spanishrevolution

It was local and regional election day here in Spain on Sunday 22nd as we drove home to find that young people here have finally had enough of the economic crisis and the planned austerity measures that the Government has to follow to maintain its credibility with the international finance system. 

The previous Sunday (15 May) a demonstration was organised in the main square in Madrid, Puerta del Sol, by the Facebook group Democracia Real Ya (Real Democracy Now).  The core reason for the protests has been the unemployment situation here – 21% of the working population is now unemployed, some five million people.  The unemployment rate of those under 25 is 45% and around half of those young people who are in work are on temporary contracts with no security.  The future is not bright for the most highly educated generation that Spain has ever had following the collapse of the property and construction industries. 

The Government has few options as far as I can see given that it has to be able to borrow from the international bond markets and being in the Euro it can’t devalue to restart the economy by making property and holiday prices more attractive for foreigners.  Asking the people to vote for austerity measures is asking turkeys to vote for Christmas, so the Government is a sitting duck for criticism, even if the chickens are coming home to roost from the policies of previous governments (sorry if that was too many poultry metaphors in one sentence).   

On Sunday after the demonstration a few people stayed on overnight and tried to camp out the next night, only to be removed by police.  As word went round on the internet, people began to gather on the Tuesday until there were more people than the police could remove.  Numbers continued to grow each night and the protests had spread to more than fifty other cities before the elections – there was even a demonstration outside the Spanish Embassy in London, where we used to have our language lessons.

Yesterday was the ninth day of the camp which has now developed an air of permanency.  Its name, spanishrevolution (in English), is taken from the tag used on twitter to spread the news.  Local restaurants have been donating left over food, and individuals are also turning up with donations.  As well as the tents, placards and banners, apparently a vegetable patch has now been planted where the flowers were next to the fountains!  Every day the residents of the “mini-republic” have an assembly when they vote on issues and develop their manifesto.  It seems that they have decided to stay for another week or so.

Meanwhile the Government has been slaughtered in the local elections and the return of the conservative Partido Popular seems inevitable at next spring's general election.  Whether the spanishrevolution will still be going by then I don’t know, but I’m sure the economic mess is here to stay for a good while yet.