Extra post: #spanishrevolution - A quick Guide to What's Happening in Spain Right Now

A special report by Pau Garcia                                                                              Valladolid, May, 2011

 Hello everyone, and thanks for coming to read my second installment. I am preparing my announced explanation about the insights of the unemployment in Spain as promised, but the events happening in Spain since May 15th and developing until right now as i'm writing deserves to put away that article for some hours and make a quick recap to satisfy the questions several readers and friends outside Spain are asking.


The Five W's

Madrid has been literally invaded.

• Who is it about?

 
A huge amalgam of groups and civil associations, the bigger ones "Democracia Real Ya" (Real Democracy Now) "No les Votes" (Don't Vote Them) moving TENS OF THOUSANDS of people from every politic side, and ranging from 16 to 70 years old. More youngsters, of course, but in the late twenties and young families. Some traditional "alternative" dress codes but TONS of high university degrees between the groups. Smart people, and using social networks like crazy. they refuse to be from any political party, and specifically ask for removal of any sign related to parties, nationalisms, religions, or the old Kingdom vs. Republic discussion.

• What happened?

On May 15th sixty different marchs were convoked using exclusively twitter, facebook, blogs and such. Not a single traditional media element echoed, neither any political party organized anything.

Is not a map of nice tourism cities, but centers of the marches.

• Where did it take place? and  When did it take place?

In each and every province in Spain, and once finished the march on 15th, every day in the different plazas in each capital of province, random numbers from 100 to 5000 people are CAMPING following with protests. Today as well. Tomorrow as well.
  

• Why did it happen?

Finally it seems the "civil society" as we say here are starting to awake. The slogans are incredibly varied , most of them very catchy, and covers dozens of topics, asking for fundamental changes in Elections Law (asking for open candidate lists, instead the current closed lists that made that even politicians currently waiting for corruption trials are elegible in this weekend Municipal Elections),
to threats à là Icelandic : To haunt and trial the bankers and politicians responsible for the biggest scandals in the recent years, ranging from the sale of millions of ounces of gold to appeals to a fundamental switch in the way of thinking: "Apaga la TV, ponte a pensar" (Turn off TV, start to Think).

• How did it happen?

No flags, no funny party colors. Just people tired and angry.

The Social Networks, namely facebook, twitter, and prominent independent forums as burbuja.info have been working for weeks now, trying to convince everyone that a) It was not a movement instrumentalized by any political party and b) It was time to go out. If with 5 million of official unemployment (21% of active population, more on that on my next article), a huge real state bust product of massively weak credit politics, encouraged by stablishment, and uncertainity about the inmediate future watching how other countries at our side are getting more and more social cuts to pay the crisis generated by the elites, don't go out, then when?


The Stakes Have Been Laid Down

From the complete blackout that the biggest march on 15th was given by all newspapers, TV and in general, official media, to the several debate programs that today are running in every TV channel, this four days have seen a true meaning for everyone. This is not a kid's game, the Powers That Be are using everything on it: From only showing the typical dawn quarrels between 5 "professional rioters" and the police, in order to make a 20,000 people march appears like an anti-system battle, to mutual accusations from the biggest parties of being the source of the movement to, of course, mine and disgrace "the other". The significant other, i must say.

The first part is done. People is awake now. the second part is going to be harshest: If the upcoming elections see a raise in the number of voters, but a decline in the two biggest political parties (Out own republican and democrat parties) , the social movement will go further, and probably some key changes will start to evolve.  But if less people vote, or in uncertainity the fear moves people to the biggest parties, as strong as the tide arrived, it will go back to the traditional and sadly famous spanish lack of interest on anything beyond food, R&R and soccer.

Thats it for now, thanks a lot to the people that is encouraging me to follow this series of writings, im really excited to debate and study different point of views. As always, feel free to contact me at paugarciawall@gmail.com.

Don't get too busy,

                                 Pau Garcia


Next Week Topic (if we don't burn the Senate this weekend):  
20% unemployment in Spain: Is it really a 30%? Or it's a 10%?