From the headlines

Those of us who have loved Spain for years and adopted it as our home find it hard not to take it personally when people speak badly of the country. We’re used to getting on the defensive when someone who knows significantly less about the place than we do throws around criticism based on outdated stereotypes.
Yes, people do work hard here. No they’re not getting drunk at fiestas or sleeping siestas all the time. No, the country is not stuck in an old regime run by corrupt politicians and an even more corrupt aristocracy… er, well, perhaps we’re in the territory of wishful thinking.
Events over the last few months have put paid to any of our attempts to convince others that our beloved Spain is emerging from its infamous old ways.
The ruling party in the central government was run for years by a treasurer who had millions of suspicious euros in a Swiss bank account and kept stuffed deer heads at the party headquarters.
Meanwhile we hear that members of the ruling party in the Andalusian government were merrily spending funds reserved for redundancy money on fancy cars, apartments and even drugs and parties.
At least the country has a well-respected, down-to-earth and decent royal family… not any more. For years there has been an unspoken pact in this country that the media and by extension the general public would not dish the dirt on the Spanish royals, even when rumours were rife – a kind of thank you to the nice king for helping build the democracy and intervening in the attempted coup d’état.
Now, in the midst of a serious financial crisis, the Spanish people are no longer going to sit back and watch the illicit shenanigans of the politicians and royals as they would a soap opera. They – we – are indignant, embarrassed, as the rest of the world looks on amused.

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Sunday was an emotional day – perhaps because I paid more attention than usual to the outside world instead of walking in the mountains or simply listening to music.

If the weather had been better I probably wouldn’t have watched the video on the El País website showing Spanish soldiers brutally beating and kicking prisoners in their custody in Iraq in 2004.  American and British troops have been caught treating their captured “enemies” as if they were dogs, if not worse. Now – shock, horror – it seems the Spaniards were at it too. The reaction from the authorities is always the same: these are isolated incidents; the majority of troops posted on this kind of overseas missions carry out their jobs with respect. Strange then, that these isolated incidents happen to be caught on camera and happen to end up in the hands of the press.

Someone has been sitting on that video that helped spoil my Sunday for the best part of ten years. Perhaps it takes ten years for the effects of being trained to go to war and kill your enemy to wear off and for an army veteran to see things once again from a human point of view.  I have no idea, but for me the only explanation of how a soldier can deal with going to war is that they don’t think of the guy they might have to kill as a human being. Is it so surprising then that  they have trouble treating that same guy as a human being when he is taken prisoner?

Then it was back to the dramas of this decade. On Sunday 32 immigrants, including one baby, were rescued in the Gibraltar Strait while trying to reach the Spanish coastline. They were drifting out of control; their boat’s engine had broken. They were luckier than the group picked up the previous day after their launch ran into difficulties in the choppy sea. Seven survivors were treated for hypothermia; two of their fellow passengers are missing.

Despite the crisis that is sending hundreds of Spaniards out of the country to find work, Andalucía is still the gateway to Europe for many Africans seeking a better life. They will do whatever it takes to get here, and risking their lives crossing the Strait from Morocco is more attractive than other routes. Last week Médicins Sans Frontiers criticised the increasing use of  ”extreme” violence by Spanish and Moroccan guards against sub-Saharan citizens caught trying to jump over the frontier fence between Nador and Melilla.

Could this be a similar phenomenon?  Are the officers so committed to their mission to guard the frontier that they no longer see the ‘invaders’ as human beings?

I was saved the images of this reported violence, but that Sunday-disturbing internet connection threw up another visual gem: the 20-year-old hidden in a tiny gap underneath the front seats of a car in an attempt to cross into Melilla. And he probably paid a mafia some 3,000 euros for the privilege.

There was plenty of positive news though, once you got past the Cyprus bailout stories, that is.

More and more people are convinced that Pope Francis is going to shake up the Church and change the world.

So that’s alright then.

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The Spanish Interior Minister (or Home Secretary) has shown his real concern this weekend about what is happening at this home he looks after.

