End of times did not happen
As expected... some people have thrown away their savings on that scam.
Unemployed march in Greater Bilbao
Unemployed march through the Left Bank of Bilbao Estuary a large meteropolitan area of deep working class roots, ending in Sestao. Photogallery at La Haine.
Demo for the right to demonstrate and express freely in our streets
In an act that was distinct from the May 15 movement too, but conceptually related maybe, the platform Vendetta Bilbao took over the Gran Vía, defying the fascist regulation imposed by the Christian-Democrat pro-bullfights major Azkuna with the odd support of United Left, doomed to vanish in today's elections.
Sources[es]: Gara, Sare Antifaxista.
Terrassa Assembly demands the end of monarchy (and a lot more)
It had to happen: when you demand true democracy, unelected medieval kings are obviously to be taken out.
The Assembly of Terrassa, near Barcelona, approved a manifesto that can be read in full at Kaosenlared[es/cat]. Its main points are:
- No more privileges for politicians: salary and pension system massive nerfing, stop immunity for corruption cases
- No more privileges for bankers: not to any "rescue" of banks, if needed they will be nationalized and transformed into public social banks, immediate return to the public coffers of all state inputs, stronger regulations, illegalization of investments in tax heavens, all foreclosed homes will be allocated to social renting.
- No more privileges for large fortunes: increase of taxes for large fortunes, restoration of patrimonial taxes, effective control of tax evasion and Tobin tax (this would finance the following points).
- Against unemployment: divide jobs (reduce journeys) until unemployment is under 5%, retirement at 65, no increase in this age until all youth unemployment has been suppressed, bonus for companies with less than 10% of temporary contracts, safety of employment (make firing people near-impossible while there are benefits), control to prevent that stable jobs end up in temporary contracts, long term unemployment subsidies and basic universal salary.
- Right to a home: expropriation of unused houses, no to foreclosures, make "mobbing" illegal, that foreclosures cancel mortgages in retroactive manner (currently Spanish law is extremely unusual in that), make housing speculation illegal.
- Public quality services: retrieval of budgetary cuts, restoring of cutoff services in healthcare and education, hiring of health workers until waiting lists end, social participation in the management of public hospitals, more teachers, guarantees for equal access to education, public financing of research in order to guarantee its independence, quality and ecological public transport, making illegal to privatize public services.
- Liberties and democracy: not to control of Internet, protection of freedom of information and research journalism, suppression of legal obstacles for non-profit communitarian media, suppression of the radio monopolies, use of free software in public institutions, removing "civic" regulations (restricting free expression), compulsory referendums in all major issues (including EU directives), stop to police hostility towards immigrants, removal of the current foreigners law, right of vote for migrants, modification of the electoral law into a truly representative and proportional system that does not discriminate against any force and where blank/null vote can create empty seats and active abstention is acknowledged as a political option, participative budgets, right of the peoples to decide on how resources are used, monarchy is an anachronism, suppression of all nobility titles, suppression of the law of political parties, recognition of the right of peoples and persons to self-determination, right to reply in the media against false accusations.
- Reduction of military budget
- Measures for a sustainable development: promotion of responsible consumerism, proximity trade, cooperatives, renewable energies, suppression of all nuclear plants, regulate programmed obsolescence (expanding the compulsory guarantee period accordingly), agriculture without GMOs or pesticides, natural therapies available in public healthcare, add environmental cost to products' prices, make sustainable public transport cheaper and widespread, expand natural protected territory.
Maju very interesting information, thanks.
ReplyDeleteOut the inequalities.
I am following the election results, I knew how it affected the protest and as reflected in the final results.
I'm a little indignant Maju.
The problem is that I knew from the beginning ... the Spanish right to vote always go like sheep to vote for pp, are a sect, they disgust me.
Liberal ("left")People can vote on white , which ends up benefiting those bastards pp, and difficult access to public institutions of minorities.
I Do not expected much of the regional results , but had hoped to see other results in the municipal elections.
Why workers give his support to the spanish right?, I can not understand. Many workers give his support to the right, believe me.
But I guess the protest these days is a good start to change things in the future.
I'll probably write something on the Spanish elections when I get to analyze the results.
ReplyDeleteA you can imagine not my priority, being Basque and thinking that PP and PSOE are the same junk. I fail to see which are the differences, with people like Rubalcaba or Ares, with such a lackey attitude towards the International Capital. It is true that the Spanish Right are a total sect and suck but it is also true that the "Left", both PSOE and IU believe that they can gather votes by being less lefty, more centered, and that can only in fact increase abstention, disenchantment and protest votes and actions.
"Why workers give his support to the spanish right?, I can not understand".
I have no idea: I remember I was once working setting the electoral booths and a Gypsy kid told us "my mum is going to vote to Aznar" and I was like, WTF!, what has the far right ever done for Gypsies? But they are very religious people, you know, and maybe they cater that way.
"I guess the protest these days is a good start to change things in the future".
I'm wondering how has this affected the voting trends. My first impression is that it has catered for IU and other left options but certainly against a PSOE that is anything but lefty anymore.
You just cannot claim to be left-wing and, as soon as Brussels and the IMF demand you to cut expenses, bow to their demands without even a wink. You cannot claim to be left wing and allow a law that gets people foreclosed and still owing their mortgages. You cannot claim to be left wing and democratic and support the far right policies of the PP against the Basques and even lead them.
Essentially, with the help of "the crisis", the people has realized that the PSOE is not left wing and have retrieved their support. It's a long overdue punishment, IMO, because the history of the PSOE is one of betrayal after betrayal.
I agree that the "center-left" feels betrayed by the PSOE, the prospect of the results of the Basque Country, as seen from outside, is that young people or people on the left has given its support to Bildu as an alternative , A turn to the left.
ReplyDeleteBut in the rest of Spain, in my opinion, there are two readings:
- There is no real alternative or option left, on the contrary in the Basque country, which seems to present an alternative to Bildu.
- people succumb to the demagoguery of pp, including unemployed and employed persons (if you've been betrayed by the PSOE at least you can vote for iu,or no vote, I think it is), but do you think those who have been betrayed by PSOE pp will improve their lives? as you said is the same thing or even worse.
It is unfortunately true that Catholics are still weighing between people. I do not understand why.
When I came out to vote, two elderly women tried to convince me to give the vote to pp, talking about the Lord and the parish church, is regrettable.
Obviously I ran as fast as I could.
Speaking Terrasa manifest, what level politicians around the country can offer these ideas to sign the protesters?
Some politicians with these ideas could attract many votes from people who participated in the encamped from 15M.
I think that quite important is who owns the media. There are no really free media (a handful of radios in the margins of legality, little more).
ReplyDelete"When I came out to vote, two elderly women tried to convince me to give the vote to pp, talking about the Lord and the parish church, is regrettable.
Obviously I ran as fast as I could".
You should have denounced them. There have been lots of such irregularities: fascist symbols, PNV agents giving pre-packed votes... all that at voting sites.
As for the rest I still haven't read detailed analysis on whether abstention increased or not, whether IU managed to attract some discontent (in spite of being most social-democrat), etc.