André Duarte

Conta dos bitaites em português. AKA @atduarte.

[sam rhea @LakeAustinBlvd]

Woke up to some text messages. Going to do my best to answer in one transparent pass about where I think Portugal needs to change course.

Above all, I love Portugal. This place has welcomed me and I want the best for it. I’m not just passing through for the weather, either. It has been home for 6 years and I have a family here. I go to a real office 5 days a week where we employ hundreds of locals. All of this is said as someone rooting for the place.

If we don’t get these things right, though, I’m worried.

1) make it easy to build housing
You’re going to drive out young people, small business people, creative people and more as housing costs increase.

The answer isn’t subsidies for renters; you’ll just raise costs by increasing demand. And driving away immigrants will just scare off the capital you need to renovate and build.

You just have to make it easy to build more housing. Make permitting take weeks not years. Remove restrictions. Take a look at what happened in Austin when they increased supply.

2) immigration is a cluster
Renewing my residence permit took nearly a year. I pay taxes here, hire locals here, spend in the local economy. And it took a lawyer and months of effort just to stay.

Immigration isn’t a zero sum game. Foreigners here work in industries that need the labor, we hire locals, we buy in shops, and we eat at restaurants. Make it easy to attract the best and brightest to build here. Rising tide that benefits everyone.

3) the airport is a nightmare and the plans could make it worse
Everyone hates the airport for good reason. For a country so dependent on tourism, the first welcome most people get here is a bus and an hours long immigration wait.

And the excuses about gate space are so annoying. Even once you get to the terminal, the passport readers barely function and you’re better off waiting 2 hours for a physical stamp. Just start by fixing that!

The plans to build a new airport across the river could help, but I’ll be surprised if I fly from there in the next 20 years given construction delays here (see above). And closing the current facility once the new one opens is a mistake. Follow the Paris model (Orly+CdG) and keep low cost and short hop flights in the city and long haul in the new facility.

4) local transit is a joke
The metro station closest to me is now more than 2 years delayed from its scheduled opening date. The bus closest to me is routinely late by 20 minutes. So I wind up driving to the office a lot, adding to the traffic.

And I’m lucky enough to be able to afford a car. The geography doesn’t make this city a viable bike commuter place. We need local transit to work.

5) the general bureaucracy stifles everything
Unless you have a good lawyer, getting anything done is misery (SNS #, NIF #, opening a business, registering a car).

You also, sadly, have to make it easier to manage people out especially for small businesses. One of my closest friends started a local business that employs dozens of people. Two of them just stopped showing up once they passed their six month probation stage. And now it’s going to take him months and lawyers to manage them out. Not to downsize but just to backfill with people who will work those jobs.

The fixes aren’t mysterious but you need the willpower. A buddy of mine who worked in the govt once told me they want PT to be an innovation hub. And my response was that I want to lose 5 pounds but I’m still going to eat dessert tonight. The answers are obvious but the work is hard.

I think it’s worth doing. Again, I love Portugal. I’m here to help build something. And my local friends want the same things. This is doable. And if we do it, Portugal will be unstoppable. Seriously. Just need to shift the balance to action and away from talking.

[André Duarte @atduarte]

🇵🇹 O https://t.co/FfsFLUwc79 está de volta! Para já com os programas eleitorais do AD, BE, CH, IL, e PS 🚀

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@patloeber Any news on fine-tuning Gemini 2 Flash?

[André Duarte @dredarte]

Nunca vos peço mas façam aí um like no tweet original 🙏

[Teresa Guimarães @TeGuimaraes2208]

#LIVES2024 @ESICM
A AIMINT veio representar Portugal ao ESICM 2024 em Barcelona.

[Teresa Guimarães @TeGuimaraes2208]

#LIVES2024 @ESICM
A AIMINT veio representar Portugal ao ESICM 2024 em Barcelona.

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@medeiros_photo @glevycordeiro @AnaMartinsGomes E daqui fala um Portuense que vê muito bem como a TAP saiu de cá.

Há competição mais que suficiente para se conseguir contratar serviços de transporte aéreo a preços competitivos.

O resto é tacho e patriotismo (imho) saloio de querer ter uma “companhia de bandeira”.

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@joaoasousa O Ventura disse que votaria a favor depois dessas declarações.

E o PSD não pode ficar refém do que o Verdura inventa ou empola pq depende do voto.

Se é este tipo de infantilidade que os votantes do CH querem, olha não sei. 🤷‍♂️

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@joaoasousa Falaram pois. No dia anterior, falaram os 4 partidos e Chega partilhou a sua intenção de votar a favor. Que Ventura confirmou no dia seguinte.

Ventura aproveitou o facto de não chamarem àquilo acordo para armar o cão.

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@joaoasousa @Joao_7Rodrigues Repara que nessa comunicação PSD disse que votaria a favor de todos os VP e Chega disse que votaria a favor de Aguiar Branco. PSD confiou, não estabeleceu como “acordo entre as parte”. Ventura confirmou que o faria as 16:23. Chega votou contra.

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@joaoasousa Na minha opinião, é óbvia a táctica. Victimizam-se por que não falaram com eles. Se falaram, dizem que entretanto estão a ser humilhados.

Pensando no que é melhor para o Chega é boa táctica. Mas não é o melhor para o país.

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@joaoasousa Mentiu quando disse que havia acordo e quando disse que votaria a favor.
Mente quando diz que quer falar com o PSD.
Mente quando diz que quer fazer parte da solução.

Ele quer continuar a mandar abaixo, a colar os restantes ao “sistema que é corrupto” e papar votos a nabos.

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@CristinaRodS Ventura prometeu depois dessa declaração votar a favor de Aguiar Branco. Não tentes reescrever a história.

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@_Igor_Tomaz_ @andresalves_ Skill issue.

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@andresalves_ @_Igor_Tomaz_ Claro. Se tivesse feito a due diligence estavas fodido

[André Duarte @dredarte]

@_Igor_Tomaz_ @andresalves_ Este pessoal acha que engana alguém

[André Duarte @dredarte]

Façam as parcerias público-privadas que bem entenderem e sejam felizes

[afonso @ciciniko_]

vocês sendo do privado acham que conseguiam ter uma relação com um funcionário público?

[jcd @jcaetanodias]

Teresa Leal Coelho explica que "o acordo" foi uma chamada aos lideres parlamentares de PS, Chega e IL a informá-los que ia apresentar Aguiar Branco e que aceitaria as suas propostas para as vice-presidências. Para o Chega isto foi um acordo.

[Pedro Schuller 🗽🇵🇹 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 @schuller_pedro]

1º dia da Assembleia da República e já há deputados do Chega a faltar às votações 😂