Speaking to other presumably like-minded Catholics at an event organised by the Spanish Embassy in the Vatican, Jorge Fernández Díaz clearly believed himself to be far enough away from home to express views that would leave the population disconcerted and enraged.

The minister went further than his fellow conservatives who have expressed their disagreement with the gay marriage law that was passed by the previous socialist government in 2005.

He rejects same-sex marriage “because it does not guarantee the survival of the species”. This, he maintains, is the “rational argument” to be used above “confessional” reasoning.

While the rest of the country is worried about the future of their children, considering whether it is a good idea to bring more innocent creatures into a world of crisis and corruption, a government minister is more concerned about good fertile sperm going to waste when two men sleep together.

I expect he objects equally to contraception standing in the way of procreation which, according to the same extremist doctrine, should be the only motive for sexual intercourse.

Let’s not mention the homosexual couples who are themselves parents – God forbid! (Although I like to think He wouldn’t.)

This is the man who is ultimately responsible for Home Affairs in Spain. A man one would expect, perhaps naively, to be in touch with the reality of his country. A man who, as a government minister, should be seen to uphold his country’s Constitution and keep any radical ideas to himself.

At least here in Spain we no longer need to worry about meteorites, alien invasions or nuclear war – it’s gay marriage that’s going to wipe out the human race.

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“All we wanted to do was change the system” said one of the organisers of the Madrid 25S demonstrations last month. Thirty-three year old Elena Martínez said that she had told the judge just that when she appeared last week  in the Audienca Nacional court to answer accusations of  attempting to “attack state institutions”.

Elena was one of eight people identified as the organisers of the protest that was christened ’surround the Congress’. They made it quite clear that their intentions were to ’surround’ the parliament building, not ‘occupy’ it as the Interior ministry inferred. There seems to be a delicate line, though, between freedom of speech and high treason.

Fortunately Judge Pedraz was not to be fooled by those who were busy pulling the gallows out of the basement. The accusations were extremely serious and needed to be studied in depth but he found no evidence that proceedings inside the Congress building had been disrupted in the slightest on the day in question.

The protesters had not planned to invade the building, only to stand outside and call for the parliament to be dissolved, for the Government to resign and for a new system to be put in place. Ambitious, perhaps, but not illegal, and totally within the right of freedom of expression, explained the judge.

It must be very frustrating for a judge in the Audiencia Nacional to have to waste time on this sort of political farse when he must have a huge pile of real crimes to investigate. It’s not surprising that his ruling issued on Thursday contained criticism for the gravity of the accusations made by the police and politicians. Isn’t wasting court time some sort of offence?

However referring to politicians as “decadent” seems to have tipped the balance. His wording, and evidently the nature of his ruling,  sparked criticism from the government and the Partido Popular, his capacity to do his job has been questioned and he has even been accused of committing an offence..

Meanwhile Elena and her companions are planning their next ’surround the Congress’ protest; as before, not ‘occupy’, ‘invade’ or ‘take’, just stand around, and make their presence, and their feelings, felt.

But they are up against tough opposition. Judge Pedraz’s probably too controversial comments have only served to increase attempts to criminalise indignant citizens’ right to protest.

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Is there anybody out there who still has a dream of  coming to live the heart of rural Andalucía? Does anybody still read Chris Stewart and imagine themselves sitting outside an old whitewashed farmhouse surrounded by mountains and olive trees? If the answer is no, it wouldn’t surprise me.

In fact if anyone dared express any romantic ideas of that nature, they would soon be told not to be so silly. When perhaps 20 years ago friends and relatives  secretly or openly envied  those embarking on an Andalusian adventure, now they would manage to convince the dreamers to forget their crazy idea in five minutes.

Let’s face it, events of the last few years and months, have not helped. If their dream rural retreat didn’t turn out to be illegal and face demolition, it would most probably be burned down in a forest fire or washed away in a flash flood.

And if you survive those threats, or choose a more urban residence with greater protection from the elements, there is still the economy. Spain is on the verge of collapse, some say, and so you wouldn’t be able to trust any of the banks with your money,  your business would fold and you house would be broken into, at best by amateur burglars wanting to feed their starving families, and at worst by organised criminal gangs.

