When someone asks me about what happened in Spain I often use the same metaphor: A few people enjoyed a long and luxurious orgy and now all of us have to pay for it, without even being able to take part. It may sound hard but basically that is what it is. Bankers, politicians, the monarchy, etc, seem to have been playing tricky. And now they keep on telling us that we have been living over our capacities. Really?
Spain seemed to be going great until the recession in the US opened our eyes and struck us. Now that America seems to be recovering, Spaniards are still in shock. Speculation and the housing bust are some of our major problems but we are also having an internal fight. As ‘The Economist’ recently reported, despite being a unified country, we actually live in a complex regional system where each region has followed their own rhythms and played their own tricks with finances. Now, the areas that are doing better do not want to help those with the worse problems. And this increases the feeling of independence of some regions such as the Basque Country or Catalonia. So, if we cannot even agree in our own country, how can we reach an agreement with the European Union?
The numbers are disastrous. Around 25 percent of households do not have any family member working. As a consequence, hundreds of families are forced to leave houses they cannot pay for anymore. Those that have relatives in Spain, ask for help; the rest, try to find their way in other regions or countries. The Government can’t afford to take care of all of them anymore. There are several cases of families that have to live off a grandparent’s pension.
Also, exceptionally this year, the Red Cross decided to raise money for the victims of the recession.
It is not only about helping people that are socially excluded or that suffer chronic diseases anymore. We have new homeless in Spain.
And they do not necessarily come from the lowest classes...
Do we look for food in the trash bins? Of course, some of us need to do it. Do we wait for policemen and social workers to come and make us leave our houses? Yes, we do that too. But that is just the tip of a huge iceberg. No matter how many pictures and articles are published about that, the problem is much wider and people are losing faith on politicians as the main actors on the possible solution.
We do not understand how everything has become so terrible. We see how our politicians do not reach agreements anymore, how they keep on lying, and blurring the data. Banks gave money to anyone, even those that could not afford to pay it back; companies keep on firing people now that is cheaper to do so; taxes are higher than ever so we have to stop consuming. More children need to bring their own lunch to school because their parents can’t afford to pay the dining hall. More and more students have to work to pay for their studies (although, there is not job for everyone); youngsters are coming back to their parent’s home because they cannot live by their own anymore. What is all this leading to?
And with all this we also have to think of the European Union. Politicians and even the monarchy keep on highlighting the importance of giving a good image of our country so international companies keep on trusting us. They say that things are tough but that we should be optimistic. Something easy to say but difficult to put into practise when your life is breaking apart.
We do not know if the government will ask the EU for a financial rescue soon, but we are sure this will have to come and we are also scared of its effects. What are they waiting for? Will they treat us as an undeveloped country? Will this rescue make people think Spain is a third class country? Will this mean we will have to do eternal favours to the EU or be will be kicked off? Will the EU understand that each country is different and it is difficult to ask each of them to accomplish the same goals? So many questions and nobody answers them.
Against this backdrop, people continue protesting but they are not sure of what it will accomplish. It is not as easy as asking for a change of government, because both the right and the left parties have done the same things, they are both responsible of the actual situation.
As a citizen, it is difficult to know what to do. We have trusted our politicians as if they were magicians and now we realise they are not even experts. And that is why there are so many demonstrations on the streets. It is all a consequence of misunderstanding, frustration, anger, fear and sadness.
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