Milton Friedman often appears in public debate as a label. For some, he is the symbol of neoliberalism. For others, an uncomfortable reference. But this way of reading him is not very useful. It does not help us understand the problems we have today. Friedman was not writing against the State. He was writing about government errors. His starting point was simple, but uncomfortable: public policies can not only fail, but they tend to do so systematically. Not out of bad faith, but because of how they are designed.Governments decide with incomplete information, respond to short-term incentives, and operate in environments where the effects of decisions are not always predictable. This is not ideology. It is a reality.And this is not theory. We see it every day. In the Balearic Islands, for example, in housing, measures designed to facilitate access can end up reducing supply or delaying new projects. In other areas, direct aid to pay for a service can end up increasing demand and causing prices to rise.The problem does not disappear. It changes form. And this is not an exception. It is a pattern. Policies that accumulate without review, regulations that overlap, decisions made in haste that are later left in place. The system becomes increasingly complex, more difficult to understand, and more difficult to manage.The problem is not will. The problem is design. These errors are not random. They respond to a logic. Public decisions are often made under pressure, with incomplete information, and with incentives that reward the short term. A measure may work today, but generate effects that will only be seen later. And when these effects appear, they are often responded to with new measures that do not solve the root of the problem, but rather add more complexity.It is not an isolated error. It is a dynamic that repeats itself.This dynamic has a clear consequence: each new policy not only tries to solve a problem, but also changes the system in which it is applied. And often it does so without being fully predictable. When the rules change constantly, families, businesses, and investors stop reacting only to the norm and begin to adapt to uncertainty. This translates into delayed decisions, less activity, and more caution than would be desirable.The system becomes more complex, but also less predictable. And this is exactly the opposite of what was sought.Friedman insisted that policies based on clear and stable rules tend to generate fewer errors than constant and discretionary interventions. Not because the market is perfect, but because government is not perfect either.This is the central point. It is not about choosing between State or market. It is about understanding that both can fail. And that government failures are not exceptional nor do they depend on a specific ideology. They occur under governments of all colors. Sometimes they fail due to inaction and other times, due to erroneous action. But, often, the underlying problem is the same: a mistaken diagnosis.In the Balearic Islands, this is seen especially well. Often the intention is to correct a problem, but what happens is that it transforms or is displaced. And the system, instead of simplifying, becomes more complicated.The question is not whether the government should act. It is whether it does so with a good diagnosis and with rules that prevent repeating the same mistakes.Because, if not, the problem is not Friedman. The problem is that we have not yet fully accepted that governments also fail.

Polls indicate a growing proportion of young people who want to vote for the far right. Perhaps they should ask themselves what the far right would do if, for example, Trump decreed that, for the good of the Empire, not only were scholarships cut—that is, military spending increased to 5% of GDP—but also mandatory military service reinstated. They should also know that if they no longer liked this and wanted to protest, the far right would prevent them from doing so, for the good of the Empire and Spain's service to the Empire's vassalage. Who would defend them from tyranny then? No one, unless they themselves reorganized to defend their rights and freedoms, so absurdly lost to those who can enjoy democracy today but prefer to vote for tyranny tomorrow.

The Balearic School of Public Administration (EBAP) of the Balearic Government has approved the call for applications for the 47th cohort of the Basic Capacity Course for entry into the Local Police force, corresponding to the year 2026, with a total of 222 places. This new edition consolidates a stable and planned training model that allows municipalities to incorporate new officers in a coordinated manner and with a regular training schedule. The resolution was published in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB) on Saturday, December 6, 2025, and is already in effect, as explained by the Ministry of the Presidency, Coordination of Government Action, and Local Cooperation. Of the 222 places, 166 are for Mallorca; 20 for Menorca; and 36 for Ibiza, although this allocation may be adjusted for duly justified reasons. The course will be delivered in a decentralized manner across the three islands, so that candidates will receive training in the territory where they passed the municipal selection process. This organization aims to strengthen the connection between training and the operational realities of each municipality, facilitating local resource planning. The Basic Capacity Course will begin in the second half of January 2026 in Mallorca and in the first half of February in Menorca and Ibiza. The training will consist of two stages, with the goal of providing municipalities with trainee officers during the summer months. During this period, students will complete part of the practical phase in the municipalities and will resume training at the EBAP (Basic School of Public Administration) in September to complete the course. In total, the program includes 825 hours of instruction, which will be delivered in five groups in Mallorca, one in Menorca, and one in Ibiza. Municipalities with ongoing selection processes must submit their application for reserved places within 10 business days of the publication of the call for applications. Simultaneously, the EBAP (Basic School of Public Administration) will automatically register those who passed the 2025 Unified Selection Process and have been assigned a place, provided they do not possess the Basic Competency Course certificate. Those with the certificate will directly begin the practical training phase in their respective municipalities. The resolution reminds municipalities that before the start of the course, they must provide trainee civil servants with the required uniforms and ensure they have a device with an internet connection to participate in online activities. Throughout the course, students will receive the remuneration established by current regulations for their status as trainee civil servants. The EBAP plans to publish the final resolution for the allocation of places in the Unified Process next week, thus completing the necessary planning for municipalities to organize the integration of the new cohorts.

The Government is beginning to promote the project that "will define where, how, and how the future of renewable energy will be developed in the Balearic Islands," according to the Regional Minister of Business, Employment, and Energy, Alejandro Sáenz de San Pedro. The Renewable Energy Acceleration Zones in the Balearic Islands (ZARIB) are included in the decree law of urgent measures to accelerate strategic projects, which was approved last Friday by the Governing Council.