Massive protests in Spain and Portugal

[NicholasTeakozy]

Yet no coverage in the British press*. The story's here.

*Unless you count The Daily Star. Which I don't, it's owned by the pornographer Dirty Desmond.

Wow, had no idea!

The people of Spain have been squeezed to fuck for a long time now, and the youth unemployment rate is simply gargantuan. A whole generation is without work. Bloody good for them trying to do something about it. A General Strike might give some other countries a lead too- this situation just cannot continue.

Mt daughter witnessed the protests in Spain last summer. Does anyone know if it has spread to secondary cities?

Its happening all over Spain and has been for quite a few months. Sadly will only hget worse.

The Spanish Prime Minister (Rajoy) is desperately trying to avoid asking for an EU bailout but his Finance Minsiter is saying openly that Spain must now get a bailout.

I read today that Spain has only Euro 20 billion of cash left to pay creditors and that if it does not ask/get an EU bailout it will default on its debt by teh end of the year.

Problem is Rajoy does not want to ask for a bailout as the EU will impose stiff austerity conditions and he knows that the people of Spain will revolt and he will be voted out.

The EU meanwhile could force Rajoy to step down anyway and impose a Troika Government by refusing to provide any assistance unless he resigns. This happened in Greece and in Italy. Berlusconi resigned just 2 days after the ECB allowed interest rates on short term debt to explode upwards by publicly withdrawing it support for their bond market.

At some point, the people of Europe will wake up and realise that their Governments are being deposed by an unelected set of EU and ECB officials and austerity is being imposed on them without a vote in order to make sure bankers get their money back.

The EU is usurping democracy across Europe.

MoreBeta Thank you for your precis. I totally concur with your view.

DD was in Sevilla and is due to go out, perhaps to Granada,this time next year,for her year abroad.

I saw Athens, first hand over the summer,just after the second election.

Harbinger there were widespread protests in various Spanish and Portuguese cities over the weekend. The Occupy movement started in Madrid iirc.

Occupy Wall Street had a first anniversary march at the weekend, there are some great photos on Go Left Facebook page.

DD went to the square in Seville to join the Indignados (?) round about June,last year. She had taken off to a language school in Seville and found all of this happening.

It's worth keeping an eye on this, even if un/der reported here.