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Best Cafes & Coffee Shops In Belfast – Updated Guide For 2023
22 January, 2023 23 August, 2022 by Norah Clark
Last updated and verified on 22nd January, 2023.
Best Cafes & Coffee Shops In Belfast
Don't bother with franchises and grab your morning cup of coffee at one of Belfast's coffee cafes or shops. With excellent baristas, modern interiors, and, most importantly, a good cup of coffee/java, you'll start your day the right way. Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, is home to many coffee shops throughout the city, including the Cathedral Quarter and the bustling Botanic Avenue.
I visited Belfast many years ago and had the pleasure of experiencing firsthand the many different cafes and coffee shops it had to offer. There are also several local chain coffee shops, including Bob & Berts and Ground Espresso Bars – however, I am not featuring them in this list because they were pretty average at best.
Not only does Belfast have a great selection of coffee shops, I thoroughly enjoyed trying some of the best pizzas in Belfast that I have tried anywhere! I will never know how I didn't come back home to the size of Manhattan!
The Best Cafes & Coffee Shops in Belfast
Let's dive into the best cafes that Belfast offers, and you should explore these on your next visit, whether you are a local or a tourist in 2023!
The National Grande Cafe
Bar, Cafe, Restaurant, European, Coffee, Tea, Fast Food, Vegetarian, $$$
The National Grande Cafe – Interior
Formerly the National Bank headquarters and now a stunning listed building. It is now a beautiful listed building. National Grande Cafe sits between the City Centre and the Cathedral Quarter in one of the most accessible places for tourists in the whole city. If you do not pass by it during your journey, the cafe is accessible via Church Street from the main mall, Victoria Square.
A large portion of the original structure has been preserved to provide the building with an amazing interior. It is flanked by long wooden tables, at which the coffee is served on a slate of stone. The building's four floors comprise the bar in the house and a nightclub, Sixty6 (the cafe is on the first floor).
You can try the Tiamo Blend blend coffee brewed by Bailies Roasters or try a flavor of Suki Tea. Suki Tea selection if you don't consider yourself a coffee drinker.
The Pocket
Coffee Shop, European, Coffee, Tea, Vegetarian, Vegan, $$$
The Pocket – Exterior
The Pocket is a small establishment close to the Queen's campus, but it's become one of Belfast's top places to take a coffee break. In the back of the bright yellow entrance is a charming setting with exposed brick, comfortable seating, a great cup of coffee, and an extensive pastry and food menu. It has a stunning view from the Lanyon campus, once hailed as one of the most stunning campus buildings.
Importance of ethical trading is paramount to The Pocket's staff. The Pocket; only carry 3FE coffee, one origin coffee, sourced directly from independent farmers. Donuts are an excellent companion to coffee and are available in various flavors, such as salted caramel and raspberry glaze, and new flavors appear each month.
Harlem Cafe
Cafe, Irish, European, Coffee, Tea, Fast Food, $$$
Harlem Cafe – Interior
If you're at the famous Ulster Hall music venue, visit Ulster Hall's Harlem Cafe next door, located on Bedford Street between South and Central Belfast. It's difficult to define this café since it's everything from an upscale wine bar to a bistro. The decor is reminiscent of an early Victorian family home, starting with the pillared structures to the candelabras scattered across the tables for coffee. Cream teas (scones and tea) are popular, as are pastries and milkshakes.
Harlem Cafe now has an alcohol license, upgrade to Irish espresso or Calypso espresso, or Harlem Classico. Harlem Classico: rich hot coffee with one shot of Amaretto served with cream.
Bar, Cafe, Contemporary, Coffee, Tea, Dessert, Fast Food, Vegetarian, European, Irish, $$$
Botanic Avenue is filled with many more bars, cafes, and eateries than you could have ever imagined. So why should you select Town Square? First, it's a restaurant, bar, and cafe in two separate venues. The second reason is that the coffee is very special. Baristas at Town Square Cafe Town Square Cafe are number one and number two in Northern Ireland, winning the prestigious Northern Irish Aeropress Championships in 2017 for their Aeropress filter coffee.
Their blend of coffee, Roasted Brown, is sourced locally in County Wicklow and is utilized in the 12 drinks offered on the menu. If you want something different, I highly recommend trying their Chemex filter coffee, which serves two people and comes in glass jars that keep the temperature at the ideal beverage level.
Kaffe O
Coffee Shop, European, Coffee, Tea, Fast Food, Vegetarian, $$$
Kaffe O offers a touch of Scandinavian style in Northern Ireland and excellent coffee. The Nordic-inspired coffee house has branches along Botanic Avenue and Ormeau Road.
It was opened in 2014 after an attorney from Copenhagen changed course and launched an espresso chain. Kaffe O is an amalgamation of Kaffe, which means coffee in Danish, and O for the founder, Orla. Their sought-after blend is the key to Kaffe O's fame, which originates directly from Ricco's Kaffe bars in Copenhagen.
There are some fantastic flavors, such as Flat White and Ecuador 70 hot chocolate, which is 70. Each ceramic is made in Denmark and is available for purchase which could be attractive as they come in stunning colors and marbled patterns. Visitors to Kaffe O will soon crave the flavor of this exquisite Danish espresso.
Established Coffee
Cafe, Coffee Shop, American, British, Vegetarian, Coffee, Tea, $$$
Established has been the dominant cafe scene in Belfast since its opening in December 2013.
Their 3FE blend is sourced from the nearby city of Dublin The coffee shop is often stocked with guests' blenders from all over the globe. Established Coffee has also designed an exclusive guide to coffee in Belfast in the form of a Google Map, which includes the favorite spots of the staff. The menu included is among the top available in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter district, including an orange-based raspberry frangipane, a raspberry pastry, and sweet apple pie. an apple and salted caramel pie. The cafe also holds regular tea and coffee tastings.
YAHI
Cafe, Restaurant, European, Coffee, Tea, Fast Food, Vegetarian, $$$
The YAHI coffee shop has won awards for its baristas from the AeroPress Championships in Ireland and is situated at the Europa Bus Station on the Great Northern Mall. The cafe is passionate about local products and has a strong relationship with over thirty local businesses, offering all kinds of local baked goods to fresh meat on their menu in a deli.
The bus station is a plain center, YAHI provides a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city in a wide and spacious establishment. The tray bakes, as well as tarts, is popular in this place which is why you should take advantage of regional ingredients as well as flavors.
Cafe 31
Coffee Shop, European, Coffee, Tea, Fast Food
A true artist's dream, Café 31 is a tiny café inside a charming art gallery in the Cathedral Quarter. Musicians and pianists of the highest caliber fill the space frequently and make Cafe 31 one of the best alternative music places in London.
The Fenderesky Gallery, operational since 1983, is located upstairs and is a specialist in abstract and modernist art. Coffee and cakes in the gallery are more than an afternoon coffee stop: you can visit the gallery of art, peruse the collection of books, and, if fortunate, entertainment will be offered.
Espresso Elements
Coffee Shop, European, Coffee, Tea, Fast Food, Vegetarian
Espresso Elements is a hot place to enjoy South Belfast coffee and a perfect place to gather colleagues or friends. The staff can make a beautiful cappuccino, piccolo, or latte (which is akin to baby coffee). The décor is simple and wooden and is a favorite hangout among Professionals and college students.
You can also bring bags of your own coffee to go and can buy, as well as a variety of green teas in gift sets for home brewing. There's usually a selection of blends that range from Colombian to Brazilian roasts, as well as coffee blends like the Espresso Elements blend that provide their coffee with a distinctive flavor.
Cafe Le Petit Ormeau
Cafe, Restaurant, European, British, $$$
Café Le Petit Ormeau takes the coffee shop to a new level and could be described as a cafe-restaurant hybrid. The menu for dinner is vibrant and popular with locals however, the restaurant is under the radar during the early time of the day, from breakfast through brunch.
In contrast to other casual eateries' breakfast options, the breakfast menu comprises more than cakes and pastries, offering the full range of continental breakfast choices: Eggs Royale, a breakfast buttermilk bread, and Irish crab sandwiches are offered. The breakfast bar offers the most stunning panoramic view over Ormeau Road, and there's a close-by park with an amazing perspective of Samson & Goliath in the distance. It's a stylish way to begin the day.
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The Bird Box Craze Has Gone Too Far
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It's great when a pop culture phenomenon comes along and gives everyone that too often experience of The Monoculture. It's less great when that film starts to become an annoying shorthand for "I have been on the Internet." And it's officially over-the-top and bad when people are injuring themselves. To wit: Bird Box. It started as a meme factory and evolved into a monster hit for Netflix. Now, it's everywhere and we can't escape it and we are ready for it to go away, please.
According the the Los Angeles Times, fans of the film have been descending en masse on the Monrovia, California home where part of the movie was filmed to take pictures recreating key moments. The owners of the seven-bedroom Craftsman were reportedly paid $12,000 for letting the filmmakers use the exterior of their home, not a bad price to make your block a tourist curiosity. But will people start ringing the doorbell one day? Probably. People are dumb.
Here's proof: The Bird Box Challenge! It's unclear what exactly the "challenge" is or how it's accomplished, but the gist is that people are blindfolding themselves and then trying to do difficult activities. With kids and dogs and innocent bystanders around. The official Netflix Twitter account even had to weigh in, tweeting, "Can't believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE. We don't know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes."
https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1080525103593512962
Can you imagine going to the Emergency Room and writing on your intake form, "Reason for visit: Memes."?
Actually, we know who is to blame here. We know who took Bird Box from horror hit to The Thing Everyone Had To Have An Opinion On And Participate In. Her name is Kim Kardashian West. She tweeted about watching the movie and not coincidentally, all hell has broken loose. Be careful out there, and take off the blindfold, please.
https://twitter.com/KimKardashian/status/1080262855654551552
https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1080330385228062720
Related: Bird Box Is On Track To Be Netflix's Most Popular Film Ever
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ENHANCING NON-STATE ACTORS' PREPAREDNESS TO TAP INTO GLOBALCLIMATE FINANCE.
Agripoint Initiatives Limited was among the key Indigenous companies that participated in the Global Climate Finance (GCF) 2019 that was organized by ACTADE in partnership with KAS UGANDA at the Golf Course Hotel Kampala. The event was opened by Mr. Joseph Epitu from the Climate change department.
Mr. James kaweesi from the Ministry of Water and Environment presented about the existing Climate Change Finances in Uganda and how to get accredited for their access. Accessing these funds is through two different ways and that is; through Direct Access window through National Implementing Entity (NIE) as well as through the International Access Track which includes; UN-Agencies, Multilateral development Banks, International Financial Institutions and Regional institutions. NIE directly access financing and manage all aspects of climate adaptation and resilience projects, from design through implementation to monitoring and evaluation. Considerations for an entity to be considered include; Intended size, type of the enterprise and risk category of projects or activities.
Mr. Aaron Werikhe from the National Planning Authority on the other hand addressed the practical tips for project preparation. He explained to the different stake holders on how to write proposals for a company and also explained which different documents are required so as to be accredited for any support from the Government.
Agripoint on its side was positioning its self as an evidence, data and knowledge management company that is willing and able to indigenously offer evidence to other businesses so as to tap into the Global Climate Finance. The event was a success according to the different people we interacted with from the various companies. The GCF seeks to promote a paradigm shift to low-emission and Climate – Resilient development, taking into account the needs of Nations that are particularly vulnerable to Climate change impacts.
