Portuguese calendar and it was celebrated in a very low key way in Funchal. Why would anyone get upset about that. the fireworks would not have been purchased the day before this event! They would already have been paid for so it isn’t as if they could be taken back and exchanged for PPE equipment! If the government had gone out yesterday an purchased the fireworks I would probably agree with you but they obviously didn’t.
    And on top of that, if the firework display gave everyone in Funchal a bit of enjoyment in these troubling times – Good luck to them.
    It would appear some people just want to moan at anything the establishment does just for the sake of it!

  7. The fact the council dropped 5k on fireworks while thousands of people are still waiting on crisis support money is sick. Better still, that money could have been given to an animal charity, as someone above mentioned – or some other charity. I totally understand your sentiment Tobi and you are completely right to be outraged, a lot of people feel the same way. Well done for bringing attention to it. What a complete waste of resources in such a time of need.

    1. Personally I think it’s worth 5000 euros to celebrate the fact if they are so incensed by the spending of such a vast sum of money.that the citizens of Madeira, should be able to change the council by legitimate political means Something they could not have done before 1974. It seems we have a lot of British and non residents giving advice on a subject we have never had to endure.

  8. Not right time for fireworks.
    I and nothers lost income, jobs and waiting crisis support money.
    No thanks council stupid decision.

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