Letters complaining and criticising almost everything - Health Service (comparing with the British?), postal service (royal post any good?), taxes, diesel pollution, the cops, the driving, cats and dogs, the parrot , etc. Letters criticising the Portuguese way of life.

Well, I lived most of my life outside Portugal as an immigrant.

Travelled a lot so I know a little of our world.

Came back a few years ago and decided to stay – I enjoy the safety, weather and the high quality of life.

Portugal is not a perfect country – far from it.

But then, can anybody tell me what a perfect country is?

I feel that some of the your writers have very little to do and just want to be noticed.

But then they should write in Portuguese – if they can! – in a Portuguese newspaper – we are in Portugal after all.

They would have a much bigger audience.

We, the Portuguese, with our “extraordinary mentality” and “backwardness” will accept different opinions, suggestions and criticism.

And we do criticise ourselves a lot – just watch the Portuguese TV news or read the newspapers – if you can understand it of course.

But some of the moans and complaints are just too arrogant bordering ignorance and stupidity – that we will not accept.

And I do not need you to make my country great again – where did I hear that before?

I hope you will not find my “reaction strange” but I do feel, as you’re not happy here, that you should go and moan somewhere far way.

Manuel Caetano,
By email