For most of 2012, Catalonia was just one of many political concerns in the wing mirror of the Spanish government. The region’s premier, Artur Mas i Gavarró, had been pressing for increased economic powers for some time, arguing that Catalonia did not receive enough investment from the Spanish state in exchange for the taxes it paid. For the government in Madrid, this was nothing new or particularly worrying. But on September 11, as Catalonia celebrated its national day, the Diada, hundreds of thousands of people marched through the streets of Barcelona, behind a banner calling for independence for the region. This outpouring of separatist feeling surprised the world – and the rest of … [Read more...] about Iberian of the Year 2012: Artur Mas
Iberians 2012
Vicente del Bosque
Few international football coaches are blessed with as richly talented a group of players at their disposal as Spain’s. Any team featuring Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Iker Casillas and Gerard Piqué will be a force to be reckoned with, but by any standards, Vicente del Bosque has achieved extraordinary things, leading his team to the European Championship title in 2012, two years after lifting the World Cup. Del Bosque’s predecessor, Luis Aragonés, started Spain’s current domination of international football by winning the 2008 European title. But former Real Madrid player and coach Del Bosque has managed to keep his players both united and hungry for further glory. And in the process, he … [Read more...] about Vicente del Bosque
Joana Vasconcelos
Portugal has had little to cheer about in 2012, with its post-bailout economy still struggling to bounce back under the weight of austerity. But Lisbon-based artist Joana Vasconcelos has had a year to remember. She was already a fêted figure in the world of sculpture and installation art, having exhibited at the 2005 Venice Biennale, Sao Paulo and Moscow. But this year, the Paris-born Vasconcelos came full circle, returning to France to show her work at the Palace of Versailles. In the process, she became the first woman to do so and took on what she described as “the most fascinating challenge” of an already remarkable career. … [Read more...] about Joana Vasconcelos
King Juan Carlos
2012 was the year that some of Spain’s most revered and powerful institutions lost their aura. Crisis hit the country’s banking sector, once seen as among the strongest in the world and the already unpopular judiciary was further discredited by a scandal affecting the president of the Supreme Court, Carlos Dívar. Even the royal family could not escape the wave of opprobrium. A scandal linking King Juan Carlos’s son-in-law, Iñaki Urdangarin, to an embezzlement scam dragged on without resolution, at times threatening to sully the name of Princess Cristina. And in April, as Spain’s borrowing costs soared and the economic crisis reached a new peak, it was revealed that Juan Carlos himself had … [Read more...] about King Juan Carlos
Mariano Rajoy
To his supporters he’s calm, considered, strategic and resilient. But to his critics – whose ranks have swelled this year – Spain’s prime minister is hesitant, rigid, poorly advised and uncharismatic. Whatever your view, few will argue that even his previous experience as a government minister and eight years in opposition can have prepared Mariano Rajoy adequately for the torrid 12 months he has just had. Having made few electoral promises other than to fix the economy, his fortunes were always going to mirror those of the country’s credit risk premium and its jobless queue. Both hit dangerously high levels in 2012, belying Rajoy’s apparent belief on taking office that a change of … [Read more...] about Mariano Rajoy
Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo
For some, the answer to the economic crisis is austerity. For others it is credit, or job creation. For the mayor of the Andalusian town of Marinaleda, direct action is the most apt response. In the summer, Sánchez Gordillo and fellow members of the SAT labour union grabbed the headlines by organising “food grabs” in two supermarkets. Activists carted food out of the shops without paying, insisting it would be donated to local charities. Sánchez Gordillo saw this as a symbolic move to illustrate the extent of Spain’s troubles and he also led a series of protest marches and squats on unused land across the south. In Marinaleda itself, the bearded, charismatic mayor claims to have established … [Read more...] about Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo
Artur Mas
[sharethis] For most of 2012, Catalonia was just one of many political concerns in the wing mirror of the Spanish government. The region’s premier, Artur Mas i Gavarró, had been pressing for increased economic powers for some time, arguing that Catalonia did not receive enough investment from the Spanish state in exchange for the taxes it paid. For the government in Madrid, this was nothing new or particularly worrying. But on September 11, as Catalonia celebrated its national day, the Diada, hundreds of thousands of people marched through the streets of Barcelona, behind a banner calling for independence for the region. This outpouring of separatist feeling surprised the world – and the … [Read more...] about Artur Mas