Choosing a “person of the year” is rarely easy and when Iberosphere co-editor Andrew Eatwell and I set about deciding on the Iberians of 2011, the difficulties were all too clear. So many events unfold over the course of 12 months: political, economic, cultural, sporting and otherwise. Is a football player more worthy of attention than a politician? Is a writer more important than a banker? Obviously, that depends on what each achieved and how much importance you attach to football, politics, literature and banking. For us, each can be of huge significance to a nation’s state of mind, if not its everyday life. But there is a more general issue. What is it that we are gauging? From the start … [Read more...] about How do you choose the Iberians of 2011?
pedro passos coelho
Pedro Passos Coelho
How do you impose the toughest austerity measures a country has experienced in more than three decades and increase your popularity ratings at the same time? Ask Pedro Passos Coelho, Portugal's spendthrift but widely admired prime minister. Elected in June in a historic victory for his centre-right Social Democratic Party, the seemingly impermeable Passos Coelho has embarked on a long list of economic, fiscal and labour market reforms going beyond anything demanded by the EU and the IMF as part of debt-laden Portugal's bail-out package. Though his strategy to bring Portugal's debt and public account deficit into line has stirred controversy - and a general strike - the reason for Coelho's … [Read more...] about Pedro Passos Coelho