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Baseball season is nearing, and you know what that means, right? Yes, the next entry in Sony's MLB The Show franchise. The Show is consistently one of the best sports games around, in large part because of Sony San Diego's dedication to making changes both big and small from year to year. From what has been released thus far, it's clear that Sony will continue its methodical approach to increasing realism in MLB The Show 19. Ahead of the game's March 26 launch on PlayStation 4, here's everything we know about MLB The Show 19.
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There were two streams on Thursday. The first one focused on fielding, and it was downright impressive. The development team seems to have devised a system built to perfectly penalize players who exploit the game by playing guys out of position. For years–especially in Diamond Dynasty–gamers have stacked lineups with heavy hitters because the penalty for playing someone out of position wasn't stiff enough. If the system revealed on Thursday works as it sounds and looks, the days of using that exploit are over.
One of the activities the development team looks forward to every year are the Twitch livestreams. It's a great opportunity for us to show our faithful fans what we've been working on to makes this year's game the best ever. This year we have seven pre-launch streams packed with content running the gamut of our feature set. These include two brand new modes "March To October" and "Moments".
MLB The Show 19 will launch on March 26, 2019 for PS4, and young slugger superstar Bryce Harper will be on the cover. While Harper has been announced as the cover star, the final box art isn't ready yet because Harper hasn't confirmed where he's going to play next.
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That this House has considered the effect of Santander branch closures on local communities.
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Davies. I thank the Backbench Business Committee for providing time for the debate and express my sincere gratitude to the hon. Members for North Tyneside (Mary Glindon), for Angus (Kirstene Hair) and for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock) and to my hon. Friend the Member for Central Ayrshire (Dr Whitford), who all joined me as co-sponsors of the application. Like many other hon. Members, they face the closure of Santander branches in their constituencies. It is a testament to the widespread anger in the House that we have come together on a cross-party basis to campaign against those closures.
Absolutely. That is one reason why I am delighted to see the hon. Member for Ceredigion (Ben Lake) here for the debate. His private Member's Bill looks specifically at the impact of such closures, particularly on rural communities. My hon. Friend's point is well made.
I want to turn now to the issue of reliance on the post office network to deliver banking services. Having asked the Minister about it during Treasury questions a couple of weeks ago, I can almost anticipate his response: that Santander customers can just do their banking at the post office. I think my hon. Friend the Member for Lanark and Hamilton East (Angela Crawley) felt frustration about that during her Adjournment debate last week.
I am grateful to another constituency neighbour for making a powerful point. It is great that the hon. Gentleman is here, because, with the planned closure of the Santander branch in my constituency, people have been moved to the one in his. The point that my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk (Martyn Day) made was that, even if certain branches—such as the one in the hon. Gentleman's constituency—have been saved this time, that does not mean they will not be at risk in future, so I am glad he is here to make his point.
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this important debate. He makes the good point that when branches close, there are often no alternative sources for people to access cash and banking services. My hon. Friend the Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Jonathan Edwards) fully supports the hon. Gentleman's endeavours, but unfortunately he is engaged in the debate in the main Chamber. My hon. Friend has seen, just as I have in Ceredigion, that when branches close, the post office network is often simply not there, and communities are left in the lurch.
I know the hon. Gentleman has had experience of banks fleeing his constituency, where the local economy was already quite fragile, so he is right to put that on record. It is great to hear that input from him and from his colleague the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Jonathan Edwards), because Wales is also seeing this happen.
Research published this week by the consumer champion Which? found that 339 Scottish bank branches have closed their doors since 2015. However, we need to remember that this is not only about branches closing. When banks leave, they all too often take cash machines with them, and at this stage I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Ged Killen), who I know has done a lot of work on the situation around ATMs.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. I congratulate the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) on securing this important debate; we can see from the number of Members present the powerful cross-party consensus on the impact of bank branch closures on our local communities.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. I thank the Backbench Business Committee and the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) for securing this important and very relevant debate.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. I add my thanks to the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) and congratulate him on securing this debate. I am delighted to support him. As my hon. Friend the Member for Angus (Kirstene Hair) said, bank branch closures affect the constituents of hon. Members on both sides of the House. It is important that we stick together to represent people and stand up for the most vulnerable in our society.
In 2016, not long after I was elected, I was faced with a couple of bank closures in my constituency, in Cheam. The high street there thrives on independent shops. First, Lloyds Bank came to the end of its lease. I would give the constituent of the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton (Liz McInnes) the same counsel that I gave my constituents who were upset about losing Lloyds Bank: vote with their feet and go to HSBC up the road. Unfortunately, just a few months later, HSBC decided to close, too. Constituents can be pulled from pillar to post, continually having to move, to chase the exodus from the high streets. Banks do not want to be the last bank on the high street, because all the focus would be on them when they eventually respond to a changing market.
This is an important issue for me. I thank the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) for securing the debate and thereby giving us a chance to contribute. Let me also put on the record my congratulations to Scottish National party Members for continually raising issues about bank closures. Every time they have brought such debates to Westminster Hall or the main Chamber, it has come from their constituents. I thank them for highlighting bank closures, because, in doing so, they illustrate how important the banks are, including in my constituency.
The hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Ged Killen), who has left, unfortunately, tabled early day motion 2057 on access to cash. I was more than happy to sign that early day motion, as I always am on important issues. As I have said in other debates here and in the main Chamber, I understand how important it is to have access to cash. I am one of those old-fashioned guys who likes to pay their bills by cash—perhaps that is the economy in Northern Ireland.
I remember when First Trust, a local bank, hired a special adviser to get people out the front of the bank au fait with online banking—the hon. Member for Angus (Kirstene Hair) referred to the online banking issue. Within six months, the news was out that the branch was closing due to an uptake in specialist online banking. Hon. Members can draw their own conclusions about how and why that happened. That was the third bank to close in the main town of Newtownards and the sixth to close in my constituency of Strangford; I have had a lot of bank closures. That is why every time SNP Members have raised issues with bank closures, I have wanted to make sure that I was in there fighting for my constituency as well. As I say, over time we have had a number of banks close.
I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for giving way; I usually get his constituency the wrong way round. After some of the scandals that we have had with TSB and others locking their customers out of their online banking, is it not the case that for all this digital innovation we are nowhere close to it being reliable?
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies, and I thank the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) for securing the debate.
My hon. Friend the Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire (Simon Hart) made the point that we should not just highlight Santander. If I go back to the issues in Axminster, we have had branch closures there for Barclays and NatWest, and the one we have left is Lloyds. Let us hope that Lloyds stays in the town and indeed I hope that all the Santander customers pile along to Lloyds. As Members well know—putting my farming hat back on—it is not always easy to change banks. I used to have a very large overdraft with NatWest, and they did not always want me to transfer it. When a person has a business, they want some personal attention; they want to be able to see somebody; and they want to get some sort of decision on not only their everyday banking, but their business building or their business. That is just not there anymore.
I want to pick up on the comment that the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish) made about people going to another town. If someone goes to another town on a Saturday morning to get their money, that is where they are going to shop. That is exactly the impact that bank closures have on our small towns and independent shop owners.
It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. I congratulate the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) on securing this debate, and I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting it. The hon. Gentleman was right that the motion should be about not just bank closures but their effect on local communities. It has been interesting to listen to the contributions that Members have made, because bank closures rip the heart out of our communities.
I have been here long enough to see a trend develop over many years. Like the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish), I received a letter from Santander saying that it is going to close down a branch, and that letter could have been cut and pasted from any other bank letter over the years. The bank says it is a very difficult decision, but, frankly, it is a corporate strategy now; it is a policy. It is part of their toolkit to say, "It is a difficult decision," but they go ahead and do it anyway.
I am not a luddite. I can download an app and use an Apple phone, but like many of my constituents I choose not to. Broadband is not as great in my area as it is in central cities, for example, so it is difficult to use alternative banking methods. I do not want to make a bank transaction and then go offline and become stuck, or to do one draft and then another. It is a serious problem. I think the hon. Member for Angus (Kirstene Hair) mentioned that the broadband distribution in her area is not suitable. There needs to be some joined-up thinking here.
I am sure my hon. Friend the Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Jonathan Reynolds) will be very happy that I agree with our Labour party policy to re-establish a Post Office bank—a people's bank—and to have regional banks so that regional business can benefit. We need to go beyond just blaming the banks; we need to have a proper Government policy and framework.
It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. I congratulate the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) on securing a really important debate, as has been shown by today's speeches. He opened it with a fantastic, detailed explanation of why it is so important to talk about how our communities will be affected by what is happening. The Backbench Business Committee must also be thanked for allowing the debate.
