Spanish Political News

[JHE]

The latest polling figures from CIS are out. The data was collected about a month ago. The results corroborate the general pattern we've seen recently:

• PP are in the lead, though still below 30% and heavily down on their very high (almost 45%) vote four years ago
• PSOE is on about 25%, significantly down on four years ago
• Podemos has fallen this year but is still a significant player (about 16%)
• Ciudadanos has less (about 11%)

There are still a few months to go and all sorts of things could change.

(Just to mention one slightly pessimistic scenario for Podemos: if Podemos' support goes down a couple more percentage points it could find itself in the same unhappy position IU has been in many times, polling relatively well but failing to get as much as 10% of the vote because some people in areas with less support think that it would be a wasted vote and decide they'd be better off voting for PSOE.)

Supposing for a moment that the election goes more or less as the current polling figures indicate, the big question will be whether PSOE, Podemos and others can do some sort of deal to establish a more progressive government to replace PP (who will in that situation whine that it's all unfair because they came first).

 

[JHE]

Attitudes are shifting in Madrid too. "¡Qué se vayan!" (Let them clear off then!) seemingly on the rise as a bar opinion.

I think it's a relatively healthy attitude in a way (and echoes many English people's attitude to separatist Scots). I don't share it and it can a bit ugly, but it's far preferable, IMO, to the awful shite I've had to listen to and read about how the Catalans have no right to decide.

 

[J Ed]

The new mayor of Madrid Manuela Carmena is handing over disused buildings to activist collectives

 

[Favelado]

The new mayor of Madrid Manuela Carmena is handing over disused buildings to activist collectives

I couldn't be much happier with her. She gets the metro, she's refusing to have a chauffeur, turning away the trinkets and gifts that get given to Spanish politicians, she's stopped a couple of hundred evictions (I believe) already. Perks and salaries that were a legit form of corruption slashed, expanded free meals to poor kids. I've missed a few off there as well.

So far, so fucking great.

 

[DotCommunist]

have they renamed thatcher square yet?

 

[Favelado]

have they renamed thatcher square yet?

I think that's bollocks. It's too recent to change. The same week they announced they were changing all the names of the streets with Francoist references - that IS happening but I think the Thatcher story was a Chinese whisper based on that.

 

[JHE]

The same week they announced they were changing all the names of the streets with Francoist references - that IS happening...

All? Did she really say that? I thought she's said something much more moderate.

I'm not sure it'd be a good idea to try to be at all thorough. It's a time to be very selective, I think.

There are loads of fash-named places: http://www.elmundo.es/grafico/madrid/2015/07/09/559c3099ca4741e7088b459f.html

Some should be changed assuming there is public support for it.

In many other cases - for example a street just a short stroll from where I live called Calle Ángel del Alcázar... does anyone really want it changed? How many residents resent the name of the street? I don't know (I'm open to correction on this), but I'd guess it is approx zero.

Really, I'd be happy to see streets currently named after General Mola (eight of them in Madrid according to El Mundo!), the glorioso mutilado Millán Astray of la Legión and the butcher of Badajoz, Juan Yagüe, changed to things less sickening, but only if there is support and this process doesn't take too much of the time and energy of Carmena and her team.


Many blocks of flats in Spain built under the dictatorship have plaques of various sizes crediting the Instituto Nacional de la Vivienda, complete with a falangista symbol.

There are loads in the area where I live and there were also many in one of the neighbourhoods where I used to live in Carabanchel.

On the building I live in now, there's no mention of the INV, but there's a tedious notice about the particular names, numbers and dates of the (Francoist) Regulations under which it was built and the flats were sold. It also has a falangista symbol.

El Mundo claims there are getting on for 200 streets, avenues, squares, monuments, schools and parks in Madrid with Francoist names. I reckon there must be many thousands of these little dollops of fascist yokes and arrows.

The people aren't tearing them down. They could. In many cases, if they wanted to, it would be very easy. (In other cases you'd need a chisel and a bit more determination.) I honestly think most people barely notice. Maybe it's because I'm a foreigner that I notice these things more.

If the Junta de Residentes on my estate (which would be more accurately called the Junta de Propietarios, since we mere tenants have no representation) wanted to get rid of these symbolic remnants of dictatorship, I'm sure they could find someone on the estate with a hammer and a step ladder who'd very willingly do the job for €50. Come to think of it, I'm unemployed this month and would do it for €30.

BTW, I asked my 12-year-old stepson what he thought of a street called General Mola. I expect you can guess his response. "Mola" I gave him a stern look.

 

[J Ed]

El Mundo claims there are getting on for 200 streets, avenues, squares, monuments, schools and parks in Madrid with Francoist names. I reckon there must be many thousands of these little dollops of fascist yokes and arrows.

The people aren't tearing them down. They could. In many cases, if they wanted to, it would be very easy. (In other cases you'd need a chisel and a bit more determination.) I honestly think most people barely notice. Maybe it's because I'm a foreigner that I notice these things more.

