‘John and Maria voted for the arrival’

John was born where almost all Lisbon were born at Alfredo da Costa Maternity in 1973, the eve of the revolution. He grew up in Santo António dos Cavaleiros, son of Alentejo de Beja, who came to Lisbon in the 1960s. The father was Truck, the mother worked for days. Maria met John at school. They were almost neighbors. Daughter of parents of Beira Baixa, workers, was born in the same maternity hospital in 1975.

Both finished the 12th grade, she first, he in the new opportunities. They live in the mercies in Sintra. They bought a T3 in 1998, when the youngest daughter was born, Vanessa. The T2 in Odivelas was already small for the growing family. The eldest son, Pedro, was born in 1996, a year after marrying. The change from home was because João started working in a logistics company in Cacém. Maria would go from Transportes to Lisboa, headquarters of the pharmaceutical product company where she works, since the high school ended.

When they went to the Mercês it was a new zone. Who would say that the urbanizer would never finish the tours and that the garages would not be enough for so many cars. Not to mention people. First were the ‘blacks’, then the ‘Ukrainians’ (who disappeared), now came the ‘mones’, the ‘branchs’ and the ‘zucs’. Apart from the latter, it is barely heard Portuguese. The ‘blacks’ were still the least bad, we realized what they say, are close and shared the same religion. The ‘zucs’ equal, but there are many. It’s too much!

Gardens have never been. The school of kids had over 30 students per class, a family doctor has not been for over 15 years.

Still, much sacrifice, Pedro graduated in history and Vanessa in Nursing. Pedro, poor thing, is a teacher. He was robbed twice in the train during his time to college. When he grew up he was a tolerant boy. After the drown that took it in the second robbery, it was never the same. It became more closed and began to talk about patriotism and nationalism. It looks like it came from the time of the ‘another lady’. It seems that we no longer know our son.

Vanessa is a sweet girl. I wish parents could be with her. I emigrated to England 4 years ago. Here I won very badly. Less than the parents.

John and Maria still have both living parents. João wins 1300 euros liquids, Maria 1100. They earn the same for almost 20 years. After raising their children, they now help their parents, with the nothing left over.

For many years they voted PS. John at the beginning voted PCP, the Alentejo rib spoke louder. But Maria, more moderate, took her husband to the PS.

Since the troika that have never been the same again. Pedro’s Dodding, the emigration of Vanessa and the difficulties with their parents made us less sweet. They are more bitter, sometimes angry. Nothing works and no one hears. In 2011 they still voted for Passos Coelho, Socrates had led the country to bankruptcy, but Passos had the emigrating and Vanessa was.

They still believed in Costa, it was in it that they voted in 2015 and 2019. Many years ago they have been expecting solutions.

Coming the boys who protest against climate change. They even give them some reason, but what about bread, the family doctor and the tours at the door of our building? The home of our parents? And what will be us when we are the old ones?

They feel abandoned by those who govern. ‘This is all a corja. Everything is stealing! ‘

‘This venture is a bullshit’, it is what they say when they talk to friends: ‘He walked on the PSD’. John has a colleague who was from the star Board and knows that Ventura was in there, with a Sérgio Azevedo. ‘It was a’ tutti-frutti ‘that changed his shirt.’ ‘He is an opportunist, but we have no one to vote for either.’

John and Mary voted for the arrival.