I accept that fewer people use banks and that many people trust them to operate their accounts online, which has affected banks' decisions to close branches in recent years. However, Office for National Statistics figures cited by the Library reveal that my area in the north-east has the lowest number of bank and building society branches in the UK and the second-lowest number of branches per 100,000 residents. That is of great concern to me, as I hope it is to the Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Jake Berry), in his role as Minister for the northern powerhouse.
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Rosindell. I thank the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) for securing and organising this debate, which I was happy to support.
It is a pleasure to speak in this debate, Mr Rosindell. I congratulate my fellow Instagram lover, the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden), on securing this debate. We have more in common that just posting fun pictures.
Who do we need to aim this debate at? The remarks made by Members of all parties have been focused on the banks, but I want to focus on the Government, because the banks have had a good kicking already and certainly my fellow Devon MP, the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish), did a very good job of explaining why banks deserve a good kicking at times. However, we need to be cautious about what can be done to reverse the decline in branches on our high streets.
One element of hub services is about using empty buildings. My hon. Friend the Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) talked about empty buildings. In many cases, the buildings left vacant by banks still have an ongoing lease—they are still paying for the lease of the buildings. There should be questions about the social purpose of an empty building, and about how we as parliamentarians can put pressure on, as we have done on empty homes, to rediscover the social purpose of empty buildings with an ongoing lease.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Rosindell. I am pleased to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard), who always speaks with so much authority on matters not just in his own constituency, but across the piece.
I would like to see a much more proactive approach. My colleagues mentioned the Labour approach to regional banks, which is a very good idea. I had a good look through the Minister's written parliamentary responses to Members' questions on bank closures and I have to confess that I found them mealy-mouthed—"Well, it's the commercial decision of banks. We haven't got anything to do with it." Is that not the attitude that has got us into so much hot water since 2008? Have we learned nothing about the attitude of banks? Do they care about their customers? No, otherwise Santander would not be closing 140 branches. It might be acceptable to close a few, or to close the same number at a slower pace, but there will be 140 bank branch closures. Despite being in a different party, I completely agree with the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish) on the dreadful treatment of customers, the fact that there is no personal approach to banking anymore and the fact that so many customers are being let down. I very much look forward to hearing some really innovative, far-reaching and radical suggestions from the Minister.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Rosindell. I pay tribute to my constituency neighbour, the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden), for securing this debate. He spoke very powerfully about the impact that these bank closures will have on the city of Glasgow and further afield.
In the case of Springburn, the bank justified its closure programme by saying that there was a 25% reduction in footfall. I accept that the industry is subject to disruption due to changes in technology, as the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock) said. However, the curve is way ahead of where people are at on the ground. The Government should be involved in closing down that gap, so that it reflects the real transitions that people make, particularly elderly people and disabled people.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Rosindell. I thank my constituency neighbour, the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden), for securing this debate.
The impact of the branch closures has been worsened by the loss of cashpoints. Figures released this week by Which? show that 280 cashpoints were lost across Scotland in 2018, 203 of which were free to use. Despite the growth of online and telephone banking, 73% of the public continue to use cash frequently to pay for goods and services. My children still use cash; the elderly still use cash. This is not a cashless community yet. The branch closures and the loss of cashpoints only make it harder for people to access their money. The branches and cashpoints are being lost in the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the UK, as my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North East (Mr Sweeney) pointed out, and as many others up and down the country know.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Rosindell. I, too, thank my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) and the other Members who supported his bid for this debate. It is great to see this Chamber so busy, as it often is not. That shows the strength of feeling and how much the closures will affect our communities.
Although my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow East has highlighted the issue of vulnerable people who have poor internet access, in Troon, a place to which many people retire, the issue is the elderly. In the impact assessment, it says that 58% of people have, on at least one occasion, used online, mobile or telephone banking, meaning that 42% have never used those methods. There is no quantification, so we do not know—as the hon. Member for Glasgow North East (Mr Sweeney) said—whether someone simply phoned the branch to ask what its opening hours are or when they could go in to get a statement. The idea that that means someone is suddenly ready to manage all their finances by phone or online is just a fairy tale.
The access to banking standard and the need for an impact assessment were mentioned. We have all been sent little infographic-laden impact assessments, but it strikes me that they are largely about the impact on the bank. They are not really about the impact on customers, staff or our high street. The hon. Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) mentioned the idea of having a hub. The obvious way to do that would be to bring back Crown post offices, but why do we expect post offices to co-locate with other businesses, but not banks to co-locate with each other or with post offices? It is absolutely vital that communities have some form of safe and secure access to financial services and advice.
I thank the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) and the Back Bench Business Committee for enabling us to have this debate on a topic that is clearly vital to many communities.
We have heard some very good speeches today from the hon. Member for Angus (Kirstene Hair), my hon. Friend the Member for Heywood and Middleton (Liz McInnes), the hon. Members for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Scully), for Strangford (Jim Shannon) and for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish), my hon. Friends the Members for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen) and for North Tyneside (Mary Glindon), the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock), my hon. Friends the Members for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard), for Hornsey and Wood Green (Catherine West) and for Glasgow North East (Mr Sweeney), the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire (Dr Whitford) and my hon. Friend the Member for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill (Hugh Gaffney). That is quite a coalition, by any measure of parliamentary activity. Each of those speakers articulated very well the impact of bank branch closures—not just by Santander, but more widely—on their communities. Each speech raised several issues of public policy that I certainly agree need to be addressed.
May I say what a pleasure it is to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Rosindell? I commend the hon. Member for Glasgow East (David Linden) for securing this debate and the 28 colleagues across the House who have made speeches or interventions in what has been a thorough examination of this important issue. As well as a Minister I am a constituency MP, and I recognise the pressure on us when our constituents are not happy with decisions.
As I was going to respond to the hon. Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen), who also raised that point about bank branch closure figures, the FCA, which is the regulator responsible for regulating banks, did some analysis of branch closures as part of its "Strategic Review of Retail Banking Business Models" published in December last year. The full research can be found in an annex to the review. The analysis looks at the number and pattern of closures, how they affect urban and rural areas, the age of the customer, the level of deprivation and income levels. It is a thorough analysis across multiple banks and it very much informs Government policy.
My hon. Friend's intervention picks up on the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Angus (Kirstene Hair) and others about hubs. The hon. Member for Ceredigion (Ben Lake) raised it to, and I think in his maiden speech he talked about the need to bring banks together. There is no regulatory bar to that and it might be a model that banks will wish to reflect on. As has been pointed out, representatives from Santander are in earshot—that may be a model they wish to take forward.
Before I get into the detail into what I am trying to do as the Minister with responsibility in this area, I want to reflect on some of the facts of changing banking practices. More of us choose to bank online or on an app, but the point made by the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire (Dr Whitford) about a mixed appetite for banking services is important, as is the intergenerational point. Between 2011 and 2016, branch usage declined by 42% whereas mobile banking usage increased 354% between 2012 and 2017. Cash was used in 61% of payments in 2007, but it is projected that by 2027—in just eight years—it will go down to 16%. There is a significant and rapid change.
I was laying out the statistics to show the rapidity of the direction of change. On the point made by the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Jonathan Reynolds), we must look at alternative provision. I recognise the point made by the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard) about South West Mutual. I will meet Tony Greenham, the executive director of South West Mutual, on 26 February, to discuss regional mutual banking in the era of expansion of alternatives. I will attend the Annual Conference of the Association of British Credit Unions Limited on Saturday 9 March, to look at how to expand the role of credit unions. When I visited Glasgow I met the 1st Class Credit Union and saw its appetite to develop new delivery models. I recognise it is an area we must invest in.
I am anxious not to make my response completely about credit unions, but the 146 credit unions that exist have a whole range of governance models and levels of confidence about the future. I do not think it is my role to dictate how they change, but I am trying to find a model—there are many in Northern Ireland, as the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) will know—that can be used as a viable alternative.
I want to move on and make a little progress if I may. I said I would respond to the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock).
The Government acknowledge that the post office plays an important part in the lives of customers, and accessibility of post office services is a key Government priority. That is why we have set specific access criteria, requiring 99% of the UK population to be within 3 miles of their nearest post office. Despite the point made by the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton (Liz McInnes) that legislation does not impose a specific requirement for Post Office Ltd to undertake an equality impact assessment, the Post Office considers the impact of proposed changes to the network on its customers, and the Post Office and all its franchise partners, including WHSmith, are subject to all relevant accessibility legislation.
I recognise the points made by the hon. Member for Ealing Central and Acton (Dr Huq), the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Brendan O'Hara) and others about the access to banking standard, which I mentioned in a previous debate. The access to banking standard is an important tool for ensuring that customers feel informed and supported when a branch closes, and all major high street banks are subject to it. It is my view that Santander adhered to the letter and the spirit of the standard when providing support to customers. I cannot account for every individual branch, but I am sure Members will be able to take that up with Santander, who were here to hear their representations.