I do not know about Madrid but in Gijón and Oviedo the few remaining Francoist/Falangist symbols were almost permanently defaced. In Oviedo they were regularly cleaned and then just as regularly defaced.

 

[Favelado]

BTW, I asked my 12-year-old stepson what he thought of a street called General Mola. I expect you can guess his response. "Mola" I gave him a stern look.

Ha!

El Diaro says she's going after over 150 parks, streets, monuments so she's going all out as far as I can see.

http://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/Ayu...tizara-franquistas-historica_0_406309863.html

 

[JHE]

Ha!

El Diaro says she's going after over 150 parks, streets, monuments so she's going all out as far as I can see.

http://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/Ayu...tizara-franquistas-historica_0_406309863.html

Thanks for the link, but the article really does not bear out the headline. There is no quote there from Carmena, or from the spokesperson Rita Maestre, saying that they are targeting 150-plus Francoist place names - none whatsoever.

On the contrary there is an eminently sensible statement from Rita Maestre that

"haremos lo posible por recoger las propuestas ciudadanas y vecinales para, en caso de que sea necesario, transformar los nombres". Sin embargo, ha asegurado que "todavía no hemos diseñado un plan estructurado y organizado, es algo que hemos empezado a plantear". Lo que sí tiene claro el Gobierno municipal es que "será un proceso participativo, en coordinación con los distritos y la sociedad civil".​

Good. That's spot on, IMO.

I trust Carmena on this (and in general). I don't mean that I expect always to agree with everything she says. I just mean her intellect, instinct and way of dealing with people mean that she won't go far wrong on this. Among other things, she's a retired judge. Judges, we can reasonably hope, are judicious and this subject needs judiciousness.

Earlier I gave as an example the case of a street near here. It's an at least semi-obscure reference to the Francoist legend of the Alcázar of Toledo. I don't know what your opinion of it is, but the Carmena/Maestre approach will allow it to be dealt with or ignored as appropriate. I could easily find other examples including even more obscure ones, but let me take the opposite tack - an example of someone whose name is very well-known.

What should we do about Santiago Bernabeu? In Madrid there is one (enormously famous) stadium, one Metro station and one street named after the old Fash. The names of the stadium and the Metro station are of course not part of the direct responsibility of the municipality, but the street may be and the mayor or council can of course propose and discuss any policy it wants in relation to the other two.

I have no moral or aesthetic objection to renaming those places. Nor have I any based on football loyalty or antipathy. On the other hand, I have a big political objection. I would not want Ahora Madrid to make the utterly unnecessary and frankly stupid mistake of antagonising millions of people whose only relevant sin is to support Real Madrid.

Maybe they could check out that Vicente Calderón too, just to be even handed. I doubt you could get to run a major football team in Madrid under the dictatorship unless you at least appeared loyal to the dear old caudillo.

In fact, I've an idea, though I really don't now remember where I read it or who told me, that Carmena made some comment that there was no intention to change names from the world of literature, art or sport. (This is what I had in mind earlier when I said I thought she had said something much more moderate.) If that's right, Santiago Bernabeu, Jacinto Benevente and Salvador Dalí can keep their names up on stadium, square and school, but there are others too - from other spheres of activity - that should probably also be left unmolested.

Anyway, I'm happy for these things to be decided in just the sort of open participative process Rita Maestre proposes.

One of the things I like about Podemos and related movements is their democratic spirit. One aspect of that democratic spirit is to try to address what matters to the people. The concerns of the people might not include, for example, changing 150 to 200 place names in Madrid. We'll see.

 

[Favelado]

Another great post JHE. I enjoy your contributions to the thread greatly. I keep meaning to do a weekly summary of the news in Spain for the thread but I'm too busy, and you've usually already done a better job of it by the time I get round to it anyway.

With regards to stadiums - Atleti were originally Aviación Madrid and probably very much inclined to lick state boot. Real Madrid being the city's communist club pre-civil war.

But you already knew that.

 

[JHE]

No, I didn't know either of those things. Thanks for the info.

 

[eoin_k]

The first part of Real Madrid's name if a bit unfortunate, in the circumstances.

 

[Favelado]

Sid Lowe's book on the Barça/Madrid rivalry is well worth a read. The history of the two clubs' respective politics being much more convoluted than you might imagine.

 

[J Ed]

Sid Lowe's book on the Barça/Madrid rivalry is well worth a read. The history of the two clubs' respective politics being much more convoluted than you might imagine.

Seconding this recommendation.

 

[J Ed]

English language article in El País about Madrid's mayor giving buildings to activist groups

 

[Favelado]

English language article in El País about Madrid's mayor giving buildings to activist groups

Aguirre is such a cunt. She was on telly the other day slagging off Patio Maravillas saying "When they went in to close it down, they found barrels and cases of beer. Call that education? What type of education is that?"

Seeing as Patio Maravillas had a bar, why wouldn't there be beer in there? I fucking hate her. Watching her lose on municipal election night was almost Portillo-beating.

