Picking a person of the year is difficult enough in times of economic calm and social stability, but in times of crisis it’s arguably harder. When the economy is struggling and leaders are held in low esteem, it’s hard to find individuals whose achievements make them stand out, for better or worse. So inevitably, the shortlist of Iberians of 2012 that managing editor Andrew Eatwell and I have drawn up has been dominated by the crisis that the peninsula – in particular the Spanish side of it – is suffering. There’s always a risk that calling those nominated the “people of the year” glorifies them, or at least suggests they are being cast in a positive light. But our nominees are not … [Read more...] about Choosing the Iberians of 2012
Sánchez Gordillo
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
Land and liberty
It may be a slow summer; it may be that the world’s media can’t get enough bad news from Spain as the country sinks deeper into depression. In such a context, news editors are particularly susceptible to stories about latter-day Robin Hoods. Which is what Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo, the Communist Party mayor for the last 33 years of Marinaleda, a village near Seville, has been gleefully dubbed after he and groups from the Andalusian Workers’ Union that he helped found went into two supermarkets in early August and made off with trolleys of basic foodstuffs that they said they were going to distribute among unemployed agricultural labourers. Speaking to journalists after he and his … [Read more...] about Land and liberty
Spain’s “Robin Hood” labour union hogs the limelight
Since then, Sánchez Gordillo has also been involved in a series of marches across Andalusia by around 400 SAT members who say they want to highlight the issue of unemployment. Spain has Europe’s highest jobless rate at 24.8 percent. Andalusia is one of the regions that has been most affected by the current economic crisis, with an unemployment rate of 34 percent, rising to 63 percent for those under the age of 25. … [Read more...] about Spain’s “Robin Hood” labour union hogs the limelight