text:
popularment conegut com a "Tià" Salellas, fou un advocat i polític català.

Fou un gran humanista i es va dedicar a defensar els col·lectius socialment més marginats, alternatius o combatius, com immigrants, insubmisos o okupes. També fou un cristià defensor de les tesis de la teologia de l'alliberament.

Ideològicament, s'identificava tant amb el pensament anarquista com amb el socialista. Va formar part del sindicalisme llibertari, el catalanisme republicà, la socialdemocràcia i organitzacions alineades amb la Quarta Internacional.

Es va fer advocat perquè «davant la desil·lusió de no poder dur a terme la revolució política del nostre país -volíem fer un país independent i socialista- no em va quedar altre remei que creure que s'havia de transformar el país des de dintre, per tant havíem d'intentar canviar les normes, intentar canviar la revolució: de la revolució de les idees passar a la revolució de les normes [...] amb la idea ja clara d'utilitzar el dret a favor de les classes populars i, finalment, les marginades». Pel que fa a la seva ideologia, afirmava ser «de pensament àcrata o anarquista i de formació cristiana», explicant que «la barreja d'aquests dos elements feia que em semblés que havíem de canviar l'Estat, estem parlant dels anys 1966 a 1974. En aquell moment nosaltres ni hi crèiem en el dret, era l'antítesi del nostre plantejament. Quan mort Franco veiem que s'ha de canviar la història i torno a enganxar amb la mateixa línia, sempre amb la mateixa finalitat d'utilitzar el dret a favor de les classes menys afavorides».

Físicament, es caracteritzava per la seva llarga barba i per portar sempre un pin del Che Guevara penjat a la solapa.

Se'l recorda per ser un gran defensor dels drets humans i pel seu esperit revolucionari.

Biografia

Origen familiar, infància i joventut
Els seus avis materns eren masovers d'un castell de Viladamat i els paterns, uns petits propietaris rurals del poble de Darnius, que van perdre tot el que tenien passada la guerra civil.

El pare va combatre amb el bàndol republicà i va passar a ser internat en camps de concentració acabada la guerra civil. Va patir el llarg silenci de la postguerra i, en casar-se, es va mudar a Viladamat.

Sebastià Salellas pertanyia a una família de llenyataires. També, el seu pare va esdevenir regidor de Cultura de l'ajuntament de Viladamat.

Segons els seus pares, en Sebastià va aprendre a llegir abans dels 3 anys amb La Vanguardia «[...] mentre regava el blat de moro, perquè sabia quant trigava l'aigua a arribar a l'altre costat de rega», puntualitzava el seu fill Benet el 2008. Quan van entrar a l'escola als 5 anys només va necessitar aprendre a escriure.

Juntament amb la seva germana gran, va créixer en un ambient molt cristià. La seva mare era catòlica practicant i a l'escola de Viladamat el feien resar pregàries a la Verge Maria. Nens i nenes estaven separats i els feien cantar el Cara al sol.

Amb 14 anys, gràcies al seu lligam amb l'Església, va fer els primers contactes a Girona; va organitzar campaments, colònies d'estiu i sortides d'escoltisme. La seva gran implicació en activitats juvenils el van conduir a ser un dels impulsors del moviment de la fraternitat cristiana de l'Hospitalitat de Lorda, el qual li permetia evadir-se del règim franquista amb sortides de cap de setmana a França.

Va ser també a partir dels 14 anys que es va posar a treballar cada estiu, degut a la situació econòmicament crítica de la seva família però també perquè volia guanyar independència. Treballava en la sega al camp, d'ajudant de cuiner i, sobretot, de transportista de ramats de xais, feina que li va permetre conèixer bé la muntanya del Ripollès i la Cerdanya.

Els anys 1960 va començar a participar en reunions clandestines, les quals sovint tenien lloc a l'església de la rectoria de L'Escala. A través d'aquest grup va entrar en contacte amb un col·lectiu anarquista de Figueres anomenat Joventut Indirekta Llibertària, en el qual va conèixer en Josep Tero, en Francesc Tubau o en Miquel-Dícac Piñero. El grup, influït per la lluita armada i ideològicament pròxim al MIL, pretenia desestabilitzar el règim franquista mitjançant atacs contra el turisme a la costa Brava. El 1969 el grup es va dissoldre arran de les detencions d'alguns membres, acusats de pretendre col·locar un artefacte explosiu en una discoteca de Platja d'Aro.

L'any 1965 es va mudar a Girona, ciutat on passaria la major part de la seva vida.

El 1970 se'n va anar a Melilla a fer el servei militar. Tornant, a Girona ja es va guanyar el sobrenom de "el pare", degut a la seva actitud protectora i perquè, aleshores, ja s'havia deixat la barba que mai més l'abandonaria.

A propòsit de la seva popular barba, en una entrevista el 1994 comentava que «[...] té un antecedent anarquista, socialista i republicà. Tots l'han utilitzada com un element de rebel·lió enfront de la societat, que sempre s'ha "afaitat". Per tant jo sempre dic, en conya, que el dia que vingui la República, m'afaitaré». I avançant-se a la previsible següent pregunta, afegia sobre el seu pin «I el Che perquè el seu plantejament era la revolució per l'home nou, i jo continuo volent ser un revolucionari per l'home nou».

El pis número 27 del carrer Muntanya en el qual, entre altres, hi vivia Antoni Puigverd, era el centre neuràlgic d'un grup d'agitació política i cultural a Girona. Allà va conèixer i mantenir contacte amb Jaume Curbet, Joan Carbó, Manel Serra, Jordi Nadal, Quimi Masseguer, Anna Birulés, Xavier Corominas, Salomó Marquès, Montse Terrades, Montse Hosta, Lluïsa Carbó, Guillem Terribas, Josep Sala, Josep Tero, Montse Ten o Irene Rigau, entre altres.

A mitjans dels anys 1970 es va afiliar a la CNT, la qual va acabar abandonant per unir-se a ERC.

El 1979 es va llicenciar en dret a la Universitat de Barcelona, a la qual hi havia accedit superant les proves per a majors de 25 anys.

Trajectòria professional

El 1977 va començar a treballar d'advocat al bufet del lletrat Pere Ribas, en el qual hi va restar cinc anys, fins que el 1982 va obrir el seu propi despatx. Es va especialitzar en dret civil, penal, laboral, administratiu i matrimonial.

A la dècada dels 1980 va ser regidor de l'ajuntament de Girona durant els primers anys de Joaquim Nadal com a alcalde però aviat va abandonar el seu càrrec al consistori. El 1989 va ingressar al corrent Esquerra Socialista degut a desavinences amb la línia oficial del PSC, contrària a la creació d'un grup parlamentari propi al Congrés dels Diputats. Fou el primer distanciament amb el PSC, partit que va acabar abandonant.

Era membre dels col·legis d'advocats de Girona, Barcelona i Figueres, va formar part de l'Associació Catalana de Juristes Demòcrates i des del 1979 escrivia regularment tribunes pel diari El Punt de Girona, del qual n'era membre del consell editorial.

El 1981, va esdevenir membre del jurat del premi Just Casero de narrativa curta de Girona, recent creat en homenatge al seu difunt amic.

A partir de finals dels anys 1980, en ple apogeu del moviment insubmís, va assessorar jurídicament a col·lectius antimilitaristes com Mili-kk o el M.O.C (Moviment d'Objecció de Consciència) i va participar activament a les reunions i manifestacions de l'Assemblea Antimilitarista de Girona.

El 1986 es va incorporar com a professor de l'Àrea Específica de Dret a l'Escola d'Adults de Salt. També va ser professor de l'Escola de Pràctica Jurídica del Col·legi d'Advocats de Girona i, a partir del 1991, va esdevenir professor associat de la Universitat de Girona, on va donar classes de Dret Penal a la facultat de dret fins al 2001.

El 1990, per la seva ferma implicació i compromís amb l'ajuda dels immigrants procedents d'Àfrica durant la dècada dels 1980, Salellas va ser nomenat cònsol de Senegàmbia a Girona.

A partir dels anys 1990 es va fer conegut a nivell estatal per haver assumit la defensa dels encausats durant l'onada de repressió i detencions practicades amb motiu dels Jocs Olímpics de Barcelona, coneguda popularment com a operació Garzón. Més tard, ampliaria la seva popularitat amb la participació en el mediàtic cas del segrest de la farmacèutica d'Olot.

Al llarg de la seva intensa carrera com advocat, va defensar als col·lectius més desafavorits i a moviments socials de tota classe, incloent independentistes, okupes, antitaurins o anarquistes, i tenia el costum de desplaçar-se a les presons de l'Estat per cuidar-se personalment dels seus clients empresonats.

Sempre va compaginar la seva activitat professional participant en debats, taules rodones i xerrades organitzades per la societat civil de la província. L'Ateneu Llibertari de Figueres, La Maret de Salt, el Casal Popular de Banyoles o el Centre Social Ocupat la Proa de Girona són només alguns exemples de col·lectius que van comptar amb el seu suport. Així mateix, també va assessorar jurídicament el Grup de Recerca i Atenció a les Minories Ètniques i Culturals, els Joves Llibertaris de Figueres, la Unió de Pagesos, l'Associació de Pares d'Instituts d'Ensenyament Secundari, l'Associació Ciutadana d'Afectats per la Sida de Girona, el col·lectiu Maulets, etc.

També a Cuba, país on li agradava viatjar sovint, va ser ponent convidat als Congressos Internacionals sobre Ciències Penals a l'Havana.