 

[Favelado]

Latest Ley Mordaza victim.

A woman took a photo of a police car parked in a disabled parking space and stuck it on social media.

SHE got fined 800 euros.

http://www.publico.es/politica/multan-800-euros-mujer-fotografio.html

 

[Brainaddict]

Went to a meeting the other day with a woman involved in Ganemos, which is the coalition which is in coalition with Podemos as Ahora Madrid, and I think they are in coalition in the local government now. All those coalitions must be tricky. As an aside, she reckoned that from the pov of people involved in Ganemos, Podemos is now behaving much more like a conventional political party.

But the most interesting thing was her talking about parties committed to collective decision-making taking over this apparatus that has deeply embedded way of working - hierarchy plus delegation of responsibility to individuals. She said they've realised it will take a longer time to change the structures than they might have anticipated. Meanwhile they have a small majority and are under constant attach from right wing media. I do admire people who enter formal politics with the intention of changing the structures (rather than just thinking they'll do nice things) but I don't envy them at all - under stress from all sides in the middle of a right wing bastion, unable to change the national laws that cause a lot of the problems...

 

[Brainaddict]

Latest Ley Mordaza victim.

A woman took a photo of a police car parked in a disabled parking space and stuck it on social media.

SHE got fined 800 euros.

http://www.publico.es/politica/multan-800-euros-mujer-fotografio.html

This stuff is insane. Spanish elites losing the plot. First sign was them crushing the new mortgage law - if they'd conceded on that they wouldn't be having half the trouble they are with new insurgent parties. The Ley Mordaza is surely going to work against them in the end, no? They seem like a bunch of people sticking their fingers in their ears and going la-la-la-la when people are telling them they're getting it wrong. It can't end well for them.

 

[cathal marcs]

On the topic of antisemitism in Spain, I have just came across this. Does the festival ask every artist their position on Israel or has this been done due to the fact he is Jewish?

"Organizers of a music festival in Spain dropped the hip-hop artist Matisyahu from their lineup because he would not endorse a Palestinian state. The annual reggae music festival, Rototom Sunsplash in Benicassim, Valencia, began August 15. Matisyahu was scheduled to perform August 22, the final day. ..The festival said Matisyahu should sign [an endorsement] and Matisyahu didn't want to, and that's the matter of the cancellation."

http://www.newsweek.com/matisyahu-concert-canceled-palestine-363350

 

[frogwoman]

Bit surprised by that as hes made pro palestinian comments in the past.

 

[frogwoman]

Maybe he just objected to signing it. I dont blame him.

 

[frogwoman]

"It is noteworthy that the festival is not interested in the opinions of other participants on policies of Iran, the Islamic State, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah," the statement said.



Lol ffs 'do you support any of the following'

 

[frogwoman]

Who is going to say they support isis in a festival line up ffs.

 

[Favelado]

Who is going to say they support isis in a festival line up ffs.

M.I.A. just to be edgy.

 

[Favelado]

J Ed Riklet Threshers_Flail

New copy of Mongolia's out!

 

[JHE]

In Catalonia the polls close in about 20 minutes, in an election which the separatists want to be regarded as a referendum on independence. Quite rightly they would prefer a proper referendum, but the Spanish government and the courts have prevented them from holding one.

According to most of the opinion polls in the last month or so:

• The Junts pel Sí list, an alliance of Artur Mas' Convergencia party (a centre right Catalanist party), the Catalan Republican Left (ERC, a Pan-Catalanist party) and a couple of smaller groups, will come close to getting half the seats in the Catalan Parliament, but will fall just short of an overall majority
• Junts pel Sí plus another pro-independence list, CUP, another left-wing Pan-Catalanist party, will together have a majority of the seats
• These two pro-independence lists will gain their majority of seats without quite getting a majority of votes
• Another list Sí que es Pot, an alliance involving Podemos, also says that Catalans should be free to decide whether to become independent and will do modestly well, getting about the same as the Socialists
• The parties that deny that the Catalans have the right to decide will be in a very clear minority

But those are just predictions. Shortly after the polls close we should hear the results of the exit poll and I suppose we'll have the full results some time tomorrow morning. All we know for sure at the moment is that the turnout seems to have gone up. Some papers are saying that's a good sign for the non-separatists, but I think that may be just some people's wishful thinking. We'll see soon enough.

 

[JHE]

An exit poll conducted for TV3 indicates that the separatists have won a majority of seats: Junts pel Sí + CUP: 79 seats out of 135

Junts pel Sí: between 63 and 66 seats
CUP: between 11 and 13 seats

 

[JHE]

Other things indicated by the TV3 exit poll:

Ciudadanos: between 19 and 21 seats
PSC (PSOE in Catalonia): 14-16
Catalunya Sí que es Pot (Podemos and chums): 12-14
PP: 9-11
Unió*: 0-3

*Unió is a Catalanist party that was in long-term alliance with Mas' Convergencia, but left recently because it didn't really agree with the independence project.