rantamplan
05/17/11 09:02 AM
81.36.198.141
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I have been asked by several people what is going on in Spain.
You might be thinking now ¿is there something going on in Spain at the moment?
Yeah well, you maybe didn’t heard about it because the media is not showing it in TV at all (although I think that TV coverage is way better in foreign countries than in Spain… in deed the Washington post published the new about Spain protest BEFORE any Spanish media did, even Washington post people were asleep when this took place).
Well anyway, back to the topic, I’ll try to explain the situation as “it is”:
On 22nd of may there are regional elections in Spain, traditionally in Spain there are only 2 political parties called “PP” and “PSOE” the political systems favors the existence of only those 2 majority parties, the problem is how the elections are made:
Lets show this example, let’s assume that in any giving region there are 10 “escaños” (a “escaño” is a elected guy for government), Lets think in a region in which there are 50 voters and 40 different political parties. Let’s think that one party get 11 votes while the other 39 get only 1 vote each.
Something like this(10 “escaños”):
Party 1 11 votes
Party 2 1 vote
Party 3 1 vote
Party 4 1 vote
…
..
.
Party 40 1 vote
If we divide the “escaños” evenly, then approximately 2 would go for the party 1 while the other 8 would go “somehow” for the other 39 parties.
Well, making the long history short, if such a case would happen in Spain, then the 10 “escaños” would go for the party1 and none for the rest.
Needless to say that favors the existence of only big parties, up to the point that nowadays there are only 2 parties that govern basically everywhere.
Everything was more ok until recently when a large amount of people started to think that both parties were basically the same and that we were voting for keeping ourselves in a cycle of governments who favors the market, the banks and nothing more.
Now you know the background.
What is happening now is that on 22nd we are called to vote in the regional elections and last week there were a group called in internet for protest against the democracy system.
Politicians expected it to have absolutely no impact so approved the manifestations in most of the cities that requested permission to do so.
What was unexpected to everyone (myself included) is that the concentrations succeded in what is the first online protest to turn into a manifestation in the real world.
This happened in the past in Egypt so I think we should start to pay attention to this new “not coordinated way of coordination”.
Anyway, the fact is that a lot of people went to the streets at same time in Madrid and Barcelona with about 44 other cities having less number but equally relevant manifestations.
But the cool part is located in Madrid, at the beginning the manifestation went pretty well and pacific but then the misinformation starts, by some sources the police allowed the manifestations to proceed but after it grew larger than expected they charged against some areas of them, those people was peacefully seated (but making noise) in some public areas.
By other sources a violent group went to certain area and started some disturbs and it was then when the police charged.
You have some cool photos attached, don’t miss them.
By then some people decided that seeing the succeed of the manifestation they would sit in a place called “sol” until the 22nd elections asking for the change of the electoral system and asking the people who go around to vote following their own ideas but considering other options than the 2 majority parties, I love this sentence which can be heard there:
“trying to change the system is foolish, but we are a lot of fools ¿want to be one with us?”
They stayed all the Sunday night there and then all the Monday, I have to say that they received the support of the local commerce which handed them freely breakfast and lunch (so they count with the sympathy of the local population).
This I how it happened (please notice the full peaceful behavior of the people and how they are just pulled by the police)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Vm48Eeb_Y&feature=share
Here is another video “in the middle of the fray”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIhy6HVVKmU&feature=related
Please notice how they try to censor the recording.
And here is another video taken from a building
What people are yelling in this video is: “where is the press?” (Nowhere, as said they are trying to silent this), “liberty”, “no to violence” and in the minute 2:20 there is a girl yelling “not from the neck!, not from the neck!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdJ371yae7g
Spanish constitution says:
Artículo 21 de la Constitución española:
1. Se reconoce el derecho de reunión pacífica y sin armas. El ejercicio de este derecho no necesitará de autorización previa.
2. En los casos de reuniones en lugares de tránsito público y manifestaciones se dará comunicación previa a la autoridad, que sólo podrá prohibirlas cuando existan razones fundadas de alteración del orden público, con peligro para personas o bienes.
“Article 21 of the Spanish constitution:
1. It’s recognized the right of peaceful meetings without weapons. The exercise of this right doesn’t require previous authorization.
2. in the event that those meetings are held in places of public transit or manifestations, it will be previously communicated to the authorities which could only forbid it when there are founded reasons for considering a public order disturbance with harm to people or goods”
(In case you are wondering, yeah the meeting was communicated to the public authorities during Monday, in deed they asked for permission to stay up to day 22nd and it was never forbidden or at least no one has a notification of it being forbidden.
Please let me know if you see any “founded reason” for believing there is any harm to people or goods… other than the police, of course).
Ironically that place is a traditional “real cañada” a “real cañada” are roads that breeders use for moving their cattle and therefore it’s allowed to them to move their lambs and sleep up to 3 days in the same place, in deed anyone could sleep there for up to 3 days… at least lambs can do it, and in the event that Justin Wieber is coming to a concert young Childs below 18 con do it too (happened a month ago) but not this guys.
Back to the topic: in the end police moved them out.
Curiously instead of killing their resolve, they are organizing a new concentration right now and will get back there as soon as possible, they are also calling us for another concentration on the 20th (which they didn’t pretend to make but governments should start to learn that that’s what they get from repression…).
That’s my most objective description of the facts that are taking place in Spain at the moment.
Nor the TV, the radios or newspapers are saying nothing about this in Spain, it would be really could if at least this could be read worldwide, and for that I need your help
This text is completely free or whatever you are called, so take it (even parts) and paste them everywhere you want, correct any orthographical error or anything that I might have written wrong is allowed too as long as the content is not changed.
It would be cool if this text was read in Digg or any other place where news are voted and distributed.
Thanks for reading, and thanks a lot for sharing.
Attachment (312 downloads)
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Cray
05/17/11 11:43 AM
147.160.136.10
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Quote:
Post Rule 3: These forums are for the support of BattleTech and Neveron in general. Please try to keep to these subjects; there are unlimited sites on the Internet for other subjects. Politics and Religion, in particular, are topics not allowed to be discussed on this board. Also, Spamming is not allowed except for BattleTech-related items; this is not a commercial forum.
Voting, elections, civil demonstrations, and government response fall under "politics." Consider this a "verbal" warning. If you keep posting on this matter, the next response will be a week's ban.
If you want to keep discussion the events in Spain, please consider visiting Lords of the Battlefield, which is a BattleTech forum that has a sub-forum for real world political discussions.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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