El 1997 va ser cofundador del Taller de Memòria, Lluita i Resistència, una associació amb plantejaments de crítica radical al sistema capitalista nascuda amb l'objectiu de recuperar la memòria històrica i lluitar contra l'imperialisme i el neoliberalisme. En els seus primers anys, el Taller va organitzar un acte en memòria d'Ernesto Che Guevara (1997), un seminari sobre Xile i Salvador Allende als 25 anys després del cop d'estat (1998) i unes jornades de reflexió sobre la Revolta de Maig de 1968 (1998).

Entre els darrers casos en els quals va treballar, destaca la defensa de la presumpta cèl·lula de terrorisme islamista de Banyoles, popularment coneguda com el comando Dixan; els paquistanesos detinguts del Raval de Barcelona, també acusats de formar una cèl·lula islamista; o la querella contra Gil Lossada, fundador de Global Infantil, acusat de maltractes a menors d'edat a Etiòpia.

Final universitari amb polèmica
El 3 d'abril de 2001 va compartir taula amb Marcel Dalmau (detingut i torturat sota la llei antiterrorista el 1992) i dos membres més de la Plataforma Contra la Llei Antiterrorista de Barcelona, en una conferència celebrada a la Facultat de Dret que portava per títol «Quin objectiu té la legislació antiterrorista? la suspensió dels drets en la seva aplicació». Es tractava de l'acte de presentació del cicle «Introducció a la cara fosca de l'Estat de Dret», organitzat pel grup estudiantil GAD (Grup Antirepressiu de Dret).

L'acte sobre la llei antiterrorista va aixecar una gran polèmica a la facultat. Es va acabar celebrant malgrat totes les pressions en contra i una concentració de protesta inclosa. El dia anterior, la facultat havia aparegut emplenada de cartells amb el lema «Manos blancas? mano dura! fora ETA i els seus còmplices de la nostra Facultat!».

Pocs mesos més tard, Hernán Hormazábal Malarée, catedràtic del departament de Dret Penal, no va renovar el contracte a Sebastià Salellas, posant així fi a una col·laboració de 10 anys entre el lletrat i la UdG.

El rector de la universitat, Joan Batlle, es va manifestar partidari d'obrir una investigació pel cas, afegint que considerava "greu" que s'hagués pogut rebutjar un professor por motius polítics. Malgrat tot, Salellas ja no retornaria a la UdG.

La polèmica no es va resoldre mai en vida del popular lletrat, tal com ho posaven de manifest les declaracions d'Hernán Hormazábal el 1998, amb motiu del funeral de Salellas:

De fet, fins i tot anys després de la mort del lletrat la controvèrsia seguia encara oberta. El 2010, per exemple, Xavier Besalú i Costa, professor de pedagogia, persistia amb les crítiques a la UdG i condemnava a la universitat per haver acomiadat «injustament» Salellas, «un gran docent» i que «dos anys després de la seva mort encara no s'hagués fet res per restituir la seva figura».

Comiat
Va morir la matinada del 28 de maig de 2008 a l'edat de 59 anys a causa d'una infecció parasitària després de portar 15 dies ingressat a l'Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (Barcelonès) per una hepatitis.

La cerimònia de comiat del popular advocat gironí va tenir lloc el 30 de maig a la parròquia de Sant Josep de Girona, la qual no va poder absorbir la multitud de persones que es va presentar per donar un últim adéu a Salellas. Acabada la litúrgia, el fèretre amb les despulles del lletrat va ser conduït al cementiri de Viladamat, el seu poble natal.

Fernando Lacaba, president de l'Audiència Provincial de Girona, va definir a Salellas com:

El filòsof Josep Maria Terricabras va manifestar del lletrat que:

Altres manifestacions de dol van ser:

Casos destacats
Malgrat que el bufet d'advocats de Sebastià Salellas era multidisciplinari i va tractar tota mena de casos pertanyents a diferents àrees del dret com el dret civil, penal, laboral, administratiu o matrimonial; a nivell estatal el lletrat es va donar a conèixer públicament per la defensa de casos que van comptar amb un fort ressò mediàtic, van ser objecte de polèmica o simplement van generar un considerable debat social. Alguns d'aquest casos són els que es descriuen a continuació.

Operació Garzón
Sebastià Salellas es va encarregar de la defensa dels joves independentistes detinguts per ordre de Baltasar Garzón poc abans de la celebració dels Jocs Olímpics de Barcelona de 1992.

La ràtzia olímpica es va conèixer com a Operació Garzón i va implicar la detenció de 45 persones, acusades de presumpta pertinença a l'organització armada Terra Lliure, la qual a l'època ja havia anunciat la seva dissolució.

Sebastià Salellas va denunciar al Tribunal d'Estrasburg els múltiples casos de tortura produïts durant les detencions dels joves.

El procés judicial, que es va allargar fins al 2004, va tenir com a resultat la condemna de l'Estat Espanyol per primera vegada en la història del Tribunal Europeu de Drets Humans. El motiu de la condemna va ser l'obstrucció i nul·la intenció d'investigació, pels diversos estaments judicials espanyols, de les denúncies per tortures interposades pels catalans que van ser detinguts, torturats i, alguns d'ells, empresonats.

Cas de la farmacèutica d'Olot
Salellas va ser defensor del policia local Antonio Guirado, acusat d'estar implicat en el segrest de Maria Àngels Feliu, popularment coneguda com la farmacèutica d'Olot.

El cas va tenir especial ressò mediàtic per la seva complexitat i perquè el segrest es va prolongar fins a 492 dies, el més llarg de l'estat espanyol sense motius terroristes.

Cas de l'escamot Dixan
El 24 de gener de 2003 l'Audiència Nacional va ordenar una megaoperació policial que es va dur a terme conjuntament entre les unitats GEO i Tedax, la qual va implicar una intervenció de 150 agents en total. L'espectacular operació va acabar amb la detenció d'un total de 24 persones. Vuit dels detinguts van quedar en llibertat poques hores després i els setze restants van ser traslladats a Madrid acusats de presumpta vinculació a Al-Qaida i possessió de substàncies químiques per a la fabricació d'explosius. El magistrat Guillermo Ruiz Polanco va decretar presó incondicionals per als detinguts.

La ràtzia va tenir per nom operació Estany, en referència a l'estany de Banyoles, municipi on vivien gran part dels detinguts i el seu líder.

Salellas va ser el lletrat de la majoria dels empresonats: Mohamed Nebbar (detingut a Sant Jaume de Llierca); Youb Saoudi (detingut a Salt); Mohamed Benhamou i Bard Eddin Ferdji (detinguts a Olot) i Amin El Graoui, Ismail Boudjeltia, Larbi Ben Ahmed i Ali Kouka (detinguts a Banyoles).

Un mes més tard, el fiscal del cas ja demanava la llibertat dels detinguts i es confirmava que el material confiscat no es tractava d'altra cosa que de detergent convencional.

En efecte, catorze dels setze detinguts van ser posats en llibertat menys de dos mesos més tard i, al cap de quatre mesos de l'inici de l'operació també abandonaven la presó els dos darrers empresonats.

El ridícul muntatge policial, que va ser incapaç de trobar material de fabricació d'explosius, va fer que el cas Estany passés a ser popularment conegut com el cas de l'escamot Dixan o del Comando Dixan.

Els mitjans de comunicació van criticar al govern d'Aznar per la inexistent cèl·lula de terrorisme islamista, la qual només va servir per justificar la guerra d'Iraq promoguda per George W. Bush.

Crema de la bandera espanyola
L'any 2001, durant un concert del grup basc Betagarri celebrat a Torroella de Montgrí, els mossos d'esquadra van idenficar el jove independentista Robert Sabater com a autor de la crema d'una bandera espanyola. Sebastià Salellas, advocat defensor de l'acusat, va argumentant en el judici que els fets no podien ser considerats delicte perquè es va tractar d'un acte de llibertat d'expressió enmig d'una actuació musical independentista.

El judici va tenir lloc el 17 de març de 2004 i la sentència es va fer pública el 31 de març. El jutjat penal número 2 de Girona va considerar l'acte com un delicte contra la Constitució espanyola i va condemnar el jove a pagar una multa de 570 euros, sentència que Sebastià Salellas va recórrer.

Uns anys més tard, es reproduïen a Girona noves cremes de símbols espanyolistes, en aquesta ocasió contra el monarca espanyol.

El 13 de setembre de 2007, el rei Joan Carles I va fer acte de presència a Girona amb motiu de la inauguració del Parc Científic i Tecnològic de la universitat. Centenars d'estudiants es van concentrar a la Plaça del Vi de Girona en una protesta en la qual es van cremar fotos del monarca.

Immediatament, la fiscalia l'Audiència Nacional va obrir diligències contra els responsables de la crema de fotos per un delicte d'injúries contra la corona.

El ressò mediàtic dels fets va generar un efecte multiplicador que va tenir per conseqüència la propagació de cremes de fotos del monarca a diverses localitats de Catalunya. El 29 d'octubre de 2008, el total de 16 encausats per les cremes del monarca van ser absolts a l'Audiència Nacional.

En aquesta ocasió va ser Benet Salellas, incorporat des de feia uns anys al bufet d'advocats del seu pare, qui va prendre el relleu en la defensa dels encausats.

Altres casos

El moviment okupa
El moviment okupa gironí es va revifar a mitjans dels anys 1990 amb l'ocupació de La Maret a Salt. Des d'aleshores, una contínua successió de desallotjaments i ocupacions es va anar reproduint fins al 2001, any en el qual el Casal Popular la Proa va ser també desallotjat.

