POLITICIANS IN SPAIN - UNDER SIEGE?
I am faintly amused by the fuss that is being made about the ‘Spanish Revolution’. I say ‘faintly’ because something of importance may actually happen – in which case I may find myself somewhat embarrassed.
The thing is that the ‘Spanish Revolution’ (if it can really be called that) is, to my mind, somewhat odd.
Politicians in Spain have always been notoriously corrupt and there have only ever been two main national political parties in Spain pretty much since the 1978 democratic constitution. In any event, everyone has always believed that Spanish politicians are only in ‘it’ for themselves. In short, it would be hard for any Spaniard to claim that the nature of politics in Spain is any different now than it was 5, 10 or even 15 years ago.
So, what has changed so suddenly and dramatically? What is it that has made a significant number of people of all ages and ‘classes’ support the Indignados (or 15M) and their demonstrations across Spain?
Well, as Bill Clinton famously said (on a different matter and about the US) “It’s the economy, stupid.”
It certainly is. I recall no Indignado-type demonstrations four years ago, despite people’s general disgust with politics in Spain then.
Why not?
Because, at the time, no-one much cared. Four years ago Spain was the ‘Garden of Eden’, money was being made easily (far too easily!) and nary a thought was given to any possibility of the future being anything less than halcyon. So, if politics in Spain was corrupt then the thinking was clearly – so what?
My point is that I cannot believe that the ‘Spanish Revolution’ has any rigour when it comes to philosophy – or, at least, that is not the driving force behind the barrage of protests seen over the past few days and the political turn-around.
The driving force behind the protests and the huge triumph of the PP (conservative) party over the ruling PSOE (socialists) in the regional and local elections centres on jobs – the absolute requirement for people to have work and thereby a future.
The ‘Spanish Revolution’ – is about jobs, jobs, jobs. That is (understandably) what the protests are about and that is what makes the current situation in Spain so potentially dangerous.
At the moment unemployment is at 21.3% with youth unemployment somewhere up at 40% – 45%. Currently, I cannot see these horrifying figures reducing for a long time and I think this is what has finally percolated through to the Spanish population at large, every one of whom now knows someone out of work.
Of course, the real problem for the country is not that the politicians are corrupt (which they are) nor that politics in Spain is not coming up to Ancient Greek standards of probity (it is not). It is that the financial ‘cupboards’ are almost certainly bare with options for revitalising the Spanish economy quickly just about non-existent.
So, needless to say, changing political parties or, perhaps, creating a new, non/corrupt political party is unlikely to produce the real results the protesters want. They want jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs – and, unless these are created – and soon – then there is every possibility of further trouble, particularly in the big cities.
What will happen now?
Frankly, I do not know but, for me, there is the ‘smell’ of potential danger about.
After all, having no work and little forseeable prospect of it is enough to drive the most equable person to desperation – and that is something that on a grand scale could cause huge trouble. I doubt that it will spark a ‘Spanish Revolution’ but one thing is for certain and that is that if there is a Spanish Revolution then it will be about ‘simple’ economics not political philosophy or political corruption…
Nick Snelling – Culture Spain
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Nice succinct summing-up, Nick.
It brings to mind the scene in the second of the ‘Jeanne de Floret’ films where the villagers are getting heated with the mayor and the water board official about the well drying up. After a lot of waffle, one of the villagers starts banging the table in front of the two nervous beaurocrats and yells, “What are YOU going to do about it!” The fact that it was all the fault of two of their greedy compadres was not the first thing they thought of. It was what THEY [the state] was going to do about it.
I heard the same thing, again in France, when the central Govn’t gave grants to farmers in the southwest to plough up other crops and plant vines. When the grapes were harvested, there was nothing to do with the resulting ocean of vino collapso but turn it into vinegar. As wine, it was unsellable. “What are THEY going to do about it?” was the demand I heard from a farmer left swinging in the breeze by this dopey short-tern job creation scheme.
Countries like France and Spain, which have bloated central govnt and civil services, are always likely to be in this position. The state finds it impossible to allow itself to shrink to allow commerce to move into the gap. But in remaining monolithic, it gets blamed for the cock-ups.
PS. Bill Clinton didn’t actually say, “It’s the economy, stoopid.”
It was a card he had on his desk, to remind himself and his officials what was at the root of any solution to whatever they were faced with.
Chris
A great contribution to this debate – for which many thanks.
I am struck as I am sure we all are (in the private sector) by your comments about the State’s unwillingness to accept any shrinkage, let alone blame for lunatic decisions. I fear most states have this in common and I am rarely confident that civil servants have the remotest notion about wealth creation – with the vast majority of professional politicians taking this ignorance to further levels of incompetence…
Thank you for your correction ref. Bill Clinton and ‘It’s the economy, stupid’. However, it is fair to say, perhaps, that he made this delicious statement famous!
Thank you also for correcting me ref. Bill Clinton and ‘it’s the economy, stupid’. I think it is fair to say that he made this rather delicious statement famous!
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Nick. This is what I got from my Valenciano 24 year old Economics grad pal who spent 8 months lodging with me doing an English course [he failed the exam, which shows up in his piece]
It’s worth noting that he comes from a middle class, well educated family – father and elder sister are both doctors, mother was a nurse, younger sister is a big-shot in Oracle in Madrid [which is presumably how Fernando waltzed straight in there after coming back from UK]. The docs took an 8% pay cut last year…
“Are you interested in the “spanish revolution”? XD. I live one minute from where those people is camp, because they are living in this square since 2 weeks ago. All of them are anarquist people. The 90% of them are there because it`s funny for them. But at same time I think that people have waited too much for raise up, because it`s not normal to have more than 20% of unemployment. In other countries people would be killing and robbing. But those people I think that they aren`t going to get anything, they don`t have power.
Politicians should know that we are upset of corruption and this economic crisis.
next year we have nationals elections, and for sure the conservative party will win , because Mr Zapatero sucks XD. But I think that more or less it`ll be the same shit. Welcome to Spain!!”
Welcome to Spain, indeed. It is, as they say in the footie, all to play for
The PP were not consistant gainers from these results smaller parties often from much smaller bases had some incredible gains with the communists doing surprizingly well in places add to this the protesters who did not vote and a 10% lead is not by anymeans a forgone conclusion.If The PSOE come up with a practical Socialist plan to tackle unemployment and the deficit who knows
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