Comments on: What hope for Spain? http://www.thebadrash.com/2012/07/15/what-hope-for-spain/ A blog from Barcelona, Catalonia, about politics, society and culture Mon, 20 May 2013 17:28:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Murphhttp://www.thebadrash.com/2012/07/15/what-hope-for-spain/#comment-160327 Murph Mon, 03 Sep 2012 10:53:34 +0000 http://www.thebadrash.com/?p=1963#comment-160327 "Fuck You Poor People" is of course the battle cry of neo-cons around the world, from Thatcher/Reagan onward, so no surprise that it should be uttered here in the present climate. The welfare state, and the social safety net, and universal education are all very much under siege, following the collapse of the bubble economy. But I believe Rajoy, within the very limited sphere of autonomy which is left to him after the Bundesbank is done telling him what to do, probably wants to preserve whatever vestige of it he can. And at least the Spanish economy has come under something like adult supervision. More serious within the Spanish state is the dialogue of the deaf between Madrid and the autonomies. This can only end badly for Spain as a political entity. I'll be (slightly) sad to see it go, but relieved that I'm living in a fragment of it with the potential to become a mature democratic and economic polity. "Fuck You Poor People" is of course the battle cry of neo-cons around the world, from Thatcher/Reagan onward, so no surprise that it should be uttered here in the present climate.
The welfare state, and the social safety net, and universal education are all very much under siege, following the collapse of the bubble economy.
But I believe Rajoy, within the very limited sphere of autonomy which is left to him after the Bundesbank is done telling him what to do, probably wants to preserve whatever vestige of it he can. And at least the Spanish economy has come under something like adult supervision.
More serious within the Spanish state is the dialogue of the deaf between Madrid and the autonomies. This can only end badly for Spain as a political entity.
I'll be (slightly) sad to see it go, but relieved that I'm living in a fragment of it with the potential to become a mature democratic and economic polity.

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]]> By: leftbankerhttp://www.thebadrash.com/2012/07/15/what-hope-for-spain/#comment-154612 leftbanker Mon, 16 Jul 2012 07:35:38 +0000 http://www.thebadrash.com/?p=1963#comment-154612 I’m not so pessimistic. I don’t see the fabric of Spanish society unraveling around me, not even a hint of that so far. I think the country will weather this storm without abandoning all of the gains they have made for the middle class in the past 30 years. I’m more worried about the USA where the crisis is being used as an excuse and a bludgeon to destroy the gains of workers over the past century. What people have to remember (and politicians made to remember) is that this was almost entirely brought upon us by a huge failure of the capitalist system. It wasn’t socialist policies that wrecked the banks; it was unbridled greed mixed with almost nothing in the way of government regulation. I’m not so pessimistic. I don’t see the fabric of Spanish society unraveling around me, not even a hint of that so far. I think the country will weather this storm without abandoning all of the gains they have made for the middle class in the past 30 years. I’m more worried about the USA where the crisis is being used as an excuse and a bludgeon to destroy the gains of workers over the past century. What people have to remember (and politicians made to remember) is that this was almost entirely brought upon us by a huge failure of the capitalist system. It wasn’t socialist policies that wrecked the banks; it was unbridled greed mixed with almost nothing in the way of government regulation.

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]]> By: trebotshttp://www.thebadrash.com/2012/07/15/what-hope-for-spain/#comment-154525 trebots Sun, 15 Jul 2012 18:20:06 +0000 http://www.thebadrash.com/?p=1963#comment-154525 <a href="http://www.sueldospublicos.com/texto-diario/mostrar/86260/las-fundaciones-de-los-partidos-politicos-podran-gastar-hasta-500000-euros-en-promocionar-la-cultura-democratica" rel="nofollow">Democracy's safe</a> Democracy's safe

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]]> By: trebotshttp://www.thebadrash.com/2012/07/15/what-hope-for-spain/#comment-154519 trebots Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:43:21 +0000 http://www.thebadrash.com/?p=1963#comment-154519 Civil War? Don't know that one. Is it on PS? Seriously, has anyone done any wargaming to assess possible outcomes of a new 36? Civil War? Don't know that one. Is it on PS?

Seriously, has anyone done any wargaming to assess possible outcomes of a new 36?

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