La defensa dels encausats pel llançament del plat de nata a l'aleshores alcalde de Girona Joaquim Nadal (13 de maig de 2000) o la defensa dels okupes agredits durant el violent desallotjament del Centre Social Okupat Els Químics (30 de març de 2000) són només dos destacats exemples de casos que Sebastià Salellas va assumir.

Però, de fet, va estar oferint assessorament jurídic durant totes les detencions i diversos episodis de repressió produïts en desallotjaments, manifestacions o actes polítics de centres socials ocupats com La Maret (1993-1998), la casa del carrer Dr. Oliva i Prat (ocupada i desallotjada el mateix dia, 1998), La Fleca (30 d'abril de 1998 – 22 de juliol de 1998), Les Casernes (22 de juliol de 1998 – abril de 1999), Els Químics (6 d'abril de 1999 – 30 de març de 2000), Les Tines (7 d'abril de 2000 – 23 d'agost de 2000) o La Proa (finals de desembre de 2000 – 27 de desembre de 2001).

El 29 de juny de 2007 tenia lloc al Jutjat Penal nr. 3 de Girona el darrer judici contra el moviment squatter gironí. Els dos acusats d'haver ocupat el Centre Social La Proa, s'enfrontaven a una demanda del fiscal de 13,000 euros i 18 mesos de presó. Finalment, ambdós encausats van quedar absolts per prescripció del delicte.

Plataforma Antifeixista de Girona
Paral·lelament, també a partir de mitjans dels anys 1990, les dues victòries electorals del Partit Popular a les eleccions de l'any 1996 i a les de l'any 2000, respectivament, van deixar el seu rastre a Girona, una circumscripció històricament molt reticent als populars. La ciutat va viure diversos episodis d'aldarulls i disturbis arran de les visites del president Aznar (1999) i els ministres Birulés (2000) i Piqué (2002).

El pas d'Aznar per Girona va acabar amb una batalla campal amb càrrega policial inclosa i la detenció de cinc joves de Girona i Salt.

La polèmica visita de Birulés, invitada a l'acte inaugural del curs acadèmic 2000/2001 de la Universitat de Girona, va acabar amb aldarulls i quatre estudiants imputats pels quals el fiscal va demanar penes d'un any i mig de presó. El judici del cas Birulés no va tenir lloc fins al 2006, quan tot l'enrenou mediàtic i la polèmica a la universitat ja s'havien refredat del tot, i Sebastià Salellas va aconseguir que la sentència fos només simbòlica.

La visita de Josep Piqué el setembre de 2002, que havia de fer una roda de premsa a la seu del partit i una conferència a l'auditori Narcís de Carreras, va finalitzar amb la detenció de tres menors, acusasts d'haver cridat «PP, pim, pam, pum».

Els detinguts arran de les tres visites va comptar sempre amb el suport de Sebastià Salellas, que va col·laborar amb la Plataforma Antifeixista de Girona i va assumir la defensa dels encausats.

Trajectòria ideològica
Durant els anys 1960 va estar políticament influenciat pel PSUC i va mantenir contactes amb cèl·lules anarquistes catalanes. Per exemple, havia simpatitzat amb el grup Joventut Indirekta Llibertària de Figueres i amb la CNT-AIT.

Més endavant es va incorporar breument a Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, abans d'acabar al PSC per influència de Just Casero. Entre el 1983 i el 1991 va ser regidor de l'Ajuntament de Girona, sota l'alcaldia de Joaquim Nadal. No obstant, el 1989 va ingressar al moviment crític Esquerra Socialista i el 1993 va acabar abandonant els socialistes.

Cada cop es va anar acostant més a partits d'esquerres amb discurssos més contundents i revolucionaris. A finals dels anys 1990 es va presentar per EUiA, partit pel qual va candidar com a senador per a les Eleccions generals espanyoles de 2000. No obstant, va acabar la seva carrera política com a simpatitzant de Lluita Internacionalista, un partit d'ideologia marxista i trotskista que va comptar amb el seu suport en diverses eleccions, sempre com a independent. La darrera llista en la qual va participar va ser a les eleccions generals espanyoles de 2008, com a candidat pel Senat.

Homenatges

Plaça Sebastià Salellas
El 28 de maig de 2009, amb motiu del primer aniversari de la mort de Tià, es va inaugurar a Vila-Roja (Girona) la plaça Sebastià Salellas. L'acte d'inauguració va encapçalar el programa d'actes del primer homenatge al lletrat.

La plaça compta amb un monòlit de ferro amb la inscripció Plaça Sebastià Salellas i Magret, advocat 1948 / 2008.

Fundació Sebastià Salellas
El 2010, en ocasió del segon Memorial Sebastià Salellas, el fill gran del lletrat va anunciar que tenia la intenció de crear la Fundació Tià Salellas, amb l'objectiu d'«interpel·lar l'ordre establert, donant suport a les iniciatives que qüestionen el model polític, econòmic i social actuals, i qüestionant les estructures de poder granítiques». La Fundació Tià Salellas té per objectius organitzar activitats pròpies, promoure una beca de recerca i impulsar iniciatives judicials en suport als anteriors plantejaments.

Memorial Sebastià Salellas
Poc després de la seva defunció, un grup format per diversos amics, companys de professió i els dos fills del lletrat, van crear a Girona la comissió Memorial Sebastià Salellas.

El Memorial se celebra un cop a l'any i sol incloure un fil conductor en cada edició. Fins al present, els seus actes han inclòs com a eixos de debat l'educació (2010), la immigració (2011), la retallada de drets i llibertats polítiques (2012), l'activisme social (2013), la pèrdua de drets socials i el drama de la immigració a Melilla (ambdós el 2014).

Han col·laborat amb el memorial diversos amics i companys de professió com l'advocat Joan Sureda i Casamor, el filòsof Josep Maria Terricabras, el llibreter Guillem Terribes (president del col·lectiu de Crítics de Cinema de Girona), el lletrat Carles McCragh (vicedegà del Col·legi d'Advocats), professors com Sebas Parra o Xavier Besalú (ambdós professors de la facultat de Pedagogia de la UdG), la poetessa Rosa Font o l'artista Marcel Dalmau, encarregat de crear el cartell del Memorial.

Els actes d'homenatge a Sebastià Salellas s'han portat a terme a diferens indrets de Girona com al cinema Truffaut, al Centre Social La Màquia o a la Llibreria 22; i ha comptat amb la col·laboració de l'Ajuntament de Girona, el Col·legi d'Advocats de Girona, la Diputació de Girona, el diari El Punt o el Taller de Memòria, Lluita i Resistència.

El 2010, amb motiu del segon homenatge al lletrat, professors de la Universitat de Girona van reclamar que es creés una càtedra amb el nom de Sebastià Salellas o que li posessin el seu nom a una aula magna.

El 2013, en ocasió del 5è Memorial, es va estrenar Guanyarem, un documental centrat en la figura de Sebastià Salellas que pretén servir d'eina de reflexió sobre tota una generació d'activistes d'esquerres catalans. El projecte fou promogut i dirigit per Lluc Salellas amb el suport del realitzador Marc Planes i el director de cinema Lluís Galter. Entre d'altres, apareixen al documental Joaquim Nadal, Irene Rigau, Josep Maria Terricabras, David Fernàndez o Mònica Terribas.

El 6è Memorial, celebrat del 24 al 31 de maig de 2014, va incloure la presentació del llibre La rebel·lió catalana, del periodista Antonio Baños, i una ruta turística alternativa per Girona. Un altre acte destacat fou la xerrada-debat "Propostes per a la transformació social", a càrrec d'Ada Colau, ex-portaveu de la Plataforma Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH), i David Fernàndez, diputat de la CUP.

Sota el títol de "Ruptura o reforma del 78 a l'actualitat", el 2015 el Memorial Tià Salellas va arribar a la seva 7a edició, celebrada entre el dies 20 i 28 de maig. Enmig d'un nou paradigma polític marcat per l'auge de l'independentisme, la irrupció de Podem i l'ascens de la CUP, el Memorial es va marcar com a objectiu reflexionar sobre l'evolució de la societat espanyola des de l'entrada en vigor de la Constitució de 1978 fins al present.

Una conferència a càrrec de l'escriptor Santiago Alba va inaugurar el memorial. En l'acte, titulat "Revoltes àrabs: reforma, ruptura o contrareforma", el pensador resident a Tunísia va fer una dissertació sobre la influència de la Primavera Àrab al panorama polític d'altres països.

El diputat de la CUP Quim Arrufat i Nines Maestro, dirigent de Red Roja, foren ponents de la taula rodona "Ruptura o reforma, del 78 fins a l'actualitat", celebrada el dimarts 26. Al vespre, al cinema Truffaut es va projectar The Wind That Shakes the Barley, del director Ken Loach. L'acte va comptar amb la presència del llibreter Guillem Terribas i Gabriel Villanueva, català resident a Derry.

El Memorial va cloure a la Llibreria 22 amb la presentació del llibre El franquisme que no marxa, de Lluc Salellas. El llibre és un repàs la vida dels darrers 50 ministres franquistes i altres persones influents de l'època. La majoria dels personatges van acabar en grans empreses de sectors estratègics o van fer carrera política a partits com UCD, Alianza Popular o, posteriorment, al PP. Segons l'autor, «la conclusió del llibre és que les elits no han canviat i molts dels cognoms de l'època franquista es mantenen encara en política, ja sigui a la dreta o a l'esquerra». A més, «cap ni un s'ha penedit del que va fer», concloïa Salellas.