Perhaps we have reached the end of an era of Brits, and other northern Europeans, buying their own ‘cortijo’ or villa for a new life in the Andalusian sunshine. A spate of TV shows highlighting the downfalls of  families whose Spanish adventures went disastrously wrong, often with ‘I told you so’ undertones, has not helped the image of this area.

But Andalucía still has the strengths that have always made it such a magical, unique place. Its natural beauty that has seduced so many is still here, waiting to cast its spell on new visitors, the sun still shines and the people are still friendly and hospitable despite the current difficulties.

Don’t give up on Andalucía. Now, more than ever, it needs to be discovered.

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Last Saturday the world’s leaders, while gathered in Chicago for a summit, took a break from saving the world for something far more important: to watch the final of the Champions League.

Politics and football

Chelsea v Bayern, Britain v Germany, Cameron v Merkel, pound v euro… the symbolism could go on forever. I doubt either of the two countries’ leaders is a great football fan, but the moment called for patriotism and the photo shows that this was provided, to a certain extent. Cameron stands arms raised in triumph as Chelsea score the winning penalty while Angela looks a little confused. Fortunately Durao Barroso was at her side to show that at least on the important issue of football he was with the Germans and provided the suitably dismayed look required for the occasion.

Meanwhile between Britain and Germany stands Barack Obama, openmouthed. Is he cheering for Chelsea? Is he yawning? Or is he just gobsmacked, bemused by this odd game played by his European friends, that clearly serves to put trivialities such as the economic crisis and the fate of the euro in their place?

The question that remains is: Where was Rajoy? Why wasn’t he devastated along with his colleague Barroso to score some points with the all-important Merkel? He was probably sulking – after all it should have been Barcelona and Real Madrid, or at least one of them, playing for the cup. If it had been a Spanish final would the likes of Obama, Cameron and Merkel have taken a break from putting the world to rights to watch it? Would it have given Spain more credibility on the financial markets?

Who says politics and football don’t mix?

Idiomas en>es YahooCEerror

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If King Juan Carlos had fallen down and broken his hip on his way to the loo in the middle of the night in the royal palace in Madrid,  the only thing the country would be interested in now would be his medical condition and his safe recovery. But no, he wasn’t at home, he was on his way to the loo while on safari hunting elephants in Botswana.

In fact his slip could not have been more unfortunate. The Head of State in a country with an unemployment rate through the roof and an economy struggling to survive goes on a little trip to Africa to shoot elephants. If he had been hunting deer, say, on his estate somewhere in Madrid, then OK, it was only to be expected. Royals and aristocrats hunt; the King’s eldest grandson shot himself in the foot just a few days previously learning to follow the family tradition – another unfortunate incident, now overshadowed by this latest escapade.

If he had been in Africa just visiting friends, we would probably be more sympathic as well. But the fact that he was out to kill elephants of all things is what has caused first disbelief, then amusement (comedy writers couldn’t come up with a better scenario) and finally serious moral and ethical questions.

The unfortunate accident coincided to the day with the anniversary of the proclamation of Spain’s Second Republic on April 14th 1931, when the present King’s grandfather was forced into exile. This week the Government, which has been very shady about whether or not the Prime Minister had been informed of the King’s hunting trip,  has asked that the slip not be used to question the Monarchy. Too late: with drastic spending cuts being made on all sides, questions as to whether the country can afford to keep a royal family, with their expensive, dangerous and controversial pastimes, have been inevitable.

But whether we like it or not Spain has a King and royals spend their time hunting, even elephants in Africa, the bigger the game the better. They have done for hundreds of years. And now in modern times of democracy when a monarch has been relieved of his original duty to govern a country, then there’s more time than ever to indulge in aristocratic fun. We want a monarchy, then that’s what we get.

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Just over a week ago the Spanish government announced its new budget which involved a general reduction of around 17 per cent in public spending, saving some 27 billion euros. The cuts have affected all ministries, everyone will have less money to play with and hopefully each department will administer its reduced budget in the least damaging way possible. At least pensions and unemployment benefits have escaped Rajoy’s scythe, that is, for the time being.