Notes

Referències

Enllaços externs
 Entrevista a Vilaweb
 Guanyarem , documental sobre l'activista i advocat Sebastià Salellas

Polítics altempordanesos
Advocats de les comarques gironines contemporanis
Escoltes catalans
Viladamat
Professors de la Universitat de Girona
Regidors de l'Ajuntament de Girona
Morts a Barcelona
Advocats gironins
Polítics gironins contemporanis
Naixements del 1948

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Port Canaveral, FL – Port Canaveral has completed the deepening of the West Turning Basin, which now allows deeper draft access to the Port's container cargo facility operated by GT USA at North Cargo Berth 5 and 6. The 6-month project deepened the West Turning Basin to the authorized depth of -43 feet plus 2 feet additional overdredge, complimenting the existing authorized Port channel depth of -44 feet. The channel is clear from overhead obstructions such as bridges, wires, and has no air draft restrictions. With the channel to the West turning Basin and approximately 2,000 feet of quay now at -43 feet, Port Canaveral boasts one of the deepest draft and working cargo berths with no air draft limitation between Miami and Norfolk.
More than 826,000 cubic yards of dredged material was removed by dredging contractor, Dutra Group. All work was performed under specific conditions of environmental permits issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
Total cost for the project was $7.5 million dollars, with approximately 75 percent of the cost covered by a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) grant.


The European Network of P4 laboratories was created in 2005, when it received a 3-year funding (EURONET-P4 project) to enhance and maintain cooperation, communication and exchange of information between European Bio-safety Level 4 (BL4) laboratories. This in order to enable a rapid, effective and coordinated responses to health threats to European population resulting from natural infection by class 4 agents or their deliberate release.
In 2006 the Network was granted a further 3-year grant to continue its activities (ENP4Lab) in promoting harmonisation and standardisation of Biosafety practices and diagnostic procedures, and to offer assistance to countries where new BSL-4 laboratories are under construction or planned.
As of 2011, the network is continuing its activities as NIV (Network of Infectious Viruses) within the EC-QUANDHIP project and in the framework of the EC-funded ERINHA project.


Small business managers and practitioners on Montserrat will this week embark on a four day Servsafe Food Protection Managers Course organized by the Montserrat Development Cooperation, sponsored by the Caribbean Development bank (CDB) and facilitated by Ms. Julie-Ann Laudat, and Lionel Michael Certified Servsafe Instructors and Proctor. Ms Laudat is the Manager of JAL Training and Consultancy Services, and Lionel Michael is the Chief Health Inspector of the Ministry of Health in Antigua and Barbuda.
The workshop which is scheduled to run from April 27th to 30th at the Grandview Bread and Breakfast Guest House in Baker Hill has attracted over thirty participants, most of whom on March 30th were given a diagnostic test in preparation for the upcoming training.
Participants were strongly encouraged to read the assigned text ahead of the sessions since there is a "lot of food safety principles to cover in a short amount of time." They have been informed that they "play a vital role in protecting the public from food borne illnesses".


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Nuts and Bolts of His Passion: Restoring a John Deere 435
A Texas teenager wins the Delo Tractor Restoration Competition with the restoration of his 1960 John Deere 435.
By Sara Jordan-Heintz
| February 2019
The national champion and his finished project. "This is my first year and I was not expecting this," Ricky Shilling says. "I was just expecting to come up here and do my best." Photo courtesy of Ricky Shilling.
Inside a barn in Fayetteville, Texas, a small town halfway between Austin and Houston, Ricky Shilling spends his free time restoring antique tractors. At 16, he's already accomplished at his craft.
In October 2018, Ricky was named grand champion of the Chevron-sponsored Delo Tractor Restoration Competition in Indianapolis, Indiana. He bested 11 of the country's top high school-age tractor restoration enthusiasts competing for the title in Indianapolis as part of the annual national Future Farmers of America (FFA) convention.
The competition is open to high school students from all over the U.S. Entries were narrowed to 12 finalists who presented their projects to a panel of four tractor restoration experts. Each project was graded on the restoration process, safety precautions, results, documentation and oral presentation.
Steam cleaning the tractor's transmission housing. Photo courtesy of Ricky Shilling.
As grand champion, Ricky won a $10,000 cash prize, which he intends to put toward his education. "The value of the Delo Tractor Restoration Competition goes well beyond bringing an antique tractor back to life," said Dan Holdmeyer, Industrial and Coolants Brand Manager, Chevron Products Co. "This event is a combination of a vocational and business school experience that provides lessons our participants will take with them throughout their lives."
To qualify for the competition, Ricky had to provide photographic documentation of the project, as well as a workbook outlining the myriad steps of restoration. He then created a video for the judges, detailing the complexities of his work.
Hooked by a class in ag mechanics
A junior at the Fayetteville high school, Ricky serves as an officer in his school's FFA chapter, and is a past president of his local 4-H club. An outdoor enthusiast, he enjoys hunting and playing baseball. On the ranch, he assists his parents, Richard and Jeanne, making hay, tending to livestock and clearing land for grazing.
He became interested in ag mechanics as an eighth grader, when he took an agriculture class. There, he learned welding and fabrication. "A couple of my friends were going to do a project, and I wanted to do one too," he recalls. "I talked to my dad, and we decided to make a new hay fork for him to use."
For Ricky's next project, his father suggested he restore a tractor – a 1956 Farmall 200 – that eventually placed in several state contests. Not one to rest on his laurels, Ricky decided to tackle a bigger challenge. Under the tutelage of his father and his mentor, Royce Bartels, he set about rebuilding a 1960 John Deere 435.
Checking connecting rods for the tractor's Detroit engine. Photo courtesy of Ricky Shilling.
Starting from the ground up
When Ricky began the project in May 2017, the tractor hadn't been used for many years. Over the course of the next nine months, he poured some 1,300 hours of labor into the project.
His father, Richard Shilling, purchased the 435 at an Indiana farm auction. Built in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1959 and 1960, only 4,626 of the model were manufactured. The Shilling tractor has an electric start and weighs 3,750 pounds. When it was delivered to the Shilling family ranch, it was time for Ricky to roll up his sleeves.
"I moved the tractor into the barn, and I just started disassembling everything down to its main housing," he says. "Then I found out the engine was stuck and the rear end had water in it. It needed a complete overhaul." Many components were in poor condition, and the sheet metal needed a lot of work, but it was usable (with lots of straightening and welding).
Removing the rear wheel hub nut. Photo courtesy of Ricky Shilling.
The tractor's bearings were excessively worn and required replacement, but the gears were in good shape. Because the 435 has a continuous running PTO, it has a two-stage clutch that had been replaced and was in good shape. "I started by disassembling the transmission and final drives," Ricky says.
Then he steam-cleaned the main housing and ordered bearings and seals from John Deere. The shifter required a lot of work. "I machined the shifter top, fixed the stick, and installed a new guide pin, keeper and boot," he says. The tractor's front housing was cracked and no new replacements were available, but he found a good used replacement.
"One thing interesting about this engine is it is a 2-stroke diesel," he noted in his workbook. "It is more complicated than a 4-stroke, it's loud, which I like, and can run clockwise and counterclockwise. The reason John Deere used this engine was because in 1960 they didn't have a diesel variant and diesel tractors were in demand. They used the Detroit General Motors 2-53 2-stroke engine."
Deere & Co. produced three transmissions for the Model 435: four speeds, five speeds (without continuous running PTO) and five speeds with continuous running PTO. Ricky's tractor is equipped with the 5-speed with live running PTO.
Removing a roll pin in the PTO collar. Photo courtesy of Ricky Shilling.
Learning the restorer's skills
Ricky quickly learned what any restorer knows: original operator's manuals are an essential part of the restoration. "I went to local shops and took the part numbers and descriptions. Sometimes I had to order parts, and those that were obsolete we had to find in different places, or build them," he notes. "We had to make a lot of pulling and pressing drivers."
Reinstalling brake linkages. Photo courtesy of Ricky Shilling.
He spent countless hours at the lathe, learning how to shape parts and tools. When the last bolt was tightened, the final coat of paint applied, and with one final start-up of the engine, Ricky's tractor looked like it had just stepped out of 1960.
"It runs like it came off the factory showroom floor," he says. "It is completely restored. I really like how the old tractors come to life. Originality is really the key. I could use it, but it's going to be a great tractor to take to tractor shows and parades, and it's going to be babied the rest of its life."
Torquing differential housing bolts. Photo courtesy of Ricky Shilling.
Tackling the next project
Ricky plans to display the tractor in FFA events, local shows and pulls, and at fundraisers for agricultural organizations. He's already at work on his next project. When he isn't helping his dad on the ranch or helping Bartels with his custom farm work operation, Ricky steals away to the barn where he's restoring a 1973 International Harvester 1466.
The 1960 John Deere 435, before restoration. Among other challenges, the tractor's engine was seized and the bearings were worn. On the plus side, the tractor had power steering and spinouts. Photo courtesy of Ricky Shilling.
Down the road, he's looking at a career in engineering or agribusiness. For now, though, he's completely captivated by old iron. "I really fell in love with this," he says. "This is my hobby. I don't play any sports. I try to stay involved in the community, but in my spare time, I really work with these projects." FC
Best of the best selected as finalists in Indy
The only national event of its kind, the Delo Tractor Restoration Competition rewards the determination, mechanical skills and business savvy of high school-age tractor restoration experts nationwide. Many participants go on to careers in mechanics or have used the experience to launch careers outside of agriculture.
Finalists for the 2018 competition included:
Everett Herrington, Idalou FFA, Idalou, Texas, 1968 Massey Ferguson
Austin Reynolds, Ira FFA, Ira, Texas, 1955 Farmall Cub
Austin Chavez, Cuero High School, Cuero, Texas, 1965 John Deere Model 4020
Four Rivers Career High School, Four Rivers Career Center Night Shift, Washington, Missouri, 1949 John Deere Model A
Devin Haywood, Hastings FFA, Hastings, Michigan, 1957 Farmall 450 Diesel
Box Elder High School, Box Elder FFA, Brigham City, Utah, 1949 Farmall C
Riley Dalrymple, Uvalde FFA, Uvalde, Texas, 1925 John Deere D
Ryder Merta, El Campo FFA, El Campo, Texas, 1949 John Deere B
NorthWood High School, NorthWood FFA, Nappanee, Indiana, 1950 John Deere MT
Corey Verstraeten, Southwest FFA, San Antonio, Texas, 1955 Oliver Super 88 LP
Mack Blair, Dubiski Career High School FFA, Grand Prairie, Texas, 1949 John Deere A
Write Ricky Shilling at 2222 Roznov Rd., Fayetteville, TX 78940; (979) 966-7398; email: richardrancher27@gmail.com.
For more about the Delo Tractor Restoration Competition, visit www.DeloTractorRestorationCompetition.com.
Sara Jordan-Heintz is an award-winning writer, editor and historian. She is the features writer for the Times-Republican in Marshalltown, Iowa. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraEliz90 or contact her at rose111@netins.net.


text:
Obama's Graciousness Deficit
By Jennifer Rubin 2009-01-26T03:01:33
President Obama ran his campaign on "change" and he declares now at every turn just how changey he is -- on torture, the economy, the Middle East, ethics, etc.
Forget for a moment whether there is anything to the high-minded talk. That's his theme and ticket to wielding political power.
The unfortunate result of this is that he is now given to jab continually at his predecessor. Some might attribute this to the failure to realize "the campaign is over" but it is perhaps better understood as milking his change meme for all its worth. He is changing from the Bush era, he repeats ad nauseam. The result, nevertheless, is a decided lack of graciousness toward his predecessor.
Peter Robinson, former Reagan speech writer, observes of the Inaugural Address:
George W. Bush had gone to exceptional lengths to ensure a smooth transition, even making some unpopular moves -- such as asking Congress to release some $350 billion bailout funds -- to spare Obama the trouble. Obama offered Bush no more than a single, curt sentence of thanks. Then he blamed Bush for the economic crisis, denouncing his "failure to make hard choices" -- as if Bush hadn't attempted to deal with the crisis by enacting a stimulus measure of the very kind Obama himself now proposes -- and accused Bush of "protecting narrow interests." For that matter, the new president all but ignored the principal task of any inaugural address, that of reuniting the nation after the divisiveness of a campaign. Almost 60 million Americans cast their ballots for Sen. John McCain. What did Obama have to say to his opponents? "What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them." Some olive branch.
And the same smallness of spirit is showing up in rhetoric directed toward the Republicans in Congress.
https://pjmedia.com/blog/obamas-graciousness-deficit/


Your stag do abroad is a perfect time to really splash the cash, so why not try and at least win some back on a crawl of the best casino's in town. In true "last night of freedom" style celebration, you and your stag group will be granted free entry and free welcome drinks to help you're winning streak!
Good luck boys may the best man win.


text:
Court & Police Updated | Bail denied for man charged with aggravated possession of cocaine and heroin
National Pro-life lobby condemns PBS for 'censoring' President's abortion comments
National Brussels hauls Malta to European Court of Justice again over finch trapping derogation
Vote PN if you want overcharging refund
Come next election, the electorate has a very clear choice to make when it comes to energy policy
Ryan Callus 20 October 2021, 8:40am
After years of overcharging customers on their utility bills, Labour has finally committed itself to change the erroneous billing mechanism. The Nationalist Party has been speaking up about this theft since 2018, when an exercise carried out by my colleague David Agius, then Opposition Spokesperson for Energy, established that 80% of 1,000 different accounts were overcharged, some by a few euros, others by hundreds.
In his budget speech, the finance minister didn't admit that the billing mechanism was wrong; in fact he said it was correct according to the "regulator's" decision - but tried to give the impression that the change was simply being effected following a public outcry. There could be a reason why the Minister stopped short of admitting that the mechanism was erroneous. And that could be so that his government would not be forced to refund consumers for payments made in overcharging. This is Machiavellian politics.
The finance minister also tried to blame former Nationalist administrations for the irregular billing mechanism. He is factually wrong. The mechanism pre-Labour was different as consumers would receive two actual and four estimate bills on a yearly basis pre-2013. When Labour was elected to government, ARMS started issuing six actual bills every year. This is what created the overcharging and why the Nationalist Party is committing itself to refund overcharged consumers from 2013 onwards.
The Auditor General had found that this overcharging amounted to circa €6.5 million yearly, totalling to circa €50 million since 2013. But we all know that Labour has absolute disregard to our institutions, and that includes the Auditor General.
Come next election, the electorate has a very clear choice to make when it comes to energy policy. A PN government would refund you for any overcharging payments made in connection to your utility bills, and change the billing mechanism once and for all. In addition, he promised to purchase energy from the cheapest source and do away with the take-or-pay obligation with Electrogas.
PN's advantageous electric car charging tariffs
The finance minister has unfortunately also ignored our proposal to reduce the existing charging tariff for electric cars from 13c5 to the minimum band of 10c5. Whilst it is positive to note that the grant on capital expenditure has increased (although this also has been criticised for not being substantial to create the required momentum to enable a large-scale shift), consumers investing in electric cars will not be offered the most advantageous tariff. Furthermore, our proposal will not only be limited to a Sunday – when you're meant to go out and about using your electric car; and weekly between noon and 4pm – when most are at work earning a living!
Here again lies a stark distinction from Labour. We truly believe in the benefits of electric cars, mostly to reduce emissions at street level and to improve respiratory health problems through the improvement of air quality.
Bad hedging is wrong
Much has been said about the increasing international price of gas. Here again, Labour wants us to rejoice for having hedged for four years at a fixed price. The only problem is they have hedged at relatively high gas prices. Hedging is not bad, it's bad hedging that is wrong.
On the 25th April 2018, the Guardian had stated that "Malta losing money 'hand over fist' from Azerbaijan energy deal" with Socar profiting circa €40 million when selling gas to Electrogas, who then in turn provides energy to Enemalta, featuring the €40 million in the price of every unit of energy sold. Two years later, on the 25 May 2020, the Sunday Times reported that "Malta's gas costs seven times more than European average" for an agreement made in 2015 with Socar.
Now that gas prices have increased due to the post-pandemic economic recovery, Labour wants us to be grateful for this hedging agreement. But grateful for what exactly? Perhaps for having made us pay seven times more the price of gas for the past years through our utility bills! No thank you.
Ryan Callus is a Nationalist MP and spokesperson for housing
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The 'Edit Job Data' window can be set to pop up automatically for every sound file you download. You can enter information in the custom 'Worktype' fields; eg Client name in the 'Client' Worktype, and add a comment, maybe a instruction for your typist.
This information can also be added or edited later by either right clicking on the file and selecting 'Edit Job Data'. Alternatively select the file and then click on the Tool Bar icon, 'Edit Job Data' (in red circle below).
If you don't have the 'Edit Job Data' icon showing you can add this by going to the 'View' menu and selecting 'Toolbar' then 'Customize...'. Find the 'Edit Job Data' icon (left side, third from bottom) left click it and then click the 'Add' button.
Your professional Digital Voice Recorders (DVR's) have many customisable features. turn on your DVR and connect it to your computer. Go to the 'Device' menu and select 'Device Settings...' at the bottom.
After making your changes in each of the following windows be sure to click on the little triangle next to the 'Update' button and select 'Only this page'.
'Cue/Review Settings'. Some customers like to increase the 'Cue/Review' speed. The sound while using the Cue/Review can also be turned ON or OFF. This 'Common Settings' > 'General' screen is same for all models DS-7000, DS-5000/iD, DS-3500, DS-3400 (has no 'Card Select' option). 'Backlight Lighting Time'. You may like to adjust the 'Lighting Time' so the display is lit up for longer (or shorter to conserve battery) after a button press.
This 'Common Settings' > 'Display' screen is same for models DS-7000, DS-3500. This 'Common Settings' > 'Display' screen is same for models DS-5000/id, DS-3400. Can change 'Backlight' and 'Contrast'.
This option sets whether or not to give the user notification, via pop up message, when a new file has been stored in the folder. The notification is issued when a file is added via downloading or has been sent via email.
Notification can be turned on and off for each folder and sub folder.
Go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Options'. You will see the window below. Click on the name of the folder (e.g. the Author you type for) on the left. Then click on 'Notification' and then the down arrow on the right and choose 'Yes' or 'No'. Click 'Apply' when you have finished these changes.
To change when and how the notification messages appear go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Options'. Click on the 'Workflow' tab at the top then 'Notification' on the left to get the window below.
Click the 'Customize...' button to set the items that are displayed and to turn on/off the 'Auto Closing' of the pop up message feature.
If you are getting more notifications than you expect check you don't have 'Notification reminder for new dictation waiting for transcription' ticked, because as long as a newly added dictation file has [Recording.Finished] status, notification is issued repeatedly, even if the user has already been notified of the file's arrival. Also check the notification setting on the Folders as described above.
'Support background notification when Transcription Module is not running' should be ticked if you want to receive notification messages even when the Transcription Module is not being used.
The 'Edit Job Data' information can be added or edited by either right clicking on the file and selecting 'Edit Job Data'. Alternatively select the file and then click on the Tool Bar icon, 'Edit Job Data' (in red circle below).


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