I say for the time being because who knows what is coming next? Just this week Prime Minister Rajoy has surprised us with another blow he forgot to mention last week: further cuts, no sorry, to use the official term, ‘adjustments’, affecting Education and Health. Whatever euphemism is used the hard facts are that the government is to provide the regional health and education authorities with ten billion euros less.  It won’t be easy to apply these ‘adjustments’ – it’s not as though the schools, hospitals and health centres, in other words, basic services, are in a position to spare a few human or material resources here and there.

The Socialist opposition leader, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, says that the system won’t stand it.  But we have all been told that we will have to make sacrifices, tighten our belts. So let’s just go and explain that to the schoolchildren in cramped classrooms and patients in corridors. I’m sure they’ll understand and put on a brave face, for the sake of the deficit.

Everything will be alright though because all the wealthy tax evaders with funds hidden in havens around the world, or perhaps closer to home under the mattress, will  bring their money back into the system, pay their ten per cent and avoid prosecution. They’re bound to make sure that they’ve got some left over for private health care and expensive schooling to avoid making the sacrifices asked of the average taxpayer.

Perhaps the courts started their investigations into the King’s son-in-law Iñaki Urdangarin, just a little too early. With a case open and indictment for embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion, he won’t be eligible for the tax amnesty. Now his millions are likely to stay hidden away when they could have done their bit for the deficit; what’s more the royal family would have saved face (the amnesty declarations are confidential) and the courts would be  able to use their now reduced funds for trying real criminals  – you know, the ones who steal chickens to feed their impoverished families.

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Whether for or against today’s general strike, we must admit that it was inevitable. No sooner had he been voted into office the new PM introduced a major reform to Spain’s labour laws that made it easier and cheaper for firms to fire workers, cut their salaries or change their conditions. Even Rajoy himself, albeit caught on an open microphone, admitted that his reform would provoke a general strike.

The unions have responded and today was the day when the country was supposed to grind to a halt.  Well, a literal halt was never expected, but at least the day’s business has slowed down.

To what extent the strike is a success depends on where you are standing. Industry and transport have been most affected, with some incidents with pickets at the gates of factories and distribution centres. Demand for electricity was  16 per cent  lower than usual this morning. But the average man on the street outside city centres may not see much out of the ordinary, perhaps the lack of fresh fish in the local markets and less traffic on the roads being the most evident signs. A large part of shops, bars, restaurants and offices are open for business as usual, with more closures in city centres where there have been some disturbances.

Unions say that 85 per cent of workers are supporting the strike. The Government says that there are fewer people on strike than in the previous action in 2010 and that in any case there is no way they are going to change their labour reform. So while the unions may not achieve their ultimate aim at least today provides a chance for those that want to to get their message of discontent across.

Tomorrow everything will be back to normal, everyone will go back to work and the Government will announce their revised budget, which is likely to be a harsh one.

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The results of the Andalusian elections are hard to explain to a young child. The blue team who got the most points, 50, act as if they had lost; the red team, who got 47 points, act as if they had won. Then the green and yellow team who only got 11 points are the most triumphant of all. It’s not a question of the least points wins. So why are the wrong team celebrating? You see in this game the teams that don’t win can add their points together to make one team bigger than the winning team. So why didn’t those two teams play together in the first place to  get more points?
If this was a board game the rules would probably be declared unfair, or just so complicated that players would give up and go to bed before they even started. But no, it’s not a game. It’s democracy.
There’s more at stake than a couple of minutes of satisfaction at a party. The winners get  to make important decisions….. or in other words the huge responsibility to lift Andalucía out of a crisis in which a third of people who want to work can’t and thousands of families have very little to live on. How are they going to do that then, the child might ask? They don’t really know, it’s a big problem. So why don’t they let the team with the most points in the first place end up with the big problem that no one can solve? It doesn’t sound like much of a fun prize does it?
No, but the power to rule a region is the important thing here. Then we’ll worry about the huge task the honour brings with it.

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